African-born adtech firm Naritive is redefining digital advertising with AI-powered infrastructure designed to replace “digital pollution” - the ads that are ignored, skipped, or resented -  with measurable, human-led attention. The company has now been invited to join the Google for Startups Scale Tier, a prestigious, invitation-only program for high-growth, AI-driven technology companies.

Being accepted into the Scale Tier follows a rigorous technical audit and validates Naritive’s cloud architecture, scalability, and AI roadmap. The program provides up to $350,000 (approx. R6 million) in infrastructure and AI support, enabling Naritive to fully migrate to a cloud-native, serverless environment on Google Cloud.

By leveraging the same private fibre backbone used by global platforms such as YouTube and Search, Naritive can deliver its immersive ad format, “Ad Stories,” with sub-millisecond latency, ensuring seamless performance across international markets.

"This is fuel for our mission," says Nicolas van Zyl, CEO of Naritive Global. "Google looking under our hood and endorsing our roadmap confirms that our technical steel is ready for the global stage. We’ve built the engine to replace digital pollution with human-led storytelling, and now we have the infrastructure to prove it."

AI as a precision engine for attention

Unlike traditional advertising, which focuses on impressions, Naritive uses advanced AI models, including Vertex AI and Gemini Pro, to optimise campaigns for real-time attention. Independent verification by Lumen Research shows that Naritive’s formats capture twice as much attention and deliver 63% stronger brand recall compared to standard display ads.

This shift signals a move away from volume-based metrics toward attention-based measurement and measurable business outcomes, offering marketers a clear alternative to low-impact advertising models.

Naritive’s recognition by Google underscores that Africa is not only a market for technology consumption but also a source of globally competitive digital infrastructure.

"For two decades, we’ve focused on building native architecture while others built walled gardens," says Rafiq Phillips, CTO at Naritive (pictured). "Accessing Scale Tier infrastructure means we operate on the same backbone that powers Google’s own products. It proves that African-founded engineering can compete globally."

With this support, Naritive is positioned to scale internationally, delivering AI-driven attention optimisation and immersive advertising experiences that outperform traditional approaches — all from an African-founded platform.