The Messenger, a news startup founded by Jimmy Finkelstein, will launch in beta On May 15th with a team of 200 employees. The company has already raised $50 million and has no plans for further fundraising.
Initially, the website will focus on news and politics, with nine additional editorial verticals to be introduced later this year.
According to Axios, The Messenger aims to be a balanced, trusted, and nonpartisan source of fast and accurate news coverage. The company has already hired four new editors to lead the non-core news verticals and aims to grow to a workforce of 750 employees, with 550 of them working in the newsroom. The Messenger hopes to become a leading source of reliable news coverage.
The Messenger expanded its team by adding Dan Wakeford, Marty Kady, and Mary Margaret as the new editor-in-chief, politics editor, and entertainment editor, respectively. The company has secured funding from diverse investors, including The Stagwell Group, James Tisch, Josh Harris, and Thomas Peterffy.
The company is growing its editorial team by hiring four experienced editors to manage different news categories. Previously the editorial director at The Athletic, Dan Kaufman, will head the sports section. David Ewalt, the former editor-in-chief at Gizmodo, will be responsible for technology and science. Amy Eisinger, who previously worked as the digital director at Self Magazine, will oversee health news. Finally, Ben Goldberger, the former executive editor of Time, will serve as the deputy editor and editor of The Messenger’s “Purpose” vertical.
The company plans to offer newsletter and event sponsorships in addition to its services, hosting about 40 events in the upcoming year. The Morning Messenger, their weekday morning newsletter, is set to launch in mid-May, targeting an audience of 250,000 people.
The company also plans to launch a lunchtime news report and a political newsletter, with each vertical outside of news and politics eventually having its newsletter. Leases have been signed in New York City and Washington, D.C., and video studios will be built in both cities and Los Angeles in the future.
The Messenger aims to increase its workforce to 750 employees, with 550 individuals in the newsroom. The company has already hired 45 people solely to cover entertainment content. The company intends to introduce a paywall for premium content in the future, with the focus in the first year being on digital-only products except for events. The Messenger is confident in their ability to provide unparalleled digital experiences to their customers.
