About Popsugar
Popsugar is a Media & Entertainment company based in San Francisco (United States) founded in 2006, and was acquired by Penske Media Corporation in June 2026. A women focused lifestyle brand. Popsugar has raised $46 million across 4 funding rounds from investors including NBCUniversal, Penske Media Corporation and Group Nine Media. Popsugar has completed 6 acquisitions, including Circle of Moms, FreshGuide and My Perfect Sale. Its website popsugar.com draws about 2.7 million monthly visits. Popsugar offers products and services including Popsugar Website and Newsletter Service. Its focus areas include Internet First Media, Lifestyle, Demographic and Women. Its legal entity is POPSUGAR, INC. Its competitors include Bustle, Brit + Co and SheKnows; 2 of its 3 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
Popsugar was founded in 2006 in San Francisco, United States, and operates as a womens lifestyle media brand under Popsugar Inc. Original content, trends, and tips are featured in areas such as entertainment, celebrity news, fashion, beauty, fitness, food, and parenting, with related products highlighted. Regional versions are available for seven countries, and over 100 million unique monthly users were reported as of March 2017.
- Headquarters San Francisco, United States
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsMedia & Entertainment
- Website category Arts and Entertainment
- Website popsugar.com
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook YouTube
- Acquired by Group Nine Media (Oct 2019)
- Legal Name Popsugar, Inc.
- Total Equity Funding$46M (USD)
in 4 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$15M (USD), Series D
Apr 2011
- InvestorsNBCUniversal
& 4 more
- Investments & AcquisitionsCircle of Moms
& 5 more
- Acquired by
Products & Services of Popsugar
Popsugar offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Popsugar Website and Newsletter Service.
Online hub for lifestyle articles and reviews.
Email updates on health and beauty topics.
Apps and channels of Popsugar
its YouTube channel Popsugar has 6.6M subscribers and 30 videos.
Videos from Popsugar
The most watched videos on Popsugar's YouTube channel, Popsugar (6.6M subscribers). Click a video to play it here.
More on Popsugar.
Funding Insights of Popsugar
Popsugar has successfully raised a total of $46M across 4 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series D round of $15 million completed in April 2011. 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 $46M
- Total Rounds 4
- Last Round Series D — $15M
- First Round $5M
(Oct 2006)
- Investors Count 3
All 4 funding rounds of Popsugar 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2011 | $15M | Series D | – | IVP | |
| Jun 2009 | $16M | Series C | – | Sequoia Capital | – |
| Jun 2007 | $10M | Series B | – | NBCUniversal, Sequoia Capital | – |
| Oct 2006 | $5M | Series A | – | Sequoia Capital | – |
5 investors in total: 5 institutional.
Investors in Popsugar
Popsugar has secured backing from 5 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include NBCUniversal, Penske Media Corporation and Group Nine Media.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Growth in technology companies is supported through venture capital. | ivp.com | Menlo Park, United States | ||
Sequoia Capital is engaged in venture capital investments. | 1972 | sequoiacap.com | ||
TV content production, media, and entertainment services are provided. | 2004 | nbcuniversal.com | New York, United States | |
Content on digital media corporations is published across multiple platforms. | 2003 | pmc.com | Los Angeles, United States | |
Digital-first media network | 1999 | groupninemedia.com | New York, United States |
Investor details for Popsugar
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of Popsugar
17 people are tracked at Popsugar (8 in leadership, 2 in board & advisors, 7 in team).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Kelsey Garcia | Associate Director, PS Balance | Leadership |
David Grant | President, POPSUGAR Studios | Leadership |
Brian Sugar | Founder & CEO | Leadership |
Arthur Cinader | Founder & EVP | Leadership |
Stephanie Tuck | VP, Public Relations & Communications | Leadership |
Rachel Wong | VP, Corporate Controller | Leadership |
Rob McLaughlin | VP, Insights | Leadership |
Patricia O'Connor | Design Director | Leadership |
Michael Moritz | Board Member | Board & advisors |
Lisa Gersh | Board Member | Board & advisors |
Chris George | EVP, Product Marketing and Sales Strategy | Team |
Konstantin Kopachev | Engineering Manager | Team |
Shari Straker | Social Content Producer | Team |
Tom Duerr | Senior Dev Ops Engineer | Team |
Charisandra Perez | Senior Distribution Strategist | Team |
Yumi Odama | Senior Strategy And Business Analytics Manager | Team |
Kristen Byerley | Sr. Manager, Audience Acquisition & Engagement | Team |
Complete people profiles for Popsugar
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Investments & Acquisitions by Popsugar
Popsugar has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 6 companies. Notable acquisitions include Circle of Moms, FreshGuide and My Perfect Sale.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Multi-category products are retailed online by cosmiccart.com. | cosmiccart.com | Charlotte, United States | 2011 | Oct 2015 | •••• | |
Images are made shoppable via content-commerce integration technology. | pict.com | San Francisco, United States | 2012 | Jan 2014 | •••• | |
Online parenting social network for mothers | circleofmoms.com | San Francisco, United States | 2008 | Feb 2012 | •••• | |
Online flash sales of discounted fashion products are provided. | myperfectsale.com | San Francisco, United States | 2009 | Oct 2010 | •••• | |
Women-centric platform offering hyperlocal deals | freshguide.com | San Mateo, United States | 2008 | Jun 2010 | •••• | |
Operates an online marketplace for video-based shopping experiences. | shopflick.com | Los Angeles, United States | 2007 | Jun 2009 | •••• |
Complete acquisition details for Popsugar
Acquired stakes, deal sources and the complete acquisition history require an active premium plan.
