axios

Will M&A bring relief to media startups amid a public-market hangover?

With public-market exits effectively off the table and M&A for media startups historically capped around 6x-8x, the upside in media deals isn’t very high compared to other investing opportunities.

So, when is the SoftBank Execution Fund III dropping?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. Alex, Natasha and Mary Ann worked with Grace to record yet

The New York Times plans to buy The Athletic for $550M

The New York Times Company agreed to purchase sports media outlet The Athletic in a deal valued at $550 million, The Information reports. This deal comes after months of speculation — at one poi

Substack acquires team from community consulting startup People & Company

New media poster child Substack announced today that they’ve added a small community-building consultancy team to its ranks, acquiring the Brooklyn-based startup People & Company. The small

Understanding the media company SPAC push

SPACs are desperate and asset prices are high as media recovers some and digital ad sales spike. SPAC now or forever hold your peace.

WeWork lines up for a second run at the public markets

At this point, if you aren't going public via a direct listing, traditional IPO or SPAC, are you even a growthy business?

TechCrunch, still not dead

You may have seen an article over at Axios today about the rebrand of many of the Verizon Media products under a new Yahoo+ banner. I would like to congratulate all of the teams that have worked hard

Three views on the future of media startups

The Equity crew this week chewed through a trio of media stories, each dealing with private companies and their successes. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Axios was growing rapidly and

Facebook to acquire Giphy in a deal reportedly worth $400 million

Facebook will acquire Giphy, the web-based animated gif search engine and platform provider, Facebook confirmed today, in a deal worth around $400 million, according to a report by Axios. Facebook sa

Big tech commits to paying wages for hourly employees affected by coronavirus plans

Following Microsoft’s lead from late last night, some the biggest technology companies in the U.S. have agreed to pay wages for hourly employees impacted by the ongoing corporate response to the

Uber CEO stokes #boycottuber fire with ‘mistakes happen’ comment

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi’s comments during an interview with Axios — and his subsequent apology — have done more than hand the company’s critics more ammunition in the renewed #boyco

The Infatuation raises $30M from Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo to bring Zagat into the digital age

WndrCo, the consumer tech investment and holding company founded by longtime Hollywood executive Jeffrey Katzenberg, has invested $30 million in The Infatuation, a restaurant discovery platform.

Virgin Hyperloop One said to add Richard Branson as Chair and raise $50M

It’s probably no surprise that billionaire Richard Branson is going to be taking a more active role in Virgin Hyperloop One, considering the company adopted the “Virgin” moniker afte

Media startup Axios raises another $20 million

There’s a glimpse of hope in new media as Axios just raised $20 million less than a year after its launch, the Wall Street Journal reported. The company already had a pretty big list of investors, a

Mike Allen of Axios: People want sophisticated explanations, not long ones

Mike Allen, the co-founder and executive editor of business, tech and politics news site Axios.com, is spending a lot of time these days thinking about information today, and how best to deliver it.