adjoe is a leading mobile advertising platform committed to challenging the industry status quo. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Thomas Yannopoulos, VP of Revenue, Americas, for adjoe, to learn more about the company.
Thomas Yannopoulos’ Background
Please tell me more about your background. Yannopoulos said:
“I’ve been working in the adtech space since 2012, starting with Jumptap—one of the first programmatic DSPs—and later, Remerge. Over the years, I’ve focused on helping performance marketers drive scalable user growth, whether through programmatic, network, or reward-based solutions. I’ve always gravitated toward innovative advertising models that provide real value to users, and that naturally led me to adjoe.”
“At adjoe, I lead our expansion into the Americas. That means building partnerships, growing market share, and helping mobile businesses unlock new acquisition and monetization strategies through our unique products. I spend a lot of time working directly with publishers and advertisers to ensure they’re getting real, measurable value from our platform. As part of my role, I have helped establish our U.S. office, which is currently 20 team members strong in Boston, and we expect to reach 30 employees by the end of the year.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for adjoe so far? Yannopoulos reflected:
“Honestly, it’s been the feedback from partners who were initially skeptical about rewarded formats and then completely shifted their strategy after seeing the results. That moment when someone says, “This actually changed how we look at monetization,” is rewarding and a reminder that we’re doing something meaningful that has the potential to change how apps engage their users and earn revenue.”
“I spent much of my career constantly convincing marketers that programmatic display/video was impactful and incremental, which I still believe; however, it was challenging to prove. At adjoe, we provide a solution that, for some publishers and marketers, is genuinely transformative for their business. We’ve had publishers that have doubled their headcount as a result of the revenue delivered through our solution. I’ll always be proud of the real value we deliver.”
Core Products
What are adjoe’s core products and features? Yannopoulos explained:
“Our flagship product is Playtime, a rewarded ad format that incentivizes users to engage with mobile games in exchange for in-app rewards. We also offer Arcade, a plug-and-play gaming hub that helps apps, especially those with loyalty programs, boost user engagement. Our latest focus is expanding into programmatic advertising, a market projected to reach $595 billion in ad spend and deliver over 1.4 trillion daily ad impressions. We’re building a mobile-first programmatic platform to improve the user experience while giving advertisers and publishers more choice and control. Across all our products, our proprietary AI, deep first-party data, and user-first philosophy ensure a better ad experience for everyone, publishers, advertisers, and users.”
Challenges Faced
Have you faced any challenges in your sector of work recently? Yannopoulos acknowledged:
“One of our biggest challenges has been market education. Early on, many app companies were skeptical of rewarded advertising. We’ve overcome that by consistently proving value through data, case studies, and, most importantly, performance. As we expand our Arcade solution, we’re seeing growing interest from loyalty programs that want to drive daily engagement, offer non-transactional rewards, and tap into the universal appeal of gaming. The ongoing challenge is closing the loop, and clearly demonstrating how adjoe enhances these programs. However, it’s a challenge we’ve embraced, and once partners test our solutions, they see the impact, and that builds long-term trust.”
Evolution Of The Company’s Technology
How has adjoe’s technology evolved since its launch? Yannopoulos noted:
“We’ve come a long way since launching with rewarded ads. Over time, we’ve layered in AI, advanced personalization, fraud prevention, and powerful optimization tools, all of which have transformed how we approach product development. Today, we begin every innovation by focusing on the value exchange between our products and the end user: What do users enjoy? How can rewards feel meaningful? Do users clearly understand the value of engaging with our formats? This user-first approach has allowed us to more accurately predict which apps to promote, communicate rewards effectively, and deliver a seamless, intuitive user experience. As a result, our value becomes immediately clear to partners—loyalty programs and publishers see stronger engagement, and advertisers can scale user acquisition effortlessly while maintaining strong ROI.”
“Building on that foundation, we’re now entering the programmatic space, bringing the same principles that made us the world’s fastest-growing rewarded platform to redefine how programmatic advertising performs.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of adjoe’s most significant milestones? Yannopoulos cited:
“One of the most significant milestones for us was our integration with Fetch. When I joined adjoe, I immediately saw Fetch as an ideal partner; they’re a brand committed to delivering real value to their users through everyday purchases and already utilize gamification elements that align perfectly with our Arcade solution. While the integration seemed like a natural fit, it still required education and close collaboration. Ultimately, we built a solution that not only drove increased revenue for both Fetch and adjoe but, more importantly, delivered a rewarding and engaging experience for Fetch’s users. It was a great example of how the right partnership can create value across the board, for publishers, users, and our platform.”
Customer Success Stories
Can you share any specific customer success stories? Yannopoulos highlighted:
“Recently, PDI Technologies leveraged adjoe’s Arcade solution for GasBuddy’s new non-transactional reward system. The app engagement solution rewards users for playing mobile games in GasBuddy Games by earning points that can be redeemed for gift cards from popular retailers. This integration was a major milestone for us entering the fuel rewards space and highlights the growing momentum around rewarded gaming. Increasingly, brands are embracing innovative ways to drive loyalty, improve daily brand engagement, increase customer lifetime value, and maximize app revenue. In a market full of loyalty programs that are dependent on transactional spending, adjoe helps to differentiate app publishers like GasBuddy by offering meaningful and fun user experiences that boost revenue and brand loyalty—without any transaction.”
Funding
When asking Yannopoulos about the company’s funding details, he revealed:
“We’re proud to be backed by a $100 million investment from Bertelsmann, which has allowed us to scale our teams and technology globally. While we don’t disclose specific revenue numbers, I can say confidently that we’re seeing strong growth. We’ve been able to open offices in Amsterdam, Japan, and Singapore since I joined in 2023.”
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size is adjoe pursuing? Yannopoulos assessed:
“We’re targeting the entire mobile app economy, which includes millions of apps and billions of users worldwide. With over 7 billion smartphone users globally and 90% of mobile time spent in apps, the opportunity is massive. Our total addressable market spans across verticals like gaming, fintech, e-commerce, QSR, health, and beyond. Basically, any app looking to drive engagement, monetization, or user acquisition.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates adjoe from its competition? Yannopoulos affirmed:
“We take a user-first approach. Our products aren’t just ad formats, they’re experiences that users actually enjoy. That means higher engagement, better retention, and ultimately better monetization for publishers and performance for advertisers. This approach has helped us build partnerships with 80% of the top 100 mobile game app companies and long-term partnerships with some of the most well-known loyalty programs globally. We are able to have lasting relationships (+5 years with many of them) as a result of our tech, deep data, and global scale, and that’s a strong competitive edge.”
Future Goals
What are some of adjoe’s future goals? Yannopoulos concluded:
“Historically, adjoe has been a leading user acquisition channel for mobile games. This year, we’re expanding our rewarded approach to help non-gaming apps leverage rewarded advertising, not just as a monetization and engagement tool, but as an acquisition channel. Our goal is to become an essential part of every app’s media buying toolkit, across all verticals—not just gaming.”
“We’re also making a significant investment in programmatic advertising, starting with key hires. Most recently, we welcomed a new Managing Director who previously led The Trade Desk’s operations in the DACH region. Looking ahead, I see adjoe not only continuing to lead in rewarded advertising, but emerging as a serious player in the programmatic space as well.”
