Not Boring

What Not Boring does

Not Boring is a privately-held media and product company founded in 2019 by Packy McCormick and headquartered in New York. The company's primary product is a Substack-based newsletter covering tech strategy, analysis, and business philosophy, which has grown to over 270,000 subscribers across free and paid tiers. Revenue is generated predominantly through recurring subscription fees on Substack, with secondary income from one-time iOS app sales via the Apple App Store.

The company has expanded beyond content publishing into consumer software with the October 2025 launch of !Camera, an iPhone camera application that applies professional-level color grading through 3D LUTs in a consumer-friendly interface. Underlying technology comprises the Substack platform for content distribution and native iOS development for the !Camera product. Not Boring also engages in angel investing, participating in rounds such as VICO Ahorro's €500K raise (October 2025).

In May 2026, Not Boring became a launch partner for Parallel Web Systems' Index platform, which applies Shapley value-based attribution to compensate content creators when their material is used by AI agents. This positions the company as an early participant in the emerging AI agent content economy. The business remains founder-owned with no disclosed institutional funding and operates with a small team (1-10 employees), reflecting a creator-led operational model.

Name

Not Boring

Website

https://notboring.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Not Boring is a New York-based media company founded by Packy McCormick that publishes a tech strategy newsletter on Substack to over 270,000 subscribers and develops consumer mobile applications, including the !Camera iPhone camera app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Media & Publishing

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Science, Technology & Gaming Magazines (MPAJAEAL)

Keywords

• Tech newsletter publishing
• Business strategy content
• IOS camera applications
• Mobile color grading
• Independent digital media

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Newsletter Subscriptions: Substack-based newsletter with free and paid subscription tiers. Over 270,000 subscribers base drives revenue through paid subscriptions.
2. iOS App Sales: Revenue from iOS camera app products like !Camera sold through the App Store.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Not Boring publishes a tech strategy, analysis, and philosophy newsletter on Substack with over 270,000 subscribers, offering both free and paid subscription tiers. The company has expanded into consumer software with !Camera, an iPhone camera app that delivers professional-level color grading using 3D LUTs in a user-friendly format for general consumers.

Product overview

Not Boring is a media company operated by Packy McCormick that publishes a tech strategy newsletter on Substack with over 270,000 subscribers. The company has also developed !Camera, an iPhone camera application featuring professional-level color grading using 3D LUTs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• !Camera: iPhone camera app offering professional-level color grading using 3D LUTs with a user-friendly approach.

Products and services

• Not Boring by Packy McCormick A tech strategy, analysis, and philosophy newsletter by Packy McCormick published on Substack with over 270,000 subscribers. Offers both free and paid subscription tiers for individuals interested in-depth tech industry analysis and business thinking.
• !Camera An iPhone camera app that offers professional-level color grading using 3D LUTs with a user-friendly interface, enabling iPhone users to achieve sophisticated cinematic visual aesthetics without professional software complexity.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Parallel Web Systems (Index Platform)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 May 2026Not Boring is a launch partner for Parallel's Index platform, which provides AI agent attribution and compensation for content creators. Index uses Shapley value to calculate each source's contribution to AI agent tasks, creating a transparent compensation model for content owners in the emerging agent economy.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Stratechery: Ben Thompson's subscription tech-strategy newsletter — the canonical direct peer to Not Boring in paid Substack analysis of tech industry strategy and business models.
• The Information: Subscription-based tech and business news outlet targeting professionals; competes for the same paying tech-savvy reader and operates on a similar premium-content business model.
• Platformer: Casey Newton's subscription tech-policy and platform newsletter on Substack; directly comparable creator-led paid newsletter format targeting tech professionals.
• The Generalist: Mario Gabriele's long-form tech/business newsletter with a similar premium writing voice and analysis depth; competes for the same high-value reader segment.
• Halide: Premium iOS camera app focused on professional controls and image quality; the closest direct competitor to Not Boring's !Camera in the prosumer mobile-photography category.

Broad incumbents

• Morning Brew: Established newsletter media business covering business and tech for a large professional audience — a scaled comparable for the newsletter-business model, though broader in coverage.
• VSCO: Established mobile photo and video app with proprietary filters and creative tools; comparable to !Camera on the consumer creative-imaging side though far larger in scale.
• The Verge: Major consumer-tech media outlet covering technology strategy, products, and culture; overlaps with Not Boring's reader interests but serves a much broader free audience.
• Bloomberg: Global financial and tech news incumbent with subscription products targeting the same tech/business professional audience; representative of the scaled premium media benchmark Not Boring aspires toward.

Others

• Substack: The publishing and subscription platform that hosts Not Boring's newsletter — an infrastructure/ecosystem enabler rather than a competitor, but central to the business model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/not-boring-co

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments22 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Not Boring