What Unruly Media does

Unruly Media (legally Get Unruly Ltd, with a referenced parent entity 'The Unruly Group Limited') is a Lagos-based, Nigeria-domiciled cultural media and publishing platform founded in 2023. The company documents culture at the intersection of Africa and the world, publishing long-form editorial content, digital cover stories, and cultural criticism across fashion, music, arts and design, sports, culture and society, and technology. It is led by Founder and Editor-in-Chief Tobi Efunnowo, a writer and art director, and operates with a 1-10 person team supplemented by an open contributor network ('Write for Unruly'). The platform runs a multi-format content engine consisting of a Webflow-hosted website (getunruly.com), a Mailchimp-distributed weekly newsletter ('Unruly, Weekly'), a Spotify-hosted podcast ('Fine Print'), active social media presence on Instagram, X, TikTok, and YouTube, a print magazine (Unruly Magazine), a Shopify-powered e-commerce store (The Unruly Shop), and a creative services arm (Studio Unruly). The company is also developing a documentary film, 'In the Making: A Lagos Fashion Documentary,' announced for 2025 release.

Unruly's core products are editorial features (Dialogue interviews, Essays), the Fine Print podcast, Unruly Magazine, The Unruly Shop, Studio Unruly, and the Unruly Weekly newsletter. The underlying technology stack is entirely SaaS-based: Webflow for website hosting, Shopify for e-commerce, Mailchimp for email distribution, Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity for web analytics, and Spotify for podcast distribution. The company has no proprietary technology, no API, and no mobile applications. Strategic partnerships include co-development collaborations with 727 and The Sunflower Department on the 'For the Love of Football' project, and event coverage partnerships with M:E Entertainment and DAPO.

The business model combines four revenue streams: (1) editorial content and advertising/sponsored content targeting fashion, lifestyle, and cultural brands seeking reach into African and diaspora audiences; (2) direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales of branded and collaborative merchandise (tees priced at ₦35,000-₦40,000) and print publications through the Shopify storefront with international shipping; (3) recurring newsletter distribution via Mailchimp; and (4) B2B creative services through Studio Unruly. The company is privately held, founder-owned and controlled, bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding, institutional investors, or acquisition activity.

Name

Unruly Media

Legal name

Get Unruly Ltd

Website

https://getunruly.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lagos

HQ country

Nigeria

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Editorial Content & Advertising: Unruly generates revenue through its cultural media platform by publishing editorial content, features, essays, interviews, and cultural commentary. The platform likely monetizes through advertising and sponsored content partnerships with brands seeking to reach its culturally engaged audience.
2. Print Publications: Sale of print magazines, zines, and posters including the Unruly Magazine series. The company publishes physical print products documenting culture, fashion, and creative communities.
3. E-commerce Store: Sale of merchandise including apparel (tees, accessories) through The Unruly Shop platform. Products include branded merchandise and collaborative releases with other creators. Pricing in Nigerian Naira with international shipping available.
4. Newsletter Subscription: Newsletter communications delivered through Mailchimp including the 'Unruly, Weekly' publication. Email-based editorial distribution to subscribers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Unruly Media is a Lagos-based cultural media and publishing platform that produces editorial content, print magazines, podcasts, newsletters, and documentary films documenting African culture, fashion, music, arts, and society. The company operates The Unruly Shop for merchandise and collaborative apparel, and runs Studio Unruly as a separate creative services arm offering brand strategy, editorial, and creative direction to clients.

