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Curio

Professionally narrated articles

21-100 employees
  • B2C
  • B2B
  • Content
  • Digital Media
  • SaaS
  • Mobile
90 Paul Street, London, London EC2A 4NE, GB

Company mission

To design an experience where people would get smarter, feel happier, and become more empathetic to the world around them - with none of the effort.

Top investors

-4% employee growth in 12 months

Otta's take

Xav Kearney headshot

Xav Kearney

CTO of Otta

There are two markets for professionally narrated articles: the consumer and the publisher. Curio offers a subscription-based audio service that includes top articles and quality writing from more than 40 publications including The Financial Times, The Guardian and The Economist, all of which are professionally narrated for people to listen to on the go.

Curio’s machine learning algorithm curates the best content from across all their publishers, allowing them to overcome limitations of podcasts, radio and audiobooks and cost-effectively offer a variety of consistently high quality audio at scale. Through its highly accessible iOS and Android apps, it fit seamlessly around people's busy lifestyles.

Curio is also passionate about helping its publisher partners find new ways to monetise and engage their audiences. Through this it is helping to create an optimal experience for the publishers and for customers.

Benefits

  • Up to 3% employer pension contribution
  • MacBook Pro, with budget for tech accessories
  • Flexible working hours & location
  • “No-Meeting Wednesdays” (Work from Home Wednesdays in a non-Covid world)
  • Learning & development support, like qualifications and mentorship programs
  • Team outings, lunches, and surprises
  • 25 days holiday (excl. bank holidays)
  • Work from home opportunities

Funding (last 2 of 3 rounds)

Jan 2020

$8.6m

SERIES A

May 2018

$2m

SEED

$12.6m

Total funding

This company has top investors

Founders

Previously a consultant at Accenture and then a strategy manager at the BBC

A former associate at Sidley Austin having studied law at the National Law School of India and Queen Mary University of London

Endorsements

All

Challenging work (2)

Opportunities to learn (2)

Intelligent people (2)

Supportive management (2)

Meaningful work (1)

Nice people (1)

Inspiring mission (1)

Data-driven decisions (1)

No one is ever looking for a singular great idea that will make the product a success. It's an ongoing process and so there's a constant push to be working on delivering one project whilst keeping an eye out for the next.

Operations & Strategy

Challenging work

Dec 2020

My managers take time to listen, support, and offer guidance on approaching tough situations. The team care a lot about the people who work here which allows for a trusting space to have difficult conversations.

Operations & Strategy

Supportive management

Dec 2020

I joined in a junior position and I've had the opportunity to grow into a role with a lot more responsibility pretty quickly. I enjoy being pushed out of my comfort zone and I feel like I'm learning a lot from it.

Operations & Strategy

Opportunities to learn

Dec 2020

I have joined Curio as an intern, yet the team has been open and encouraging allowing me to attend training sessions, different department meetings, and an opportunity to try and learn a range of new skills.

Marketing

Opportunities to learn

Dec 2020

My manager is so supportive and understanding. She has made a real effort to schedule weekly 1-1 meet ups so we can catch up, and not just about work which is really nice. I feel I can go to her about anything and she would support me, she also praises my achievements which is really helpful.

Marketing

Supportive management

Dec 2020

I was a little nervous starting Curio when working from home but from my very first morning, I was made to feel so welcomed. Everybody reached out to introduce themselves, I've had virtual coffee catch-ups and the regular all-staff meetings make you feel part of the team.

Marketing

Nice people

Dec 2020

The team at Curio is an eclectic crew of passionate experts across all of our functions. From Product to Marketing and Content, and everything in between, I'm constantly learning from my colleagues. The audio industry is evolving incredibly quickly, and each day I get to collaborate with the best minds. There are so many times when going to work and discussing the future of our business feels like being back at university.

People, HR, Recruitment

Intelligent people

Dec 2020

Working in B2C media with a truly global product means that we get to reach thousands upon thousands of minds each day. Even the smallest changes to our product really matter, and both the product and content that we put into the world truly has an impact for all of our listeners. Over the course of the past year, it has been super gratifying to see how stories we launch about coronavirus, the US election, and political shifts have been able to expose such diverse perspectives to our entire audience. And, for those looking to escape the madness, our portfolio of content about wellbeing and the self has helped so many listeners to stay grounded and keep growing. To be so close to something shaping the minds of so many people is truly impactful.

People, HR, Recruitment

Meaningful work

Dec 2020

Both on paper and in action, we really do want to make the world a wiser, empathetic, and more fulfilled place with our product. I see the impact we have in user interviews and reviews, and I always love hearing how our users find creative ways to get value from our product. For example, so many listeners have found Curio to be a great tool to learn English as a second language -- something we didn't initially predict, but brings us an entirely distinct audience.

People, HR, Recruitment

Inspiring mission

Dec 2020

My colleagues at Curio are super smart. We're constantly bouncing ideas and learning from each other.

Marketing

Intelligent people

Dec 2020

We always want to create the best service possible and to do that we have to keep on learning. Data is right at the centre of everything we do. From design to product to marketing and content, we make our decisions based on data.

Marketing

Data-driven decisions

Dec 2020

If I am not being challenged, I don't feel as though I am learning. I love that at Curio, there are always new challenges coming up - often no two days are the same. It's great to know that people are there to support you if you ever find yourself struggling too.

Marketing

Challenging work

Dec 2020