DataXu was honored to be named a finalist for the 2010 Tech Awards given their roots in technology innovation at MIT. They described their innovation as combining stream computing and machine learning to intelligently plan, buy, and optimize digital advertising. The company was founded based on data-driven decision making technology originally created at MIT to guide NASA spaceflight missions, and saw an opportunity to apply it to improve online advertising inefficiencies.

2. How do you feel about being named a finalist in the 2010 Tech Awards? We are honored by the recognition! With our roots at MIT (2 of our founders and our core technology platform originated there) and our home in Boston, we couldn’t be happier to be acknowledged by the MITX organization and the local technology community. We all know that New York City has long been considered the epicenter of advertising, but with the continued growth and ingenuity represented by DataXu and our 3 MITX competitors – BuySellAds.com, Nexage, Searchandise Commerce – it’s only a matter of time until Boston is considered the epicenter of digital advertising innovation.

3. If you could describe your innovation in one succinct sentence, how would you describe yourself? Combining ground-breaking stream computing and machine learning technologies, DataXu has created the first and only system that intelligently plans, buys and optimizes digital advertising.

4. How was your company founded, and what inspired its creation? Our core technology originated at MIT, designed to provide guidance for NASA spaceflight missions, based on real-time analysis of massive data sets. Our management team saw the opportunity to apply these data-driven decisioning capabilities to improve upon the inefficiencies of online advertising, and DataXu was born. “Xu” means “need” – our recognition that good data used intelligently is a requirement for business success.

5. What makes your company different from other companies in your market space? DataXu’s main differentiators include our platform’s sophisticated technology, our exclusive alignment with advertisers, and our experienced senior management team. Technology - Our key technology advantages include our platform’s automated learning system, dynamic decisioning, and its ability to scale.

6. Advertiser Alignment - Unlike a number of our competitors, DataXu’s technology exclusively addresses the needs of ad buyers – agencies and brands.

7. Senior Team - Our executive team represents vast and varied experience with backgrounds ranging from digital media, mobile, publishing, analytics, aeronautics (space)… and beyond! What has been your company's greatest accomplishment in the past year? We officially launched the company less than a year ago, and to date, our greatest accomplishment has been to bring together a team that has exceeded our growth targets across all key measures: sales, product development, and client wins.