Gumball

Gumball is a podcast advertising marketplace and technology platform that connects brands with podcast and YouTube creators for host-read ad campaigns. Built by the team behind the Headgum podcast network, the platform serves advertisers seeking to book host-read ad inventory at scale and creators looking to monetize their audiences. Advertisers can browse and filter shows by category, audience gender, and age range, then book inventory with transparent pricing in real time.

For creators, Gumball centralizes campaign management, including broadcast schedules, ad placements, CPMs, scripts, talking points, coupon codes, airchecks, and blackout dates in a single dashboard. The platform includes Gumshoe for tracking campaign deliverability and analytics integration, as well as audience survey tools that let creators gather listener insights to share with media buyers. LightningPay is Gumball's payment system designed to speed up compensation to creators by removing delays typically caused by brands, agencies, and networks.

Gumball's marketplace includes creators from the Headgum network as well as hundreds of independent podcasters and YouTubers, and has worked with brands such as Casper, CBS, Netflix, OkCupid, Squarespace, Warby Parker, Brooklinen, AMC, LinkedIn, and StockX. The company reports having matched thousands of creators with hundreds of brands to deliver tens of thousands of host-read ads. Gumball is based in Los Angeles and raised a $10 million Series A round in 2022 led by Union Square Ventures and Good Friends.