Exploring the Allure of Venture Capital Journalism

In this episode, CJ sits down with Eric Newcomer, who runs “Newcomer," or newcomer.co, the largest independent media outlet focused on venture capital. They delve into the art of crafting fundraising announcements, particularly from the CFO’s angle when pitching a company’s raise to the media. The conversation explores the unique appeal of venture capitalists as a subject matter and some of the big stories and personalities that Eric has featured. The discussion also covers the fascinating trend of media companies morphing into VCs, VCs morphing into media companies, and the reasons behind this. Eric sheds light on how a good fundraising announcement should work, how this relates to a company's efforts to attract talent, and how and why to build relationships with the media when not fundraising. Drawing from Eric’s vast industry experience, hear his perspectives on what makes a story compelling and shareable, lessons from his own media business, and his insights on all things venture capital. 

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FOLLOW US ON X:

@cjgustafson222 (CJ)

@EricNewcomer (Eric Newcomer) 

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Preview and Intro(02:03) Sponsor – Maxio | Leapfin(05:37) What Makes Venture Capitalists So Intriguing to Cover(08:06) Big Stories and Personalities Covered on Newcomer(11:21) a16z’s Moves into the Media Space(12:37) Conflicts of Interest in the Media Space(14:45) The Convergence of Media and Investing(16:56) Sponsor – Planful | Mercury | NetSuite(21:35) How Eric Gets Tips and Scoops(23:07) How a Good Fundraising Announcement Should Work(26:17) Fundraising Announcements and Attracting Talent(29:33) “Off the Record” Relationships with the Media(36:05) Eric’s Database of Investor Profiles and the Value of Lists(42:12) Differentiated Competitive Moats for Companies versus VCs(43:31) Eric’s Decision to Monetize via Subscriptions(49:42) Regrets from the First Year of Eric’s Business(51:30) Building Newcomer’s Subscriber Base(52:25) The Next Big Thing versus Evergreen Content(56:15) Whether VC Is Bigger or Smaller Than Eric Expected(58:50) Wrap