New Media Ventures
New Media Ventures is a San Francisco-based venture philanthropy fund and angel network of 250+ investors that provides $25K–$100K catalytic early-stage capital to mission-driven for-profit startups and nonprofits working at the intersection of progressive media, civic technology, and democracy.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What New Media Ventures does
New Media Ventures (NMV) is a community of more than 250 angel investors, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists investing together to drive progressive social change. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in San Francisco, the organization operates as a venture philanthropy fund and angel network that provides catalytic early-stage capital to mission-driven for-profit startups and nonprofit organizations working at the intersection of media, technology, and democracy. NMV's core offerings include the Innovation Fund ($50K–$100K), the Voices for Democracy pooled fund ($25K–$50K) targeting seven battleground states, and the Latine Voices for Democracy (LV4D) bilingual media accelerator. Since inception, NMV has made over 120 portfolio investments with notable exits including CrowdTangle (acquired by Facebook), Attentive.ly (acquired by Blackbaud), and tinyGive (acquired by Give Lively); NMV reports a 92% portfolio success rate.
The organization operates a continuous investment cycle via an Airtable-based intake form reviewed year-round with a 60-day response window and standardized evaluation to reduce bias. Its fund architecture spans a 501c3 vehicle managed by ImpactAssets (for grants and early-stage for-profit investments), fiscal sponsorship through Tides Advocacy (501c4) for political action startups, and Tides Foundation (501c3) for the Education Fund. A 501c3 affiliate, New Rising Ventures (NRV), provides grants to nonpartisan early-stage entrepreneurs. NMV's revenue model combines philanthropic contributions from donors and foundations, network investor participation, and returns from portfolio investments typically structured as SAFEs or convertible notes; portfolio companies also receive non-capital support including webinars, coaching, peer community, and introductions to additional funders.
In February 2025, Jessica Salinas and Phil Sanders were named Co-Presidents, succeeding Carlissia Graham — the first Black woman to lead the firm — who was appointed President in February 2023 after serving as COO and Interim President. NMV is distributed with a small team (1–10 employees) including Investment Associates Abi Leung and Carlos Salinas and Fundraising Associate Inbar Soffer Sharon.
New Media Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- New Media Ventures
- Legal name
- New Media Ventures
- Website
- http://www.newmediaventures.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- New Media Ventures is a San Francisco-based venture philanthropy fund and angel network of 250+ investors that provides $25K–$100K catalytic early-stage capital to mission-driven for-profit startups and nonprofits working at the intersection of progressive media, civic technology, and democracy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
New Media Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Philanthropy / Impact Investment
- NAICS
- Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)
- SIC
- Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211), Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- SDG / Thematic Sustainable Investment Funds (FSANAJAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB), Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)
Keywords
Where New Media Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
New Media Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Investment Returns: NMV makes early-stage investments in mission-driven for-profit companies (typically via SAFEs and convertible notes) and grants to nonprofits. Return on investments helps sustain their work over time.
- Philanthropic Contributions: Funding from donors, foundations, and individual investors who join NMV's network to invest alongside them. New Media Ventures Education Fund enables community engagement and thought leadership.
- Investor Network Participation: NMV invites network members to invest alongside them, sharing deal-flow and diligence, enabling individual and institutional investors to make informed, strategic, and impactful decisions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Voices for Democracy: $25K to $50K |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Innovation Fund: $50K to $100K |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
New Media Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
New Media Ventures is a venture philanthropy fund and angel network that provides catalytic early-stage capital ($50K–$100K via its Innovation Fund; $25K–$50K via Voices for Democracy) to mission-driven for-profit and nonprofit startups working at the intersection of progressive media, technology, and democracy. NMV operates a continuous investment cycle with a standardized due diligence process, supplemented by portfolio support (network access, coaching, webinars) and connections to additional funders.
Product overview
New Media Ventures operates as a civic impact investment fund and angel network, not a traditional technology product company. Their core offering is the Innovation Fund, which provides $50K-$100K investments to early-stage for-profit and nonprofit startups. NMV offers a continuous investment cycle for reviewing submissions year-round. Their portfolio support program provides network access, webinars, coaching, and connects startups to additional funding. They run specialized programs including the Voices for Democracy pooled fund for community-centric media in battleground states, and the Latine Voices for Democracy (LV4D) bilingual media accelerator. Their sister organization, New Rising Ventures (NRV), is a 501(c)(3) that provides grants to early-stage entrepreneurs. NMV has invested in over 120 startups across progressive media, civic tech, and political innovation sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Innovation Fund NMV's core investment vehicle providing $50K to $100K in funding (typically via SAFEs and convertible notes for for-profits, unrestricted grants for nonprofits) to early-stage pre-seed/seed startups working on progressive media and technology solutions.
