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Sep 3, 2017 · 19m · top-founders

771: $320M King of Mobile App Installs

Nathan Latka · 9m spoken Moshe Vaknin · 8m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

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Host Nathan Latka interviews YouAppi founder and CEO Moshe Vaknin to break down how the ad tech company scaled to $80 million in net revenue on $320 million in processed media volume. Vaknin shares insights into YouAppi's predictive recommendation engine, 70/30 publisher revenue split, venture funding, and prospective plans for an initial public offering.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 51.1% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 5.4 Guest teaching 3.4 Guest disagreement 1.0 Nathan pushing back 3.0
05100:0010:002:36–7:53 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 YouAppi's Value Proposition and King/Candy Crush Case Study Latka presses Vaknin on the exact mechanics of consumer tracking across publisher networks. Vaknin clarifies that they strictly track device IDs rather than personal identities or IP addresses to preserve privacy.7:53–11:01 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 KPI-Driven Pricing and 70/30 Revenue Sharing Model Latka breaks down unit economics for ride-sharing app installs and calculates the math behind the 70/30 publisher revenue split. Vaknin confirms Latka's calculations and explains KPI-based pricing models.11:02–13:25 · Nathan as informed peer 7/10 Company Growth, Venture Funding, and Proprietary Platform Architecture Latka immediately differentiates net revenue from gross processed volume to calculate that YouAppi processed over $320M in ad spend. Vaknin explains why YouAppi operates as a closed platform rather than a SaaS tool.13:26–15:50 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Future IPO Prospects, Global Operations, and Key Competitors Latka probes Vaknin on exit valuation multiples and specific financial hurdles needed to achieve an IPO. Vaknin provides insight into current ad tech public market sentiment and target metrics.15:50–18:47 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 Promotional Feature: Acquisition of The Top Inbox Latka delivers a mid-roll promotional monologue for The Top Inbox before concluding with rapid-fire Famous Five personal questions.2:36–7:53 · Guest teaching 5/10 YouAppi's Value Proposition and King/Candy Crush Case Study Latka presses Vaknin on the exact mechanics of consumer tracking across publisher networks. Vaknin clarifies that they strictly track device IDs rather than personal identities or IP addresses to preserve privacy.7:53–11:01 · Guest teaching 4/10 KPI-Driven Pricing and 70/30 Revenue Sharing Model Latka breaks down unit economics for ride-sharing app installs and calculates the math behind the 70/30 publisher revenue split. Vaknin confirms Latka's calculations and explains KPI-based pricing models.11:02–13:25 · Guest teaching 3/10 Company Growth, Venture Funding, and Proprietary Platform Architecture Latka immediately differentiates net revenue from gross processed volume to calculate that YouAppi processed over $320M in ad spend. Vaknin explains why YouAppi operates as a closed platform rather than a SaaS tool.13:26–15:50 · Guest teaching 4/10 Future IPO Prospects, Global Operations, and Key Competitors Latka probes Vaknin on exit valuation multiples and specific financial hurdles needed to achieve an IPO. Vaknin provides insight into current ad tech public market sentiment and target metrics.15:50–18:47 · Guest teaching 1/10 Promotional Feature: Acquisition of The Top Inbox Latka delivers a mid-roll promotional monologue for The Top Inbox before concluding with rapid-fire Famous Five personal questions.2:36–7:53 · Guest disagreement 2/10 YouAppi's Value Proposition and King/Candy Crush Case Study Latka presses Vaknin on the exact mechanics of consumer tracking across publisher networks. Vaknin clarifies that they strictly track device IDs rather than personal identities or IP addresses to preserve privacy.7:53–11:01 · Guest disagreement 1/10 KPI-Driven Pricing and 70/30 Revenue Sharing Model Latka breaks down unit economics for ride-sharing app installs and calculates the math behind the 70/30 publisher revenue split. Vaknin confirms Latka's calculations and explains KPI-based pricing models.11:02–13:25 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Company Growth, Venture Funding, and Proprietary Platform Architecture Latka immediately differentiates net revenue from gross processed volume to calculate that YouAppi processed over $320M in ad spend. Vaknin explains why YouAppi operates as a closed platform rather than a SaaS tool.13:26–15:50 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Future IPO Prospects, Global Operations, and Key Competitors Latka probes Vaknin on exit valuation multiples and specific financial hurdles needed to achieve an IPO. Vaknin provides insight into current ad tech public market sentiment and target metrics.15:50–18:47 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Promotional Feature: Acquisition of The Top Inbox Latka delivers a mid-roll promotional monologue for The Top Inbox before concluding with rapid-fire Famous Five personal questions.2:36–7:53 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 YouAppi's Value Proposition and King/Candy Crush Case Study Latka presses Vaknin on the exact mechanics of consumer tracking across publisher networks. Vaknin clarifies that they strictly track device IDs rather than personal identities or IP addresses to preserve privacy.7:53–11:01 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 KPI-Driven Pricing and 70/30 Revenue Sharing Model Latka breaks down unit economics for ride-sharing app installs and calculates the math behind the 70/30 publisher revenue split. Vaknin confirms Latka's calculations and explains KPI-based pricing models.11:02–13:25 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Company Growth, Venture Funding, and Proprietary Platform Architecture Latka immediately differentiates net revenue from gross processed volume to calculate that YouAppi processed over $320M in ad spend. Vaknin explains why YouAppi operates as a closed platform rather than a SaaS tool.13:26–15:50 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Future IPO Prospects, Global Operations, and Key Competitors Latka probes Vaknin on exit valuation multiples and specific financial hurdles needed to achieve an IPO. Vaknin provides insight into current ad tech public market sentiment and target metrics.15:50–18:47 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Promotional Feature: Acquisition of The Top Inbox Latka delivers a mid-roll promotional monologue for The Top Inbox before concluding with rapid-fire Famous Five personal questions.

