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Founded in 2017 by Geoff Stupay, Seth Demsey, and Doug Stupay, clean.io is a Baltimore-based digital engagement security platform that protects online businesses from malvertising and e-commerce fraud. The B2B enterprise software provider delivers granular control over third-party code execution to prevent malware distribution and protect customer experiences. Reaching a massive deployment scale across more than seven million websites globally, its corporate customer base has included notable media organizations such as WarnerMedia's Xandr, The Boston Globe, and Imgur. Before its strategic acquisition, the award-winning company topped local startup rosters and successfully raised seven million five hundred thousand dollars in seed and Series A venture capital funding. In November 2022, HUMAN Security acquired the firm and its retained workforce of approximately thirty employees, fully integrating the protective technology into a broader corporate cybersecurity portfolio.
clean.io has raised $10.0M across 3 funding rounds.
clean.io has raised $10.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
clean.io is a cybersecurity technology company that develops client-side JavaScript solutions to protect publishers, ad platforms, and e-commerce merchants from malvertising, fraudulent ads, and promotion abuse.[1][2][4] Its core products include cleanAD, which blocks malicious ad behaviors like auto-redirects and popups by analyzing real-time JavaScript actions, and cleanCART, which prevents unauthorized coupon code injections by browser extensions, recovers revenue, and improves attribution reporting for online retailers.[2][4][5] Serving publishers, SSPs/DSPs, and e-commerce brands like VESSI Footwear and BRÜMATE via integrations with Shopify Plus, BigCommerce, and others, clean.io addresses acute threats in digital advertising and commerce, boosting margins, average order value (AOV) by ~4%, and customer lifetime value (LTV).[2][5] The company demonstrated strong early growth, raising $2.5M in seed funding in 2019 and scaling to ~30 employees before its acquisition by HUMAN Security Inc. in late 2021.[1][3]
Founded in 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland, as Clean Creative by a team blending adtech and cybersecurity expertise, clean.io rebranded in 2019 amid a $2.5M seed round led by Real Ventures, with participation from Grit Capital Partners, Math Capital, and adtech executives.[1] CEO Matt Gillis drove the vision, emphasizing easy-to-implement tech and customer service to combat malvertising—ads that spread malware via media campaigns.[1][4] Early traction came from protecting publishers against "bad ads" that hijack screens, making attacks unprofitable while ensuring publishers get paid.[1] Pivotal moments included expanding to SSPs, launching cleanCART for e-commerce fraud in 2021 (topping Product Hunt), joining Baltimore Tracks for diversity efforts, and earning Baltimore RealLIST Startups recognition for customer/team growth.[3] By 2021, with ~25-30 employees (mostly engineers) based in South Baltimore's Spaces coworking hub, clean.io was acquired by global cybersecurity firm HUMAN Security Inc., integrating its team without layoffs to enhance end-to-end protections.[3]
clean.io rides the explosive growth of digital advertising ($500B+ global market) and e-commerce ($6T+ by 2025), where malvertising and fraud (e.g., coupon hijacking) erode ~10-20% of publisher revenue and merchant margins amid rising bot traffic and extension abuse.[1][2][3] Timing aligns with post-2020 adtech scrutiny (e.g., privacy regulations like CCPA) and e-commerce boom, making client-side, behavior-based defenses critical as attackers exploit open web pipelines.[4] Market forces like DSP/SSP fragmentation and affiliate program vulnerabilities favor clean.io's upstream protections, influencing the ecosystem by enabling safer ad monetization, accurate attribution, and higher LTV—now amplified via HUMAN's global scale for end-to-end advertiser-publisher security.[3]
Post-2021 acquisition by HUMAN, clean.io's tech and ~30-person team enhance holistic defenses against evolving threats like AI-driven fraud and zero-day malvertising, positioning the combined entity for dominance in a $50B+ cybersecurity market.[3] Upcoming trends—rising cookieless tracking, Web3 ads, and mobile commerce—will drive demand for its real-time, privacy-friendly client-side tools, potentially expanding to new verticals like gaming or social platforms.[4][6] Expect deeper integrations (e.g., more app stores) and innovation in predictive threat modeling, solidifying its role from Baltimore startup to global adtech safeguard, much like its seed-era pivot from Clean Creative unlocked explosive early growth.[1][3]
clean.io has raised $10.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $5.0M Series A in August 2020.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2020 | $5M Series A | Tribeca Venture Partners | 8VC, AirAngels, Angelic Ventures, AngelPad, Earlybird Venture Capital, General Catalyst, Global Ventures, L Catterton, Picus Capital, Rembrandt Venture Partners, Vocap Investment Partners, Andrej Henkler, Holger Hengstler, Michael WAX, Moritz Thiele, Grit Capital Partners, Inner Loop Capital, Real Ventures | Announced |
| Sep 1, 2019 | $2M Seed | — | 7GC & Co, BlueRun Ventures, Camber Creek, Conductive Ventures, Grit Capital Partners, Interplay Ventures, Left Lane Capital, M13, QEY Capital, Raine Ventures, Dennis Crowley, Kevin Hart, Mark Cuban, Whitney Cummings | Announced |
| May 1, 2019 | $3M Seed | Alan Macintosh | Aperiamventures, Cabra VC, Flex Capital, Math Capital, Recursive Ventures, KIM Perell | Announced |
clean.io has raised $10.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
clean.io's investors include Tribeca Venture Partners, 8VC, AirAngels, Angelic Ventures, AngelPad, Earlybird Venture Capital, General Catalyst, Global Ventures, L Catterton Growth, Picus Capital, Rembrandt Venture Partners, Vocap Investment Partners.
