Silverpush is a Singapore-headquartered marketing technology company with a large operation in Gurugram, India, offering AI-powered contextual video advertising, audience targeting and brand suitability tools.
This Startup Deep Dive explains what Silverpush does, how it makes money, who backs it, how it compares with rivals and what could go wrong, using publicly available information. It is educational and not investment advice. Last updated: October 2026.
Silverpush in Brief
- What it is: Silverpush is an Indian Adtech / contextual video advertising company based in Singapore (Gurugram, India is a main operating base).
- Who it serves: businesses, institutions, consumers, learners and public-sector buyers.
- Provides AI-powered contextual advertising, audience targeting and ad measurement.
- Mirrors (launched November 2019) analyses video content to place more relevant in-video ads.
- Mirrors Safe (May 2020) is an AI brand suitability platform.
- Funding: About $19.8 million across 7 rounds (another tracker says $21.7 million; reports differ).
Silverpush Quick Facts
| Company | Silverpush |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Headquarters | Singapore (Gurugram, India is a main operating base) |
| Founders | Hitesh Chawla |
| Sector | Adtech / contextual video advertising |
| Total funding | About $19.8 million across 7 rounds (another tracker says $21.7 million; reports differ) |
| Latest round | $12 million Series C, November 2022 |
| Valuation | Not disclosed |
| Website | Not disclosed |
Figures marked “reported” come from published reports and may differ between sources; “Not disclosed” means no reliable public figure was found.
What Is Silverpush?
Silverpush operates in the Adtech / contextual video advertising space in India. Understanding a company like this starts with three questions: who is the customer, what painful problem is being solved, and why the solution is better than the alternatives. The sections below apply that lens to Silverpush.
- Provides AI-powered contextual advertising, audience targeting and ad measurement.
- Mirrors (launched November 2019) analyses video content to place more relevant in-video ads.
- Mirrors Safe (May 2020) is an AI brand suitability platform.
- Parallels (April 2019) syncs ads with physical events in real time.
The Origin Story of Silverpush
Every company starts from a noticed gap and a team willing to commit to closing it. Strong origin stories are specific: a clear problem, a founding team with relevant skills, and an early product that real customers could test. Founder-market fit, meaning the team’s lived experience or technical depth in the domain, tends to predict how fast a young company learns.
- Founders: Hitesh Chawla.
- Founded in September 2012 by Hitesh Chawla.
- Began push notification advertising in 2013.
- Launched what it described as India's first demand-side platform in 2014.
- Faced privacy scrutiny from 2014 to 2016 over ultrasonic audio beacon tracking, and said it would end that service in 2016.
Key Milestones and Challenges
No startup grows in a straight line. Early years usually involve slow adoption, product rewrites, hiring mistakes and funding gaps. In the Adtech / contextual video advertising sector the common turning points are a first paying customer, a regulatory approval, a successful product demonstration or a funding round that lets the team invest ahead of demand. How a team responds to setbacks says more about resilience than any single headline.
- September 2012: Company founded.
- 2013: Began push notification advertising.
- 2014: Launched an Indian DSP; raised $1.5 million in April.
- February 2019: $5 million Series B from FreakOut Holdings.
- April 2019: Launched Parallels.
- November 2019: Launched Mirrors.
- May 2020: Launched Mirrors Safe.
- November 2022: $12 million Series C.
Silverpush Funding and Investors
Funding history shows how much outside confidence a company has attracted and how long it can operate before needing more capital. Figures below are reported and may differ between sources; valuation figures are estimates unless the company has confirmed them.
- February 2014: Seed, about $2 million (reports differ).
- April 2014: $1.5 million to expand globally.
- September 2015: Seed-plus round, about $1.2 million.
- February 2019: Series B, $5 million, FreakOut Holdings.
- November 2022: Series C, $12 million, reported as led by JM Financial Private Equity.
- Other backers include IDG Ventures, Palaash Ventures, Fabrice Grinda, K. Ganesh, 500 Startups and M&S Partners.
How Does Silverpush Make Money? (Business Model)
A business model describes who pays, how often and how much it costs to serve them. Strong models show repeat usage, improving margins with scale and acquisition channels that do not depend only on paid spend. Weak models show one-off sales, rising costs and growth that stops when spending stops. For companies selling to businesses, institutions, consumers, learners and public-sector buyers, sales cycles and contract size matter as much as headline growth.
