News

Semafor’s Next Stage

Status · Oliver Darcy · last updated

When Ben Smith and Justin Smith launched Semafor in the fall of 2022, they entered the arena with big ambitions and $25 million in investor backing. Less than a year later, in May 2023, they announced another $19 million in funding, roughly half of which replaced a high-profile investment from disgraced crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried. Since then, the nearly three-year-old startup has largely stayed quiet on the fundraising front, opting to grow without tapping outside capital.

But that may soon change. I’m told Semafor is now…

The remainder of this newsletter is for paid subscribers only.

Scoop-driven reporting and sharp-edged analysis. See why thousands of industry professionals rely on Status.

Already a subscriber? Sign in.

A subscription gets you full access to our nightly newsletter, which includes:

✅ Essential reporting on and analysis of the Fourth Estate, Silicon Valley, Hollywood, the Information Wars, and more.

✅ Hand-curated links to the most consequential stories moving the needle in the key corridors of the industry.

✅ Unlimited access to our online archive where you can read previous editions of the newsletter.

Related Knowledge Center: State of the business model

State of Play

The traditional journalism business model has long since collapsed, and news organizations have shrunk or disappeared entirely. While a number of promising experiments are under way, the public has not shown a willingness to buy what news organizations are selling.

Artificial intelligence


More informationabout State of the business model