Team
Gurbaksh Chahal
Founder, Chairman & CEO
Founder of Gravity4. company’s focus is to disrupt the software and advertising industries together, by automating a $200 billion market through artificial intelligence. Prior to Gravity4, Yahoo acquired his company BlueLithium! for $300 million in 2007. In 2009, Chahal launched RadiumOne, acquired by RhythmOne, a multi-channel advertising platform. He has been awarded 10 patents by the USPTO, as the founder of the ShareGraph technology. He was also awarded the Leaders In Management Award and an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Commercial Science from Pace University for his career achievements as an entrepreneur. In 2013, he was awarded as the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Winner.
Kamal Kaur
President & Chief Operating Officer, Co-Founder, and Board Member
Kamal has been an industry veteran for more than 19 years in the advertising ecosystem. She was the co-founder of BlueLithium, acquired by Yahoo! in 2007. She has extensive experience leading cross-functional product and engineering teams in many of the valley's top firms. Her passion remains rooted within the emerging technologies.
Kamal is a graduate of Stanford University, School of Business. She is pursing her Doctoral degree with dissertation focused on the disruptive technologies in the Science of Machine Learning.
Grant Allaway
Managing Director – Europe
Grant is an Adtech veteran of more than 14 years. He spearheaded the initial management buyout in 2002 from global media corporation – Vivendi Universal. He has led the expansion of ad2one thought the UK, into mainland Europe and Asia Pac. Grant’s responsibilities extend across all revenue streams within Gravity4 Europe. His immediate focus is on leading growth across new regions and opportunities.
Kevin Huang
Managing Director – Asia
Kevin leads Gravity4’s activities in Asia and is responsible for the company’s expansion and growth initiatives in the region. Prior to Gravity4, Kevin was CEO of Pixels, one of the largest independent multi-screen advertising technology companies in Asia, acquired by Gravity4 in November 2015. Kevin is a well-respected leader in the digital marketing and is considered a pioneer with over 18 years of experience in Asia. Prior to co-founding Pixels, Kevin held positions at 247 Media Asia and DoubleClick Media Asia. Kevin was awarded Digital Marketing Hero 2014 by the Hong Kong Association of Interactive Marketing (HKAIM) and Finalist, Young Entrepreneur Award 2015 by the South China Morning Post. Kevin is a graduate of Pace University with a degree in Computer Information Systems.
Belinda Montes
CFO, Asia
Belinda is the CFO for Gravity4’s Asia operations and responsible for all finance and administration functions of the Asia business. Belinda is a co-founder of Pixels, acquired by Gravity4 Inc to form the core of its Asia business. Previously, Belinda was the Regional Finance Director of DoubleClick Media Hong Kong, and before this she managed the finance department for Time Life Asia. She is a seasoned executive with experience in building and leading Finance and Business Planning teams. Belinda is a Certified Public Accountant in Hong Kong and in the Philippines. She holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from University of the East, Manila. She also holds a Masters from City University, Hong Kong.
Farai Mativi
Finance Director, Europe & Americas
Farai holds the Gravity4 Financial Director role and is responsible for all Financial functions for the UK, Europe, U.S and Latin America. He received his training through Fraser Alexander in Johannesburg South Africa after having acquired his B.Comm Finance degree at the University of Botswana. Through the S.A Bulkmech Division Farai led financial operations in Southern African Anglo America entities before moving to the UK and working for U.S based Media Health Group. He joined the newly established ad2one in 2002 helping grow the company into a successful global brand operating across several countries and continents. Farai has 15 years digital media experience along with proven expertise in multinational financial processes and solutions.
Kotryna Gasiunaite
Product Manager – Emerging Technologies
Kotryna is a seasoned industry veteran with keen focus to advance the programmatic platforms within ad tech. She oversees the global roadmap for emerging platforms with product managers, engineers and business development teams – across 19 offices of Gravity4. She has a relentless focus & passion to collaborate for AI and machine learning development across the eco-system. She is a graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology with degree in Business Management.
