Ex.co
| EX.CO | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Formerly | Playbuzz |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founders | Tom Pachys, Shachar Orren |
| Headquarters | |
| Key people | Tom Pachys, CEO Shachar Orren, CMO/CRO Yaniv Lubinski, CFO Oren Regev, COO |
| Website | ex |
EX.CO is a Disney-backed, machine learning-driven video platform that helps media companies grow revenue across multiple media platforms. It is used by publishers and media owners such as Advance Local, Hearst Newspapers, The Arena Group, PlayWorks, and Ziff Davis to monetize video content across screens.
History
EX.CO was originally founded as Playbuzz in 2012 by Shaul Olmert and Tom Pachys. Pachys is a graduate of IDC as well as the co-founder of Whimado.
In its early years, Playbuzz raised several funding rounds, including a $3 million Series A from Carmel Ventures and a $35 million Series C in 2017 led by Viola Group with participation from existing investors including the Walt Disney Company and Saban Ventures.
In 2019, Shaul Olmert stepped down as CEO, with co-founder Tom Pachys assuming the role. Olmert eventually departed the company entirely. Playbuzz then changed its name to EX.CO and Shachar Orren was later named a co-founder of the company in 2021.
Acquisitions
In 2021, EX.CO acquired video monetization technology company Cedato.
In 2022, the company announced the acquisition of the machine-learning company Bibblio.[citation needed]
Awards
- 2022 Business Insider: Hottest Marketing Tech Companies of 2022
- 2023 Digiday Video & TV Awards: Best Digital Video Monetization Program
- 2024 Digiday Media Awards: Best Video Platform
- 2024 Digiday Technology Awards: Best Sell-Side Programmatic Platform
- 2025 Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces List, recognizing culture and employee engagement
- 2025 Digiday Technology Awards: Best Sell-Side Programmatic Platform
- 2026 Convergent TV Awards: Ad Tech Innovation of the Year
- 2026 The Webby Awards: AI Features & Innovation - Best Product or Service Honoree
See also
References
- ↑ "Playbuzz CEO Shaul Olmert to Step Down". Calcalist. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ↑ Blount, Leslie (25 March 2022). "How Personalization Helped Alex and Ani Boost Conversions 65%". Adweek. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ↑ Andrews, Robert (November 2025). "For CTV Publishers, the Future Is Predictive, Not Reactive". Beet.TV. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ↑ Schiff, Allison (19 August 2024). "How A Group Of Local News Sites Went From Zero Video Revenue To Seven Figures 'Overnight'". AdExchanger. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ↑ Kaplan, David (December 2025). "EX.CO's Shachar Orren: Video Is Publishers' Best Defense Against AI 'Zero-Click' Era Because Summaries Can't Replace Watching". Beet.TV. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ↑ Shead, Sam (27 September 2017). "Playbuzz raised $35 million for its platform that aims to help publishers engage with the 'Snapchat generation'". The Business Insider. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ↑ Marshall, Jack (27 September 2017). "Disney-backed Playbuzz raises $35 million to grow content creation platform". MarketWatch. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ↑ Kahan, Raphael (10 October 2019). "Playbuzz CEO Shaul Olmert to Step Down". Calcalist. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ↑ Ha, Anthony (18 November 2019). "Playbuzz becomes Ex.co and expands its content marketing platform". Tech Crunch. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- ↑ Spiro, James (13 October 2021). "EX․CO appoints Shachar Orren as Co-Founder". CTECH. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ↑ Ha, Anthony (22 April 2021). "EX.CO acquires video adtech company Cedato". TechCrunch. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ↑ Johnson, Lauren (28 November 2022). "The hottest marketing tech companies of 2022". Business Insider. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ↑ "PlayStation and MOCEAN, PinkNews, TheSoul Publishing and INNOCEAN USA are 2023 Digiday Video and TV Award winners". Digiday. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ↑ "Salesforce, TIME and Fortune Media are among this year's Digiday Media Awards winners". Digiday. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ↑ "Adobe, Soundcloud, Disney and Spectrum are 2024 Digiday Technology Awards winners". Digiday. 10 September 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ↑ "Best Workplaces 2025 Meet the 514 Companies That Prioritize Their People". Inc.com. 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ↑ "The Walt Disney Company, Grammarly and Intuit Mailchimp are 2025 Digiday Technology Awards winners". Digiday. 12 August 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ↑ "Cynopsis Reveals Winners of the Inaugural Convergent TV Awards". Cynopsis. 6 March 2026. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
- ↑ "AI Features & Innovation". The Webby Awards. Retrieved 7 April 2026.