Fighting Ad Fraud and Building Trust in Digital Media with Matt Wasserlauf

What if the future of digital advertising wasn't just about scale and reach, but about trust, transparency, and relationships?

In this episode, Matt Wasserlauf, three-time founder, two-time successful exit entrepreneur, author, and now CEO of Blockboard, shares his remarkable journey from pioneering online video ads 25 years ago to leading the charge against $120 billion in digital ad fraud today. Known as the "first guy to put TV commercials on the web," Matt is revolutionizing ad tech by leveraging blockchain to bring accountability and transparency back to digital media.

Matt opens up about the pivotal relationships that shaped his career, from mentors who gave him his first big break to co-founders who helped him innovate at scale. He reflects on lessons learned in building companies, the value of mentorship, and how trust and collaboration fuel not just business, but entire industries.

 

[00:02:23] Meet Matt Wasserlauf

• Matt's background in TV and transition into digital media

• Becoming the first to put TV commercials on the web

• The vision behind Blockboard and fixing ad fraud

[00:05:42] The $120 Billion Problem

• How ad fraud became one of the world's biggest fraud rings

• Why it's largely unpoliced and misunderstood

• Pepsi's insights that validated the size of the problem

[00:07:33] How Ad Fraud Works

• The rise of bot farms in places like Iceland and Russia

• Mimicking platforms like Peacock to trick advertisers

• How Coca-Cola and other brands unknowingly waste millions

[00:11:00] Spotting the Warning Signs

• Why most agencies don't tell clients about fraud

• The importance of transparency and hard results

• How direct response marketers became Blockboard's biggest customers

[00:14:20] Relationships that Changed Everything

• How Jim DePalma gave Matt his first shot at CBS

• The mentorship that shaped his entrepreneurial path

• Meeting Tarun Yadav and 20 years of innovation together

[00:19:00] Building Measurement & Innovation

• Launching the first video measurement platform (Ndio)

• Why Procter & Gamble's first streaming ad dollars were a turning point

• Innovating from early online video to blockchain verification

[00:21:37] Blockchain and Beating the Bots

• How Ethereum smart contracts power Blockboard

• Pre-verifying ad calls in 33 milliseconds

• Delivering real ads to real humans at scale

[00:26:34] Closing Reflections

• Why it's the best time to be an entrepreneur

• The importance of building trust and networks

• Matt's invitation to fellow entrepreneurs to share notes and innovate together
  
  

Key Quotes

• "There's $120 billion in digital ad fraud, and blockchain gives us the ability to stop it " - Matt Wasserlauf

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