Julian Miall
Managing Director, United Kingdom
Julian is a seasoned digital advertising executive with over 17 years of experience at his helm. He currently leads all of Gravity4’s activities in the UK. Prior to Gravity4, he co-founded ad2one with Grant Allaway and served the role as Managing Director. With their combined leadership, they created the largest independent advertising digital sales house across UK with offices across Europe and APAC. Prior to ad2one, Julian held several senior media sales positions at Reed Business Information. Julian is a graduate of Surrey University with a degree in Business Studies.
Jonathon Drumm
Head of Business Development, APAC
Jon has over 20 years in entrepreneurship having built and grown various businesses from the ground up and has truly found his niche in media and digital advertising. Prior to joining G4, Jon co-founded Go Media, NZ's largest privately owned outdoor media company and went on to grow JetMax Travel Media and Spotu Digital alongside Simon Apperley. Having won various awards in Sales and Marketing, Jon brings a hands on approach to sales management and people development. Jon prides himself on building long lasting partnerships. Jon holds a Diploma in Business, is a Member of the NZ Institute of Management and a Member of the Institute of Directors.
Simon Apperly
Commercial Director, APAC
Simon founded Spotu Digital, a dynamic email ad-serving platform used across APAC by Airlines, Loyalty programs and Travel aggregators. Simon is a solutions based analyst with a zest for life having recently completed the Gobi Desert Ultra-marathon. With over 13 years experience in developing and building various Media companies, Simon has a wealth of knowledge creating Ancillary revenue for Publishers across all facets of digital media. Simon is a member of the NZ Institute of Directors.
Advisors
Jeff Seah
Advisor
Former Southeast Asia CEO of Starcom, he has had 15 years of association in two stints, being part of the management team that launched Starcom and Starcom IP Digital Services in Asia Pacific. He set up the company’s inaugural Singapore operation, and returned to helm the Southeast Asia operations and the VivaKi chair. Before Starcom, Seah was with Mindshare as regional lead for Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. He was also CEO of Mindshare Singapore. His current focus includes developing blockchain technologies to eliminate ad fraud.
Michael Terpin
Advisor
Michael Terpin co-founded BitAngels, the world's first angel network for digital currency startups (2013), the Dapps Fund, the first digital currency fund and one of the largest investors in the Ethereum presale (2014). Terpin is also the founder and CEO of Transform Group, the world's leading PR and advisory firm for blockchain companies, and producers since 2014 of the leading blockchain investor conference, CoinAgenda.
Previously, he founded and sold Marketwire (now owned by NASDAQ), for which he was a finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Ismail Malik
Advisor
Ismail Malik is a London-based cryptocurrency entrepreneur. He is Editor-in-Chief of ICO Crowd Magazine. He has also been the Editor-in-Chief of Bitcoin Entrepreneurs Investment Fund Quarterly Review, Cofounder at CoinViral, Founder and CEO of Blockchain Lab, and Cofounder at CoinDesks.
He has a degree in International relations from Birbeck University London, A Degree in NameCommon Wealth Networking from School of Advanced Study London, as well as a degree from UCL Institute of Education.
Sergei Kolobov
Advisor
Sergei has more than 20 years of extensive experience with international payment systems, enterprise software and emerging markets. He has held various leadership positions including VP Business Development for Mozio, and CEO/Country Manager for PayU Group. Sergei has strong entrepreneurial background; he has started and managed several startups. For the past several years, Kolobov has been assisting numerous international companies to onboard for digital transformation, secure payments, and disruptive blockchain technologies.
Sergei is a graduate of Lomonosov Moscow State University, with focus in Applied Mathematics and Cybernetics.
Sergey Nikitin
Advisor
Sergey is an expert in the field of Fintech and Corporate Banking. As the Managing Director of Russia's leading Future Fintech, he has been spearheading the innovation by managing the Financial and Blockchain technologies vertical. His prior experiences include being a Chairman of Board and Director of Treasury of the Lesbank JSCB (Russia). He has extensive forex experience, having served as the Head of Treasury Department at Old Kremlin Commercial Bank (LLC). Prior to that he also worked at the Commercial Bank of Moscow.
Sergey is much respected among the crypto-community and is considered an expert in the field of Blockchain and Cryptocurrency.
Serge graduated from the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy in Moscow.
