Ep 231: Remerge and the evolution of app retargeting

Remerge CEO and founder, Pan Katsukis, joins Patrick Eichmann for the first video edition of Apptivate. They discuss the evolution of mobile advertising, the origin story behind Remerge, and where the industry is heading next. The conversation explores the rise of app retargeting, how ATT and privacy changes reshaped mobile growth, why probabilistic targeting is driving renewed momentum on iOS, and how AI is changing campaign optimization behind the scenes. Pan also reflects on Berlin’s startup scene in the late 2000s, the early days of mobile advertising before smartphones, and how infrastructure, automation, and user behavior will shape the next five years of app marketing.
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Questions addressed in this episode
- How did Remerge get started in the early mobile era?
- What was Berlin’s startup ecosystem like in 2008?
- How did mobile advertising evolve before smartphones?
- Why did app retargeting become such a large market?
- How did ATT and privacy changes affect app marketers?
- What role will AI play in campaign optimization?
- Why is probabilistic retargeting becoming more important on iOS?
- How does Remerge think about long-term product strategy?
- What trends will define the next five years of mobile growth?
Timestamps
- 0:00 — Apptivate intro and Remerge video announcement
- 1:27 — Introducing Pan Katsoukas and Remerge’s origin story
- 2:11 — Pan’s background in mobile advertising before smartphones
- 3:33 — Why Remerge was founded and the rise of app retargeting
- 4:13 — Berlin’s startup ecosystem in the late 2000s
- 7:27 — Evolution of mobile advertising and measurement infrastructure
- 8:18 — User acquisition, app retargeting, and post-install marketing
- 10:15 — ATT, privacy changes, and the industry shift on iOS
- 12:23 — AI, automation, and the next generation of campaign optimization
- 14:10 — The future of mobile usage and emerging business models
- 16:14 — Probabilistic retargeting and the iOS “unlock” opportunity
- 18:57 — Where Pan sees Remerge in the next five to ten years
- 21:10 — Favorite app, running, and AI companions
- 22:10 — Favorite travel destinations and closing rapid-fire questions
Quotes
- (10:20) “One of the big things that also everybody is aware of is with Apple and the privacy changes with ATT in 2020, 2021, when they launched it, there was a big shift in the whole industry.”
- (12:27) “With all the technology that is out there and what is capable, AI is one of the biggest drivers to just get better.”
- (16:42) “AI just gets better and better, so even without a clear 100% deterministic match, you’re still able to get good retention and good results for retargeting campaigns on iOS specifically.”





