Ad fraud detection firm White Ops gets an investment infusion from Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking

Hi! Welcome to the Insider Advertising daily for December 22. I'm Lauren Johnson, a senior advertising reporter at Business Insider. Subscribe here to get this newsletter in your inbox every weekday. Send me feedback or tips at LJohnson@businessinsider.com.

Today's news: Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking acquires bot detection firm White Ops, toy companies get around TikTok's advertising policies, and VCs bet on e-commerce for 2021.

Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking is acquiring fraud detection firm White Ops as scammers spread to more corners of the web

• Lara O'Reilly reports that adtech firm White Ops has been acquired by Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking, ClearSky Security and NightDragon.
• Industry observers say the company's recent moves suggest it could be preparing for an IPO and acquisitions.
• Terms of the deal weren't disclosed but White Ops plans to use the new investment to help it expand to areas such as application security and streaming music.

Read the full story here.

TikTok is quickly becoming a marketing destination for toy companies with the help of influencers and original content

• Toy maker Zuru Toys' senior digital manager predicts TikTok will be on par with YouTube as a toy-marketing destination in the next several years, reports Brittany Chang.
• Toy companies use a mix of influencer marketing campaigns and original content to boost TikTok engagement.
• The brands say that the content aren't paid ads because TikTok doesn't allow ads to be marketed specifically towards children.

Read the full story here.

The 25 VC firms most active in funding e-commerce startups told us what they look for in an investment - and shared the big bets they're making for the future

• Madeline Stone reports that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought e-commerce spending to new highs in 2020.
• For venture capital firms, that means there is plenty of opportunity to fund startups catering to shoppers' evolving needs.
• She asked VC firms where they're putting their bets in 2021.

Read the full story here.

More stories we're reading:

• This pitch deck won influencer marketing startup Grin $10 million in a funding round led by Bumble backer e.ventures (Business Insider)
• A TikTok HR exec explains how to get a job at the tech company, from landing an interview to demonstrating 'ByteStyle' (Business Insider)
• Pro-Trump network Newsmax airs 2-minute video admitting it has 'no evidence' of outlandish fraud claims against 2 voting-machine companies (Business Insider)
• Why that ad for butt-flap pajamas is following you all over the internet (CNBC)
• Facebook's small advertisers say they're hurt by AI lockouts (Bloomberg)

Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow! You can reach me in the meantime at LJohnson@businessinsider.com and subscribe to this daily email here.