Witz Ventures

What Witz Ventures does

Witz Ventures is a privately held media distribution, growth marketing, and private investments company co-founded by Austin Hankwitz (CEO) and Christian Blackwell (COO), with Arielle Pennington serving as an advisor. The company operates as a creator-led platform built on Austin Hankwitz's personal brand and a multi-channel media footprint that includes three business podcasts (Rich Habits, Mind the Business, After Earnings), a twice-weekly newsletter (Rate of Return, now part of GRIT Capital), and a presence across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X, and Facebook reaching millions of followers. Rich Habits has accumulated tens of millions of downloads since its February 2023 launch, and Mind the Business has reached #1 on Apple Podcasts Business Charts through a partnership with iHeart Media and Intuit QuickBooks. After Earnings, launched in March 2024 with Morning Brew and Stakeholder Labs, interviews C-Suite executives from brands such as Celsius Energy, CAVA, Affirm, Elf Beauty, and ServiceNow.

The company's underlying technology is a social-first media stack spanning podcast hosting and distribution (Spotify, Apple Podcasts), newsletter publishing (Substack via Rate of Return, now integrated with GRIT Capital's 250K+ subscriber platform), short-form and long-form video, email funnels, and multi-platform social media management. There is no proprietary software product, SDK, or API disclosed; the technology is the content engine and distribution network rather than a packaged product.

The business model combines two revenue streams: (1) B2B growth marketing and consulting services, where Witz Ventures guides clients from "zero to one" on customer conversion and audience building across content creation, social budget management, podcasting, email marketing, and video; and (2) media monetization through sponsorships, partnerships, and the GRIT Capital integration. The B2B client base is heavily concentrated in financial services — including Capital One, Charles Schwab, Coinbase, Aetna, Fifth Third Bank, United Healthcare, MoneyLion, Public, NerdWallet, and the New York Stock Exchange — alongside non-financial brands like Salesforce and Intuit. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company also deploys capital into early-stage companies alongside tier-1 venture investors (Y Combinator, Accel, Tiger Global, General Catalyst, 776 Ventures, First Round, Forerunner, Norwest, Serena Ventures, Upfront Ventures, Mantis VC, Dorm Room Fund), holding stakes in companies including Beacons, Bracket, Draftly, Grifin, Karat, Kick, LevelFields, Modern Mammals, Nurse Wallet, SparrowFi, Stakeholder Labs, and Stan Store. Revenue figures, headcount, funding history, and incorporation details are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Witz Ventures

Legal name

Witz Ventures

Website

https://witz.vc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Witz Ventures is a creator-led media and growth marketing firm that operates three business podcasts and a newsletter, serving financial services clients from startups to Fortune 100 companies with social-first content and audience-building services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

B2B / Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Strategy Consulting (MPAAAFAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

B2B Demand Generation & Lead Nurture Agencies (BPAFAKAA)

Keywords

• Growth marketing services
• Media distribution
• Podcast production
• Content marketing strategy
• Social media marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Growth Marketing & Consulting Services: Witz Ventures provides growth marketing services to clients ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies, guiding them from 'zero to one' on customer conversion and audience building. Services include custom content creation, social media management, podcasting strategy, email marketing, and video content strategy (short-form and long-form).
2. Media Properties & Content Monetization: The company operates multiple media properties including podcasts (Rich Habits, Mind the Business, After Earnings) and newsletters (Rate of Return, Rich Habits newsletter). These generate revenue through audience growth, sponsorships, and partnerships with platforms like Morning Brew and Stakeholder Labs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Witz Ventures provides B2B growth marketing and social-first strategy services that guide clients from "zero to one" on customer conversion and audience building, including custom content creation, social budget management, podcasting, email marketing, and short-form/long-form video across Instagram, Facebook, X/Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube. The company also operates a portfolio of owned business and finance podcasts (Rich Habits, Mind the Business, After Earnings) and media properties that monetize through audience growth, sponsorships, and partnerships.

