Best Internet First Media Companies in New York City, United States
The 415 best Internet First Media companies in New York City, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Group Nine Media.
Ranked: Best Internet First Media companies in New York City
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Employees | Tech stack | Web popularity | Founder | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Group Nine Media Digital-first media network | $675M | 81 mo ago | 535 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | BuzzFeed Online platform providing quizzes, news, shopping recommendations, and lifestyle content | $497M | 24 mo ago | 871 871 → 1,244 (+43%) | DrupalApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+27 | Top 1k | Jonah Peretti Co-Founder & CEO | 3 patents Digital marketing platforms for viral promotion and share-tracking analytics | 1 award |
| 3 | Law360 Provider of legal news, analysis, and deep research for professionals | $250M | 95 mo ago | 337 337 → 733 (+118%) | RubySalesforceRuby on Rails+19 | Top 500k | — | — | — |
| 4 | Overtime Multi-channel network focused on Sports content | $219M | 46 mo ago | 402 402 → 668 (+66%) | ShopifyShop PayVenmo+27 | Top 500k | Zack Weiner Co-Founder | — | — |
| 5 | Minute Media 🦄 Provider of technology and advertising solutions for publishers and advertisers | $151M | 28 mo ago | 38 | WebflowApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+25 | Top 5M | Gili Beiman Co-Founder | — | — |
| 6 | Refinery29 Digital media company focused on womens fashion and lifestyle | $137M | 84 mo ago | 345 | SentryZendeskSalesforce+48 | Top 50k | — | — | — |
| 7 | Defy Media Multi channel network | $70M | 117 mo ago | 408 | — | — | Joe Smith CEO | — | — |
| 8 | Thrillist Digital publication on food, money, health and travel | $69M | 128 mo ago | 96 | Cart FunctionalityApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+43 | Top 500k | — | — | — |
| 9 | Business Insider Online platform offering business news | $65M | 136 mo ago | 1,149 | SkolengoApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+44 | Top 1k | Eric Boss Co-Founder & Co-CEO | — | 1 award |
| 10 | Function(x) Business sales, investing, appraisal, and precious metals dealer services | $62M | 109 mo ago | 32 | — | — | Robert Sillerman CEO | 6 patents Patents concentrated in computing, sensing & instrumentation | — |
| 11 | Mic A news and media company targeting millennials | $61M | 107 mo ago | 524 | Amazon Web ServicesQuantcast MeasurecomScore+20 | Top 1M | — | — | — |
| 12 | Complex Provider of an online magazine | $61M | 128 mo ago | 444 | ShopifyCart FunctionalityTurbopack+52 | Top 50k | — | — | — |
| 13 | The Players' Tribune Athlete driven online sports media platform | $58M | 112 mo ago | 152 | Cart FunctionalityApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+25 | Top 500k | — | — | — |
| 14 | Cheddar Online video news platform focused on business news | $55M | 99 mo ago | 3,777 | Apple iCloud MailNginxOpenResty+31 | Top 5M | — | — | — |
| 15 | Bustle An online media publication with a focus on women | $50M | 110 mo ago | 524 | Apple iCloud MailGoogle WorkspaceAmazon Web Services+22 | Top 100k | — | — | — |
| 16 | First Look Media Empowering independent storytellers in entertainment through film, television, and streaming | $50M | 149 mo ago | 110 | — | — | Michael Bloom CEO | — | — |
| 17 | Digg Human-first community platform for authentic connection and internet discovery | $49M | 117 mo ago | 96 | Apple iCloud MailGoogle WorkspaceRuby+24 | Top 500k | — | 17 patents Personalized content recommendation and social graph analytics for online media platforms | — |
| 18 | Mashable Digital platform delivering tech, science, entertainment, and culture news | $46M | 122 mo ago | 93 | Apple iCloud MailGoogle WorkspaceTailwind CSS+43 | Top 10k | — | 10 patents Predictive virality analytics and automated content propagation for social media platforms | — |
| 19 | Hodinkee Online magazine catering to news about watches | $44M | 66 mo ago | 130 | Cart FunctionalityApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+40 | Top 100k | — | — | — |
| 20 | Jellysmack 🦄 Video content creation platform for businesses | $40M | 61 mo ago | 1,072 | WordPress Block EditorWordPressApple iCloud Mail+25 | Top 5M | Robin Sabban Co-Founder & CEO | — | — |
| 21 | HuffPost Newspaper publishing company | $37M | 210 mo ago | 350 | Node.jsVarnishMicrosoft ASP.NET+44 | Top 5k | Michael Nelson Founder | — | — |
| 22 | Canela Media Digital media group | $35M | 51 mo ago | 12 | — | — | Michael Rafferty Co-Founder - Chief Operating Officer | — | 1 launch · 2 awards |
| 23 | AIR MAIL Online platform offering multi-category news | $32M | 54 mo ago | 55 | Cart FunctionalityApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+26 | Top 500k | — | — | — |
| 24 | The Recount App-based platform offering political news | $31M | 61 mo ago | 53 | SentryApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+25 | Top 5M | — | — | — |
| 25 | Heavy New York-based online news and information portal | $30M | 233 mo ago | 34 | WordPressMySQLPHP+24 | Top 50k | — | 11 patents AI-driven media content selection and GPU-accelerated graphics/query visualization systems. | — |
