Why Two Account Types?
Bedrock serves a wide range of customers — from large, experienced adtech teams to smaller agencies entering programmatic for the first time. Rather than force everyone into the same experience, the platform offers two account types tailored to different levels of expertise and commitment.
At a glance
| Feature | Forge | Foundry |
|---|---|---|
| Target user | Experienced adtech teams, trading desks, large agencies | Smaller agencies, brands new to programmatic |
| Contract | Formal agreement required | Pay per campaign, no contract |
| Payment | Invoiced | Credit card payment (per campaign) |
| Account management | Dedicated account manager | Self-service with support resources |
| Deal curation | Full access — create sources, build streams | Pre-curated streams only |
| Data partnerships | Bring your own (first-party, third-party, custom) | Platform-provided data |
Forge Accounts
Forge is the full-featured experience, designed for teams that already work in programmatic advertising.
Who uses Forge:
- Trading desks with existing SSP relationships
- Agencies with dedicated programmatic teams
- Teams that manage their own deal curation and data partnerships
What Forge includes:
- Full access to Sources — add your own deals from any SSP
- Full Stream creation — build and curate your own Audience Streams
- Data onboarding — bring first-party data, custom algorithms, and audience segments
- Dedicated account manager and training
- Contract required
Forge users typically:
- Bring their own SSP deals and publisher relationships
- Build custom Audience Streams for their clients
- Manage creative through their own ad server
- Use the platform’s full targeting and bidding capabilities
Foundry Accounts
Foundry is the simplified experience, designed for teams that want to run programmatic campaigns without the complexity of full deal management.
Who uses Foundry:
- Smaller agencies working across multiple channels (not just programmatic)
- Brands with limited adtech exposure
- Teams looking for a lower-commitment DSP alternative
- Users who benefit more from pre-packaged inventory recommendations
What Foundry includes:
- Access to pre-curated Audience Streams (built by Bedrock or partners)
- Pay-as-you-go pricing — add credit via credit card, run until depleted
- No contract required
- Self-service tools and documentation
- Pathfinder AI agent for inventory recommendations and campaign setup
Foundry users typically:
- Browse and select from pre-curated streams
- Rely on Pathfinder for inventory recommendations
- Upload creatives directly to the platform
- Run campaigns with simpler targeting configurations
Which Account Type Do I Need?
Choose Forge if:
- You have existing SSP relationships you want to activate
- You want full control over deal curation and pricing
- You need to onboard your own data
- You manage creatives through an ad server
Choose Foundry if:
- You’re new to programmatic or running it as one of many channels
- You want pre-curated inventory without managing SSP relationships
- You prefer pay-as-you-go over a formal contract
- You want guided, AI-assisted campaign setup
Pathfinder: Available for both
Pathfinder, Bedrock’s AI agent, is available on both account types. It can recommend inventory, answer questions about the platform, and assist with campaign creation. While Foundry users rely on Pathfinder as a primary workflow tool, Forge users can also use it for quick queries and recommendations alongside their manual workflows.
