Pudding Media

About Pudding Media

Pudding Media developed a voice-enabled advertising platform for mobile communications. The company was established in 2006 by co-founders Ariel Maislos and Ziv Elul. Maislos had prior entrepreneurial success, having founded Passave, which was acquired by PMC-Sierra, and later Anobit, which was bought by Apple. Elul came from a background at VocalTec Communications.

The firm's core service was centered around an ad-funded calling model, allowing users to make free mobile calls in exchange for listening to targeted advertisements before the call connected. This created a new inventory for advertisers to deliver audio ads directly to consumers' ears during the calling process. The business model involved providing this sponsored calling service to mobile users while selling targeted advertising slots to brands and agencies, functioning as an intermediary in the mobile advertising space. Pudding Media's platform was designed to serve targeted and interactive voice ads.

The company raised $9 million in a Series B funding round in 2008, led by Trans-Pacific Capital with participation from existing investors. While the company generated early interest, information regarding its continued operations past the late 2000s is scarce, and its website is no longer active.