The story
140 Proof was launched in 2009 by Jon Elvekrog and John Manoogian III.
140 Proof began as an app-based network; its name is a reference to the 140-character limit on Twitter. 140 Proof does not serve ads on the Twitter website itself; instead, its API is used by third-party apps to display targeted ads appearing on apps, social sites, and mobile networks. Additionally, the service allows advertisers to run campaigns on blogging platforms like WordPress and Tumblr.
140 Proof serves customers in the United States as well as internationally.
In 2014, the company was granted a patent for targeting users based on persona data. 140 Proof's patented method includes the steps of receiving an advertisement request from a third-party environment with associated content, identifying a content stream that includes a reference to the third-party content, identifying a persona based on the user associated with the identified content stream and serving an advertisement to the third-party environment based on the identified persona.
In August 2016, 140 Proof was acquired by AcuityAds for up to $20 million in cash.
From Wikipedia’s article on 140 Proof, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3