“I just wanted a better advertising system.” That’s the simplest way, Rui de Freitas could possibly explain the idea behind C Wire. The root for this desire lies in frustrating times working in media advertising, that was characterized by unfair competition, intransparency, and distrust in the sector. The start of new regulations and the enforcement of privacy measures by tech giants such as Apple were also crucial for sparking the idea and confidence, that a better advertising system could take over the existing ones.

C Wire's development coincided with significant changes in the digital advertising landscape, including Google's decision to stop identifying individuals. “People were asking for more privacy, leading to the removal of third-party cookies. The industry's response was to replace cookies with identifiers based on emails, but we saw a different approach” says Rui. C Wire’s vision is to create a world of relevant advertising without compromising user privacy. “We are the only ones not using third-party cookies or user identifiers. Other providers are very reliant on these cookies, and we are best positioned to deliver relevance at scale in the cookieless future.”

The Beginning and Growth of C Wire

Reflecting on the early days, Rui describes the development of C Wire from an idea to a thriving business. Together with Chris Morgan, while working at an AI & NLP fintech startup, Rui laid the foundation. “We looked for a technical co-founder and found Yannick, who had worked with me at Tamedia. All his past experience brought all the necessary know-how for this exact project” Rui recounts. While Rui focused on product & operations, Tom, the fourth co-founder, joined the team for strategic vision and fundraising.

“We recruited key talents and expanded our team. Brick by brick, we built the ecosystem we have now. We started with one ad format and one approach, continuously improving our models” Rui explains. The product side kept iterating, though navigating international expansion was challenging. “I think by now we found the go-to-market approach for every market, meaning we can scale internationally now.”

C WIRE AG

Creating a world of relevant advertising without compromising users privacy