URL Media Holdings
URL Media Holdings operates a multi-platform network of 50 independent multicultural publisher partners serving Black, Brown, and immigrant communities across the U.S., selling national advertisers and agencies consolidated access to a 25M+ audience while providing revenue share, infrastructure, and talent services to the publishers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersQueens, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What URL Media Holdings does
URL Media Holdings Inc is a privately held media company founded in January 2021 by Sara Lomax (President) and S. Mitra Kalita (CEO), headquartered in New York. The company operates a multi-platform network of 50 independent multicultural publisher partners serving Black, Brown, and immigrant communities across nearly two dozen U.S. states, reaching an aggregate audience of more than 25 million engaged users. URL Media's core proposition is to give national brands, agencies, and government clients a single point of access — one order, one bill — to authentic, community-trusted multicultural audiences through these publishers, while providing the publishers with revenue share, Media Resilience Fund access, training, and editorial collaboration under a partner-first, editorially independent model.
The company's product surface spans four interlocking lines: (1) advertising and sponsorship sales across the network, (2) editorial services and content amplification for partner publishers, (3) a Recruitment & Workforce Development division conducting executive searches and placements at newsrooms and media organizations, and (4) owned editorial verticals including URWell (health), The Power Report (politics), URL Career, and URL Arts & Culture. The nonprofit arm URL Collective, launched in 2024, operates a Sustainability Fund providing rapid-response grants to independent newsrooms and runs convenings such as News Reimagined. In December 2025, URL Media secured a $5 million three-year grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to fund three infrastructure pillars — shared technology platforms (launching in 2026), a Media Resilience Fund offering low-interest loans of $30K–$100K, and strategic access to advertisers, funders, and policymakers — targeting growth to 100 publisher partners and 250 creators reaching 50 million people across all 50 states by 2028.
URL Media monetizes through direct advertising sales (prioritized over programmatic), revenue share with publisher partners on ad deals, professional services fees from recruitment and executive search, and grant/funder income through both the for-profit entity and the URL Collective nonprofit. Pricing for advertisers is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; advertising is sold directly to national brands, agencies, and government clients, with named campaigns including a New Jersey state COVID vaccination effort and a Native Heritage Month campaign for a major shoe apparel brand. Distribution is sales-led with a strong channel-partner overlay through the publisher network, supplemented by community-led engagement via virtual events, the annual News Reimagined summit, and partner-only Slack channels. The company earned National Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certification from the National Minority Supplier Development Council in April 2026, and is now investing in a national brand sales team buildout completed in Q1 2026.
URL Media Holdings firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- URL Media Holdings
- Legal name
- URL Media Holdings Inc
- Website
- https://url-media.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- URL Media Holdings operates a multi-platform network of 50 independent multicultural publisher partners serving Black, Brown, and immigrant communities across the U.S., selling national advertisers and agencies consolidated access to a 25M+ audience while providing revenue share, infrastructure, and talent services to the publishers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
URL Media Holdings industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Multicultural Media Advertising Network
- NAICS
- Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Media Representatives (54184), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising (7310), Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community-Integrated Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Community, Ethnic & Multilingual News Publishers (MPAJADAG), Publishing Networks & Multi-Author Publications (MPACAIAG), Syndication, Licensing & Content Partnerships (Columns, Features, Photos) (MPAJADAI), News & Content Aggregation Portals (BPAMAAAI)
Keywords
Where URL Media Holdings is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Queens
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
URL Media Holdings business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Advertising and Sponsorship: URL Media sells advertising and sponsorship across its network of 50+ publisher partners, enabling advertisers to reach diverse Black and Brown audiences with national scale and hyperlocal credibility. The company offers direct advertising campaigns prioritized over programmatic.
- Grant Funding: URL Media receives grant funding from foundations including a $5 million Knight Foundation grant over three years to build sustainable infrastructure for community media.
- Recruitment and Talent Development: URL Media's Recruitment & Workforce Development division places candidates in newsrooms and media organizations, conducting executive searches ranging from reporter roles to C-suite and nonprofit CEO positions.
