AdTech AdTalk There Will Be Blood (ft. Joe Zawadzki, GP, Aperiam Ventures)
Nov 7, 2025
Joe Zawadzki, general partner at Aperiam Ventures and an ad tech veteran, shares insights on his innovative "typosphere" investment strategy and how he leverages AI as a collaborative tool. He explores the concept of coopetition within AdTech, where rivals can become allies. Zawadzki also discusses the proliferation of PMPs and Deal IDs, highlighting their impact on both agencies and publishers. Lastly, he gives a thumbs up to OpenAI, underscoring its transformative potential in the advertising landscape.
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Episode notes
AI As A Product Collaborator
- Joe Zawadzki uses AI as a product collaborator to turn messy idea dumps into structured one-pagers quickly.
- He treats models like tools to overcome the blank-page problem and accelerate iteration.
Get Loud About Your Second Startup
- Second-time founders should prioritize distribution and telling the market what they're building early and often.
- Share work publicly to create momentum and let others help with adoption and partnerships.
PMPs Are Legacy Planning Artifacts
- PMP and Deal ID proliferation grew because agencies mapped old logo-based planning onto programmatic flows.
- That conservatism created heavy plumbing, friction, and non-transparent margins for publishers.