Product overview

Witz Ventures is a media distribution, growth marketing, and private investment company that operates a portfolio of financial media products. The core offering consists of growth marketing and social-first strategy services for clients, complemented by a suite of owned media properties including the Rich Habits Podcast, Mind the Business Podcast, and After Earnings Podcast. The company also manages the Rate of Return Newsletter and is associated with GRIT Capital financial media platform. Together, these products reach millions of social media followers, host multiple top-ranked business podcasts, and deliver a twice-weekly newsletter, forming an integrated financial education and media distribution ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rich Habits Podcast: A financial literacy podcast for anyone ready to take back control of their money by implementing new habits. Launched February 2023, reached #1 on Spotify Business Charts with tens of millions of downloads.
• Mind the Business
• After Earnings

Products and services

• Rich Habits Podcast A financial literacy podcast for anyone ready to take back control of their money by implementing new habits. Aimed at individual listeners and audiences interested in personal finance, investing, and wealth-building.
• Mind the Business Podcast A podcast about small business ownership hosted by Jannese Torres and Austin Hankwitz, helping small business owners navigate the ups and downs of starting and growing a business. Aimed at small business owners and entrepreneurs.
• After Earnings Podcast A podcast connecting modern investors with the executives and decision-makers shaping the markets. Aimed at retail investors and professionals who want executive-level earnings and strategy conversations.
• Growth Marketing Services B2B growth marketing and social-first strategy services that guide clients from "zero to one" on customer conversion and reaching new audiences. Includes custom content creation, social budget management, podcasting strategy, email marketing, short-form and long-form video, and management of Instagram, Facebook, X/Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube channels. Aimed at startups through Fortune 100 enterprise clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rich Habits Podcast hit #1 on Spotify Business Charts numerous times since launching February 2023
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• GRIT CapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024GRIT Capital acquired the Rate of Return newsletter in 2024. Austin Hankwitz serves as Head Analyst and Christian Blackwell serves as General Manager at GRIT Capital, a financial media platform with 250K+ subscribers democratizing investment knowledge.
• iHeart MediacoreGTM or Marketing PartneriHeart Media partnered with Witz Ventures on the Mind the Business podcast, a show about small business success stories launched in April 2023.
• Intuit QuickBookscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerIntuit QuickBooks partnered with Witz Ventures on the Mind the Business podcast in partnership with iHeart Media, focused on helping small businesses grow.
• Morning BrewcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMorning Brew partnered with Witz Ventures and Stakeholder Labs to launch the After Earnings podcast in March 2024, connecting modern investors with C-Suite executives.
• Stakeholder LabscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStakeholder Labs partnered with Witz Ventures and Morning Brew to launch the After Earnings podcast in March 2024. Stakeholder Labs is also a portfolio company.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Social Chain: Broader social-first marketing agency serving enterprise clients with influencer, content, and social media strategy. Comparable to Witz Ventures' growth marketing service line, but operating across multiple verticals rather than specializing in financial services.
• The Information: Broad incumbent in business and tech subscription media. Comparable as a high-quality subscription content business targeting professional and engaged investor/operator audiences, though The Information is a larger, more established subscription-first model.
• Insider (formerly Business Insider): Broad incumbent in business and financial news media that Witz Ventures' podcasts and newsletter compete with for audience attention. Comparable as an enterprise-sold business content brand and a destination for the same Fortune 100 advertisers.

Direct peers

• Morning Brew: Direct peer in financial newsletter and business podcast media (Morning Brew is a launch partner on Witz Ventures' After Earnings podcast). Both operate owned financial media properties that monetize via sponsorships and audiences, and both extend into B2B marketing services for enterprise brands.
• The Hustle: Direct peer in business/finance newsletter media that scaled a founder-led newsletter into a media brand acquired by HubSpot. Overlaps with Rate of Return and the broader Witz Ventures newsletter/podcast playbook targeting young, digital-native business audiences.
• Jellysmack: Direct peer as a podcast media company that helps creators distribute and monetize video and audio content across platforms. Operates in the same creator-economy + podcast monetization category as the Rich Habits and After Earnings properties.
• Seeking Alpha: Direct peer in financial content and investor education media — both serve retail investors with stock, crypto, and market analysis, and both monetize through subscriptions and brand partnerships. Witz Ventures lists Seeking Alpha as a current/past client, reinforcing the direct overlap.
• Stakeholder Labs: Direct peer and active partner — a financial media and engagement platform that co-produces the After Earnings podcast with Witz Ventures and Morning Brew. Both target retail investors with premium financial content and brand partnerships.

Emerging players

• The Daily Upside: Emerging player in the financial newsletter category targeting younger, digital-native investors — directly comparable to Rate of Return and Rich Habits. Both pursue ad- and sponsorship-driven newsletter monetization aimed at retail finance audiences.
• GenZ Marketing: Emerging social-first agency focused on Gen Z and millennial audiences for enterprise brands — highly comparable to Witz Ventures' growth marketing and social-first service line, with similar emphasis on TikTok, Instagram, and creator-driven distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/austinhankwitz
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@AustinHankwitz/videos
• Instagraminstagram.com/witz.business/reels
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/witzventures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments2 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Witz Ventures