AnyMind Group, a company in the marketing technology, entertainment technology and HR technology spaces, has today announced the full acquisition of India-based mobile video advertising platform, POKKT Mobile Ads (POKKT).

POKKT was founded in 2012 in India, and expanded into Southeast Asia and the Middle East. POKKT Mobile Ads is the leading in-app smartphone ad platform that is integrated with over 1000 app publishers. Reaching over 500 million monthly active users, POKKT’s key offerings include in-app video ads, rich media innovations and app performance marketing. In addition, POKKT has built strong data and machine learning capabilities that help its over 200 advertising partners to target their audiences effectively.

On the acquisition, Kosuke Sogo, CEO and co-founder of AnyMind Group said: “There is a strong and immediate synergy between both companies, including product and offering fit, geographies covered and management teams. Both advertisers and publishers across Asia and globally can only benefit from this deal taking place, as we look to scale our combined offerings and open up new value for our customers.”

Rohit Sharma, CEO and co-founder of POKKT said: “AnyMind Group has built a highly scalable and sustainable business in Asia in such a short span of time. We are extremely excited to be part of Anymind Group and cross-leverage tremendous synergies in markets, products and skill-sets. We are very confident that the merged entity will create much larger business growth for AnyMind Group.”

AnyMind Group will integrate POKKT’s in-app advertising tech stack into the AdAsia Digital Platform, which currently allows marketers to activate, manage and track media buys across desktop and mobile web display and video advertising, and digital-out-of-home.

AdAsia360, a platform for publishers to activate, manage and track monetisation opportunities, originally focused on browser-based publisher monetisation, has added features for in-app publishers in the past year.

The acquisition of POKKT also provides AnyMind Group with an extended set of bases in the region: three offices in India and an office in the UAE, bringing the total geographical span of AnyMind Group to 17 offices in 13 markets.

AnyMind Group will extend its other business lines and brands into these markets, including:
- CastingAsia, the end-to-end influencer marketing platform for discovering, activating, managing and tracking influencer marketing activities,
- CastingAsia Creators Network, a scaled talent network across Asia that incubates and grows social media influencers and content creators,
- AdAsia’s offerings including the AdAsia Digital Platform and AdAsia Premium Marketplace

In addition, CEO and co-founder of POKKT, Rohit Sharma, has been appointed chief operating officer of AnyMind Group. He will assume the responsibility for AnyMind Group’s operations function including the implementation of AnyMind Group’s strategic plans and product opportunities in Asia and the Middle East.

Otohiko Kozutsumi, co-founder and former COO of AnyMind Group will take on the role of chief commercial officer of AnyMind Group. Kozutsumi will lead the company’s existing AdAsia business and on-going commercial efforts for AnyMind Group, including solution strategy and sales enablement, along with identifying and leading strategic initiatives for the company.

Vaibhav Odhekar, COO and co-founder of POKKT, has been appointed as managing director of India and the Middle East for AnyMind Group. Odhekar will be responsible for POKKT’s operations in Asia, the rollout and integration of POKKT’s solutions to AnyMind Group’s markets, and lead the day-to-day operations for AnyMind Group in India and the Middle East.

On AnyMind Group’s leadership additions, Sogo said: “These appointments play to the strengths of Rohit, Otohiko and Odhekar, is justification to our immediate synergy, and allow us to move forward with confidence.”

The four-year-old AnyMind Group started out as AdAsia Holdings in April 2016, and has since expanded into three business lines: entertainment technology, marketing technology, and HR technology, grown headcount to 650 staff, and has made five acquisitions, including FourM and GROVE in Japan, Moindy in Thailand, Acqua Media in Hong Kong, and now POKKT in India.