The San Francisco Standard
The San Francisco Standard is an independent, digital-first local news outlet serving San Francisco Bay Area residents with politics, business, culture, sports, and investigative journalism via website, iOS app, newsletters, podcasts, and interactive games, monetized through subscriptions and advertising.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The San Francisco Standard does
The San Francisco Standard is an independent, digital-first local news publication serving San Francisco Bay Area readers across politics, business, culture, food and drink, sports, and investigative journalism. Its core product is the sfstandard.com website, which is supplemented by a dedicated iOS mobile application, two branded podcast series (Section 415 covering Bay Area sports and Pacific Standard Time covering West Coast ideas and culture), an interactive games suite (Crossword, Mini Crossword, Jigsaw, and WordroW), and topic-specific email newsletters such as Power Play for politics and Section 415 for sports.
The platform is built on standard digital publishing infrastructure — a content management-driven website, native iOS distribution via the App Store, a newsletter delivery system, and third-party podcast hosting — with payment processing handled by Stripe for paid subscriptions. Content distribution extends to eight social media platforms (Instagram, Twitter/X, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, LinkedIn, Bluesky, and YouTube) to drive top-of-funnel acquisition.
The business model combines recurring digital subscriptions (offering ad-free reading and exclusive investigations and opinion pieces) with display advertising served through third-party ad networks. The primary customer segment is San Francisco Bay Area residents seeking accountability and beat-level local journalism, with secondary demand from local businesses purchasing advertising reach and from policy professionals tracking SF city government. The company is privately held, California-domiciled, and headquartered at 290 Division St., Floor 3 in San Francisco.
The San Francisco Standard firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The San Francisco Standard
- Legal name
- The San Francisco Standard
- Website
- https://sfstandard.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The San Francisco Standard is an independent, digital-first local news outlet serving San Francisco Bay Area residents with politics, business, culture, sports, and investigative journalism via website, iOS app, newsletters, podcasts, and interactive games, monetized through subscriptions and advertising.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The San Francisco Standard industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Local News
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)
Keywords
Where The San Francisco Standard is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The San Francisco Standard business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Subscription Revenue: Paid digital subscriptions offering exclusive investigative content, opinion pieces, and premium local journalism. Subscribers get access to ad-free content and exclusive stories.
- Advertising: Display advertising on website and mobile app, including targeted ads based on user data. Third-party ad networks serve advertisements through the platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard digital subscription for full access to local journalism |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
The San Francisco Standard product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The San Francisco Standard is a digital local news publication that produces original journalism covering San Francisco news, politics, and culture. It distributes this content through its website, mobile app, podcasts, and daily email newsletter, supported by a combination of digital advertising and reader subscriptions.
Product overview
The San Francisco Standard is a digital news and media platform providing local journalism for San Francisco. The company operates a unified digital platform with a primary website delivering news across categories including politics, business, culture, food, and sports. The product portfolio includes a dedicated iOS mobile application for on-the-go access, two branded podcast series (Section 415 for sports coverage and Pacific Standard Time for ideas and culture), and a suite of four interactive word/puzzle games (Crossword, Mini Crossword, Jigsaw, and WordroW) available through the Games section. The news website serves as the core product while the podcasts, mobile app, and games function as complementary sub-brands and modules extending audience engagement beyond traditional article consumption.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- San Francisco Standard digital news website The Standard's flagship digital news website delivering original San Francisco-focused reporting, politics, and culture coverage to Bay Area readers.
- San Francisco Standard mobile app Mobile application allowing readers to access The Standard's journalism, newsletters, and features on smartphones and tablets.
- San Francisco Standard podcasts Original audio podcasts produced by The Standard's editorial team on San Francisco-focused topics, distributed via major podcast platforms.
- Daily email newsletter Daily email newsletter delivering San Francisco headlines, reporting, and commentary directly to subscribers' inboxes.
- San Francisco Standard crosswords and games Interactive games including crosswords offered to readers as part of The Standard's subscription value proposition and engagement features.
Companies that use The San Francisco Standard
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The San Francisco Standard technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
The San Francisco Standard partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Stripe, Inc.coreStripe serves as the payment processing partner for The San Francisco Standard, handling subscription payments and processing financial transactions for paid content. Stripe collects payment card information necessary to process payments according to their terms of service and privacy policy.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The San Francisco Standard competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- San Francisco Chronicle: The dominant SF daily newspaper owned by Hearst, covering the same local news, politics, business, and sports beats. Direct competitor for SF subscribers and advertisers, with a substantially larger newsroom and longer archive.
- Mission Local: Nonprofit digital-first local news outlet covering San Francisco neighborhoods. Directly comparable in business model (digital, subscription/donation-supported) and geographic focus, competing for the same civic-minded SF readership.
- San Francisco Examiner: Long-running SF local newspaper covering politics, investigations, and city government. Directly comparable in single-metro SF focus and political/civic coverage, with overlapping advertiser and reader pools.
- CalMatters: California-focused nonprofit digital newsroom with a subscription and donation model. Comparable in digital-first local/regional journalism targeting California policymakers and engaged readers, including political coverage that overlaps with the Standard's SF politics vertical.
- Voice of San Diego: Pioneering nonprofit digital local news outlet focused on a single metro (San Diego). Highly comparable business model (digital, subscription/donation-supported, investigative-driven) and serves as a reference template for single-metro digital news.
- The Texas Tribune: Nonprofit digital newsroom covering Texas politics and policy at the state/regional level. Comparable in mission-driven digital journalism, subscription/membership model, and high-impact investigative reporting that drives civic outcomes.
- Block Club Chicago: Nonprofit digital local news outlet serving Chicago neighborhoods. Closely comparable in digital-only, neighborhood-level investigative journalism with a subscription/donation model and newsletter-driven distribution.
Broad incumbents
- Axios Local: Axios's national network of local newsletters and digital newsrooms, including coverage of major metros. Comparable in digital-first local news with newsletter-centric distribution, but backed by the larger Axios media organization.
- The New York Times Company: Major digital-first national news publisher with subscription model, podcasts, and games. Comparable in monetizing digital subscriptions, multi-format expansion (games, podcasts, newsletters), but operates nationally with vastly larger resources.
- Substack: Newsletter platform hosting independent writers including many local journalists. Comparable as a parallel monetization channel for SF-area writers covering similar beats, and competes for the same reader subscription dollars.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The San Francisco Standard social profiles
Digital presenceThe San Francisco Standard financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The San Francisco Standard leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The San Francisco Standard funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The San Francisco Standard M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The San Francisco Standard
What does The San Francisco Standard do?
The San Francisco Standard is a digital local news publication that produces original journalism covering San Francisco news, politics, and culture. It distributes this content through its website, mobile app, podcasts, and daily email newsletter, supported by a combination of digital advertising and reader subscriptions.
Is The San Francisco Standard a public or private company?
The San Francisco Standard is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was The San Francisco Standard founded?
The San Francisco Standard was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The San Francisco Standard based?
The San Francisco Standard is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does The San Francisco Standard make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Subscription Revenue is the primary driver. The others are advertising.
Who are The San Francisco Standard's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are San Francisco Chronicle, Mission Local, San Francisco Examiner, CalMatters, Voice of San Diego, The Texas Tribune and Block Club Chicago. Broad incumbents are Axios Local, The New York Times Company and Substack.
Does The San Francisco Standard have an API?
No public API is recorded for The San Francisco Standard.
What industry is The San Francisco Standard in?
The San Francisco Standard's product category is Digital Local News. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAB, Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital). Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.