Outline

Outline was an online publication focused on power, culture, and the future, founded in 2016 by Joshua Topolsky, a co-founder of The Verge and former editor at Bloomberg. The company was established with initial funding from investors including RRE Ventures, Advancit Capital, and Nextview Ventures. Topolsky aimed to create a media alternative that prioritized authoritative content on key topics over raw traffic, using a visually interactive, mobile-optimized interface with a card-stack design for articles.

The publication's business model was designed to be different from the start, avoiding traditional banner ads. Instead, Outline planned to generate income through partnerships with a select number of companies annually. The platform produced around 15 to 20 pieces of content daily, including articles, visual stories, and videos, and also launched a daily news podcast called The Outline World Dispatch in April 2017. In May 2018, the company secured an additional $5.15 million in a Series A funding round to support its growth.

Despite its ambitious start and significant funding, The Outline faced financial difficulties. By September 2018, the company laid off its staff writers to move toward financial break-even status. In March 2019, Bustle Digital Group acquired The Outline, with Topolsky remaining in charge of the website. However, the challenges continued, and on April 3, 2020, the entire editorial team was laid off, marking the end of the publication's operations. The closure was attributed to a combination of persistent financial struggles, an inability to scale effectively, and the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: The Outline, Joshua Topolsky, digital media, online publication, news platform, culture, power, future, mobile-native design, Bustle Digital Group, RRE Ventures, media startup, venture capital, tech news, defunct media, media business model