About VerticalScope
VerticalScope is a company based in Toronto (Canada) founded in 1999 was acquired by Torstar in July 2015. VerticalScope has completed 7 acquisitions, including Fixya, MTBR.com and Paddling.com. VerticalScope operates in a competitive market with competitors including Vox Media, Webedia, Penske Media Corporation, Group Nine Media and Ziff Davis, among others.
- Headquarter Toronto, Canada
- Stage Public
- SectorsMedia & Entertainment
- Website verticalscope.com
- Social LinkedIn X
- Acquired by Torstar (Jul 2015)
- Legal Name Verticalscope Holdings, Inc.
- Annual Revenue$59.34 M (USD)-14.11as on Dec 31, 2025
- Net Profit-$8.19 M (USD)-51477.26as on Dec 31, 2025
- EBITDA$16.62 M (USD)-34.13as on Dec 31, 2025
- InvestorsAbry Partners
& 1 more
- Investments & AcquisitionsFixya
& 6 more
- Acquired byTorstar
(Jul 2015)
Funding Insights of VerticalScope
- Total Rounds 1
- Investors Count 1
All 1 funding rounds of VerticalScope 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2011 | – | Series A | β | Abry | β |
2 investors in total: 2 institutional.
Investors in VerticalScope
VerticalScope has secured backing from 2 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Abry Partners and Torstar.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Abry Partners is engaged in middle market private equity investments. | 1989 | abry.com | Boston, United States | |
Investments in news and media organizations are managed by Torstar. | 1892 | torstar.com | Toronto, Canada |
Investor details for VerticalScope
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
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- Co-investor network
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People of VerticalScope
42 people are tracked at VerticalScope (18 in leadership, 24 in team).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Chris Goodridge | President & COO | Leadership |
Rob Laidlaw | Founder & CEO | Leadership |
Vincenzo Bellissimo | CFO | Leadership |
Diane Yu | Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary | Leadership |
Amy Amodeo Cpa, Ca | VP Finance | Leadership |
Colum Wood | Vp, Content | Leadership |
Chris Blanchette | Director/director Of Photography/editor | Leadership |
Irfan Akhtar | Director, Customer Success - Subscription Listings | Leadership |
Miles Packeer | VP Commerce | Leadership |
Adrianne Taylor | Senior Director Of Powersports And Auto Non-endemic Sales | Leadership |
Anthony B | Director Of Sales | Leadership |
Elma Redzepagic | Director, Programmatic Sales | Leadership |
Marty Estes | Director Of Sales, Powersports | Leadership |
Michael Schlee | Managing Editor, Autoguide.com | Leadership |
Lucas Cooney | Director, Sponsored Content | Leadership |
Jerry Orban | VP Corporate Development | Leadership |
Neil Rosenzweig | Senior Vice President Of Sales | Leadership |
Danielle Harder | Head Of People Operations | Leadership |
Anthony D'Amico | Manager, Data Strategy And Analytics | Client Success | Team |
Mike Jukes | Mergers & Acquisitions - Lead | Team |
22 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for VerticalScope
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
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IPO & Listings of VerticalScope
VerticalScope is a publicly listed company on the TSX with ticker symbol FORA in Canada, operating in the Technology services sector. As a publicly traded entity, the company provides investors with opportunities to participate in its growth story through equity ownership. The listing enables access to capital markets, enhances corporate visibility, and provides liquidity for shareholders while maintaining transparency through regulatory compliance and regular financial disclosures.
- IPO date18 Jun 2021
- Listed onTSX: FORA
- Listed entityVerticalScope Holdings, Inc.
- Exchange sectorTechnology services
- ISINCA92537Y1043
- Share price2.84 CAD (+2.53% on the day) · 2026-10-09
- Market capitalisation61,747,830.00 CAD
- EPS (diluted, trailing year)-0.50 CAD
- Volume (last session)11,684
Financials of VerticalScope
| Year | Revenue | Net income | EBITDA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 81.2M CAD | -11.2M CAD | 22.8M CAD |
| 2024 | 94.6M CAD | -21,730 CAD | 34.5M CAD |
| 2023 | 82.2M CAD | -6.7M CAD | 23.3M CAD |
| 2022 | 104.8M CAD | -32.2M CAD | 23.8M CAD |
| 2021 | 82.5M CAD | -15.4M CAD | 18.9M CAD |
Detailed financial statements for VerticalScope
Statement rows, ratios, five-year trends and downloadable financials of the group companies require an active premium plan.
