Madrona funded iSpot.tv in 2013 based on the idea that TV advertising was ripe for disruption. Social network signals measured impact of the ads, and digital technologies enabled iSpot.tv to report on which shows ran which ads. Within a year, the company narrowed its focus to provide advertisers with stats on where their ads ran, where their competitors ads ran and the engagement with them. Fast forward to today and iSpot.tv is the leading provider of TV attribution – how effective was your TV ad at spurring customers into action to go purchase your product.

In the latest Founded and Funded, Madrona Managing Director, Len Jordan, sits down with iSpot.tv founder, Sean Muller, to talk over his journey from wanting to know more about who was responsible for the creative in ads to tying effective advertising to business outcomes.

They talk about how these digital media natives who founded iSpot.tv didn’t entirely realize what they had in terms of a data and business asset when they first launched. Could it be that TV advertising was not measured in real time in 2014? (Yes!)

Sean recounts how they got their first customers – a semi-cold call from ESPN – and the targeted use of the mute button during conference calls. He also talks about how having pivoted to a provider of metrics he foresaw that they had to take a bold step to bet the company on doing a deal with a TV manufacturer to take their business to where it is today – the go to source for TV attribution data.

iSpot.tv’s journey from startup to established provider of TV advertising and business outcomes data is one of both finding the market and then seeing where it could go – and pursuing that course. Available here and on all podcast platforms!