By Julie Baumgartner, Senior Director, Strategic Accounts

At Kontera, I’m usually out meeting with publishers, but when I’m in San Francisco, I donate my time to a non-profit called Shanti. I got involved when my friend, Maria, became the Director of Shanti’s LifeLines Breast Cancer Program. Maria was matched with a client, and I was moved to tears every time she told me about their weekly meetings, and how she was the only interaction her client had with anyone other than her doctors.

The client did not speak English, and her family lived out of state, so if it were not for Maria, this woman would have had no one to support her during her battle with breast cancer.

In February, I joined the Board of Directors of Shanti – right after a friend was diagnosed with Triple Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer at the age of 32.  Denise just moved to Hawaii to be with her family, as she goes through a second round of chemotherapy.  Gee Gee, another friend’s mother, was also diagnosed with breast cancer this Summer.  Gee Gee’s daughter relocated to Arizona almost immediately to be with her mom.  Whenever I reflect on what these women are going through, with friends and family rallying beside them, I cannot help but also think about Shanti’s clients, many of whom would be absolutely alone if it weren’t for LifeLines.  According to the statistics, 1 in 8 U.S. women (12.5%) will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.  It’s gut-wrenching.

Shanti enhances the quality of life, health and well being of people living with life-threatening illnesses.  Each year, they work with over 2,000 men and women facing the challenges of breast cancer or HIV/AIDS.  In many cases, Shanti is the one compassionate, loving presence for their clients during their greatest time of need.  Shanti’s 35th anniversary is this year, so please visit our website (www.shanti.org) to learn more!

Plus, other Kontera employees are also working with local non-profits.  Bryan Everett, EVP Strategic Development, was a table host at a breakfast for The Arc, which helps people with developmental disabilities lead a self-sufficient lifestyle.  Leilani Sanchez is a Board Member of Streetside Stories, which is focused on literacy and arts programs for Bay Area schools.  As a company, Kontera sponsored a family for Christmas last year through Compass Community Services, and earlier this year, we volunteered at the San Francisco Food Bank.
As the world debates the merits of President Obama winning this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, I am reminded of someone who was nominated for the award five times, but never selected.  In the inspirational words of Gandhi, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Kontera has recently announced the closing of a $15.5 million financing round, led by Sequoia Capital, with participation from Carmel Ventures and Tenaya Capital. Today, we are glad to interview Kontera’s CEO and co-founder, Yoav Shaham, whom we want to ask more about this exciting news as well as Kontera’s continued growth.

Yoav, you have been pioneering this space for almost 10 years, has your vision for the technology and the company changed throughout this time?  And if so, how has it changed?

The original mission that we set for ourselves, to serve users by connecting the web’s information through an understanding of the true meaning of content and identifying user’s interests on any page, has not changed.

The technological approach and the algorithms that we use have gone through several major evolutions including growing from client to server solutions, and from business rules to more statistical analysis approaches to prediction of user intent.

Kontera has been profitable for some time, and growing very rapidly, why raise money now?

Yes, we’ve been asked this question a few times in recent weeks.  We certainly did not need the additional funds for survival. Not only were we profitable, we also had a nice amount of cash in the bank. However, we identified some significant emerging opportunities in the market, and we want to ensure that Kontera is a dominant player.  We believe that an injection of cash now allows us to make quicker and bigger moves in the marketplace, while maintaining our track-record of fiscally responsible operations.

Why did Sequoia Capital invest and lead such a large late-stage financing?

First of all I’m not exactly the best person to answer this question…  What I can say is that this is a great testimonial for us, from one of the best Venture Capital investors in the world. They happen to know the search and advertising space very well, and they are very familiar with Kontera.  Sequoia had a major stake in our company previously, but their recent investment is a clear indication of their confidence in how large this company can become. They did not need to lead this round, nor participate to the extent that they did. There were several external investors that wanted to come in, but Sequoia wanted to lead this round and to increase their stake, and we are honored by that validation.

What is your vision for growing the company? Do you anticipate any structural or organizational changes?

Growth always requisites some changes with it, it’s a function of maturity. In our case we’ve successfully managed transitions from 25 to 50 people, from 50 to 100, and from 100 to our current size. We are currently laying the foundational infrastructure required to run an organization of 250 and more people. I do not want to get into specifics, but can share that one of our highest priorities is to pursue excellence for the entire company.  We are investing significantly in our people, their growth, and in our management.  Historically we’ve been technologically, and engineering focused, with a smaller investment in market facing activities. Going forward we intend to increase our R&D ranks, and to significantly increase the sales, marketing, and services functions.

What are the implications to end users, and the more than 100 Million consumers who view Kontera’s technology in action each month?

