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Joe Zawadzki

CEO at Aperiam Ventures

Venture building and leadership at the frontier of programmatic and audience-driven advertising technology

OperatorLinkedInNew York, New York, United States20+ years in industry

Last updated Jun 6, 2026 by the ATDb Editorial Team

Bio

Joe Zawadzki is currently CEO at Aperiam Ventures, the venture platform he founded in 2015 to back and build emerging companies across the advertising and marketing technology landscape. He is best known as the co-founder and longtime CEO of MediaMath, widely credited with helping define and scale the demand-side platform category from its founding in 2007 through 2023. He also serves as Chairman of Collective Audience and previously held the CEO role at Audigent, reflecting his continued hands-on engagement with the next generation of data-driven advertising businesses.

Previous Roles

Co-Founder & CEO

MediaMath (2007-2023)

Founder & Managing Partner

Aperiam Ventures (2015-present)

Chairman

Collective Audience (2023-present)

CEO

Audigent (2023-2024)

SVP, Products & Technology

24/7 Real Media (2004-2007)

Expertise
Programmatic AdvertisingDemand-Side Platforms (DSP)Identity ResolutionFirst-Party Data ActivationContextual TargetingData Privacy & ComplianceAdTech Venture InvestmentAudience Data Strategy
Education
  • BA, Philosophy and Mathematics, McGill University
Notable Achievements
  • Co-founded MediaMath in 2007, one of the first and most influential demand-side platforms, helping define the programmatic advertising category
  • Led MediaMath to raise over $175 million in funding and scale to processing billions of ad impressions globally
  • Appointed Chairman of Collective Audience in 2023, continuing active industry leadership post-MediaMath
  • Held over 20 patents related to digital advertising technology
  • Named to multiple AdAge, AdExchanger, and industry power lists recognizing influence in programmatic advertising
Awards
AdExchanger Awards — recognized for contributions to programmatic advertisingInducted into various AdTech industry honor lists for innovation and leadership
Speaking Topics
The future of programmatic advertisingIdentity resolution in a cookieless worldEthics and transparency in data-driven advertisingFirst-party data strategies for publishers and advertisersAdTech infrastructure and the open internetVenture investing in AdTech and MarTech
Publications
  • Various op-eds and bylines in AdExchanger on programmatic transparency and data ethics
  • Contributor to industry white papers on privacy-compliant advertising standards
Board Memberships
Collective Audience (Chairman)Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) — former board involvementAperiam Ventures portfolio companies
Advisory Roles
Aperiam Ventures (Founder & Managing Partner)Various AdTech and MarTech startups
Connections