Not Boring
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
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.
Not Boring firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Not Boring industry classification
Industry- 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
Where Not Boring is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Not Boring business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Newsletter Subscriptions: Substack-based newsletter with free and paid subscription tiers. Over 270,000 subscribers base drives revenue through paid subscriptions.
- 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
Not Boring product offering
Product offeringCore 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.
Companies that use Not Boring
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Not Boring technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Not Boring partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Parallel Web Systems (Index Platform)coreNot 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
Not Boring competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
Not Boring social profiles
Digital presenceNot Boring financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Not Boring leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Not Boring funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Not Boring M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments22 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Not Boring
What does Not Boring do?
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.
Is Not Boring a public or private company?
Not Boring is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Not Boring founded?
Not Boring was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Not Boring based?
Not Boring is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Not Boring make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Newsletter Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are iOS App Sales.
Who are Not Boring's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Stratechery, The Information, Platformer, The Generalist and Halide. Broad incumbents are Morning Brew, VSCO, The Verge and Bloomberg. Substack is listed as an others.
Does Not Boring have an API?
No public API is recorded for Not Boring.
What industry is Not Boring in?
Not Boring's product category is Digital Media & Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAL, Science, Technology & Gaming Magazines. Its NAICS code is 516 and its SIC code is 7372.