Ep. 45: How Rich Kahn Built and Scaled a Company that Protects over 2 Million Domains from Ad Fraud
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What happens when innovation collides with integrity in the fast-moving world of digital advertising? For Rich Kahn, CEO and Co-Founder of Anura.io, the answer lay in a problem often overlooked: Ad fraud. From bootstrapping his first online venture in the early days of the internet to building a technology that now protects over 2 million domains worldwide, Rich's journey is a masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and relentless pursuit of quality.
In this episode, Rich shares how he and his wife transformed an early ad network into a cutting-edge fraud detection company after discovering the scale of fraudulent traffic plaguing advertisers. Through rigorous testing, self-funded R&D, and countless iterations, they developed a platform that outperformed industry competitors and became a trusted safeguard for global brands. Along the way, Rich reveals how he personally emailed thousands of LinkedIn contacts to land Anura's first clients, why he chose to scale through relationships rather than paid acquisition, and how disciplined operations, structured processes, and tools like Trainual, Slack, Zoom, and HubSpot now keep his growing team aligned. His story underscores that true scale isn't just about growth - it's about clarity, communication, and culture.
Key Takeaways:
- How Rich identified ad fraud as a billion-dollar blind spot and turned it into a profitable SaaS opportunity.
- The testing process that validated Anura's fraud detection accuracy and gave them market credibility.
- Why proof of concept and customer validation are essential before seeking exponential growth.
- Leadership lessons from scaling with a spouse, building trust-based teams, and fostering a culture of transparency.
- The operational frameworks and daily ritualsโlike morning huddles and structured onboardingโthat keep Anura agile as it expands.
Join us with Rich Kahn as he reveals how discipline, data, and a deep sense of purpose can transform a bootstrapped startup into a trusted global leader in digital fraud prevention.
๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ ๐๐๐? ๐๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐จ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ!
๐View this Episode's Full Show Notes at ScaleTalesPodcast.com.
ยฉ Copyright 2025. Scale Tales is an Equilibria, Inc. podcast. We're dedicated to providing resources to support founders, leaders, and project managers of fast-growing organizations in scaling back-office operations without pain and chaos. Visit our website to learn more.
46 episodes