The Trade Desk

Leading independent DSP with significant market share in programmatic advertising, particularly strong in CTV/streaming

The Trade Desk is a leading independent demand-side platform (DSP) that enables advertisers and agencies to programmatically buy digital advertising inventory across multiple channels including display, video, audio, connected TV (CTV), and native advertising. Founded in 2009 by Jeff Green and Dave Pickles, the company has established itself as one of the largest independent ad tech platforms, competing directly with Google and Amazon in the programmatic advertising space. The Trade Desk operates on a transparent, technology-focused model that gives advertisers direct control over their media buying decisions while providing sophisticated data-driven targeting and optimization capabilities. The company has become particularly influential in the connected TV and streaming advertising space, positioning itself as a champion of the open internet against walled gardens. The Trade Desk's platform processes billions of ad impressions daily and serves major brands and agencies worldwide. The company went public in 2016 and has consistently grown its market share by focusing on transparency, data integration, and cross-channel campaign management. Its Unified ID 2.0 initiative represents a significant effort to create an industry-wide alternative to third-party cookies for identity resolution in digital advertising.