| 26 | theSkimm A daily e-newsletter that simplifies the headlines and summarizes news stories | $29M | 97 mo ago | 130 | ContentfulNode.jsVarnish+42 | Top 500k | Carly Zakin Co-founder | — | — |
| 27 | Freethink Online platform publishing content focusing on science and technology | $28M | 39 mo ago | 118 | WordPressApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+31 | Top 5M | Daniel Hayes Co-Founder | — | — |
| 28 | LimeLight by Alcone Brand of beauty and personal care products | $27M | 199 mo ago | — | Tailwind CSSBootstrapMicrosoft ASP.NET+29 | Top 500k | Madison Mallardi Co-Founder | — | 2 launchs |
| 29 | Architizer Online platform offering architect-related content | $19M | 66 mo ago | 32 | SentryZendeskCodeMirror+32 | Top 500k | — | — | — |
| 30 | Spanfeller Media Group Digital media publication corporation | $19M | 120 mo ago | 51 | — | — | Jim Spanfeller CEO & Founder | — | — |
| 31 | The Dodo Online platform covering animals related stories/contents | $17M | 127 mo ago | 824 | Cart FunctionalityNode.jsYouTube+38 | Top 10k | — | — | — |
| 32 | Upworthy Online platform for sharing photos and videos | $16M | 153 mo ago | 103 | Cart FunctionalityRebelMouseYouTube+38 | Top 5k | — | — | 4 awards |
| 33 | Wallstreetcn Online media portal for financial news | $15M | 124 mo ago | 160 | UbuntuTailwind CSSSvelte+5 | Top 100k | xiaopeng wu Founder | — | — |
| 34 | The Street Online portal for business news, market data and stock analysis | $15M | 102 mo ago | 165 165 → 324 (+96%) | StackCommerceSentryNode.js+31 | Top 500k | Dan Weil Author | 23 patents RFID-enabled handheld device interfaces and intellectual property data management systems | 1 partnership |
| 35 | Outside.in Aggregator of local news | $14M | 198 mo ago | — | — | — | Steven Johnson Chairman & Co-Founder | 11 patents Location-based targeting of web content and advertisements using geocoded data. | — |
| 36 | YouBeauty An online resource for beauty tips and advice | $14M | 148 mo ago | 36 | WordPressMySQLPHP+19 | Top 5M | — | — | — |
| 37 | Market Realist Online platform offering business and finance news | $13M | 112 mo ago | 24 | Node.jsZohoVarnish+32 | Top 500k | — | — | — |
| 38 | Front Office Sports Online website for sports-related news 37Tech top 24%Funding top 50%Market bottom 47%News bottom 42% All 6 signals ▾Techtop 24% Fundingtop 50% Marketbottom 47% Newsbottom 42% Growthbottom 35% Globalbottom 32% Tech: 88 technologies across 5/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon Cloudfront, Amazon Ses Funding: Raised $12.7M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 4 yrs (0.2/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 37/100 | $13M | 32 mo ago | 40 | Cart FunctionalityWordPressApple iCloud Mail+65 | Top 100k | — | — | — |
| 39 | Global Grind Hip Hop digital media company | $12M | 170 mo ago | 22 | WordPress Block EditorWordPressMySQL+42 | Top 5M | Navarrow Wright Founder | — | — |
| 40 | FotoLog.com Social platform for sharing photos | $12M | 113 mo ago | 16 | — | — | John Borthwick CEO | — | — |
| 41 | The Outline Online publication exploring culture, power, and technology through journalism and storytelling | $11M | 97 mo ago | 12 | Amazon Web ServicesParse.lySnowplow Analytics+10 | Top 5M | — | 4 patents Collaborative cloud-based word processing and interactive document editing platform | — |
| 42 | AlleyWatch Online platform providing news on startups | $10M | 105 mo ago | 6 | WordPressMySQLSalesforce+22 | Top 5M | Reza Chowdhury Co-Founder & CEO | — | — |
| 43 | Fresco News News platform covering art, business, sports, tech, and how-to guides | $7M | 110 mo ago | 40 | Cart FunctionalityWordPressMySQL+14 | Top 50M | — | — | — |
| 44 | RocaNews Online platform providing multi-category newsletters | $4M | 52 mo ago | 15 | BeehiivSentryTailwind CSS+17 | Top 5M | Max Towey Co-Founder & Exec Chairman | — | 3 job openings · 1 launch |
| 45 | AntiFragile Music Provider of music publishing services and nurturing growth revenue for artists | $2M | 10 mo ago | — | — | — | Tom Sarig Founder | — | — |
| 46 | The News Movement Online platform offering multi-category news | $1M | 43 mo ago | 61 | StoryblokApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+16 | Top 50M | William Lewis Co-Founder & CEO | — | — |
| 47 | JohnWallStreet Provider of news content through e-newsletter | $1M | 23 mo ago | — | BeehiivSentryHeadless UI+12 | Top 50M | Corey Leff Founder | — | — |
| 48 | FutureOfCapitalism Online platform offering news | $800K | 25 mo ago | — | — | — | Ira Stoll Founder | — | — |
| 49 | The Flip Side Online platform bridging the gap between liberals and conservatives thoughts | $500K | 40 mo ago | 3 | WebflowMemberStackTypekit+17 | Top 5M | Annafi Wahed Founder & CEO | — | — |
Top 12 Internet First Media companies in New York City
#1
Public · New York City, New York · founded 2006 · 871 employees$496.8Mraised▾
Online platform providing quizzes, news, shopping recommendations, and lifestyle content. The platform delivers articles on topics including pop culture, TV, movies, animals, music, books, and the LGBTQ community. Lifestyle coverage includes food, style, travel, health, DIY projects, parenting, and weddings. The platform offers options to create quizzes, participate in community forums, and access newsletters.