speaking balance: gold is Nathan, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Nathan 84.9% · guest 15.1%0:00 · Nathan 84.9% · guest 15.1%3:00 · Nathan 14.2% · guest 85.8%3:00 · Nathan 14.2% · guest 85.8%6:00 · Nathan 49.6% · guest 50.4%6:00 · Nathan 49.6% · guest 50.4%9:00 · Nathan 60.9% · guest 39.1%9:00 · Nathan 60.9% · guest 39.1%12:00 · Nathan 26.4% · guest 73.6%12:00 · Nathan 26.4% · guest 73.6%15:00 · Nathan 58.5% · guest 41.5%15:00 · Nathan 58.5% · guest 41.5%18:00 · Nathan 70.3% · guest 29.7%18:00 · Nathan 70.3% · guest 29.7%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 13:34 Deflecting immediate acquisition hypothetical

Vaknin politely rejects Latka's hypothetical 5x buyout scenario, maintaining that the company's growth trajectory makes an IPO before 2019 far more attractive.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 7:08 Challenging cross-publisher tracking logic

Latka challenges Vaknin's premise on cross-app targeting, questioning whether testing data is wasted if users cannot be linked across disparate network publishers.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 6:45 Educating host on privacy protection and device IDs

Vaknin corrects Latka's assumption about IP tracking by explaining how ad networks rely solely on anonymized device IDs to maintain complete user privacy.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 11:40 Instantly computing gross platform volume from net take

Latka demonstrates deep financial acumen by instantly deriving the company's total processed ad volume of $320M from the 30% take-rate margin.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
YouAppi's Value Proposition and King/Candy Crush Case Study 6524 Latka presses Vaknin on the exact mechanics of consumer tracking across publisher networks. Vaknin clarifies that they strictly track device IDs rather than personal identities or IP addresses to preserve privacy.
KPI-Driven Pricing and 70/30 Revenue Sharing Model 6413 Latka breaks down unit economics for ride-sharing app installs and calculates the math behind the 70/30 publisher revenue split. Vaknin confirms Latka's calculations and explains KPI-based pricing models.
Company Growth, Venture Funding, and Proprietary Platform Architecture 7313 Latka immediately differentiates net revenue from gross processed volume to calculate that YouAppi processed over $320M in ad spend. Vaknin explains why YouAppi operates as a closed platform rather than a SaaS tool.
Future IPO Prospects, Global Operations, and Key Competitors 6414 Latka probes Vaknin on exit valuation multiples and specific financial hurdles needed to achieve an IPO. Vaknin provides insight into current ad tech public market sentiment and target metrics.
Promotional Feature: Acquisition of The Top Inbox 2101 Latka delivers a mid-roll promotional monologue for The Top Inbox before concluding with rapid-fire Famous Five personal questions.

Statements from this episode (11)

Assertion Not checkable as stated
Vaknin: YouAppi partners with 4,500 app developers for ad inventory
“Your IP has an agreement about 4500 app developers as a publishers, as an inventory source.”
Moshe Vaknin Sep 3, 2017 ▶ 4:46
Disclosure
Vaknin: YouAppi tracks users solely via device IDs, not IP addresses
“No, we don't. We really keep the very privacy. The only thing we know is your device ID. We know this user, or we don't know who's the user. It's a hundred percent privacy protection. It's just knowing the device ID so we can identify the Source of the user.”
Moshe Vaknin Sep 3, 2017 ▶ 6:52
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Vaknin: US ride-sharing apps pay $12 to $14 to acquire a first ride
“They're probably willing to pay 12, 14 dollars per every first ride.”
Moshe Vaknin Sep 3, 2017 ▶ 8:56
Disclosure
Vaknin: YouAppi pays 70% of ad revenue to its publisher partners
“We paid 70% of our revenue to the publishers.”
Moshe Vaknin Sep 3, 2017 ▶ 10:51
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Vaknin: YouAppi generated nearly $80 million in net revenue in 2016
“Obviously it's close to eighty million.”
Moshe Vaknin Sep 3, 2017 ▶ 11:46
Disclosure
Vaknin: YouAppi has raised nearly $20 million in venture funding
“No, we've raised close to twenty million dollars.”
Moshe Vaknin Sep 3, 2017 ▶ 12:05
Disclosure
Vaknin: YouAppi has 130 employees with 30 in R&D
“We have about 30 people R&D. Total number of employees, we have a 130 people.”
Moshe Vaknin Sep 3, 2017 ▶ 12:18
Disclosure
Vaknin: YouAppi plans to IPO rather than sell before 2019
“We don't want to sell before 2019 or we think more going public. It's more accurate path for us because this is so much room to grow.”
Moshe Vaknin Sep 3, 2017 ▶ 13:45
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Vaknin: YouAppi has been profitable since 2016
“Profitable, which we are already since last year.”
Moshe Vaknin Sep 3, 2017 ▶ 14:10
Opinion
Vaknin: The 2017 IPO market is highly unfavorable for ad tech companies
“The IPO market has to be really favorable, which is not the case today. Especially for ad tech companies.”
Moshe Vaknin Sep 3, 2017 ▶ 14:31
Disclosure
Vaknin: YouAppi's top two competitors are AppLovin and ironSource
“I think our top two competitors is Apploving and Aerosource.”
Moshe Vaknin Sep 3, 2017 ▶ 15:33
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