Mode Media (formerly Glam Media) brought several owned brands together under Mode.com and launched a Mode Stories mobile app that serves personalized streams of articles and videos based on users and topics they follow. The company hosts more than 10,000 professional creators (described as mid- and long-tail creators) publishing across its network. Arora estimated the new properties are seeing about 25 million monthly unique visitors and 200 million monthly impressions, while Mode’s total network reached 154 million unique visitors in March (comScore). Mode claims to be generating more than $100 million in annual revenue. The company emphasizes its proprietary technology, maintaining three internal stacks for advertising, publishing and distribution to deliver targeted and personalized content. Bringing on strategic investor Hubert Burda Media is intended to help position Mode for partnerships with larger media companies. The company has an extended funding history and has continued investing in its platform and product despite previously exploring an IPO. Mode Media (formerly Glam) operates an online publishing and ad business across multiple web properties, including sites such as Foodie. The company is expanding into video with a new division, Mode Entertainment Studios, launching 10 shows and a production team in Los Angeles. It is also building a content-curation platform called Project M, based on technology from its acquisition of social-networking platform Ning, with a Pinterest-style interface for editors and readers. To fund these initiatives Mode has pursued private financings, with a reported $25M raise last summer and an additional $15M in unannounced funding. The company reportedly made a secret filing for an IPO more than a year ago but declined to comment on the recent funding. Mode plans to distribute the new video content across its properties and leverage social sharing to grow audience engagement.

Total raised

$45M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series F

Latest activity

May 2015