About AOL
AOL is a Media & Entertainment company based in New York (United States) founded in 1983 by Jim Kimsey, William von Meister, and Marc Seriff, and was acquired by Bending Spoons in October 2025. It operates as an online news, entertainment, and financial content is delivered. AOL has raised $20 million across 1 funding round from investors including Bending Spoons, Verizon and Apollo Global Management. The company has 26 employees. AOL has completed 61 acquisitions, including 5min, 5min Media and ADTECH. Its chief executive is Tim Armstrong. Its website aol.com draws about 232.9 million monthly visits. AOL offers products and services including AOL App and Yahoo Advertising. Its focus areas include Internet First Media and Digital Media Groups. Its competitors include Vox Media, Webedia, Group Nine Media, Penske Media Corporation and Ziff Davis and 4 more; 6 of its 9 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
AOL was founded in 1983 as a provider of online media services in the digital content sector. Operations are centered in New York, United States, where curated articles, videos, and media on topics such as news, politics, sports, finance, health, and lifestyle are aggregated from various sources. Personalized news feeds and email newsletters are offered to users for accessing current events and market information in a structured format.
- Headquarters New York, United States
- Employees 26
- Founders Jim Kimsey, William von Meister, Marc Seriff
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsMedia & Entertainment
- Website category Computers Electronics and Technology
- Email••••••••
- Website aol.com
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook
- Acquired by Apollo Global Management (May 2021)
- Annual Revenue$2.53 B (USD)9as on Dec 31, 2014
- Net Profit$125.6 M (USD)36as on Dec 31, 2014
- EBITDA$205.5 M (USD)8as on Dec 31, 2014
- Total Equity Funding$20M (USD)
in 1 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$20M (USD), Series B
Jan 2000
- InvestorsBending Spoons
& 4 more
- Employee Count26
- Investments & Acquisitions5min
& 60 more
- Acquired by
Products & Services of AOL
AOL offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including AOL App and Yahoo Advertising.
App for accessing content and services from AOL.
Service for digital ads and user data personalization.
Funding Insights of AOL
AOL has successfully raised a total of $20M through 1 strategic funding round. The most recent funding activity was a Series B round of $20 million completed in January 2000. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $20M
- Total Rounds 1
- Last Round Series B — $20M
- First Round $20M
(Jan 2000)
- Investors Count 1
All 1 funding rounds of AOL with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2000 | $20M | Series B | – | – |
5 investors in total: 5 institutional.
Investors in AOL
AOL has secured backing from 5 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Bending Spoons, Verizon and Apollo Global Management.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Venture capital firm investing in life science and biotechnology sectors | 1980 | atlasventure.com | Cambridge, United States | |
Buyouts are targeted through private equity investments by the firm. | 1990 | apollo.com | New York, United States | |
Mobile and internet services are provided to homes and businesses. | 1983 | verizon.com | New York, United States | |
Mobile applications and AI technologies are developed and operated. | 2013 | bendingspoons.com | Milan, Italy | |
Supplier diversity software is provided for government compliance tracking. | 1999 | b2gnow.com | Phoenix, United States |
Investor details for AOL
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People of AOL
4 people are tracked at AOL (4 in leadership); the tracked headcount is 26.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Jim Kimsey | Co-Founder | Leadership |
William von Meister | Co-Founder | Leadership |
Marc Seriff | Co-Founder | Leadership |
Tim Armstrong | CEO | Leadership |
Complete people profiles for AOL
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Investments & Acquisitions by AOL
AOL has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 61 companies. Notable acquisitions include 5min, 5min Media and ADTECH.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Video live streaming app | nitoapp.com | New York, United States | 2013 | Jun 2016 | •••• | |
Viral videos on global issues are produced using 360-degree technology. | ryot.org | Los Angeles, United States | 2012 | Apr 2016 | •••• | |
Real-time RTB algorithms are developed for publishers' auction optimization. | alephd.com | Paris, France | 2012 | Jan 2016 | •••• | |
Apps for photo, video creation, and social sharing are developed. | getkanvas.com | New York, United States | 2011 | Aug 2015 | •••• | |
Web development and design services for digital campaigns are provided. | asheavenue.com | New York, United States | 2009 | Aug 2015 | •••• | |
Predictive analytics on social media data are offered by Sociocast. | sociocast.com | New York, United States | 2010 | Jun 2015 | •••• | |
Lifecycle management products for predictive analytics are offered by Velos. | velos.io | New York, United States | 1987 | Mar 2015 | •••• | |
Video content is discovered, distributed, and monetized across devices. | vidible.tv | San Francisco, United States | 2012 | Dec 2014 | •••• | |
Mobile advertising platform is operated for advertisers and developers. | millennialmedia.com | Baltimore, United States | 2006 | Sep 2014 | $238M | |
Advertising services are provided by PrecisionDemand to targeted audiences. | precisiondemand.com | Seattle, United States | 2005 | May 2014 | •••• |
Complete acquisition details for AOL
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Timeline of AOL
17 dated milestones of AOL across 42 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded AOL is founded.
- IPO Lists on the stock exchange (IPO).
- Funding First funding round of $20.0M.
- Acquisition Acquires PrecisionDemand.
- Acquisition Acquires Millennial Media.
- Acquisition Acquires Vidible.