- B2B adtech model with software access and campaign-linked commercial arrangements.
- An older description says it also buys media on behalf of clients and optimises on CPM.
- Costs are led by cloud infrastructure, data and media, about 63% of expenses in FY25.
The Numbers: Silverpush Financials
Financial figures show whether growth is turning into a self-sustaining business. Small and private companies often disclose little, so any number below is included only if it was found in public reporting.
- FY24 revenue: Rs 347 crore with net profit of about Rs 6 crore (provisional; another source shows Rs 115.8 crore revenue and Rs 3.0 crore profit, reports differ).
- FY25 revenue: Rs 386 crore, up 11% (provisional).
- FY25 net loss: Rs 17.6 crore; EBITDA Rs -9.45 crore, margin -2.5%.
- FY25 expenses: Rs 368 crore, of which cost of sales Rs 233 crore and employee costs Rs 77 crore.
Market Opportunity for Silverpush
Market size is easy to exaggerate, so a useful approach separates the total market from the portion a company can realistically reach with its current product and distribution. The main forces behind demand in this sector are rising digital adoption, cloud and mobile penetration, growing enterprise technology spending, government digitisation programmes and a deep pool of engineering talent. Each of these widens the opportunity, but capital efficiency and execution decide who captures it.
- Contextual advertising is growing as cookie-based tracking declines.
- Competes in the brand safety and video intelligence segment of adtech.
Technology and Product at Silverpush
Technology is rarely the whole moat, but it drives speed, cost and customer experience. A practical way to assess it is to separate the capability the company controls from the commodity infrastructure it rents. In this sector the important factors are product quality, data and integration depth, security, scalability and the speed of shipping improvements.
- AI and computer vision analysis of video content for contextual placement.
- Brand suitability scoring through Mirrors Safe.
Team and Culture at Silverpush
Teams are the most important and least measurable asset of a young company. Look at how complementary the founders’ skills are, how deep the second layer of leadership is, and how the company hires and retains specialists. Culture shows up in small repeated behaviours: how quickly bad news travels upward and whether commitments to customers are kept.
- Hitesh Chawla, founder and CEO.
- Offices in Singapore, Gurugram, New York and Oxford per a profile.
Silverpush Competitors: Competitive Landscape
A fair competitive analysis names direct rivals, adjacent players who could move into the space, and the customer’s default alternative. Durable advantages include proprietary data or technology, licences and approvals, brand trust, switching costs and cost leadership.
| Competitor | How it differs |
|---|---|
| DoubleVerify | Named among competitors in brand safety and verification |
| GumGum | Contextual advertising |
| Video Intelligence | Video advertising technology |
| KERV.ai | Interactive video advertising |
| IRIS.TV | Video intelligence |
| Seedtag | Contextual advertising |
Risks and Challenges for Silverpush
- Growth slowed sharply in FY25 and the company slipped into a loss.
- Past privacy controversy over audio beacons.
- Heavy cost of sales for cloud, data and media.
- Crowded adtech field with many competitors.
- Competition: low barriers to entry and well-funded rivals can compress pricing and slow growth.
- Funding risk: technology businesses often burn cash before reaching profit and depend on investor appetite.
Risk is not a reason to avoid a company; it is a reason to price it correctly and to monitor the right indicators over time. Regulation in this sector is shaped by data protection rules under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, sector regulators, consumer protection law and IT rules.
Silverpush Growth Outlook: What to Watch
- Contextual and brand-suitability tools fit the post-cookie advertising shift.
- Return to profit depends on controlling cloud and media costs.
- Key indicators: recurring revenue, customer retention, gross margin, customer acquisition cost and runway.
- Funding position: Whether Silverpush can reach its next milestone before needing new capital.
- Regulation: Changes from data protection rules under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, sector regulators, consumer protection law and IT rules.
Industry Context: Where Silverpush Fits
India's technology startup ecosystem is one of the largest in the world, supported by cheap data, a large base of smartphone users, digital public infrastructure and a deep engineering talent pool. Companies now build for education, software, mobility, logistics, agriculture, defence, media and more, selling both to Indian customers and abroad.
Durable technology companies usually combine a clear customer problem with repeatable distribution and disciplined unit economics. Growth funded only by spending tends to fade, while products that customers keep using and paying for build compounding advantages.
