Microsoft Invest

A major enterprise DSP with deep programmatic roots, historically serving large agencies and brand advertisers globally before consolidation into Microsoft Advertising.

Microsoft Invest traced its lineage from AppNexus, one of the most influential independent ad tech companies in history, which was acquired by AT&T's Xandr division in 2018 and subsequently rebranded as Xandr Invest. When Microsoft acquired Xandr from AT&T in 2022, the platform was rebranded once more as Microsoft Invest, positioning it as Microsoft's flagship demand-side platform for programmatic advertising. Throughout its evolution, the platform served agencies, trading desks, and brand advertisers seeking sophisticated audience targeting, real-time bidding, and cross-channel campaign management at scale. As a DSP, Microsoft Invest offered buyers access to premium inventory across display, video, native, and connected TV channels, underpinned by the robust data and supply infrastructure inherited from AppNexus. The platform was known for its transparency, open ecosystem approach, and deep integration with Xandr's supply-side marketplace, giving advertisers a unified view of their programmatic investments. Its API-first architecture and advanced analytics capabilities made it particularly attractive to sophisticated programmatic buyers and large agency holding companies. Microsoft announced the sunset of Microsoft Invest — along with the related Curate product — effective February 28, 2026, as part of a broader strategic consolidation of its advertising business. Rather than a full shutdown, the move represents a fold-in of buy-side capabilities into the Microsoft Advertising Platform, where Microsoft is focusing investment on its native search, audience, and retail media products. Advertisers and partners were directed to transition their programmatic buying activity to alternative DSPs or to Microsoft Advertising's own suite of tools, marking the end of a distinct DSP brand with roots stretching back to AppNexus's founding in the early 2000s.