- Revenue Share with Partners: Partners receive revenue share in advertising deals, with URL Media assisting partners with upselling advertising packages and providing ad pricing guidance.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Shortform Video Producer (Contract) - Remote U.S. |
| Freemium | Monthly | Freelance Writer, URWealth (Contract) |
| Other | Annual | Senior Director, Membership at Oregon Public Broadcasting |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
URL Media Holdings product offering
Product offeringCore offering
URL Media Holdings operates a decentralized, multi-platform advertising and content network that aggregates 50 independent multicultural publisher partners serving Black and Brown communities across the United States. The company sells national-scale advertising and sponsorship campaigns across this network through a single order and single bill, while also providing partner publishers with revenue share, grant access, editorial amplification, business development support, and recruitment services.
Product overview
URL Media operates a multi-platform network ecosystem combining national scale with hyperlocal credibility. The core platform aggregates and distributes content from 50 multicultural publisher partners serving Black and Brown communities. The offering comprises advertising and sponsorship services (enabling brands to reach 25M+ audiences through a single order), editorial services, partner capacity building, and a recruitment/talent division (URHired). The nonprofit URL Collective arm, launched in 2024, operates a Sustainability Fund providing grants and stipends to independent newsrooms. Specialized editorial verticals include URWell (health), The Power Report (politics), URL Career Newsletter (jobs), and URL Arts & Culture. A planned shared technology platform is launching in 2026 as part of Knight Foundation-funded infrastructure expansion.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- URL Collective: Nonprofit arm of URL Media focused on strengthening community media and independent journalism through education, advocacy, and innovation
- URWell
- The Power Report
- URL Career Newsletter
- URL Arts & Culture
Products and services
- URL Media Network A national network platform that aggregates and distributes content from 50 independent multicultural publisher partners serving Black and Brown communities, combining national reach with hyperlocal authenticity through shared technology, revenue sharing, and editorial collaboration.
- Advertising and Sponsorship Services Multi-platform advertising and sponsorship services enabling brands and agencies to reach 25+ million engaged multicultural audiences through a single order and single bill across the network of publisher partners.
- Editorial Services Editorial services supporting partner publishers and creator-journalists with content amplification, newsletter syndication, social media promotion, and editorial strategy advising.
- Partner Capacity Building Capacity-building services for partner publishers including grant identification, revenue share in advertising deals, business development assistance, media kit development, and editorial convenings.
- Recruitment and Talent Development Executive search and workforce development division that places candidates in newsrooms and media-adjacent organizations, ranging from reporter roles up to C-suite and nonprofit CEO positions. Includes the URHired jobs newsletter.
- URL Collective (Nonprofit Arm) Nonprofit arm operating the Sustainability Fund, which provides rapid-response grants and professional development stipends to independent news outlets serving communities of color.
- Shared Technology Platforms Shared technology infrastructure for the publisher partner network, one of three pillars funded by the Knight Foundation grant to support community media sustainability.
Quantifiable outcome
- 25M+ audience reach across multicultural publishers
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use URL Media Holdings
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
URL Media Holdings technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
URL Media Holdings partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- National Press Club Journalism InstituteminorURL Media and URL Collective partnered with National Press Club Journalism Institute to host News Reimagined: The Creator Journalism Summit in Washington, DC on May 4, 2026.
- The 19th NewsminorURL Media Renewal of job outplacement program partnership with The 19th News, in addition to conducting searches for various newsroom positions.
- Oregon Public BroadcastingminorURL Media conducted multiple searches for Oregon Public Broadcasting including Senior Director of Membership and Multimedia Journalist positions.
- Brooklyn Chamber of CommerceminorConducted custom training for partners titled Designing Winning Advertising Strategies & Unlocking Local Business Revenue and Opportunities, equipping publishers to increase local ad sales.
- Underground Railroad Consortium of NYminorURL Collective supporting a collaborative reporting initiative with three independent newsrooms to cover the Underground Railroad Consortium of NY's three-day Harriet Tubman tour this fall, projected to reach 500,000+ combined social impressions.
