The Trade Desk Launches TD7, Venture Capital Arm to Invest in Open Internet Start-Ups

The Trade Desk, the Los Angeles-based advertising technology company, announced the launch of TD7, an internal venture capital arm designed to back technology innovators focused on the open internet. The announcement was made through Business Wire and was accompanied by the disclosure of TD7's first investment, in Chalice, a company that works on new approaches to algorithmic ad buying.

Co-Founder and CEO Jeff Green framed the initiative as central to the company's mission, stating that an open, transparent and competitive internet serves advertisers, publishers and consumers alike. Green said the TD7 name derives from the $7 million in venture capital the company took before becoming profitable, and noted that the company has remained profitable since. He added that the firm wants to see smart ad tech companies succeed as small, disciplined businesses that can help the wider industry innovate and grow.

The launch coincides with the introduction of Solimar, a new trading platform that The Trade Desk describes as bringing major advances in ad buying for the open internet. Many of Solimar's features are available via application programming interfaces, allowing developers to build their own ad tech offerings on the platform.

Adam Heimlich, CEO of Chalice, said the Trade Desk's API approach leaves room for industry innovation in a way that walled-garden ecosystems do not allow. Chalice describes its offering as a lightweight technology layer that gives brands brand-specific KPIs, protected insights and predictive analytics for algorithmic ad buying. Heimlich said the company looks forward to building on its progress with The Trade Desk as TD7's first venture investment. The Business Wire release did not disclose the size of the Chalice investment.