Substack

San Francisco, United States Founded: 2017 • Age: 9 yrs
Subscription-based platform for publishers content management is provided.
Annual revenue - Latest available
Total funding $189.5M 6 rounds
Employees - Tracked headcount
Investors 11 Known backers
Products - Services tracked
Competitors 7 Brand Intelligence

About Substack

Substack is a company based in San Francisco (United States) founded in 2017 by Jairaj Sethi, Hamish McKenzie, and Christopher Best. Substack has raised $189.5 million across 6 funding rounds from investors including TCG Ventures, Andrew Chen and Andreessen Horowitz. Substack has completed 2 acquisitions, including Cocoon and Yem. Substack operates in a competitive market with competitors including Patreon, WordPress, Scoop.it, Clickability and Brightspot, among others.

  • Headquarter San Francisco, United States
  • Founders Jairaj Sethi, Hamish McKenzie, Christopher Best
  • Sectors
    Media & Entertainment
  • Email
    Locked
  • Phone
    Locked
  • Website
    Locked
  • Social
    Locked
Operational Areas
Media & Entertainment → Digital Media, Publishing & Broadcasting Unlock Sub-Sector Unlock Segment
Media & Entertainment → Digital Media, Publishing & Broadcasting Unlock Sub-Sector Unlock Segment
Key Metrics
  • Annual Revenue
    Not available
  • Net Profit
    Not available
  • EBITDA
    Not available
  • Total Equity Funding
    $189.5 M (USD)

    in 6 rounds

  • Latest Funding Round
    $100 M (USD), Series C

    Jul 17, 2025

  • Investors
    TCG Ventures

    & 10 more

  • Employee Count
    Not available
  • Investments & Acquisitions
    Cocoon

    & 1 more

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People of Substack

Headcount 50-200
Employee Profiles 205
Employee Profiles
People
Chris Best
Co-Founder & CEO
People
Dillard Mills Baker
Head of Design
People
Adam Reed
Software Engineer
People
Jairaj Sethi
Co-Founder & CTO

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Funding Insights of Substack

Substack has successfully raised a total of $189.5M across 6 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series C round of $100 million completed in July 2025. 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.

Investors in Substack

Substack has secured backing from 11 investors, including angel, venture fund, and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include TCG Ventures, Andrew Chen and Andreessen Horowitz.

All
Venture Fund
Institutional
Angel
Investor Description Founded Year Domain Location
Venture capital investments in technology sectors are handled by Andreessen Horowitz.
Locked Locked Locked
Early-stage startups are accelerated via funding and educational programs.
Locked Locked Locked
Tech & Offline focused Seed stage VC Firm investing primarily in Asia and the US
Locked Locked Locked
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Investor details for Substack

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  • Investor domains
  • Investor locations
  • Funding rounds
  • Participation history

Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.

Investments & Acquisitions by Substack

Substack has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 2 companies. Notable acquisitions include Cocoon and Yem.

Investments
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Investment portfolio details for Substack

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  • Portfolio identities
  • Transaction dates
  • Round details
  • Investment values

Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.

Acquisitions
Company Name Description Domain Location Founded Year Amount
Platform offering email marketing software
Locked Locked 2021 Locked
Employee leave management software is provided by Cocoon.
Locked Locked 2020 Locked
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Complete acquisition details for Substack

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  • Transaction dates
  • Acquired stakes
  • Disclosed values
  • Domains and locations

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Financial Statements - Substack

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Detailed financials for Substack

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  • Profit trends
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Substack Comparisons

Substack Primary company
Description
Subscription-based platform for publishers' content manageme...
Location
San Francisco, United States
Founded Year
2017
Annual Revenue
Not available
Net Profit
Not available
EBITDA
Not available
Employees
Not available
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Peer comparison for Substack

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  • Headcount comparison
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Competitors of Substack

Substack operates in a dynamic and competitive business environment, facing competition from various established players and emerging companies in the market. The competitive landscape includes prominent companies such as Patreon, WordPress, Scoop.it, Clickability and Brightspot, among others.

Company Name Domain Founded year HQ Location Description
Locked Locked Locked
Reward-based crowdfunding is facilitated for content creators and musicians.
Locked Locked Locked
Cloud-based website development and content management platform is offered.
Locked Locked Locked
Content curation and social sharing platform for businesses
Locked Locked Locked
SaaS platform is offered for managing web content across platforms.
Locked Locked Locked
CMS solutions for digital publishers are provided and managed.
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Detailed competitors of Substack

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  • Domains and locations
  • Full company profiles
  • Operating metrics
  • Competitive positioning

Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.

Latest news on Substack

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Complete news archive for Substack

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  • Full article archive
  • Source and publication date
  • Older coverage
  • Brand-specific news history

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Frequently Asked Questions about Substack

Substack was founded in 2017 and raised its 1st funding round 1 year after it was founded.

Substack is headquartered in San Francisco, United States. It is registered at San Francisco, California, United States.

Christopher Best is the current CEO of Substack. They have also founded this company.

Substack is a funded company, having raised a total of $189.5M across 6 funding rounds to date.

Substack was founded in 2017 in San Francisco, United States, as a content management platform in the digital publishing sector. Independent publishers are supported through tools for hosting and content creation. Subscriptions and memberships from readers are facilitated to replace ad-based revenue. Payments are processed on behalf of publishers, with a share of subscription income retained as the platforms fee. Operations focus on enabling direct monetization for creators.

Substack's top competitors include Patreon, WordPress and Scoop.it.

Substack has made 2 acquisitions, including Cocoon, and Yem.

Substack has 11 investors. Key investors include TCG Ventures, Andrew Chen, Andreessen Horowitz, Y Combinator, and Zhen Fund.

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