b5media
B5media, a lifestyle media network, publishes women's websites, primarily focusing on fashion, beauty, health, wellness, and parenting.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | investor | €0.0 | round |
| N/A | €0.0 | round | |
| investor investor | €0.0 | round | |
N/A | Acquisition | ||
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
b5media emerged in September 2005 as a pioneering blog network, conceptualized by a collective of established bloggers including Jeremy Wright, Duncan Riley, and Darren Rowse. The founders, already successful in the nascent blogging sphere, aimed to consolidate their efforts to create a larger, more impactful new media company. Riley, for instance, had founded The Blog Herald, a Top 100 blog, and later wrote for TechCrunch, bringing significant digital media experience. Wright also had a background in professional blogging, having started 'Inside Blogging' in 2004.
The firm operated as a global blog network, at its peak managing over 300 individual blogs with more than 100 writers from around the world. The business model was centered on generating advertising revenue, a portion of which was shared with the bloggers. The content was structured into distinct verticals, initially spanning a wide array of topics from technology and business to entertainment and lifestyle. Over time, the company refined its focus, targeting women's lifestyle topics such as fashion, beauty, wellness, career, and parenting with prominent sites like TheGloss.com and Mommyish.com.
b5media's growth was fueled by venture capital. A significant milestone was securing a $2 million funding round in October 2006 from investors including Brightspark Ventures and JLA Ventures. This capital injection was intended to expand the sales function and further develop the platform. The company continued to raise funds in subsequent years. However, the business faced challenges, leading to restructuring, changes in leadership, and the termination of many blogger contracts around 2010 as it attempted to rebrand as a new media company. Ultimately, b5media was acquired by Alloy Digital on April 20, 2012, marking the end of its journey as an independent entity.
Keywords: b5media, blog network, digital media, online publishing, new media, venture capital, content creation, advertising revenue, professional blogging, women's lifestyle content, Jeremy Wright, Duncan Riley, Alloy Digital, TheGloss.com, Mommyish.com, digital content, vertical media, blog portfolio, online community, content monetization, tech startups 2000s, Canadian tech