HudsonMX
4 known investors
Hudson MX sells cloud-based SaaS software for media buying, planning and media accounting to agencies and advertisers.
Also known as Hudson MX
Investors · 4
Also in the syndicate · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Hudson MX is an advertising technology company that provides media buying and media accounting solutions globally through a cloud-based software-as-a-service platform. The platform is modular and covers budget management, authorization, media activation and buying, tracking, billing and payments, with real-time cross-channel visibility into media spending. Its flagship BuyerAssist solution supports digital and traditional media types, and the company also operates an AgencyCloud API suite for media vendors and sellers; the core platform was initially proven in the local broadcast ecosystem before being configured for all media types and user groups.
In March 2021 the company introduced FinanceAssist, a platform aimed at media accounting workflows. Hudson MX is positioned as a cloud-native alternative to legacy media buying and accounting systems, principally Mediaocean, which is used by most large agency holding companies to process media buys. The company was founded in 2016 and has operated dual headquarters in New York and Atlanta, with an Atlanta address at 1776 Peachtree Street NW.
UK-listed information and analytics group Ascential plc became an investor and later the controlling shareholder. Ascential led the company's Series D, consolidated majority ownership following a February 2023 restructuring of Hudson MX, and by 2024 had made the sale of the business a stated corporate priority.
Founding story
The company was founded in 2016 with the stated aim of bringing the technology underpinning the advertising ecosystem into the 21st century.
Business model
Enterprise SaaS: Hudson MX licenses modular cloud software for media budgeting, buying, tracking, billing and payments to advertising agencies and advertisers, alongside an API suite (AgencyCloud) connecting media vendors and sellers.
Subscription/licensing of a cloud-based enterprise SaaS platform sold to agencies and brands.
Traction
As of the February 2021 Series D announcement, the BuyerAssist solution had been used to process billions of dollars of media buys for 27 leading agencies across all 210 U.S. markets, serving more than 200 national advertisers. The company then reported a team of 400 people including 300 engineers. In August 2023 it published a study of in-house media buying based on input from sixteen top advertisers.
Latest developments
In March 2024 Ascential plc said the sale of Hudson MX was underway and expected to conclude in the following quarter, disclosing a £13.2 million ($16.7 million) loss on its Hudson investment for the 10 months to October 2023 and a £116.7 million fair value loss tied to its acquisition of MT II Holdings' equity in Hudson. Omnicom had earlier said it would "participate" in the sale without elaborating; Mediaocean and new strategic investors were cited as potential suitors. In September 2024 Ascential, then a 36.5% shareholder, said sale proceeds would not be sufficient for a distribution to shareholders.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Positioned as a modern cloud-based challenger to decades-old media buying and accounting systems, most directly Mediaocean (formerly Donovan Data Systems), which dominates processing of media buys for large agency holding companies.
Cloud-native, modular architecture covering both media buying and media accounting in one connected system, in contrast with legacy on-premise industry incumbents.
Technology
A cloud-native, modular SaaS platform spanning media activation, budgeting, tracking, billing and payments, with an API suite (AgencyCloud) for vendors and sellers. Reported tooling includes Kubernetes, Apache ActiveMQ, RabbitMQ, Tailwind CSS, reCAPTCHA, Zendesk Explore, Atlassian Jira and Airtable.
Go-to-market
Direct enterprise sales to agencies, agency holding companies and advertisers, supported by industry research publications and advisory relationships provided through investor Ascential and its MediaLink unit.
Advertising agencies, agency holding companies, and brands that buy media directly or want greater visibility into and control over media bought on their behalf by agencies.
Geography
United States-based with dual headquarters in New York and Atlanta, Georgia; coverage of all 210 U.S. media markets and staff reported across North America and Europe. Its controlling shareholder Ascential plc is London-based.
History
Founded in 2016 to modernize the technology underpinning the advertising ecosystem, Hudson MX built a cloud media buying and accounting system starting in local broadcast and expanded to all media types. It launched FinanceAssist in March 2021, closed an Ascential-led Series D of up to $63.5 million in February 2021 after a $10 million Ascential investment in February 2020, hired a former MediaOcean operations head as global head of customer support in September 2021, and was restructured in February 2023, when a pool of early private investors including former CEO JT Batson, former MediaLink CEO Michael Kassan and Alexander Kassan received common stock equal to 12.5% of the company's equity. Ascential consolidated majority ownership and, in March 2024, said a sale of the business was underway.
Risks & controversies
Ascential recorded substantial losses on its Hudson MX stake, including a £116.7 million fair value loss, and stated in September 2024 that expected sale proceeds would not support a shareholder distribution. The business has been in a sale process since at least March 2024 with no disclosed completion, and it competes against an entrenched incumbent supplier used by most large agency holding companies. Reported employee counts differ widely between sources (400 people in the 2021 announcement versus 11-50 in a later business directory listing).
Compiled by commissioned research from 7 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 8
launches, deals, and filingsAscential plc, a 36.5% shareholder in Hudson MX, said sale proceeds would not be sufficient for distribution and that it did not expect a Permitted Dividend to be declared.
Ascential plc disclosed in its annual results that it had consolidated majority ownership of Hudson MX via the acquisition of MT II Holdings' equity, that a sale of the business was underway and expected to conclude the following quarter, and that it recorded a £13.2 million ($16.7 million) loss on the investment for the 10 months to October 2023 plus a £116.7 million fair value loss. Omnicom had said it would participate in the sale.
Hudson MX released findings of a study identifying four stages of in-house media buying, with strategic insights drawn from sixteen top advertisers.
As part of a February 2023 restructuring, MT II Holdings invested £24.9 million (approximately $31.4 million) and a pool of early private investors, including former CEO JT Batson, former MediaLink CEO Michael Kassan and Alexander Kassan, received common stock equal to 12.5% of Hudson MX's equity.
Hudson MX named Charlotte Martin, a former head of operations at rival MediaOcean, global head of its customer support team.
Hudson MX unveiled FinanceAssist, a platform aimed at modernizing media accounting.
Hudson MX announced completion of a Series D financing led by Ascential plc (LSE: ASCL.L) providing up to $63.5 million. Ascential also made senior team members available as advisors to the company.
$63.5M source ↗
Hudson MX raised $10 million from Ascential in a separate funding round preceding the Series D.
$10M source ↗
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 7
primary sources listed
- HudsonMXhudsonmx.com · web
7 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does HudsonMX do?
- Hudson MX sells cloud-based SaaS software for media buying, planning and media accounting to agencies and advertisers.
- Who are HudsonMX's investors?
- HudsonMX's investors include Cerity Partners Ventures, Coelius Capital, Sandalphon Capital.