As I mentioned earlier, our vision is to connect the Internet’s information dynamically to satisfy users’ current needs. Throughout the years we’ve continually improved the user experience, and the relevancy that we’re able to attain and deliver to consumers, today, is second to none.  Looking ahead, users will see even greater utility as we increase that relevancy, as we increase the types of in-text offerings, and as we grow the breadth of information that we are able to bring to each pageview.

Our related-content and Hybrid offerings deliver beneficial consumer information, and we intend to do more in the area of In-Text related content.  Also, within the advertising domain, we find that in many cases  consumers prefer In-text advertising to much of the” loud” advertising that currently dominates sites and often occupies more that 30% of publishers’ page real-estate.  Good in-text advertising can help users to better enjoy their internet experience.  With this funding we will be able to more quickly provide users with a better experience at each of our publishers’ sites, and a better internet experience overall.

What does this funding mean for Kontera’s Publishers and overall network?

The user benefits I just discussed will also accrue to our publishers, whose core mission is to create and maintain their user communities. More engaged and satisfied users equate to healthier operations for our publishers.  In addition, over time, Kontera’s publishers will be seeing new forms of engagement and related information for their audiences, and greater monetization opportunities for their content.

What does this funding mean for Kontera’s Advertisers?

Advertisers are looking for good return on investment for their advertising dollars. This may translate into more effective branding campaigns for some, or more effective direct-response campaigns for others. In either case, we’ll be able to deliver greater returns and greater performance for advertisers. The ways that this happens is first through our work on greater relevancy and user experience as discussed above, and second through greater engagement within our existing ad units and through creation of new innovative advertising units.

Where do you foresee taking the technology and products from here?

I don’t want to discuss our plans in too much detail, but there are a few headlines that I can probably share. The first is our on-going refinements to the relevancy engine. This is an analog to the R&D work that you see the search-engine vendors perform. This type of low-level algorithmic work does not produce many bells and whistles because the work is largely done on the back end. However, this is really the heart of the solution and improvements here create greater satisfaction for users and much greater financial results for advertisers and publishers.  In addition you will see us offer greater flexibility and configurability, and customization ability for the various publishers and advertisers with whom we work. The last area to mention is the ever-growing set of tools that we provide to advertisers and publishers for utilizing our In-Text advertising and related content solutions.

It’s summer time and we’ve earned a celebration

Kontera’s Israel office went out for a day of sun, sports, good food and wine.  It was a great event- we had a blast and brought pictures back to tell…

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our summer interns before they head back to school this fall.  Eric MacColl (Business Development), Hunter Metcalf (Finance), and Jeff Clark (Ad Sales) have each contributed to the success of their respective departments and we appreciate the time they have spent working on projects large and small in our San Francisco office this summer.

Best of luck to Eric when he returns to Claremont McKenna College to finish his senior year, and to Hunter and Jeff, who will be attending the Robert Day School Master’s Program in Finance.

We’d also like to extend congratulations to our spring intern, Carmen Cheevers, who has been hired as Business Development Coordinator and will be working with the team in the San Francisco office. Welcome to Kontera, Carmen!

If you or someone you know is interested in the internship program at Kontera, please feel free to contact us at careers@kontera.com for more information.

Keren Zohar has been with Kontera for over two years, during which she managed HR operations and has overseen many organizational changes that accompanied Kontera’s corporate growth.  It was a pleasure to meet with Keren to learn more about Kontera’s recruitment and get a few tips about looking for a job as well as getting your foot in the door at Kontera.  In Keren’s personal life, she is a proud newlywed, and this is a great chance to wish her and husband the best–all the happiness and success to both.

With the current economic and employment market situation and implications, have there been changes in trends regarding  the way people execute a job hunt?  Anything creative or new you’ve seen?

There’s no question that people see a tighter gap of competition for a position.  We are seeing more applications coming in all the time.  This of course brings a new level in qualifications of experience, education, and other hiring criteria.  I also have found that people are really taking their job search further—they are utilizing and leveraging all their resources; essentially “anything goes”.  People have expanded their job hunts to rely more heavily on social media and online networking as a supplement to traditional means for searching.

We don’t want anyone to feel discouraged, so maybe you can clue us in:  as an HR manager of an online network, what strategies do you best relate with for finding the right candidate?

I search the web and use different recruiting strategies to find good candidates or potential employees.  When using the web, LinkedIn is a very useful tool, as it makes desirable web professionals more accessible and easy to contact directly without the need for a recruiting agency as a middle man. I also join and take part in professional and other relevant forums and in several Facebook groups  that enable me to reach a broader spectrum of candidates.   Like many companies, we also rely a great deal on our current employees and business partners to bring in fresh faces for our team.

Based on your experience, what defines someone well fit for Kontera?

