Group Nine Media was a U.S. digital media holding company formed in October 2016 through the combination of four category-leading brands: Thrillist (lifestyle), NowThis (short-form news video), The Dodo (animal content), and Seeker (science and exploration). Headquartered in New York City and led by founding CEO Ben Lerer, the company was backed by a $100 million strategic investment from Discovery Communications at formation, with additional investors including Axel Springer, Lerer Hippeau, Greycroft, and IVP. The company later added PopSugar to its portfolio. In December 2021 Vox Media announced an all-stock merger with Group Nine, which closed on February 22, 2022, with Vox owning approximately 75% of the combined entity.
Group Nine Media has been acquired
This company is no longer available on our private secondary market.
Company data and valuation marks are estimates and may be incomplete, stale, erroneous, or revised.
Founded
2016
Total Funding
$190M
3 rounds
Latest Valuation
$0.6B
September 9, 2019
Total raised $190M across 3 rounds
Funding data and valuation marks are estimates and may be incomplete, stale, erroneous, or revised.
Last updated 06-25-2026
Latest Round
Type
Follow-on (Series C equivalent)
Date
September 9, 2019
Amount
$50M
Valuation
$0.6B
Lead Investors
| Date | Round | Amount Raised | Valuation | Lead Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 9, 2019 | Follow-on (Series C equivalent) | $50M | $0.6B | Discovery Communications |
| November 28, 2017 | Follow-on (Series B equivalent) | $40M | — | Discovery Communications |
| October 2016 | Initial funding (formation) | $100M | — | Discovery Communications |
Ben Lerer
Co-Founder & CEO (until 2022 merger)
Brian Sugar
President
Sean Macnew
Chief Financial Officer
Competitor list is illustrative and may be incomplete, stale, or erroneous.
BuzzFeed
Publicly traded (Nasdaq: BZFD) digital media company with social-first news, entertainment, and HuffPost; direct competitor for younger digital audiences and branded content.
Vice Media
Multi-brand digital media and content studio targeting Millennials and Gen Z; comparable scale and brand portfolio model.
Vox Media
Premium digital media network (The Verge, Vox, SB Nation, New York magazine); ultimately acquired Group Nine in 2022.
Bustle Digital Group (BDG)
Lifestyle-focused digital media holding company (Bustle, Nylon, Mic, Inverse) with comparable rollup strategy.
Complex Networks
Youth-skewing digital media and culture brand portfolio competing for similar advertisers and video audiences.
Refinery29
Women-focused digital media brand (acquired by Vice in 2019); competed for Group Nine's lifestyle-vertical audience.
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