Episode Summary
In this episode of How I Grew This, host Amanda welcomes David Leviev, Chief Revenue Officer and Co-Founder of Nimbus, alongside Adam to explore how independent publishers can build bespoke monetization strategies that rival enterprise solutions. The conversation traces Nimbus’s origin story—born from Timehop’s desperate need for a custom ad tech stack and reveals how publishers can balance aggressive revenue goals with sustainable user experience.
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Episode Notes
What if you could transform your app’s revenue without sacrificing user experience? In this episode of How I Grew This, hosts Amanda and Adam sit down with David Leviev, Chief Revenue Officer and Co-Founder of Nimbus, to explore how publishers can build custom monetization solutions, why user experience directly impacts long-term revenue, and the key strategies to leverage AI and first-party data in a post-IDFA world. Whether you’re a mobile app publisher looking to optimize ad performance or an ad tech enthusiast curious about the future of auction mechanics, this conversation is packed with actionable insights on balancing monetization with retention. Tune in to discover how the right decisioning layer can unlock premium CPMs and sustainable growth.
What You’ll Learn
- Why building a custom monetization stack makes sense
- How to identify the magic retention threshold through testing
- The decisioning layer framework for auction optimization
- Why omitting proprietary demand creates competitive advantage
- The three-pronged approach to overcome signal loss post-IDFA
- How to structure dedicated publisher support for sustainable growth
About the Guest
David Leviev is Chief Revenue Officer and Co-Founder of Nimbus, a full-stack mobile ad monetization platform. With a background in ad tech spanning companies like Pubgears and pivotal experience monetizing the popular Timehop app, David brings deep expertise in programmatic advertising, auction mechanics, and publisher-first monetization strategies. In this episode, David shares practical insights on building sustainable ad experiences that balance revenue optimization with user retention, providing actionable strategies for app publishers looking to maximize their monetization without sacrificing user experience. His work at Nimbus—where he champions transparency, direct demand relationships, and AI-driven auction optimization—has helped publishers reclaim control over their ad stacks and significantly increase CPMs, making this conversation essential for anyone interested in mobile app monetization and ad tech innovation.