- NCRC (National Community Reinvestment Coalition)minorNCRC Media Resilience Fund access is provided as a benefit to URL Media partners, offering low-interest loans ranging from $30,000 to $100,000.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights7 records
URL Media Holdings competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- The Root: A long-established digital media outlet covering Black culture, politics, and identity, owned by G/O Media. Comparable as a larger-scale Black-focused editorial brand with direct advertiser relationships, but operating as a single property rather than a network aggregator.
- Essence Communications: The legacy multimedia brand behind Essence magazine, festivals, and digital properties targeting Black women. Comparable as an established Black-owned (or historically Black-focused) media brand that competes for the same multicultural advertising budgets, with much broader scale and brand recognition.
Direct peers
- PushBlack: One of URL Media's eight founding publishers; a Black-owned media company distributing news, culture, and civic content to millions of Black Americans via mobile-first formats. Directly comparable as a content-distribution and audience-engagement peer inside the same network.
- The Haitian Times: Founded by Garry Pierre-Pierre, now URL Media's Director of Partnerships; a multilingual (English/Haitian Creole) digital newsroom serving the Haitian-American diaspora. Directly comparable as a multicultural community publisher with overlapping leadership and audience.
- The 19th News: A nonprofit, independent newsroom covering gender, politics, and policy — already a strategic partner of URL Media for outplacement and recruitment. Comparable in mission-driven, grant-and-sponsorship-supported editorial model and audience-development focus on underrepresented communities.
- Word In Black: A collaborative digital network of 10 major Black newspapers launched in 2020 — the closest functional analog to URL Media's model of aggregating and monetizing a coalition of independent Black publishers under a single editorial and sales umbrella.
- Blavity: A Black-owned digital media company and creator network operating multiple brands (Blavity News, Shadow & Act, 21Ninety, AFROTECH) targeting Black millennial audiences — directly comparable in mission to reach and monetize Black audiences, with overlapping content verticals and creator-economy plays.
- WURD Radio: Philadelphia's only Black-owned talk radio station, founded and led by URL Media co-founder Sara Lomax. Comparable as a mission-driven, community-rooted multicultural media outlet serving Black audiences; also serves as a model of the type of publisher the network is built to support.
Emerging players
- Native News Online: An independent news source covering Indigenous communities and tribal nations, and a URL Media publisher partner. Comparable as a hyperlocal, community-rooted multicultural outlet that benefits from network-level advertising and infrastructure support.
- Scalawag Magazine: An independent, values-driven magazine covering the American South with a focus on race, democracy, and justice — a current URL Media publisher partner. Comparable as a mission-aligned, grant-supported multicultural publication at smaller scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
URL Media Holdings social profiles
Digital presenceURL Media Holdings financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
URL Media Holdings leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
URL Media Holdings subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
URL Media Holdings funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
URL Media Holdings 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 URL Media Holdings
What does URL Media Holdings do?
URL Media Holdings operates a decentralized, multi-platform advertising and content network that aggregates 50 independent multicultural publisher partners serving Black and Brown communities across the United States. The company sells national-scale advertising and sponsorship campaigns across this network through a single order and single bill, while also providing partner publishers with revenue share, grant access, editorial amplification, business development support, and recruitment services.
Is URL Media Holdings a public or private company?
URL Media Holdings is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was URL Media Holdings founded?
URL Media Holdings was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is URL Media Holdings based?
URL Media Holdings is headquartered in Queens, United States, in the North America region.
How does URL Media Holdings make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Advertising and Sponsorship is the primary driver. The others are grant Funding, recruitment and Talent Development and revenue Share with Partners.
Who are URL Media Holdings's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are The Root and Essence Communications. Direct peers are PushBlack, The Haitian Times, The 19th News, Word In Black, Blavity and WURD Radio. Emerging players are Native News Online and Scalawag Magazine.
Does URL Media Holdings have an API?
No public API is recorded for URL Media Holdings.
What industry is URL Media Holdings in?
URL Media Holdings's product category is Multicultural Media Advertising Network. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAIAI, Community-Integrated Publishing Platforms, with a secondary code of MPAJADAG, Community, Ethnic & Multilingual News Publishers. Its NAICS code is 5418 and its SIC code is 7310.