Product overview

Unruly Media is a Lagos-based cultural media and publishing platform that documents culture at the intersection of Africa and the world. The platform operates across multiple content formats: a print magazine (Unruly Magazine), an e-commerce store (The Unruly Shop), a weekly newsletter (Unruly, Weekly), a podcast series (Fine Print), editorial features (Dialogue interviews and Essays), a creative studio (Studio Unruly), and documentary films. Content spans fashion, music, art and design, sports, culture and society, and technology categories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Unruly Magazine A print magazine documenting culture, fashion, identity, and process. Volume 2 titled 'In the Making' focuses on the culture of fashion in Lagos, featuring brands, founders, stylists, photographers, tailors, and contributors to fashion evolution.
• The Unruly Shop Online store offering limited releases and special projects including apparel collaborations and merchandise such as the Unruly Logo Badge Tee and collaborative tees with creators like Essie Bobo, Mr. Mischief, and Accra. International shipping available.
• Unruly, Weekly Weekly newsletter delivering curated stories on fashion, music, art, sports, culture, society, and technology to subscribers via Mailchimp and Substack.
• Fine Print Audio conversations podcast available on Spotify, featuring discussions with cultural creators and industry figures exploring culture through dialogue, including episodes with artists such as Olayinka Ehi on blending music and photography.
• Studio Unruly Creative studio offering brand strategy, editorial, and creative direction services to clients, with a dedicated website at studiounruly.com.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 727coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership on 'For the Love of Football' project - a collectible football culture initiative combining 727's creative output with Unruly's cultural platform to document football culture.
• The Sunflower DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-publishing partner on 'For the Love of Football' collectible football culture project, working with 727 and Unruly to document football culture.
• M:E EntertainmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvent organizer that brought Black Coffee to Lagos; Unruly covered the event as editorial content documenting electronic music culture in Lagos.
• DAPOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvent co-organizer with M:E Entertainment for the Black Coffee Lagos event; Unruly documented the event for cultural coverage.
• Mailchimp (Intuit Inc.)coreTechnology or IntegrationNewsletter delivery service used to manage mailing list and send newsletters to subscribers. Processes email addresses on behalf of Unruly under Mailchimp's privacy policy.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform powering The Unruly Shop for merchandise and publication sales. Processes customer information for online purchases.
• WebflowcoreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite platform operator for getunruly.com. Automatically collects technical information including IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited through standard web technologies and cookies.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Dazed: UK-based independent fashion and culture publication with print, digital, and video. Comparable in cultural-publishing positioning (long-form criticism, interviews, fashion/art coverage) but operates at materially larger scale.
• i-D: Long-running independent fashion and culture publication with strong visual identity, interviews, and long-form features. Comparable in cultural-publishing DNA and editorial ambition, though backed by Vice media infrastructure.
• BellaNaija: Largest Nigerian lifestyle and culture digital media brand, covering entertainment, fashion, and lifestyle. Comparable in Nigerian cultural-media category but operates at much larger scale with broader mainstream lifestyle coverage.

Regional players

• Bubblegum Club: South African youth culture platform covering fashion, music, art, and design. Comparable in editorial format (features, interviews, cultural criticism) and creative-audience focus, but primarily serves the Southern African market.
• Native Magazine: Independent print and digital cultural publication covering African fashion, music, art, and lifestyle from a UK base with strong continental reach. Comparable as an African-focused cultural magazine with print and digital formats, but headquartered in Europe.

Direct peers

• Konbini: Digital-first cultural media brand covering music, fashion, art, and lifestyle with social-led distribution. Comparable as a multi-format digital cultural platform monetizing through content and brand partnerships.
• The NATIVE: Lagos-based independent media platform covering Nigerian and African music, culture, and lifestyle. Closely comparable to Unruly in geography, audience, editorial ambition, and digital-first publishing model.
• 032c: Berlin-based independent cultural magazine and brand publishing long-form criticism, interviews, and fashion coverage, with associated commerce and events. Comparable as an independent cultural-publishing brand combining print, digital, and merchandise.
• It's Nice That: UK-based creative-culture platform featuring long-form interviews, profiles, and criticism across art, design, and visual culture. Comparable in editorial format mix (features, essays, multimedia) and audience (culturally engaged creatives).
• OkayAfrica: Pan-African cultural media platform covering music, fashion, art, and culture across the continent and diaspora. Comparable in audience (culturally engaged African/diaspora readers), content format mix (editorial, video, social), and brand-partnership monetization.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/getunruly
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@stayunruly
• Instagraminstagram.com/getunruly
• TikToktiktok.com/@getunruly

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Unruly Media