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The Athletic
Subscription based publisher of sports content
- 501-1000 employees
- B2C
- Publishing
- Content
- Sports
- 32 Pine Street, Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94104
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Company mission
To produce smarter coverage for die-hard fans and redefine the way fans get access to sports content by flipping the normal model for sports journalism.
Few candidates hear
back within 2 weeks
20% female employees
8% employee growth in 12 months
Otta's take
Sam Franklin
CEO of Otta
The Athletic provides authentic, in-depth coverage written by journalists who know the teams they write about inside out. Its model bucks the trend of traditional sports journalism outfits by asking for a subscription rather than relying on ad-revenue.
Despite initial doubts that users would be willing to pay for sports journalistic content, the Athletic has found significant success and was acquired by the New York times in 2022.
This collaboration was criticised at the time by investors who believed that the Athletic was undersold. However, despite The Athletic operating at a loss since the takeover, it's clear that the New York Times perceives the subscription magazine as a long-term investment, predicting that it will be operating at a profit within the next 4 years. This will be aided by accelerated customer growth and the growing trend of subscription-based sports news.
Company values
- Move forward fearlessly - We are a company that is redefining the way fans get access to sports content. We’ve never been afraid to push the envelope and will continue to build a better experience on behalf of our team and our readers
- Be authentic - Credibility and a unique approach to storytelling are at the core of everything we publish. Covering the best stories with integrity, our writers are encouraged to build their own brand and act as leading sources of truth
- Never settle. No shortcuts - We are relentless in our pursuit of the most in-depth, substantive sports coverage. Our model allows us to create and publish content on our own terms. We employ an unrivaled team of editors and writers who put in the hard work
- Build community - We are at our best when we empower all perspectives and hold each other accountable. We foster a unique community unlike any other, where sports fans and writers can come together to share ideas, display their passions, and engage in meaningful debate
Funding (last 2 of 6 rounds)
Jan 2020
$50m
SERIES D
May 2019
$21.8m
SERIES C
$139.5m
Total funding
This company has top investors
Founders
Adam Hansmann
(President & Co-Founder)Previously a McKinsey Business Analyst and then Associate at Calera Capital.
Alex Mather
(CEO & Co-Founder)Vice President at startup building a community for athletes called Strava before founding The Athletic
People progressing
Joined as a Product Manager, promoted to VP Product Marketing after 7 months. They were promoted to Senior Vice President of Marketing in November 2020 and became Chief Growth Officer in March 2022.
Jobs (2)
Marketing