The Aperiam Podcast The Hidden Cost of Connectivity
Dec 17, 2025
Heather Macaulay, co-founder of MADConnect and a Marketecture Audience Choice winner, discusses the often-overlooked 'connectivity tax' in AdTech and MarTech. She reveals how brittle API integrations sap engineering resources and stall project progress. The conversation dives into MADConnect's role in modernizing infrastructure for seamless data communication. Heather emphasizes the importance of solid data pipelines for AI readiness and shares insights on outsourcing integration maintenance as a cost-effective strategy for companies.
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Connectivity Tax Drains Engineering Time
- MadConnect identifies a hidden "connectivity tax" that steals engineering time through bespoke APIs and brittle integrations.
- Heather Macaulay says solid connectivity infrastructure prevents stalled product work and enables innovation.
Founding Origin From Client Friction
- Heather recounts joining a product consultancy after working with Bob Walzak at PubMatic and Publishers Clearinghouse.
- That experience revealed recurring integration pain and led them to found MadConnect with Laura McElhenney.
Data Readiness Is Known But Hard
- Many organizations know data must be unified for AI but remain siloed due to cost and organizational complexity.
- Heather notes fewer than one in four marketers have fully unified MarTech and AdTech stacks today.