Cloud-based master data management vendor Reltio, which also qualifies as a Customer Data Platform, announced a $40 million Series C. Total funding is now $72 million. Reltio sells directly and has partnerships with firms including Dun & Bradstreet, SnapLogic, and QuintilesIMS. In addition to assembling data, Reltio incorporates Apache Spark for predictive analytics.

Retail qualifies as a vertical, although I don’t have a retail product to discuss. But here’s a MarketTrack study on shopper preferences for online vs in-store shopping. Despite all the bad news you’ve read about bricks-and-mortar retailers, shoppers in most categories still prefer to buy in a physical store. But younger shoppers lean more towards online and 80% of respondents said they do online price comparisons. So the prospects for conventional in-store retail do look rather bleak.

It’s tough to get brand safety right, but the industry keeps trying.  IPG Mediabrands announced a new set of tools to find and block inappropriate ad placements, while IAS expanded its suitability measurements to include standards from the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM).  Meanwhile, DoubleVerify admitted a mistake made brand safety on X/Twitter look worse than it really was in October 2023 and March 2024.