Celebrate The Wins!

Every career decision I’ve made has been to work on a product/problem I’m intellectually curious/passionate about, to work with people I believe I can learn and grow from, and in a role, I can have an impact and be challenged. PubMatic checked those boxes for me in 2009.

They had early product-market fit building a software solution that actually solved a publisher (increased revenue) problem, and leading an industry revolution with the OpenRTB spec (current recorded history says this was November 2010 but truthfully it was early 2009 with PubMatic as the lead on the publisher side drafting & developing what became the OpenRTB 1.0 spec w/ Turn, Invite Media (now Google Bid Manager) & MediaMath). I joined to lead the software (publisher) side of the business, we were essentially pre-revenue, working out of a basement without a consistently functioning toilet, and I couldn’t be happier. It was and continues to be what a true scrappy startup should be at that stage.

The PubMatic journey was filled with lots of hard work, learning to simultaneously grow a team across 3+ continents, evangelizing/bringing to market a new product category, and scaling processes relentlessly. So many memories and friendships. I am grateful to Rajeev Goel & Amar Goel for the opportunity, and specifically to Rajeev for how much I learned working for him for 4 years.

I posted the header image of Rajeev because it’s not what he looks like in person. In-person he’s better looking 😂, warm, and charismatic. What this photo captures though is the inner resolve, persistence, and strategic mindset that I witnessed every day working for Rajeev. There are a TON of smart people who contributed and deserve credit for PubMatic’s success. I’m delighted to see so many former PubMatic folks building their own successful startups (Rajesh w/ WeInvest & Krishna w/ MindTickle are just 2 of many other examples). But Rajeev is and will always be a rock. An operator who appreciates the day to day grind while maintaining the team’s focus on the big picture. I learned a steady relentless focus is always better than a big splash. He has proven he can and has steered the business through both good and bad, and it’s why I am confident PubMatic is still in the early phases of its successful journey.

I congratulate all the current PubMatic team for this great achievement and thank all those who made this possible. I am proud to be an alum and excited to see how PubMatic’s SaaS offering continues to improve advertising efficiency for all platforms as the industry evolves in the coming decade.

Cheers! 🥂

PubMatic had an initial public offering on December 9th on the nasdaq as PUBM.