The Ken publishes one thoughtfully reported long-form story each day behind a paid subscription, with annual pricing at Rs 2,750 (~$43) in India and $108 overseas plus quarterly and single-story options. It covers technology startups, healthcare and business verticals and is expanding its editorial scope to include more topics and international coverage for its India-based audience. The company has experimented with a distinct weekend edition and is exploring audio storytelling and podcasts while keeping video as a secondary, story-linked format. It sells group subscriptions via a self-serve option for corporates and a discounted student price that has driven institutional sign-ups, including Harvard Business School. The Ken was cash-flow positive as of April 2018; revenue in the most recent quarter doubled the prior quarter and was up 3x year-over-year. The team is ~15 people across three offices and plans to grow headcount to about 30 in the coming months. The Ken is a media startup founded by four former reporters that publishes a single in-depth business and technology story each day behind a subscription paywall. It is built around a community-driven email model and a small editorial team of about 11 people. Pricing is tiered: $108 for overseas users and 2,750 INR ($42) for Indian subscribers, with $10/month and $25 (900 INR / $13.50) per-quarter options. The site has worked with corporate sponsors to make content temporarily free and is introducing corporate subscriptions to broaden reach. Planned product expansions include Android and iOS apps, a comment section, and a Slack channel to deepen reader engagement and editorial input. Financially, The Ken began generating revenue from day one and became profitable within two weeks of its website launch.

Total raised

$2M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Jul 2018