When Pavel Medvedev received the call informing him that he had won the Gold Stevie Award for Executive Leadership in Global Social Media Technology in the prestigious “Product of the Year, Information Technology, Social Media” category, he was closing a deal with one of Brazil’s largest media agencies.
“This recognition validates years of building something truly transformative,” Medvedev reflects, gesturing toward campaign metrics displaying results for major brands. “The judging panel recognized our platform’s fundamental impact on how brands connect with audiences through influencer marketing.”
The 2025 Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence attracted over 1,500 nominations from 36 nations, with winners determined by industry professionals. Medvedev’s Gold Award places Uplify among technology innovators competing alongside Amazon, Meta, and IBM.
The Award-Winning Innovation That Changed AdTech
What specific achievement at Uplify earned you this prestigious recognition?
“Before Uplify, the $28 billion influencer marketing industry operated completely separately from programmatic advertising,” Medvedev explains. “Brands could programmatically purchase ads across millions of websites through Google Ad Manager, but influencer audiences—representing some of the most engaged viewers online—remained completely inaccessible through these automated systems.”
The fundamental problem was technological fragmentation. While agencies managed multi-million dollar campaigns with sophisticated programmatic tools, accessing streamer and creator audiences required manual negotiations, separate workflows, and independent measurement systems.
“We solved this through breakthrough integration technology,” Medvedev continues. “Our proprietary widget technology allows influencers to install a simple tool into their broadcasting software. This widget systematizes their advertising opportunities and makes them purchasable through the same platforms agencies already use—like Google Ad Manager.”
Instead of forcing advertisers to learn new systems, Uplify made influencer inventory appear alongside traditional display and video placements in existing programmatic platforms. When agencies open Google Ad Manager for campaign planning, they now see influencer advertising opportunities as readily available inventory.
“We created the first-to-market solution bringing programmatic efficiency to influencer marketing,” Medvedev states. “Our technology connects 1 billion livestream viewers with the $538 billion US e-commerce market through automated, transparent transactions—eliminating the manual processes that previously defined this industry.”
The platform enables real-time bidding on influencer placements, audience targeting based on viewership data, and standard programmatic performance measurement. This explains why major agencies like Google, Mediacom, OMD, Havas, and Dentsu integrated Uplify into their buying strategies, and why brands like Netflix, Intel, and Samsung can now access influencer audiences through existing campaign workflows.
“The judges recognized we didn’t just build another influencer platform,” Medvedev reflects. “We fundamentally changed how advertising inventory is accessed and purchased, making the previously inaccessible accessible through technology advertisers already trust.”
Media Recognition Validates Market Leadership
Brazilian media extensively covered Uplify’s market entry, with Marcas pelo Mundo, ABCD da Comunicação, Clube de Criação, and VoxNews featuring the platform’s revolutionary approach. Propmark highlighted the company’s anti-fraud technology innovations, while the eMarketing Association podcast showcased Medvedev’s insights on programmatic efficiency.
“When major publications seek your expertise on industry challenges, it demonstrates thought leadership,” Medvedev explains. The company’s selection as a CES 2025 exhibitor as “most promising advertising startup” further validates this position.
“CES represents where technology’s future is unveiled,” he notes. “Selection by their expert committee confirms our innovation resonates with the industry’s most discerning evaluators.”
Strategic Partnerships Define Excellence
Under Medvedev’s leadership, Uplify secured partnerships with Google, Mediacom, OMD, Havas, and Dentsu—industry titans representing billions in advertising spend. The company’s selection as a partner for Possible 2024, one of America’s most valuable advertising conferences, demonstrates peer recognition.
“These relationships aren’t transactional,” he emphasizes. “Conference partnership selection validates that your technology reshapes market standards.”
The platform processes campaigns for Netflix, Intel, PepsiCo, Samsung, Red Bull, HP, Mountain Dew, and NIVEA, delivering over 1 billion impressions annually across agencies in the US, India, Brazil, and Mexico.
Building on Award-Winning Heritage
The 2025 Gold Stevie Award crowns Medvedev’s career, marked by consistent excellence. At ESforce, Medvedev led projects to earn Effie awards, while his integrated BTL showcase for Coca-Cola achieved 57% engagement rates with 50,000+ participants.
“Each recognition built toward this moment,” he reflects. “The Effie awards validated our data-driven creative approach, which became Uplify’s foundation philosophy.”
Innovation’s Future Trajectory
Where do you see the industry heading?
“This award confirms we’re creating trends, not following them,” Medvedev responds. “Our platform represents advertising’s evolution: experiences that enhance rather than interrupt consumer journeys.”
His vision spans Uplify’s global operations, processing campaigns through agencies across four continents. “We’re capturing market share as influencer marketing evolves from $28 billion toward $50+ billion. Awards like this validate sustainable innovation at scale—exactly what we’ve achieved with 1,328% year-over-year growth.”
Global Recognition Impact
What does Gold Stevie Award recognition mean for industry leadership?
“Winning ‘Product of the Year, Information Technology, Social Media’ places you among technology’s elite,” Medvedev explains. “It’s validation from the world’s most rigorous business competition that your innovation genuinely transforms industries.”
The recognition affects market perception immediately. Media coverage following the announcement demonstrates renewed industry attention, while the platform’s conference selections and CES exhibition reflect growing acknowledgment of Uplify’s market-defining technology.
“When publications cover your insights and conferences seek your partnership, the market recognizes thought leadership,” Medvedev concludes. “This award validates that recognition at the highest possible level.”
With partnerships spanning the world’s largest media companies and technology deployed across four continents, the Gold Stevie Award represents both achievement recognition of Medvedev’s industry impact and accomplishments in bringing the company to AdTech market leadership.
