Building the Future of Advertising in the Age of AI
At Venture Dock, we meet founders who are reshaping entire industries. One of those founders is Al Kallel, CEO and Founder of Nativeads.AI. With over two decades of experience at Amazon, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Nokia, Al is no stranger to the world of advertising and digital monetization. Today, he is building a platform that reimagines how brands and publishers will connect with consumers in the new era of artificial intelligence.
From Global Platforms to a New Beginning
Before starting Nativeads.AI, Al helped lead ad monetization for some of the most recognized products in the world. At Amazon, he served as the General Manager of Ads for Fire TV and Prime Video, creating and scaling the systems that powered the advertising experience on both platforms.
“I helped build the ad infrastructure for Fire TV and Prime Video,” he said. “Making it possible for brands to reach hundreds of millions of customers on their connected TV devices worldwide.”
Prior to Amazon, he spent several years at Microsoft, leading monetization for Skype. “Skype had 300 million users,” he explained. “We needed to fund calls and subsidize the cost of subscriptions, so I built the advertising experience for it. That was one of the first times we made advertising part of the product instead of an interruption.”
Before that, Al worked at Yahoo and Nokia, where he helped develop early mobile advertising strategies, well before the smartphone era. “We were working on mobile ads before iPhones even existed,” he said. “Back then it was BlackBerrys and flip phones. We were figuring out how to put ads on those screens.”
Through those roles, one idea became clear to him. “There is always a trade-off between customer experience and monetization,” he said. “As users, we all see it. You spot ads and think they are annoying, and they are, because they were built for another world.”
The Future of Experience and the Agentic World
That long-term view of the industry shaped Al’s perspective on where it is going next. He believes we are entering a new phase of consumer interaction that will once again transform advertising.
“AI is going to completely change the experience again,” he said. “Consumers will no longer go to websites or apps. They will interact with intelligent agents that can get them what they are looking for without going through ten links on Google.”
He describes this as the rise of the agentic world. In this world, users will engage through voice, chat, or augmented reality interfaces rather than traditional web pages. “In that future, monetization will look nothing like the past,” he said. “Ads need to be truly native to the experience. They need to adapt to how the user is interacting, whether it is through voice, chat, or augmented reality.”
That belief became the foundation for Nativeads.AI, a company designed to power monetization in these new intelligent environments.
“Advertising should be part of the experience, not something that ruins it,” Al said. “That is what we are building toward.”
What Nativeads.AI Is Building
Nativeads.AI helps both brands and publishers prepare for this next chapter in digital engagement.
“For brands, AI removes the old constraints,” Al said. “We are no longer limited to banners or fixed video formats. We can generate any shape or interaction that fits the context of the experience.”
For publishers, the platform simplifies monetization by removing their reliance on outdated systems. “Publishers are handcuffed by old standards,” he said. “If you want to make money, you have to stick to those formats. We are saying you can define your own format and still access demand.”
Through this dual focus, Nativeads.AI bridges the gap between creativity, personalization, and monetization. It uses AI to recommend and deliver content that fits naturally within an experience, rather than interrupting it.
Taking the Leap from Big Tech to Startup Life
After more than twenty years in corporate leadership, Al decided it was time to start something new. Making that decision, he said, was one of the hardest parts of his journey.
“The toughest moment is the moment you jump into a startup,” he said. “Leaving a job like Amazon is not easy. You are jumping into the unknown. You have to believe in your vision completely.”
Once he took that leap, however, everything began to take shape. “When you take that first step, things start coming together,” he said. “People rally around you because they believe in the vision.”
He started by assembling a small, dedicated team that could build quickly and adapt fast. The company offered a free trial to early customers to gather real-world feedback. “We wanted customers early, not just for revenue but for feedback,” he said. “They are more forgiving and help shape the product.”
This early emphasis on learning came directly from his years at Amazon. “Customer obsession is real there,” he said. “It is not just a slogan. You start with the customer and work backwards. That is what we do now too.”
Learning to Pivot and Stay Focused
The early days of any startup bring uncertainty, and Nativeads.AI was no exception. The company began in connected TV because of Al’s experience in that space, but the market evolved differently than expected.
“We started off with connected TV because that was my background,” he said. “But we realized the market would take longer to move, so we shifted focus. The vision stayed the same, but the execution changed.”
He believes that founders need to recognize when it is time to adjust. “Sometimes small pivots early prevent big pivots later,” he said. “You always have to stay close to the customer and make adjustments when you see the signals.”
The Power of Community
Al’s move to Venture Dock has become one of the most meaningful parts of his founder journey. For someone used to leading large teams, finding a community of other builders made the transition to startup life far more rewarding.
“Being around people who are building companies just like you helps so much,” he said. “You learn something new every day just by talking to others here.”
He talked about how simple interactions often spark new opportunities. “The best thing about this community is how natural it feels,” he said. “You meet someone over coffee and end up whiteboarding ideas that open new possibilities.”
Those conversations often lead to real collaborations. “I met someone here who is building security for AI agents,” he said. “It is not what we are building, but it connects to what we do. We had a whiteboarding session and started sharing ideas. It opens up ways to help each other.”
For Al, that shared energy is what makes Venture Dock unique. “So many great ideas here start from simple conversations,” he said. “You talk to someone and realize there is a way to help each other or build something together.”
Finding Meaning in the Founder Experience
When asked what the experience of being a first-time founder has meant to him, Al smiled. “It is very rewarding,” he said. “People think startup life is all stress, and yes it is hard, but it is also meaningful. You feel like you are adding real value and building something that matters.”
He shared that the process itself brings daily fulfillment. “Every day you get small wins,” he said. “You see progress, you see the team excited, and that keeps you going.”
For Al, the key is staying focused on what can be controlled. “Take it one step at a time,” he said. “Do the things you can do and ignore what you can’t. Keep moving forward.”
Looking Ahead
As AI continues to redefine how people interact with technology, Al believes we are witnessing a generational shift. “This is a unique moment,” he said. “AI is the next big shift, just like the internet was. The world is about to change again, and now is the time to build.”
He encourages other founders to embrace this opportunity. “If you take a chance on yourself and on this technology, something positive will come from it,” he said. “Either a successful company or lessons that shape your next venture.”
About Nativeads.AI
Founded in 2024, Nativeads.AI is building the ad platform for the future of intelligent digital experiences. The company helps brands and publishers create AI-generated, context-aware ad formats that blend seamlessly into user interactions across chat, AR, and intelligent agents. Based in Palo Alto, California, the team continues to grow through innovation and collaboration with early partners shaping the future of AI-native media.
See more: https://www.nativeads.ai/
Connect with Al: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alkallel/
