Onward State

What Onward State does

Onward State is an independent, student-run digital news publication founded in 2008 and based in State College, Pennsylvania, focused exclusively on Pennsylvania State University. It covers Penn State athletics across 31 sports, student life, Greek life, THON, downtown State College events, entertainment, and broader campus and community news. The publication operates a WordPress-based website at onwardstate.com, distributes content through Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube (collectively approximately 350,000 followers), and produces a companion podcast called Podward State. Email newsletter signup is actively promoted as a direct reader channel.

The business model is freemium and consumer-direct. The default experience is free, supported by display advertising, with a paid subscription tier offering an ad-free reading experience; exact subscription pricing is not publicly disclosed. A tips/donations flow supplements revenue, and a cross-promotional affiliation with StateCollege.com provides additional ancillary links (movie times, apartments, vehicles). There are no disclosed enterprise customers, sponsorships, or external investors, and Onward State operates without a parent company or funding rounds.

The team is described as 11-50 employees, comprising current Penn State students serving as writers, photographers, and editors, with day-to-day operations supported by an underlying legal entity (Lazerpro Digital Media Group, Inc.) handling infrastructure such as copyright agent correspondence. Onward State owns no disclosed patents, certifications, or AI/ML capabilities, and its competitive positioning rests on its authenticity as a student-voiced outlet, its long-running editorial archive since 2008, and its embedded access within the Penn State community rather than on proprietary technology.

Name

Onward State

Legal name

Onward State

Website

https://onwardstate.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Onward State is an independent, student-run digital news publication founded in 2008 that covers Penn State University athletics, student life, and State College community news through its website, social channels, and Podward State podcast.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student News Media

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

akta.pro primary industry

Educational/Instructional Public Media Services (Schools, Distance Learning) (MPABADAH)

Keywords

• Campus news publication
• Student journalism
• College athletics coverage
• Digital media outlet
• University news site

Headquarters

HQ city

State College

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Onward State operates a free, ad-supported digital publication. The site displays advertisements to visitors, generating revenue from ad views and clicks. The site prominently features an 'ad blocker is on' message prompting users to either sign up for the email newsletter or purchase a subscription for ad-free reading, suggesting advertising is a primary revenue stream alongside subscription conversions.
2. Subscription (Ad-Free): Onward State offers a paid subscription option for readers wanting an ad-free experience ('Purchase a Subscription!'). The subscription provides an alternative to the free, ad-supported tier and represents a direct revenue stream from readers seeking premium, uninterrupted access.
3. Tips/Donations: The website includes a dedicated 'Tips' navigation item and page, suggesting readers can submit tips and potentially make donations to support the student-run publication.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Onward State is an independent, student-run digital news publication covering Penn State University, publishing daily news, features, opinion, and athletics content at onwardstate.com. It is complemented by "Podward State," an audio companion podcast, and monetized via display advertising, an ad-free subscription tier, and reader tips/donations.

Product overview

Onward State is a single, unified student-run blog and digital news publication covering Penn State University. The primary product is the Onward State Blog, which publishes news, features, and opinion content about Penn State athletics, student life, downtown events, Greek life, THON fundraising events, and campus culture. A complementary offering is the Podward State podcast, which provides audio coverage of Penn State topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Onward State News Publication Daily digital news publication covering Penn State University, including news, features, opinion, and athletics content, for Penn State students, alumni, and the broader State College community.
• Podward State Podcast Audio companion podcast to the Onward State news publication, providing Penn State-focused commentary and discussion distributed via Apple Podcasts and other podcast directories.
• Ad-Free Subscription Paid subscription tier that removes advertising from the Onward State news site for individual readers who want an uncluttered reading experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• THON 2026 raised record-breaking $18,841,726.53 for Four Diamonds pediatric cancer fund
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• StateCollege.comminorOthersStateCollege.com is featured in Onward State's footer as an affiliated local resource, offering complementary services such as movie times, apartment finding, and vehicle listings. This appears to be a cross-promotional relationship between local State College-focused digital platforms rather than a formal business partnership.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Daily Targum: Rutgers University's student-run newspaper covering campus news and athletics. Comparable peer in the same Big Ten ecosystem with similar audience composition (students, alumni, local fans).
• Barstool Sports: Founded at Penn State in 2003 as a newspaper and blog covering Penn State sports and campus life, then scaled into a national digital sports media brand. The most comparable origin story and original content niche, though it is now vastly larger and broader.
• The Harvard Crimson: Student-run daily at Harvard covering news, sports, and culture. Same digital-first student journalism model with comparable brand recognition within its university community.
• The Michigan Daily: Student-run daily at the University of Michigan covering news, sports, and arts with a strong digital and social media presence. Same model (student-run, ad-supported, university-focused) at a similarly large Big Ten peer institution.
• The Daily Collegian: Penn State's official student-run newspaper, also covering Penn State news, athletics, and campus life. Most direct geographic and audience peer, though it benefits from institutional ties and journalism school support rather than being fully independent.
• The Stanford Daily: Student-run daily newspaper at Stanford University covering campus news, athletics, and opinion. Same business model and audience (university students, alumni, locals) with comparable digital-first distribution.
• The Cornell Daily Sun: Student-run independent daily at Cornell University. Comparable in operating model (independent student journalism, digital distribution, social media engagement) at a similarly selective institution.
• The Daily Northwestern: Student-run daily at Northwestern University covering campus news, athletics, and opinion. Directly comparable in audience, monetization model, and digital distribution strategy.

Regional players

• StateCollege.com: Local digital media outlet serving State College and Centre County, with complementary services (movie times, apartment listings, vehicles). Geographic peer covering the same local market with cross-promotional relationship already in place.

Broad incumbents

• SB Nation: National network of sports-focused blogs including strong college sports coverage. Same digital blog + community + social model as Onward State, but operating at vastly larger scale across many schools.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/onwardstate
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/OnwardStateVids
• Facebookfacebook.com/OnwardState
• Instagraminstagram.com/onwardstate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Onward State