- Acquisition Acquires Velos.
- Exit Acquired by Verizon.
- Acquisition Acquires Sociocast.
- Acquisition Acquires Ashe Avenue.
- Acquisition Acquires Kanvas Labs.
- Acquisition Acquires AlephD.
- Acquisition Acquires Ryot.
- Acquisition Acquires Nito.
- Exit Acquired by Apollo Global Management.
- Exit Acquired by B2Gnow.
- Exit Acquired by Bending Spoons.
Competitors of AOL
AOL has 9 listed competitors in our database, 6 of them funded. They include Vox Media, Webedia, Group Nine Media, Penske Media Corporation and Ziff Davis, among others.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| voxmedia.com | 2005 | – | $425.09M | 1,472 | Digital media publishing network | |
| webedia-group.com | 2007 | Levallois Perret, France | $4.7M | – | Multiple online media and lifestyle brands are owned and operated. | |
| groupninemedia.com | 1999 | New York, United States | $675M | 535 | Digital-first media network | |
| pmc.com | 2003 | Los Angeles, United States | $235M | 1,018 | Content on digital media corporations is published across multiple platforms. | |
| ziffdavis.com | 1927 | New York, United States | – | 1,430 | Digital-media company in the technology, gaming, entertainment, and men’s lifestyle | |
| jellysmack.com | 2016 | New York, United States | $40M | 3 | Video content creation platform for businesses | |
| rediff.com | 1996 | Mumbai, India | – | – | News, email services, stock quotes, and expert advice are provided. | |
| internetbrands.com | 1998 | El Segundo, United States | – | 3,782 | Internet media and client services company | |
| timesinternet.in | 1999 | Gurugram, India | $7M | 895 | Provider of digital content, advertising solutions, and technology services |
Detailed competitors of AOL
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Web traffic of AOL
The website of AOL (aol.com) receives about 232.9M visits a month and ranks #129 among all websites worldwide, #42 in Computers Electronics and Technology.
- Monthly visits232.9M
▼ 0.8% vs previous month
- Unique visitors17.5M
per month
- Global rank#129
among all websites
- Category rank#42
Computers Electronics and Technology · Computers Electronics and Technology
- Bounce rate22%
- Pages per visit8.8
- Average visit10 min 12 sec
- DevicesDesktop 69% · Mobile 31%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with AOL. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yahoo.com | 100% | 2.9B | #16 | View details | |
| msn.com | 97% | – | #74 | View details | |
| creativebloq.com | 90% | – | #32,887 | View details | |
| slashdot.org | 88% | 2.9M | #26,496 | View details | |
| macworld.com | 88% | 2.1M | #43,037 | View details | |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for AOL
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Top companies in DTC Media Innovators
10 companies that operate in the same segment as AOL (DTC Media Innovators), ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Diversified gaming and sports media platforms are operated and developed. | 1999 | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | USD 127.93 M | USD 194.94 M | 63 | |
News media platform for soccer | 2008 | Berlin, Berlin, Germany | USD 320.1 M | USD 30.07 M | 298 | |
Multi-category news is delivered through an app-based platform. | 2016 | Arlington, Virginia, United States | USD 30 M | – | 356 | |
News media platform covering combat sports | 2011 | Singapore, Singapore | USD 236 M | USD 84.46 M | 657 | |
Multi-category news is curated and delivered in multiple languages. | 2009 | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India | USD 129.01 M | – | 942 | |
Hyperlocal short news app is provided in multiple languages. | 2014 | Hyderabad, Telangana, India | USD 30.77 M | USD 5.35 M | 309 | |
Online platform publishing content focusing on investment | 2011 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | USD 60.4 M | – | – | |
Subscription-based sports media is delivered to local premium audiences. | 2016 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | USD 134.42 M | – | – | |
Multiple online media and lifestyle brands are owned and operated. | 2007 | Levallois-perret, Hauts-de-seine, France | USD 4.7 M | – | – | |
Sports commentary and news are provided through Hupu's platform. | 2004 | Shanghai, Shanghai, China | USD 338.72 M | – | – |
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Related news about Aol
Complete news archive for AOL
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Frequently Asked Questions about AOL
AOL was founded in 1983 and raised its 1st funding round 17 years after it was founded.
AOL is headquartered in New York, United States. It is registered at New York, New York, United States.
Tim Armstrong is the current CEO of AOL.
AOL is a funded company, having raised a total of $20M across 1 funding round to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series B of $20M, raised on Jan 2000.
AOL has 26 employees.
Annual revenue of AOL is $2.53B as on Dec 31, 2014.
AOL was founded in 1983 as a provider of online media services in the digital content sector. Operations are centered in New York, United States, where curated articles, videos, and media on topics such as news, politics, sports, finance, health, and lifestyle are aggregated from various sources. Personalized news feeds and email newsletters are offered to users for accessing current events and market information in a structured format.
AOL's top competitors include Webedia, Vox Media and Times Internet.
AOL offers AOL App and Yahoo Advertising.
AOL has made 61 acquisitions, including 5min, 5min Media, and ADTECH.
AOL has 5 investors. Key investors include Bending Spoons, Verizon, Apollo Global Management, Atlas Venture, and B2Gnow.
Yes. AOL was acquired by Apollo Global Management in May 2021.