- May 2024Post IPO—
- Dec 2021Post IPO$16.2M
- Nov 2016Series G$200M
- Sep 2015Series F$200M
#2
Seed · New York City, New York · founded 2017$1.5Mraised▾
Provider of music publishing services and nurturing growth revenue for artists. It is a music publishing company that works with songwriters and artists, providing them with opportunities to advance their careers. The company also operates to acquire music assets and drive growth revenue.
- Jul 2025Seed$1.5M
#3
Series H · New York City, New York · founded 2011 · 38 employees$150.8Mraised▾
Provider of technology and advertising solutions for publishers and advertisers. The company offers a supply-side platform connecting publishers and brands within programmatic advertising. It also provides publishers with technology to power digital content destinations. The company delivers advertisers authentic storytelling, engaging experiences, and tailored distribution.
- Jan 2024Conventional Debt—
- Jan 2024Series H$100M
- Feb 2020Series G$40M
- Jun 2019Series G$40M
#4
Series D · New York City, New York · founded 2016 · 402 employees$218.7Mraised▾
Overtime is a multi-channel network focused on Sports content. It creates sports content that can be published on various platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, and more. Also allows viewers to upload their sports content on the platform.
- Aug 2022Series D$103.7M
- Apr 2021Series C$80M
- Feb 2019Series B$23M
- Feb 2018Series A$9.5M
#5
Acquired · New York City, New York · founded 1999 · 535 employees$675Mraised▾
Group Nine Media is a digital-first media network and the holding company of four brands across food, drink & travel (Thrillist), news & entertainment (NowThis), animals (The Dodo) and science, technology, science, and exploration (Seeker).
- Sep 2019Series E$50M
- Nov 2017Series D$40M
- Dec 2016Series D$585M
- 2013Series A—
#6
Seed · New York City, New York · founded 2017$1Mraised▾
Provider of news content through e-newsletter. It is a sports, media, and finance content platform providing insights, news, and analysis for influential individuals in these industries.
- Jun 2024Seed$1M
#7
Series B · New York City, New York · founded 2001 · 118 employees$28.3Mraised▾
Online platform publishing content focusing on science and technology. It offers news, videos, and articles based on various topics such as innovation, technology, science, and more. Allows users to search for news based on keywords. Users can also share videos with other users on various social platforms.
- Mar 2023Series B$16M
- Jan 2020Series A$4M
- Jan 2019Series A$8.3M
#8
Series A · New York City, New York · founded 2014 · 40 employees$12.7Mraised▾
Online website for sports-related news. The company offers media & marketing sports news through the website. The company also provides marketing media courses to the users.
- Sep 2023Series A$12.7M
- Feb 2022Seed—
#9
Acquired · New York City, New York · founded 2004 · 345 employees$137.2Mraised▾
Digital media company focused on womens fashion and lifestyle. The platform provides a fashion and style website in the United States that follows a newsletter format. Refinery29 connects readers with editorial content, commerce, and the fashion community.
- May 2019Series E$8M
- Jul 2016Series E$45M
- Apr 2015Series D$50M
- Oct 2013Series C$20M
#10
Acquired · New York City, New York · founded 2003 · 337 employees$250Mraised▾
Provider of legal news, analysis, and deep research for professionals. It delivers current awareness and expert insights through various authority platforms. The offerings span legal practice areas, the business of law, and tax, insurance, real estate, and healthcare sectors. It also provides access to legal resources, tools, and platforms.
- Jun 2018PE$250M
#11
Series A · New York City, New York · founded 2019 · 12 employees$35Mraised▾
Digital media group. It operates various news sites like El Mundo, Telva, Marca, among others. It also owns and operates a VOD streaming platform.
- Feb 2022Series A$32M
- Oct 2020Seed$3M
#12
Acquired · New York City, New York · founded 2019 · 55 employees$32Mraised▾
Online platform offering multi-category news. It provides news under various categories including politics, business, entertainment, travel, beauty, crime, culture, fashion, and others. It monetises through display advertisements.
- Dec 2021Series B$17M
- 2019Series A$15M
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Internet First Media coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising