Our Story

A Bold Idea that Became DanAds

Our Story
Our story

How we started

In 2013, two Swedish entrepreneurs asked a bold question:

“What if publishers could run their own advertising infrastructure – automated, transparent, and on their terms?”

That question inspired Peo Persson and Istvan Beres to found DanAds years before self-serve became an industry trend. From the start, their vision was clear: build tools that let publishers and advertisers bypass the inefficiencies of traditional ad agencies and tech.

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Our story

Why we do what we do

What started as a bold idea in Stockholm is now a global movement driven by a team obsessed with solving real publisher problems, not just selling technology.

Today, we’re proud to power a future where publishers own their ad stack, automation scales with insight, and everyone gets a fair shot – Self-Serve and beyond.

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Our PURPOSE

Our North Star

As the global leader in self-serve technology, we have for mission to empower the sell-side to streamline premium inventory access for the buy-side, driving mutual growth. With AI-driven automation, sell-side partners can fully orchestrate their ad stack, while buyers gain seamless access to high-quality audiences, maximizing their returns.

 

Our vision is to set the industry standard for advertising with self-serve technology. We build advertising solutions that are efficient, transparent, adaptable, and fully controlled – designed to work for everyone.

As the global leader in self-serve technology, we have for mission to empower the sell-side to streamline premium inventory access for the buy-side, driving mutual growth. With AI-driven automation, sell-side partners can fully orchestrate their ad stack, while buyers gain seamless access to high-quality audiences, maximizing their returns.

 

Our vision is to set the industry standard for advertising with self-serve technology. We build advertising solutions that are efficient, transparent, adaptable, and fully controlled – designed to work for everyone.

Our Values

Empowerment

We put control where it belongs – in the hands of publishers. Our technology is designed to streamline operations, eliminate bottlenecks, and give our clients full ownership of their advertising. Whether through automation or intuitive workflows, we enable smarter, faster decisions that drive results.

Transparency

We believe trust is built on clarity. From pricing to performance, our platform is designed to make everything visible for publishers, advertisers, and internal teams alike. We’re committed to an open, understandable ad ecosystem where data isn’t hidden and value is always traceable.

Innovation

We’re not here to follow. We’re here to lead. At DanAds, innovation means pushing the boundaries of what ad tech can do and doing so with purpose. From self-serve tools to enterprise solutions, we constantly evolve to meet the real needs of our clients and the industry.

The Heart of DanAds

At DanAds, innovation starts with our people. With over 200 employees across the globe, our success is driven by the collective talent of our entire team. Below, you’ll meet our leadership who bring together deep expertise in engineering, finance, strategy, and operations to drive innovation in ad tech.

With a track record of scaling publishers and shaping their success, they lead with one goal: helping publishers grow, take control, and deliver lasting value.

At DanAds, innovation starts with our people. With over 200 employees across the globe, our success is driven by the collective talent of our entire team. Below, you’ll meet our leadership who bring together deep expertise in engineering, finance, strategy, and operations to drive innovation in ad tech.

With a track record of scaling publishers and shaping their success, they lead with one goal: helping publishers grow, take control, and deliver lasting value.

Management

Istvan Beres

Co-Founder & CEO

Peo Persson

Co-Founder & CCO

Johan Liljelund

CIO & Executive VP

Farid Hafsia

CTO

Andreas Larsson

CFO

Marie-Lou Penin

CMO

Jeffrey Mayer

CPO & Managing Director of US

Senior Leadership

Maarten Vrijens

Senior Business Architect

Axel Ernstsson

Senior Business Architect

Paul Cassar

Head of Sales & Self-Serve Services

Hans Fast

Senior Architect

Viktor Rask-Andersen

VP of Finance

Michael Gelb

Head of Account Management

Amar Bacevac

Global IT Staffing Manager

Board of Directors

Anders Borg

Chairman of the Board

Sophia Spala

Member of the Board

Kristina Schauman

Member of the Board

Istvan Beres

Co-Founder & CEO

Mikael Wintzell

Member of the Board

Our Offices

Operating globally

We are a global company with teams and partners across multiple continents, working together to support some of the world’s leading media owners and publishers. From our headquarters in Stockholm to key hubs in New York, London, Amsterdam and Tashkent, with new offices opening Malmö, Romania and Hong Kong. We collaborate across time zones to build scalable, localized solutions – wherever our clients are. Our reach may be global, but our focus remains personal and tailored.

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