Khelin Young
Advisor
Khelin has over 15 years of experience in the financial industry, ranging from stock investing to real estate financing. He ultimately launched his own privately held multi-million-dollar hedge fund that exclusively focuses on the crypto currency industry. He formerly co-founded and served as the Vice President of a $20-Million international import/export company. Khelin’s multi-facet skills in sales, marketing, financial forecasting, product development & design have always resulted in companies’ exponential growth on a national and international level.
Khelin is a graduate of California State Polytechnic University.
Francisco Jo
Advisor
Francisco is a founder and CIO of Coinhill, a popular Korean cryptocurrency service that provides information on the upcoming token offerings.
Francisco has an active passion towards fintech evolution and the use of data analytics. He is considered the brain behind enhancing Coinhill's platform offerings, to provide one-stop access to blockchain data for people involved in digital finance vertical.
Reuben Godfrey
Advisor
Reuben is the co-founder of the Blockchain Association of Ireland and the Irish Chamber of Commerce in Slovakia. He is also the member of the NSAI National Mirror Committee to ISO TC 307. He has extensive experience in finance and has assisted companies in tech, telecoms and pharmaceutical industries. He has an avid interest in the blockchain. He enjoys participating in the cutting edge discussions around this topic. He is also a notable speaker and an advisor to numerous successful token offering.
He is a professor in the Quinn business school in University College Dublin, Ireland.
Russell Saito
Advisor
Russell is co-founder/President of OPENEST, a boutique consulting firm, with 19+ years of experience in Japan. He is an expert in the field of exponential technologies and corporate innovation, serving as an advisor to Singularity University accredited initiatives in Japan. Previously, Russell served as a Director at IMPACT Japan, a private foundation dedicated to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship and addressing many of Japan's economic and social issues. He has also held leadership positions with global technology corporations and experience working on projects with both the U.S. Embassy and the Japanese Government. Russell is the regional contact for UC Berkeley in Japan, a Rotarian (District 5000), and a member of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan (FCCJ) and U.S.-Japan Council (USJC).
Russell is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, where he studied Business and International Relations.
Justin Litchfield
Advisor
Justin is a passionate entrepreneur and possess exceptional engineering skills. He has strong technical background and fascination for the growth of the blockchain eco-system. For the past five years, he has been building products within the field of media, blockchain, and FinTech spaces. He geeks out about technology, health, and the pushing the limits of human performance.
Justin holds a Ph.D from Stanford University.
Takashi Hirai
Advisor
Takashi is co-founder/CEO of OPENEST, and Director/Sr. VP of Kokusai Kaihatsu Kousan, managing 200+ employees in Japan. Previously, Taka was Director of Business Development for Vestec, an AI-based NLU and speech recognition company. He helped Vestec raise its valuation 10x to over 120M USD, and most recently helped a Computer Vision business exit via corporate acquisition (early 2017) & Audio DSP venture close $10M in a series A funding (2017).
Takashi is currently handling business development for a stealth-mode start-up that is developing disruptive technologies related to the media industry in Japan.
Konstantin Krasnikov
Advisor
Konstantin is fascinated with the cryptocurrency space and has been pushing to innovate its technical excellence and broad scope of possible applications. He is a serial entrepreneur with a focus on the financial, Blockchain, and decentralized applications, having extensive experience building digital assets brokerage platform.
He has an expert knowledge of the cutting edge applications using blockchain technology. He also manages the Waves Platform project, which is a decentralized platform that allows any user to issue, transfer, swap and trade custom blockchain tokens on an integrated peer-to-peer exchange.
Konstantin is a graduate of Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University) with focus on Master of Technology and Aeronautics.
Charles A. Gelinas
Legal Advisor
Charles (“CJ”) Gelinas is also a partner in Dentons’ Capital Markets practice, with a concentration on structured finance transactions. He is lead counsel on multiple servicer advance receivables-based revolving credit facilities and master trust securitizations issuing multi-tranche variable funding notes, term asset-backed securities and 2a-7 eligible money market securities. He has structured and negotiated traditional senior secured MSR lending facilities, master-feeder joint ventures investing in excess servicing participation certificates, non-voting tracking stock and other servicing-related facilities.
In addition, CJ has served as an adjunct professor in the Financial Services LLM program at New York Law School, teaching a course on securitization, structured finance and capital markets.