- Acquired stakes
- Deal sources
- Complete history
- Exports
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of Popsugar
11 dated milestones of Popsugar across 20 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Popsugar is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $5.0M.
- Acquisition Acquires Shopflick.
- Acquisition Acquires FreshGuide.
- Acquisition Acquires My Perfect Sale.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series D, of $15.0M.
- Acquisition Acquires Circle of Moms.
- Acquisition Acquires Pict.
- Acquisition Acquires cosmiccart.com.
- Exit Acquired by Group Nine Media.
- Exit Acquired by Penske Media Corporation.
Competitors of Popsugar
Popsugar has 3 listed competitors in our database, 2 of them funded. They include Bustle, Brit + Co and SheKnows.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bustle.com | 2013 | New York, United States | $50.5M | 524 | Bustle is operated as a digital media platform for lifestyle and entertainment content. | |
| brit.co | 2011 | San Francisco, United States | $47.85M | 6 | Creative DIY tutorials, courses, and tools are offered online. | |
| sheknows.com | 2003 | Scottsdale, United States | Women's lifestyle articles on beauty, relationships, and parenting are published. |
Detailed competitors of Popsugar
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
- Benchmarks
- Competitive positioning
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Web traffic of Popsugar
The website of Popsugar (popsugar.com) receives about 2.7M visits a month and ranks #25,875 among all websites worldwide, #2,149 in Arts and Entertainment.
- Monthly visits2.7M
▲ 5.4% vs previous month
- Unique visitors1.6M
per month
- Global rank#25,875
among all websites
- Category rank#2,149
Arts and Entertainment · Arts and Entertainment
- Bounce rate56%
- Pages per visit2.1
- Average visit55 sec
- DevicesDesktop 25% · Mobile 75%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Popsugar. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
justjared.com | justjared.com | 100% | #9,356 | – | |
| tmz.com | 98% | 41.9M | #1,412 | View details | |
socialitelife.com | socialitelife.com | 86% | #436,014 | – | |
celebitchy.com | celebitchy.com | 86% | #32,855 | – | |
| perezhilton.com | 85% | #57,617 | View details | ||
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for Popsugar
The complete similar-websites list, audience overlap and engagement analytics require an active premium plan.
- 40 similar websites
- Audience overlap
- Engagement analytics
- Traffic by brand
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Top companies in DTC Media Innovators
3 companies that operate in the same segment as Popsugar (DTC Media Innovators) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Multi-category news is delivered through an app-based platform. | 2016 | Arlington, Virginia, United States | USD 30 M | 356 | ||
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 |
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Related news about Popsugar
Complete news archive for Popsugar
Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.
- Full article archive
- Source and publication date
- Older coverage
- Brand-specific news history
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Frequently Asked Questions about Popsugar
Popsugar was founded in 2006.
Popsugar is headquartered in San Francisco, United States. It is registered at San Francisco, California, United States.
Popsugar is a funded company, having raised a total of $46M across 4 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series A of $5M, raised on Oct 2006.
Popsugar was founded in 2006 in San Francisco, United States, and operates as a womens lifestyle media brand under Popsugar Inc. Original content, trends, and tips are featured in areas such as entertainment, celebrity news, fashion, beauty, fitness, food, and parenting, with related products highlighted. Regional versions are available for seven countries, and over 100 million unique monthly users were reported as of March 2017.
Popsugar offers Popsugar Website and Newsletter Service.
Popsugar has made 6 acquisitions, including Circle of Moms, FreshGuide, and My Perfect Sale.
Popsugar has 5 investors. Key investors include NBCUniversal, Penske Media Corporation, Group Nine Media, IVP, and Sequoia Capital.
Popsugar operates through Popsugar, Inc..
Yes. Popsugar was acquired by Group Nine Media in October 2019.
The website of Popsugar receives about 2.7 million visits a month and ranks #25,875 among all websites worldwide.

