Surfing on the news wave — 3 news and media startups from Germany and the US

3 innovation and digital news in 1 minute. Every Monday. Episode 332

Journalist-curated daily news by Informed.so

Informed is a Berlin-based news startup. They employ journalists to curate a daily-brief of “must-reads” to, you guessed it, stay informed. No super deep-dives, but the major news to keep conversation with friends and co-workers going. Sources are major news outlets (mostly from English speaking countries), like The Atlantic, The Guardian or the New York Times. Opinion: A subscription based business model. To read the curated articles, users need one paid subscription for informed (from €5 per month). They bundle the articles that would require individual subscriptions into one. Not surprising as subscription is the go-to mechanic for startups to show revenue potential.

Curated news by journalists. Better than an AI algorithm?

News with gaming and social elements — Artifact

Started by the co-founders of Instagram, “Artifact” (based in SFO) opened its doors to the public in late February. AI-algorithm curated news in a feed, based on user-selected topics of interested. So far, nothing new. Artifact makes a difference in the user experience: Gaming mechanics, social elements and visualisations are interesting approaches within the app. Opinion: The app uses mechanics from gaming, like streaks and experience levels, to engage users in reading. Users can invite friends to the app to see what content is trending in their peer group. Also, Artifact has a “For You” page (like TikTok) with algorithm-based content suggestions.

Curated news by an algorithm. Better than hand-picked curation?

Substack, a platform for blogs and newsletter — with a subscription

Founded in 2017, based in SFO, Substack has received $82m of funding at a $650m valuation. They offer content writers/podcasters a platform to monetize their content and audience, ultimately switching over from other platforms like WordPress, Mailchimp, Twitter. Opinion: Subscriptions are the backbone of Substacks business model. Users can read blogposts and newsletters for free but are encouraged to follow favourite content producers — and pay for it. The creator sets the rules and the price. Substack provides the technology platform for it. They also have tools to help grow the subscriber audience.

Subscribe to content writers and curate your own news. Why do you need Journalists or AI?