The Newsette Closes Q1 With $13 Million in Revenue — Drives On Without VC Backing
Closing the first quarter with $13 million in sales, The Newsette has reported a projected revenue of more than $40 million this year.
Notably, the company was created, and has continued to grow, without any venture capital backing — a quality that The Newsette founder and chief executive officer, Daniella Pierson, told WWD has contributed to her small team of 11 being “scrappy, innovative and deeply invested in every single client.”
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In fact, when asked Pierson said what has fueled the company’s impressive growth is the team that includes the company’s chief operating officer, Sean Gordon, and its vice president of marketing, Grace O’Donnell, who she considers her “right hands” having been a part of every hard decision, problem and big win.
“Their support, along with the hard work of every single member of our small team, is the reason we’ve been able to grow so quickly,” said Pierson. “The amount of revenue we’re doing is usually reserved for highly VC-fueled companies with 100-plus teams, but my team of superstars have been able to solve every single problem we’ve faced with such grace and power.”
Moreover, she said, the team’s passion for client relationships has been key in differentiating The Newsette from some of the other players in the space, saying that “many advertisers have realized that they are able to work with [The Newsette] and get two to four times more views and engagement for half the price of traditional publishers in [the] industry.”
At the same time, Pierson applauded the work of many of the brands The Newsette has partnered with this year. “We always love working with brands that are putting their money where their values are,” said Pierson. “Amazon Small Business is a great example. They truly care about the small brands that use their site as a place to thrive, and deeply invest in making them successful. Other incredible brands that we’ve worked with that were ‘pinch me’ moments include women-owned companies such as Parade, Bumble, Lunya and more.”
Of the future for the company, Pierson told WWD, The Newsette team’s mission is “building the world’s largest female empowerment company and working every single day to ensure that diverse and marginalized voices are heard.” That ethos, she said, will carry the company into even more products and experiences as it continues to evolve with some of the partnerships in the future planning to involve more integrated and 360 capacities, including celeb talent casting and management, storytelling, paid social and design.
In the company’s evolution, Pierson said she will also soon add another 10 people to her team of “scrappy go-getters.”
“With this surge in revenue and hiring power I feel incredibly responsible to build a company heavy in values, including respect, authenticity and drive,” said Pierson. “This company’s success is now allowing me to personally become an investor, and I can’t wait to support other Latina and women-owned companies that just need a little push in order to change the world and ultimately help close the gap of inequities in business between men and women. The more money women make, the more women we can invest in!”
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