• by Tyler Loechner  @mp_tyler, August 20, 2013

Update: Inc. 500 has removed one of the top five companies from the list, bumping DataXu to number five.

The 2013 Inc. 500|5000, an annual list of the fastest growing private companies in the United States, has been released, and it's thick with programmatic ad tech companies. Topping the Advertising & Marketing category - and clocking in at sixth overall - is DataXu. Several other programmatic companies could be found, including AdRoll (13), Rocket Fuel (73), OpenX (224), and TubeMogul (241) just to name a few.

RTM Daily spoke with Adam Berke, AdRoll's president, about the list. "I think there's a couple of trends that are taking place that are creating fundamental shifts in the advertising landscape," he remarked. "Obviously the trend [we're talking about] is the move to programmatic. So people who have invested in programmatic and real-time bidding (RTB) infrastructure, and owning that, are seeing the benefits."

When Berke says, "seeing the benefits," he is referencing the staggering three-year growth percent figures these companies have achieved. DataXu grew 21,377% in that span, and AdRoll was up 15,065%.

DataXu released a statement about their position atop the list. In the statement, CEO and Co-Founder Mike Baker said that they owe their success to "innovative brands and agencies." While those brands and agencies might have helped DataXu the most in recent years, the fact that so many are on board with programmatic is what has helped the space at large grow as much as it has.