- Voices for Democracy A pooled fund open call designed to find, finance, and support community-centric media in key battleground states (NV, AZ, TX, GA, FL, NC, PA), with $25K to $50K funding for early-stage organizations with budgets under $1M.
- Portfolio Support Program Post-investment support for portfolio companies including network access to founders, webinars, one-on-one coaching, goal setting, cash management guidance, and introductions to additional funders at events.
- Latine Voices for Democracy (LV4D) Accelerator Bilingual media accelerator supporting Latino-led media ventures, described as the country's only bilingual news media accelerator.
Quantifiable outcome
- 92% of NMV-backed initiatives succeed (vs. 90% industry failure rate)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use New Media Ventures
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
New Media Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
New Media Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- New Rising VenturescoreNRV is the 501(c)(3) affiliate of NMV, supporting early-stage, nonpartisan entrepreneurs and activists transforming democracy through innovation. NRV is actively funding and operates a separate but aligned investment program.
- International Women's Media FoundationminorListed as a partner for Latine Voices for Democracy (LV4D), NMV's bilingual media accelerator, supporting diverse voices in media.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves1 record
New Media Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Emerson Collective: Impact-focused organization making grants and investments across education, media, and immigration. Comparable to NMV in mission-driven thesis but operates with significantly larger resources and a broader portfolio mandate.
- Omidyar Network: Philanthropic investment firm created by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, with significant civic-tech, media, and governance investments. Operates at materially larger scale than NMV but covers overlapping themes including independent media and accountable governance.
- Tides Foundation: Major fiscal sponsor and philanthropic partner that hosts NMV's Education Fund (501c3). As both infrastructure partner and broader progressive funder, Tides is structurally comparable as a pooled capital and grantmaking platform.
Direct peers
- Luminate: Global philanthropic organization funding civic engagement and independent media. Luminate is an existing NMV partner and shares the thesis of backing civic tech and media entrepreneurs targeting accountability and democratic participation.
- Voqal: Impact-investing 501c3 with a venture-style portfolio of civic-infrastructure and equity-focused ventures. Voqal's founder sits on NMV's board and seeded NMV, making it a tightly linked peer in the progressive venture-philanthropy space.
- Echoing Green: Social-enterprise fellowship and seed-fund organization supporting emerging leaders driving social change. Operates a comparable model of seed-stage catalytic capital plus community/network support for diverse, mission-driven founders.
- Propel Capital: Impact investment intermediary that provides diligence and infrastructure to mission-aligned funds. Propel Capital is an existing NMV partner that shares deal-flow and diligence, making it a tightly overlapping peer in the progressive capital ecosystem.
- Kapor Capital: Early-stage impact venture fund focused on gap-closing startups, with strong alignment to NMV on diversity and mission-driven investing. NMV Co-President Phil Sanders is a former Kapor Capital fellow, indicating close cultural and operational overlap.
- Democracy Fund: Foundation focused on strengthening American democracy through grants to elections, media, and governance organizations. Operates as a pooled civic-infrastructure funder closely comparable to NMV's pooled Voices for Democracy vehicle.
- New Profit: Venture philanthropy fund providing unrestricted capital and capacity-building support to social entrepreneurs. Shares NMV's model of combining catalytic funding with non-financial portfolio support across diverse mission-driven ventures.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
New Media Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceNew Media Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
New Media Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
New Media Ventures subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
New Media Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
New Media Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments81 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about New Media Ventures
What does New Media Ventures do?
New Media Ventures is a venture philanthropy fund and angel network that provides catalytic early-stage capital ($50K–$100K via its Innovation Fund; $25K–$50K via Voices for Democracy) to mission-driven for-profit and nonprofit startups working at the intersection of progressive media, technology, and democracy. NMV operates a continuous investment cycle with a standardized due diligence process, supplemented by portfolio support (network access, coaching, webinars) and connections to additional funders.
Is New Media Ventures a public or private company?
New Media Ventures is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was New Media Ventures founded?
New Media Ventures was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is New Media Ventures based?
New Media Ventures is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does New Media Ventures make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Investment Returns are the primary driver. The others are philanthropic Contributions and investor Network Participation.
Who are New Media Ventures's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Emerson Collective, Omidyar Network and Tides Foundation. Direct peers are Luminate, Voqal, Echoing Green, Propel Capital, Kapor Capital, Democracy Fund and New Profit.
Does New Media Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for New Media Ventures.
What industry is New Media Ventures in?
New Media Ventures's product category is Venture Philanthropy / Impact Investment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAJAN, SDG / Thematic Sustainable Investment Funds, with a secondary code of FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B). Its NAICS code is 525 and its SIC code is 6211.