/Companies

Permutive

YC S14Entrepreneur First '14

London, GB · Founded 2014 · Delaware corporation · 205 employees · 9 known investors

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Permutive develops a privacy-first advertising platform that enables publishers to collect and activate first-party data and allows advertisers to access audiences through direct publisher relationships, replacing third-party cookie reliance. The platform serves publishers and media buyers globally with data management, audience enrichment, and programmatic activation capabilities.

Also known as Permutive, Inc.

Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (S14)

Permutive was founded in 2014 by Joe Root and Tim Spratt.

JRJoe Root
Joe RootCo-founder / CEOJoe studied computing at Imperial College London (BEng) and computer science at the University of Oxford (Master's), then left a Cambridge PhD in mathematical genomics before completing it. He founded Permutive with cofounder Tim and went through Y Combinator's S14 batch.
TSTim Spratt
Tim SprattCo-founderTim studied computer science at Imperial College London and the University of Oxford, finishing at the top of his cohort at both. He worked as a quantitative researcher at the algorithmic hedge fund Winton Capital Management before cofounding Permutive.
IF
India Ferard

Investors · 9

EQT Ventures✓ confirmed by PermutiveLuxembourg · $2M – $50M

How we know: the company's own site · the Entrepreneur First portfolio · funding news · businessinsider.com · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

SoftBank Vision Fundlisted by SoftBank Vision FundLondonvia Max Ohrstrand · board

How we know: the Entrepreneur First portfolio · board seat on SEC Form D · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Funding

SEC filings, press & company announcements

$114M disclosed across 4 rounds · 2015–2021

▶$86.5MraisedOct 2021 · 7 investors · Other
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Alastair MitchellDirector
  • Timothy SprattExecutive Officer, Director
  • Will GibbsDirector
  • Max OhrstrandDirector
  • Joseph RootExecutive Officer, Director
Offering amount
$86.5M
Amount sold
$86.5M
First sale
Oct 2021
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗
▶$7.5MraisedJan 2018 · 6 investors · Other
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Will GibbsDirector
  • Timothy SprattExecutive Officer, Director
  • Alastair MitchellDirector
  • Joseph RootExecutive Officer, Director
Offering amount
$9.5M
Amount sold
$7.5M
First sale
Jan 2018
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware, 2014
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗
▶$1.4MraisedMay 2015 · 16 investors · Other Technology
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Timothy SprattExecutive Officer, Director
  • Joseph RootExecutive Officer, Director
Offering amount
$1.4M
Amount sold
$1.4M
First sale
May 2015
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware, 2014
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗

Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.

Company profile

researched Aug 2026

Permutive operates a data collaboration and activation platform for the open internet, positioned around first-party data rather than third-party cookies. The platform bundles three main components: a data management platform (DMP) that captures publisher signals and enriches them with third-party, identity and partner data; a data clean room that lets advertisers collaborate with publishers without sharing personally identifiable information, moving data or writing code; and curated audience packages built on Permutive's proprietary taxonomy and AI-driven modeling, combining contextual relevance, real-time publisher insights and first-party affinity data.

The company's core technical claim is patented "Edge" technology that processes data directly on the user's device rather than through third-party cookies or server-side tracking. It also markets zero-data-movement collaboration, in which activity takes place inside the customer's own cloud environment, and unified targeting that combines cohort, identity and contextual signals. Recent product direction is oriented toward AI and agentic workflows, including a suite branded "Halo" aimed at scaling direct buying and campaign optimization.

Customers are premium publishers and media owners together with advertisers, agencies and retail media operators. Permutive states that more than 150 publishers use the platform, naming News Corp, Hearst, Sky, Condé Nast, BBC, The Guardian, Business Insider and Axel Springer, and that the platform powers over $1B in audience ad spend. Third-party data provider Preqin describes the platform similarly as a predictive clean room integrating DMP and curation functions, with a client base spanning North America and Europe."]

Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.

Key figures

latest reported
HeadcountAug 2026109

Company-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.

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Companies working in the same space as Permutive.

Legal entities · 2

corporate structure
PermutiveDelaware · No. 08738815 · inc. Oct 2013 · active
Permutive, Inc.

Companies House · registry record

View on Companies House ↗
Registered name
PERMUTIVE LIMITED
Company number
08738815
Status
Active
Company type
Private limited company
Incorporated
18 Oct 2013
Registered office
Floor 2, 8-10 Charterhouse Buildings Goswell Road, London, EC1M 7AN
Nature of business (SIC)
62012 — Business and domestic software development
Previous names
ONLYSIX LIMITED (2013–2018)
Accounts
last made up to 31 Jan 2025 · next due 31 Oct 2026
Confirmation statement
last made up to 18 Oct 2025 · next due 1 Nov 2026

Current officers · 3

  • Michael Justin O'Grady — director, appointed 20 May 2024
  • Joseph Sukumaran Root — director, appointed 18 Oct 2013
  • Timothy Peter Spratt — director, appointed 1 Dec 2013

Source: Companies House public register · retrieved 24 Jul 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the news

▸Research sources · 8

primary sources listed

8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

What does Permutive do?
Permutive runs a privacy-first data collaboration platform combining a DMP, data clean room and audience curation for publishers and advertisers.
Who founded Permutive?
Permutive was founded by Joe Root, Tim Spratt in 2014.
Who are Permutive's investors?
Permutive's investors include Octopus Ventures, EQT Ventures, Avonmore Developments, Entrepreneur First, Samos Investments, SoftBank Vision Fund, Y Combinator, ACE & Company and 1 more.
How much funding has Permutive raised?
Permutive has disclosed $114M raised across 4 rounds.
Where is Permutive headquartered?
Permutive is headquartered in London, GB.