First and foremost, we’re looking for people who have an aptitude for technology and are truly passionate about the web. Kontera  wants individuals who can demonstrate their passion for the web right off the bat.  A team-player attitude and willingness to be dynamic with their position are crucial traits.  Like the Internet, the company is evolving constantly, rapidly, and always presenting a new twist.  Employees should be ready for new challenges and get excited about them.  We work hard, but it’s important for us to keep the office environment fun and light—we’re looking for people who will contribute to making our coffee breaks and lunch time fun.

Since you are the first person to interview prospective employees, I’m sure you’ve seen all sorts of interviews, good and bad.  Any examples or tips as to do or not when interviewing?

Assuming that you want to get hired please turn off your cell phone before the interview begins… Another hint – if you forgot to do so – taking that call is not a good idea either . On a more serious note – there’s the obvious rule of thumb: come prepared!  Research the company you are interviewing with so that you know what you’re getting into and they know you’re serious.  It’s always good to get familiar with the market competitors so you can demonstrate a wider knowledge of the company’s challenges.  Work out your “sales pitch”, explain why you are the best possible candidate for a position, be ready to include facts that will promote your “personal  brand” into the answers you are giving the recruiter. Mention your successes and initiatives, but try not to come off arrogant – balance is key.

We’re looking for confident, energetic people where the resume and personality meet to reflect the way you’ll deal with our work environment.  For the most part,  recruiters are looking for focused people—those that present themselves with confidence and send out a message that they’re the best match for the position.

Bottom line, is Kontera hiring?

Absolutely – we’re always on the lookout for talented people and have recently opened a few positions in our US and Israel offices, which you can read more about in our Careers page.

David Gorcey joined Kontera in July of 2006 and has lead the Publisher Account Management team for the last two years. He grew up in Southern California and has spent time living in London and Finland before moving to San Francisco 5 years ago. As Manager of Publisher Services, David primarily works with Kontera’s Account Management team on the optimization and management of Kontera’s publisher network.

Can you point out a few things that Kontera’s top earners have in common?

I know we’ve touched on this on the blog already (see post 5 Things Kontera Top Earners Have In Common) but having targeted, well written content is really something that characterizes our top earners. When you think about it, this is beneficial in several ways- 1) it improves the relevancy of the ads Kontera can serve in your content, 2) It also brings you more targeted ads if you use AdSense or something similar, and 3) it helps you from an SEO perspective. The more targeted and quality content you are able to include on your site, the better off you will be from an advertising and user experience perspective. Most of our top earners have also put some effort into the design of their site because you want the aesthetic and flow to be one that users find visually pleasing and easy to read and navigate.

What would you like to tell Kontera’s present and future publishers?

For Kontera’s current publishers, the first thing I’d like to say is that we truly do appreciate your business and that we look forward to pursuing a successful long term partnership with each and every one of you. We value your input and always welcome your insight and suggestions so please keep them coming. Near term, you can expect to see us build on our technological leadership and continue to pursue advancements that will increase our ability to provide relevant advertising with meaningful earnings for you. Overall, I am excited for what 2009 will bring to everyone using Kontera already, and anyone who might be looking to give us a try in the coming months.

What communication channels does Kontera offer to assist and serve its publishers?

Kontera places very high importance on interacting with and responding to publishers. Some publishers have a direct account manager so for them, this is the most effective way to get in touch with us. Aside from that, our email support staff (support@kontera.com) are very effective at realizing what someone’s specific needs are and determining who best can help them with their question. Although different inquiries require varying degrees of resources, our goal is making sure that no matter what it is, a publisher’s question is addressed as quickly and effectively as possible so I would recommend this as the primary communication channel for any publisher questions or input.

Because our product is focused exclusively online, we also play an active role in many online forums and discussion boards that pertain to our industry or product specifically, and this is another way we have been able to engage and communicate with our users. Finally, our blog helps us spread the word on news, developments, or anything else that is going on here, and along with our knowledge base (kb.kontera.com) provides an excellent resource for information and tips. As you can see, we expend a lot of efforts on engaging and interacting with the people that use our technology

Overall, I’d just like to reiterate the value Kontera places on all publishers in our network and our sincere desire to develop successful long term partnerships with every one of you. You’ve helped us become the leader in the in-text marketplace and we look forward to building on that success with you even more in the coming year.

When undertaking an online advertising campaign, advertisers strive to engage users. Campaign goals vary from increasing brand awareness to introducing a product’s advantages while encouraging users to try it out. Meeting these goals in the highly competitive and fast paced online marketing sphere is a challenging task. Campaigns these days have to engage users by delivering the advertiser’s messaging in an innovative and compelling way.

Kontera’s In-text advertising is an ideal medium through which to meet this challenge.  ContentLink ads are placed where users’ attention is focused, within the text, while Kontera’s advanced technology, ensures maximum relevancy between the ads and the content in which they’re featured. ContentLink is a rich advertising tool which simultaneously provides added user-value and a particularly well targeted advertising campaign.

