Colm Dolan (Dolo Ventures) - Media Tech Talk #022

Colm Dolan, Founder of PubLift and CEO of Dolo Ventures, joins Media Tech Talk to discuss building a global ad tech business and the realities of digital publishing, programmatic advertising, and media technology.

This episode explores startup execution, publisher monetisation strategies, and how AI is reshaping workflows across the advertising ecosystem.

From scaling PubLift to supporting 900+ publishers, Colm shares insights into sales, culture, hiring, and the future of ad tech. This discussion is essential for publishers, media leaders, and ad tech professionals navigating the evolving digital landscape.

Chapters

(00:38) From Telstra to PubLift – Early career foundations

(02:34) Entrepreneurial mindset and leaving corporate

(06:12) Are we teaching entrepreneurship the wrong way?

(09:13) Building culture, trust, and high-performance teams

(16:55) Scaling teams: graduates vs experienced hires

(24:11) The reality of startup sales and early traction

(30:58) From failure to first client – the turning point

(38:09) Is ad tech harder to build in today’s market?

(43:16) Google’s strengths and weaknesses in publishing

(53:11) What Colm would do differently starting again

💬 Guest: Colm Dolan, Founder & CEO (PubLift / Dolo Ventures) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/colm-dolan/

🎧 Hosts:

Daevid Richards – https://www.linkedin.com/in/daevidrichards/

Paul Luckett – https://www.luckettmediaconsulting.com | https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-luckett/

Media Tech Talk explores ad tech, digital media, AI in advertising, programmatic monetisation, audience engagement, and the technologies shaping the future of publishing.

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