- Statement rows
- Financial ratios
- Five-year trends
- Downloads
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Investments & Acquisitions by VerticalScope
VerticalScope has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 7 companies. Notable acquisitions include Fixya, MTBR.com and Paddling.com.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online platform publishing content focusing on Films and TV | thestreamable.com | San Francisco, United States | 2017 | Nov 2021 | β’β’β’β’ | |
Online reviews and information for paddling enthusiasts are provided. | paddling.com | Grand Rapids, United States | 1998 | Jun 2021 | β’β’β’β’ | |
Online discussions and news on road bikes are hosted. | roadbikereview.com | Toronto, Canada | 1996 | Sep 2018 | β’β’β’β’ | |
Automotive tires are manufactured and distributed by MTBR.com. | mtbr.com | Redwood, United States | 1990 | Sep 2018 | β’β’β’β’ | |
Multi-category digital coupons are facilitated via an online platform. | redflagdeals.com | Toronto, Canada | 2000 | Aug 2018 | $9.19M | |
Peer-to-peer platform for technical support on gadgets is provided. | fixya.com | Petah Tikva, Israel | 2005 | Jun 2018 | β’β’β’β’ | |
Toronto-based online platform for pre-owned goods | varagesale.com | Toronto, Canada | 2012 | Nov 2017 | β’β’β’β’ |
Complete acquisition details for VerticalScope
Acquired stakes, deal sources and the complete acquisition history require an active premium plan.
- Acquired stakes
- Deal sources
- Complete history
- Exports
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Timeline of VerticalScope
11 dated milestones of VerticalScope across 22 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded VerticalScope is founded.
- Funding First funding round.
- Exit Acquired by Torstar.
- Acquisition Acquires VarageSale.
- Acquisition Acquires Fixya.
- Acquisition Acquires RedFlagDeals.com.
- Acquisition Acquires MTBR.com.
- Acquisition Acquires RoadBikeReview.com.
- IPO Lists on the stock exchange (IPO).
- Acquisition Acquires Paddling.com.
- Acquisition Acquires The Streamable.
Competitors of VerticalScope
VerticalScope 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 Vox Media, Webedia, Penske Media Corporation, Group Nine Media and Ziff Davis, among others.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| voxmedia.com | 2005 | – | $425.17M | 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. | |
| pmc.com | 2003 | Los Angeles, United States | $235M | 1,018 | Content on digital media corporations is published across multiple platforms. | |
| groupninemedia.com | 1999 | New York, United States | $675M | 535 | Digital-first media network | |
| 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 | $16M | 3 | Video content creation platform for businesses | |
| rediff.com | 1996 | Mumbai, India | – | – | News, email services, stock quotes, and expert advice are provided. | |
| aol.com | 1983 | New York, United States | $20M | 26 | Online news, entertainment, and financial content is delivered. | |
| timesinternet.in | 1999 | Gurugram, India | $7M | 895 | Provider of digital content, advertising solutions, and technology services | |
| uol.com.br | 1996 | Sao Paulo, Brazil | $100M | – | Online news and digital services are provided in Portuguese. |
Detailed competitors of VerticalScope
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
- Benchmarks
- Competitive positioning
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Web traffic of VerticalScope
The website of VerticalScope (verticalscope.com) receives about 15.4K visits a month.
- Monthly visits15.4K
▲ 52.4% vs previous month
Websites whose visitors overlap most with VerticalScope. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
dodge-nitro.com | dodge-nitro.com | 100% | – | #1,887,327 | β |
challengertalk.com | challengertalk.com | 100% | – | #235,933 | β |
fordmustang.lap.hu | fordmustang.lap.hu | 100% | – | – | β |
motorcycle.com | motorcycle.com | 75% | – | #87,702 | β |
stromtrooper.com | stromtrooper.com | 71% | – | #326,957 | β |
| β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’ | β’β’β’β’β’β’.com | β’β’% | β’.β’M | #β’β’β’β’β’ | β |
| β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’ | β’β’β’β’β’β’.com | β’β’% | β’.β’M | #β’β’β’β’β’ | β |
| β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’ | β’β’β’β’β’β’.com | β’β’% | β’.β’M | #β’β’β’β’β’ | β |
All 20 similar websites and full traffic analytics for VerticalScope
The complete similar-websites list, audience overlap and engagement analytics require an active premium plan.
- 20 similar websites
- Audience overlap
- Engagement analytics
- Traffic by brand
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Latest news on Verticalscope
Complete news archive for VerticalScope
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.
Similar companies to VerticalScope
10 companies that operate in the same segment as VerticalScope (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 | – | – | |
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 | USD 386 M | – | – | |
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, China | USD 338.72 M | – | – |
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Frequently Asked Questions about VerticalScope
VerticalScope was founded in 1999 and raised its 1st funding round 12 years after it was founded.
VerticalScope is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. It is registered at Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Annual revenue of VerticalScope is $59.34M as on Dec 31, 2025.
Verticalscope owns over 600 internet media properties that include consumer forums and content sites. They generate 840 M monthly visitors and 540 M page views according to April 2015 Google Analytics data. Their website cover topics around automotive, powersports, technology, sports, outdoor equipment, pets, home improvements and hobbies. Torstar acquired 56 stake in Verticalscope in July 2015.
VerticalScope's top competitors include Webedia, Vox Media and Times Internet.
Yes, VerticalScope is publicly traded on TSX under the ticker symbol FORA.
VerticalScope has made 7 acquisitions, including Fixya, MTBR.com, and Paddling.com.
VerticalScope has 2 investors. Key investors include Abry Partners, and Torstar.
VerticalScope operates through Verticalscope Estonia OΓΌ.
Yes. VerticalScope was acquired by Torstar in July 2015.

