Y Combinator-Backed InstallMonetizer Is A Selective Ad Network For Desktop Software

InstallMonetizer is an ad network for desktop software developers, a group that co-founder and CEO Vince Mundy says he once belonged to himself.

“We looked really really hard to find legitimate sources of income [from free downloads],” Mundy said. “We found that there were other developers facing the exact same problem, so we created InstallMonetizer.”

If a publisher is part of the company’s network, an offer from a related advertiser will appear after a consumer installs the software, and the publisher gets paid for each install. Large desktop software companies can already make money this way, but smaller publishers might not reach a large enough audience, so by bringing a bunch of publishers together, Mundy said InstallMonetizer can “help high-quality software developers monetize the same way larger companies do.”

It’s a well-estalbished model in the world of smartphone apps, but there are similar desktop networks, too, such as Opencandy and W3i. One of the main things that sets InstallMonetizer apart, Mundy said, is the fact that the company provides non-personally identifiable data, allowing advertisers to target specific groups of users and to see whether the ads are not just driving downloads but actual usage, too.

The company also claims to be extremely picky about the publishers that it works with, checking domain ownership and anti-virus history, then ultimately rejecting 95 percent of applicants.

InstallMonetizer actually launched two years ago, and it was part of the winter 2012 class at Y Combinator, but it hasn’t sought out any attention from the tech press until now — something that Mundy attributed to just being really busy.

The company says that it now works with more than 9,000 publishers. It’s profitable, and the number of installations that it’s driving doubles every two or three months. It has also attracted high-profile investors, raising $500,000 from Andreessen Horowitz, Digital Garage, Fenox Venture Capital, SV Angel, and Transmedia Capital.

InstallMonetizer.com helps software developers generate additional revenue from their installations. Most software developers lose revenue from 95% of their free/trial installs. We help them monetize these lost installs. Our publishers experience 60-85% conversion and earn between $0.25 to $1.00 per install. Our backend provides detailed stats to keep developers informed on their earnings. We work with quality advertisers. Our software publishers are assured we NEVER have spyware/adware products in our co-bundle. Watch our â€oHow it...

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Y Combinator is a venture fund which focuses on seed investments to startup companies. It offers financing as well as business consulting along with other opportunities to 2-4 person companies looking to take an idea to a product. Y Combinator looks for companies with “good” ideas over companies with experience and a business model. The company made its first investments in Summer 2005. Y Combinator selects companies to finance and consult with twice a year. They are located in...

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