Paved, a newsletter advertising platform connecting over 8,000 creators with major brands, has been acquired by Redbrick, a Canadian technology portfolio company. The acquisition brings together Paved’s newsletter advertising marketplace with Redbrick’s suite of digital business solutions. Financial terms were not disclosed. “Email newsletters represent an underutilized alternative poised for rapid growth in today’s digital advertising landscape,” remarked John McLaughlin, CEO & Founder of Paved. “Few channels offer as direct an opportunity to reach both mainstream and niche communities alike with complete control, scalability, and measurement, which is what we’ve built with the Paved platform.”
Email newsletters represent an underutilized alternative poised for rapid growth in today’s digital advertising landscape. Few channels offer as direct an opportunity to reach both mainstream and niche communities alike with complete control, scalability, and measurement, which is what we’ve built with the Paved platform. – John McLaughlin
Founded in 2017, Paved has grown to become what it calls “the largest platform for newsletter sponsorships,” reaching 253M newsletter subscribers across more than 8,000 publishers. The Paved platform offers a comprehensive solution for both sides of the newsletter ecosystem. Publishers can manage and streamline sponsorship processes, access real-time analytics, and receive streamlined payments with protection guarantees. Advertisers gain access to verified audience demographics, actionable performance reports, and the ability to track open, click, and conversion rates across all newsletter sponsorships in one dashboard.
“In a digital landscape dominated by walled gardens, email, and newsletters are an essential channel for publishers and creators to own their audiences and capture first-party data,” commented Marco Pimentel, CMO at Redbrick. “With email remaining a top driver of e-commerce, joining forces enables us to accelerate growth and cement its place in the broader $700B programmatic ecosystem.”
In a digital landscape dominated by walled gardens, email and newsletters are an essential channel for publishers and creators to own their audiences and capture first-party data. With email remaining a top driver of e-commerce, joining forces enables us to accelerate growth and cement its place in the broader $700B programmatic ecosystem. – Marco Pimentel
Under the terms of the acquisition, McLaughlin’s team will remain in place with Paved continuing to operate under its own brand. The company has announced plans to triple in size, expanding from its current team of 15 to approximately 50 employees by the end of 2025.
“This partnership comes at the perfect time in Paved’s evolution,” McLaughlin noted. “Advertisers are beginning to question all their previously held assumptions about the digital advertising landscape, with AI platforms disrupting internet search and diminishing trust in algorithmic social feeds.”
Paved’s patented native ad placement technology enables advertisers to create seamless experiences by customizing every aspect of email ads, while its AI Creative Assistant helps brands create effective newsletter content. The platform’s direct integrations with email service providers like Mailchimp, Kit, and Beehiiv have made it a favorite among both publishers and advertisers.
For Redbrick, adding Paved represents a strategic expansion of its digital business portfolio, which already includes Animoto, Delivra, Duplex, Leadpages, and Shift.
