Explaining a16z's Investment in Substack

In 2019, the platform raised $15.3 million from one of the most well-known venture capital firms in Silicon Valley—Andreesen Horowitz (a16z). This means some very smart people are betting on the growth of the category of “paid newsletters” for writers and media creators. If this category continues to grow, and Substack is the designer of this categ

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Substack has the potential to serve as the tool that captures and monetizes professional journalism in ways that were unforeseen before the advent of publications like Stratechery. But if Substack chooses to become more than a Shopify-like solution for the re-platforming of local news, they may find that the real long-term value of their platform l... See more

The challenge, or opportunity, for companies like Substack is to figure out how to help creators reach new audiences and grow without having to compromise on ownership. The aggregators of the early internet unlocked great power for creators through building central gathering places. We are doing the same with the Substack app and features—like Reco... See more