Adam Heimlich

Co-Founder & CEO at Chalice Custom Algorithms

Empowering advertisers with transparent, custom algorithmic bidding through Chalice Custom Algorithms

Thought LeaderNew York, New York, United States22+ years in industry

Last updated May 31, 2026 by the ATDb Editorial Team · Connections updated Jun 1, 2026

Bio

Adam Heimlich is Co-Founder at Chalice Custom Algorithms, where he champions the principle that advertisers and agencies should own and control their own bidding logic rather than relying on black-box DSP algorithms. Before founding Chalice, he served as Chief Media Officer at Horizon Media and held founder and executive roles across various AdTech ventures spanning the early 2000s through 2017. He is recognized as one of the more technically rigorous and contrarian voices in programmatic advertising.

Previous Roles

Chief Media Officer

Horizon Media (circa 2017-2020)

Founder/Executive

Various AdTech ventures (early 2000s-2017)

Expertise

Algorithmic Media BuyingProgrammatic AdvertisingBid OptimizationSupply Path OptimizationAttribution ModelingMachine Learning in AdvertisingDemand-Side Platforms (DSPs)Programmatic Transparency

Notable Achievements

Co-founded Chalice Custom Algorithms, pioneering the concept of agency- and advertiser-owned custom bidding algorithms
Served as Chief Media Officer at Horizon Media, one of the largest independent U.S. media agencies
Became a leading industry voice on programmatic transparency and algorithmic accountability
Advocated for supply path optimization and custom algorithm ownership before these became mainstream industry concerns

Speaking Topics

Custom Algorithms and Bidding OptimizationProgrammatic Transparency and AccountabilitySupply Path OptimizationMachine Learning Applications in Media BuyingAttribution ModelingAdvertiser Empowerment in Programmatic

Publications

Various bylined articles and commentary on programmatic advertising and algorithmic media buying in AdTech trade press

Connections