Entity Advisors
Dentons
Dentons US LLP– Dentons is the world’s largest law firm, delivering quality and value to clients around the globe. Dentons is a leader on the Acritas Global Elite Brand Index, a BTI Client Service 30 Award winner and recognized by prominent business and legal publications for its innovations in client service, including founding Nextlaw Labs and the Nextlaw Global Referral Network. Dentons’ polycentric approach and world-class talent challenge the status quo to advance client interests in the communities in which we live and work.
KPMG
KPMG is one of the world’s leading providers of audit, tax and advisory services.
KPMG’s tax services practice offers tax consulting and compliance support services such as transfer pricing, economic analysis, valuation, personal financial planning, post-transaction integration, and international corporate tax services. It is network member firms in 140 countries and with 189,000 professionals, including more than 9,000 partners. The firm provides accounting, auditing, internal audit, regulatory and compliance, corporate recovery, forensic accounting, and risk management service
FutureTech
MonaChain: A Blockchain Product to Reduce Ad Fraud and Enhance Data Value
The strategies deployed to defraud programmatic digital advertising are ever evolving, and marketers must use technology and data to maximize the impact of client placements. Many anti-fraud systems have attempted to avoid, circumvent, or innovate around ad fraud, but most companies ultimately create new centralized ventures that add friction in the form of increased fees to customers, and create a new "moving target" against which fraudsters innovate.
Instead of creating a new ad exchange, browser, or new acronym for the ad-ecosystem, the Gravity4 Corporate Family is developing MonaChain, which seeks to leverage blockchain technology and an industry leading transactional data set to combat common varieties of ad fraud, and drive value to Lydian's clients.
The Gravity4 Corporate Family offers the unique value proposition of having one of the largest advertising and placement data sets in the industry, along with a deep bench of existing clients placing advertisements through its systems worldwide 24 hours a day. Gravity4's existing rich data set will populate MonaChain's ledger, allowing other participants to plugin into the MonaChain which should help brands optimize their campaigns to avoid ad fraud, provide publishers with higher returns on campaigns, reduce intermediaries and provide consumers with a rich user experience.
MonaChain will be able to provide client benefit as soon as it goes live by leveraging and analyzing existing industry transactional data, without the need to purchase external data sets, or convince other market actors to modify their behaviors to generate baseline data.
The varieties of ad fraud targeted by MonaChain include:
· Selling fake inventory, i.e. domain spoofing: Many advertisers purchase placements using algorithms that are not able to identify "look alike" domains that may not actually exist, or may have negligible use traffic. MonaChain will track advertising placements, and capture data to allow bidders to identify spoofed sites and avoid re-placing useless ads on non-existent or misleading web domains.
· Automatic refreshing: Many sites use automated refresh software to create the appearance of multiple visitors and multiple impressions. By tracking IP addresses per impression, MonaChain will permit the identification of certain behaviors and allow advertisers to avoid placements on offending domains.
· Hidden ads: Certain web sites render ads on their pages in a manner so that visitors to that page cannot see the ad. MonaChain will identify domains abusing advertisement placement by identifying abnormally high sales volumes on a given web domain, so customers may avoid placing ads unlikely to be seen by target audiences.
· Proxy users: Internet users who mask their geographical information (typically derived by IP address) by using proxy servers, VPNs, or anonymizers may imitate a unique user in a different location than that user resides, which may degrade the value of the placement. MonaChain will compare a list of sales against industry-maintained databases of known proxy users, corporate virtual private networks, and/ or addresses that allow for user anonymity, to allow users who desire geographically accurate impressions to avoid wasting valuable marketing assets.
· Malware: Hackers and malicious actors have installed malware around the web that has infected millions of users to mimic their cookies resulting in programmatic exchanges displaying highly lucrative ads to these users, unbeknownst to the user, which reduces the utility and return from an ad campaign.
Once MonaChain is successfully implemented and activated, it is expected to result in greater efficiency and lower costs for advertisers who will not waste their marketing budgets on malware, fraud, and useless intermediaries in the programmatic advertising placement system.
No proceeds from the sale of Lydian tokens will be used for the development of MonaChain.
However, once developed, MonaChain will be available to Lydian users as set forth in this whitepaper.
However, once developed, MonaChain will be available to Lydian users as set forth in this whitepaper.
For more info please visit https://ico.lydian.io
