Jay Sears is SVP, Demand for the Rubicon Project. Sears is responsible for relations with ad networks, agency trading desks and demand side platforms in the United States and other areas outside of Europe.
Prior to joining Rubicon, Sears was General Manager of the PulsePoint Ad Exchange for PulsePoint (FKA CONTEXTWEB, Inc.). At PulsePoint, Sears brought new products to market and drove key strategic relationships resulting in audience and revenue acquisition. Most recently, he focused on the company’s real-time bidding (RTB) initiatives with ad networks, agency trading desks and demand side platforms (DSPs).
Sears joined CONTEXTWEB in 2004 and helped build its media business from inception. He created the company’s original publisher development team and launched the self-service CONTEXTWEB Exchange Selling Desk, in use by over 11,000 web publishers today. He then oversaw the subsequent launch of CONTEXTWEB’s self-service offering for advertisers—the CONTEXTWEB Exchange Buying Desk and its inside sales team. In 2011, CONTEXTWEB, Inc. merged with Datran Media to form PulsePoint.
Prior to joining ContextWeb in 2004, Sears was SVP Business & Strategy Development for EDGAR Online, where he drove the strategy that took the company from an under $1 million entrepreneurial business to a publicly traded NASDAQ company. He created over 300 partnerships including ones with Yahoo!, The NASDAQ Stock Market and Microsoft. Prior to EDGAR Online, he served as VP Marketing for Wolff New Media, the subject of Burn Rate by Vanity Fair media columnist Michael Wolff.
Sears speaks about internet advertising at various industry events including ad:tech, Advertising Week, iMedia, OMMA, Search Engine Strategies, UBS, WebmasterWorld and interactive marketing associations including ones in Boston, Chicago and Dallas. He co-chaired the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Ad Networks and Exchanges Committee and helped write its Quality Assurance Guidelines. Sears received the 2009 President Award from The Advertising Club. He is the hyperlocal publisher behind the local media site MyRye.com, provides commentary at JaySears.com and tweets from @jaysears. Sears holds a BA in political science from Kenyon College. He lives in Rye, NY with his wife Lauren Rosen and their three boys.