Below is an example of a rich media campaign recently launched:

With advanced contextual advertising technology and a variety of original and engaging ad formats Kontera’s ContentLink can assist every advertiser in meeting their branding and conversion goals with a user initiated advertising unit.

Read more about “Looking Outside the (Search) Box” in online advertising.

It is the dawn of 2009, and just before we make the final step and shift into a brand new year, we thought it important to recount the many great things that happened in 2008. The final conclusion: 2008 has been an incredibly productive year at Kontera and we believe for our publishers, advertisers and users as well. We’re confident that 2009 will be even better stronger for all parties involved.

In order to keep this post concise, we had to narrow it down to 8 top products and services launched by Kontera that were focused on existing and prospective publisher base, so without further ado , here are the chronologically ordered top Kontera launches of 2008:

1. KnowledgeBase- Launched January 21- The KnowledgeBase surrounds a wide range of information about Kontera optimization, publisher payments, and technical issues. The KnowledgeBase was another move in our push to give Kontera publishers greater independence through accessibility to information. The knowledgebase proves very helpful and accommodates an impressive amount of publishers daily.
2. Publisher Center- Launched January 31- the Publisher Center offers Kontera partners a range of high end capabilities and control over ContentLink ads on their sites and their accounts. What’s even more exciting is the fact that the Publisher Center is continuously undergoing upgrades and updates since its initial launch. It will continue to improve in order to give Kontera publishers a greater control and more possibilities over their In-Text ads.
3. The Kontera Hybrid- Launched March 25- Kontera’s newest advertising solution, a completely customizable, In-Text media layer that simultaneously displays relevant content alongside advertisements. The Hybrid layer enhances a webpage by presenting links to related content, videos, and images alongside advertisements in one cohesive unit. The Kontera Hybrid is currently only available to select publishers.
4. Invite a Friend Program – Launched March 31- Through this program, publishers can send their friends an invite to join Kontera. For each friend who becomes an active member, you receive a $25 bonus award. The Invite a Friend program has been very successful in expanding the Kontera family and it will continue with us well into 2009.
5. New Plugins for WordPress, Joomla and Drupal – Launched throughout May – These plugins are an important milestone in our efforts to simplify ContentLink implementation for use on various platforms. The plugins allow the setup of ContentLink ads, without the complications of modifying your site’s code. Have a look at our WordPress plugin video tutorial.
6. Blogger Widget- Launched June 10- Much like the plugins mentioned above but even simpler, the Blogger widget allows you to implement ContentLink on Blogger blogs with just one click. Login to your Kontera account, click on the “Kontera It” button and the Kontera tag will be automatically added to your pages. Monetizing your blog has never been easier.
7. Kontera on Pluck-On-Demand partnership- Launched November 20- Through the partnership with Pluck, Kontera ContentLink ads are automatically generated within the Pluck-on- Demand content widget creating an additional revenue stream for publishers. Publishers get the whole package: free and relevant content populated with targeted ads.
8. Holiday ’09 Cash Bonus – Launched December 18- Our latest promotion, recently advertised and still going strong. If you are not yet a publisher, there’s no better time to join. Sign up with Kontera by Jan 15, 2009 and as soon as you reach $75 in earnings, we’ll round your balance up to $100. That’s an extra $25 on us!

Happy 2009!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Kontera Team!

On November 27, we will be available on a slightly smaller scale… as some of us will be busy giving thanks and undoing what was achieved in several months of calorie watch.

Just kidding… We will be available to answer all your questions through Kontera support, just as in any regular week.

Enjoy the Holidays!

Kontera recently partnered with Pluck On Demand enabling its publishers access to contextually relevant, professionally-created, content and social media tools to increase publisher page views and user engagement. Kontera ContentLink will automatically populate within the Pluck on Demand content widget generating additional revenue for publishers.

What exactly is Pluck On Demand?

Pluck On Demand is a series of widgets that grow your site with contextually relevant content and social media tools.  The widgets read your site and offer links to relevant content from a library of millions of articles and videos. All content is consumed within your pages with your site’s look and feel and is pre-packaged with advertising.  This means incremental page views and revenue for your site.

How does it work?

Pluck On Demand’s free self-serve widget-based product can be added in minutes using an easy step-by-step implementation wizard.  Once in place, Pluck On Demand automatically reads content on a page and provides links to related articles and videos sourced from various high-quality content providers. The full article or video content is viewed within the publisher’s site, driving traffic and engagement.  Pluck On Demand also comes with social media features such as comments, ratings, recommendations, and user profiles, making it possible for publishers to instantly build vibrant community on their sites.
Check out the video to learn more http://ondemand.pluck.com/kontera

How do I sign-up?

Visit ondemand.pluck.com/kontera and add Pluck on Demand to your site today!