OrbitalAds, a brief introduction.

In space, there are no limits. That is also how OrbitalAds operates. Our aim is always to be at the bleeding edge of innovation.

This marketing artificial intelligence platform operates outside of many of the usual constraints of running a business and building a product. At OrbitalAds, there is no divide between departments, no barriers in place that stop people and product from continuously growing and improving.

However, let’s go back to the beginning, the Big Bang if you will.

One small step for OrbitalAds…

When I set up OrbitalAds with my co-founder Gabriel Madruga, we were both serial entrepreneurs working to solve problems in our respective areas. Gabriel was working in marketing, managing Google Ads campaigns, and I was building products for startups.

We both had different but complementary objectives. Gabriel wanted to build a product that would optimize search campaigns, and I wanted to apply machine learning to solve marketing problems. That was where the idea for OrbitalAds first started.

OrbitalAds took its first small steps in mid-2015. We saw an opportunity to transform the way companies were running their online advertising campaigns. The opportunity lay in automating the process of semantic targeting to discover the best keywords for search campaigns.

1. One giant leap for online advertising

We then reached out to all the major players in the space — Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Twitter — and, in the end, and since focus is a vital part of a Startup, we decided to focus on Google as the biggest platform in the industry. Our clients where already experimenting great results with this platform.

We started applying machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) to automate the keyword management process, things started to take off. We reached the orbit.

• We are able to keep campaigns up to date, exploiting new opportunities on a daily basis. As you know, Google receives over 5 billion searches a day, 15% of those are new.
• Thanks to AI, our algorithms are language agnostic, helping launch in new language markets, with out bringing new staff on-board.

The growth since then has been phenomenal. Over the past two years, we have grown from being a company of two people to now having a staff of 30+, with an impressive year-over-year growth of 300%. We have to thank everyone we have worked with for being pioneers.

2. OrbitalAds’ mission

OrbitalAds’ mission might not be to conquer space, but the aim is always to be exploring, growing, and moving forward.

So what does this mean in practice?

In the words of Gabriel: “At OrbitalAds, we want to become a global reference in applying AI and NLP to performance marketing automation. We are not just a product but a platform that underpins these efforts. We want to bring the power of technology to reduce the time people spend creating and managing their campaigns so they can focus on making the strategic decisions that will move the business forward.”

3. People-first culture

Delivering innovation requires new ways of working, which is why at OrbitalAds, we are trying to shake up the traditional business dynamic.

Building a great product starts with creating a great company. Also, it’s all about the people. They are the foundation; they are the ones who enable innovation and deliver it.

We embrace openness and transparency and combine that with innovation and excellence. Everyone who comes on board embodies these qualities, always sharing ideas, introducing new concepts, and analyzing decisions to see where improvements can be made. Data is also hugely important, and every decision made is backed up by facts and numbers, when we can :)

The different skills that Gabriel and I brought to the table provided the perfect combination to drive the business forward. Now this same principle applies to the whole company, introducing new skills, diversity, and learning how to enrich our perspectives is always a critical point in our growth.

OrbitalAds brings together a diverse mix of people, ways of working, backgrounds and skill-sets that lead to more in-depth, more interesting discussions and provides a broader view of not only the challenges but also potential solutions.