For readers new to this field, a useful habit is to separate announcements from evidence. A plan, a partnership or a funding headline describes intent, while a delivered product, a paying customer or an audited financial statement describes results. Comparing the two over time shows how reliably a company turns promises into outcomes.
Bull Case and Bear Case for Silverpush
An investment thesis is a short, testable statement of why a company could become far more valuable, together with what evidence would prove it wrong. The points below are general to this sector and are not forecasts for Silverpush.
Bull case
- A large and growing base of digital users and businesses expands the addressable market.
- Recurring revenue and strong retention can compound growth.
- Selling into global markets widens the opportunity beyond India.
Bear case
- Heavy competition can compress pricing and margins.
- Dependence on external funding can force painful cost cuts.
- Regulation or platform changes can disrupt a product quickly.
Lessons Founders and Investors Can Take from Silverpush
Studying a company in the Adtech / contextual video advertising space offers lessons that go beyond any single firm. The points below are general lessons for the sector and are not claims about Silverpush.
- Solving a clear, frequent customer problem matters more than adding features.
- Retention and repeat usage are better health signals than sign-ups.
- Disciplined spending extends runway and keeps options open when funding tightens.
- Distribution, not just product quality, decides who wins in crowded markets.
- Building trust through data protection and reliability is part of the product.
How to Evaluate Silverpush as a Startup
- Customer clarity: Can Silverpush name its customer and the problem it solves in one sentence?
- Evidence of demand: Look for repeat customers, signed contracts or measurable usage rather than announcements alone.
- Economics: Check whether margins improve as volume grows.
- Execution: Compare announced timelines with what has actually been delivered.
- Funding runway: Estimate how long current capital lasts at the present spending rate.
- Regulatory standing: Confirm required approvals are in place.
- Customer concentration: Check whether a few customers account for most of the revenue.
- Management depth: Look for experienced leaders beyond the founders and a stable core team.
The Takeaway
Silverpush is part of India’s growing Adtech / contextual video advertising ecosystem. The useful lesson from studying it is the discipline of asking structured questions about customers, economics, advantage and resilience. Companies that answer them well, repeatedly and under pressure are the ones that endure. Readers should treat any single report, ranking or funding headline as one input among many, and should re-check key facts against recent company announcements. Because public information on young companies is often limited, patience in verifying claims is part of good analysis. Public sources can also describe the same company in different ways, so it is worth checking dates, definitions and whether a figure refers to revenue, total income or transaction value, and whether it covers one entity or a wider group, before drawing conclusions. Small differences in rounding, currency conversion or reporting periods can also change how a figure reads. Comparing the same figure across several recent reports helps show whether it is stable or has changed over time. This article is educational and is not investment advice.
- Clear customers and repeat demand matter more than announcements.
- Regulation and capital needs shape how fast a startup in this sector can grow.
- Track a few leading indicators over time rather than one headline metric.
Silverpush FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions
What is Silverpush?
Silverpush is a Singapore-headquartered marketing technology company with a large operation in Gurugram, India, offering AI-powered contextual video advertising, audience targeting and brand suitability tools. It is profiled in the Startup Deep Dive series, which explains business model, funding, competitors and risks.
Who founded Silverpush?
Silverpush was founded by Hitesh Chawla, and the company reports a founding year of 2012.
How much funding has Silverpush raised?
About $19.8 million across 7 rounds (another tracker says $21.7 million; reports differ). Funding figures are reported and may differ between sources, so readers should check the latest company announcements.
How does Silverpush make money?
Silverpush earns revenue from its Adtech / contextual video advertising products and services sold to businesses, institutions, consumers, learners and public-sector buyers. The exact revenue mix is described in the business model section and is not fully disclosed publicly.
Who are the competitors of Silverpush?
Reported rivals include DoubleVerify, GumGum, Video Intelligence, KERV.ai. See the competitor comparison above for how they differ.
What are the main risks for Silverpush?
Main risks include competition: low barriers to entry and well-funded rivals can compress pricing and slow growth, funding and capital needs, competition and regulation by data protection rules under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, sector regulators, consumer protection law and IT rules. This is educational content, not investment advice.
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Source
Source: Publicly available data, published reports, industry research, and other credible sources.




