Ad firm Mpire changes name to AdXpose, adds cash

Seattle-based Mpire is announcing Monday a $3 million capital infusion and a name change that ties the online-advertising-analytics company to its best-known product.

The company will be adopting the brand name of its flagship product AdXpose, which aims to help clients better understand their online advertising campaigns by "riding" along every ad impression and collecting data about website placement and user engagement, among others.

The company said AdXpose's revenue and ad impressions grew by an average of 150 percent each quarter last year. Mpire began as a comparison-shopping website in late 2004, shifted to primarily an ad network in 2007 and focused on advertising analytics in 2009.

Along with the name change comes a $3 million capital investment in the company led by California-based venture-capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson, an existing investor.

The company also is making management changes: Former president and chief revenue officer Kirby Winfield is now chief executive, and former senior vice president of strategic development Ryan Polley will assume the new position of chief operating officer.

The previous CEO, Matt Hulett, now works at RealNetworks and remains on AdXpose's board.

Winfield said the $3 million investment mainly will be put toward hiring people and expanding product development.

"It's kind of a good affirmation for the company," he said. "Put a little more gas in the tank, and [we'll] really make a big sprint this year to continue that steep growth curve."

Joanna Nolasco: 206-464-3263 or jnolasco@seattletimes.com