• Latest
  • Trending
After 12 years and endless fights with Google, start-up HubPages finds a buyer

After 12 years and endless fights with Google, start-up HubPages finds a buyer

January 7, 2018
4 dead, 52 arrested after Donald Trump supporters storm US Capitol

4 dead, 52 arrested after Donald Trump supporters storm US Capitol

January 7, 2021

China criticizes US order against dealing with Chinese apps

January 6, 2021

US has dual policy on Afghan peace process: MPs

January 5, 2021
‘Good riddance,’ says China snub Germany leaving UN Security Council

‘Good riddance,’ says China snub Germany leaving UN Security Council

December 25, 2020
Sharon Osbourne reveals she tested positive for COVID-19

Sharon Osbourne reveals she tested positive for COVID-19

December 15, 2020
Apple Adding Privacy Fact Labels to App Store Items

Apple Adding Privacy Fact Labels to App Store Items

December 15, 2020
More Republicans finally accept Biden win after U.S. Electoral College certifies vote

More Republicans finally accept Biden win after U.S. Electoral College certifies vote

December 15, 2020
Rhode Island casts 4 Electoral College votes for Biden

Rhode Island casts 4 Electoral College votes for Biden

December 15, 2020
Rhode Island School To Stagger Return After Holiday Break

Rhode Island School To Stagger Return After Holiday Break

December 15, 2020
Twitter, Facebook face labeling test on Trump’s election posts

Twitter, Facebook face labeling test on Trump’s election posts

November 4, 2020
Democratic hopes to flip US Senate dim as red wall holds for now

Democratic hopes to flip US Senate dim as red wall holds for now

November 4, 2020
US election: What happens next?

US election: What happens next?

November 4, 2020
Friday, February 26, 2021
No Result
View All Result
  • Region
    • Delaware
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • New Hampshire
    • New Jersey
    • New York
    • Pennsylvania
    • Rhode Island
    • Vermont
  • U.S. News
  • National Security
    • Defense
    • Politics
    • Terrorism
  • World News
    • Africa
    • Asia
      • Australia & New Zealand
      • China
      • India
      • Japan
      • North & South Korea
    • Canada
    • Europe
      • Germany
      • Russian Federation
    • Latin America
      • Mexico
    • Middle East
    • United Kingdom
  • Economy
    • Business
    • Science
  • Sports
    • Auto Racing
    • Cycling
    • Golf
    • MLB
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Mets
    • NBA
      • Boston Celtics
      • Brooklyn Nets
    • NFL
      • New England Patriots
      • Philadelphia Eagles
      • New York Giants
      • New York Jets
    • NHL
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Soccer
    • Tennis
    • Water Sports
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Books & Literature
    • Fashion
    • Health
    • History
    • Lifestyle & Family
    • Music
    • Religion
    • Television & Movies
    • Theatre
    • Travel
      • Great Outdoors
      • Rhode Island Travel
    • Women
  • Environment
    • Climate Change
    • Green News
    • Greenpeace
    • Oceans & Marinelife
    • Wildlife
  • Region
    • Delaware
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • New Hampshire
    • New Jersey
    • New York
    • Pennsylvania
    • Rhode Island
    • Vermont
  • U.S. News
  • National Security
    • Defense
    • Politics
    • Terrorism
  • World News
    • Africa
    • Asia
      • Australia & New Zealand
      • China
      • India
      • Japan
      • North & South Korea
    • Canada
    • Europe
      • Germany
      • Russian Federation
    • Latin America
      • Mexico
    • Middle East
    • United Kingdom
  • Economy
    • Business
    • Science
  • Sports
    • Auto Racing
    • Cycling
    • Golf
    • MLB
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Mets
    • NBA
      • Boston Celtics
      • Brooklyn Nets
    • NFL
      • New England Patriots
      • Philadelphia Eagles
      • New York Giants
      • New York Jets
    • NHL
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Soccer
    • Tennis
    • Water Sports
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Books & Literature
    • Fashion
    • Health
    • History
    • Lifestyle & Family
    • Music
    • Religion
    • Television & Movies
    • Theatre
    • Travel
      • Great Outdoors
      • Rhode Island Travel
    • Women
  • Environment
    • Climate Change
    • Green News
    • Greenpeace
    • Oceans & Marinelife
    • Wildlife
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result

After 12 years and endless fights with Google, start-up HubPages finds a buyer

January 7, 2018
in Business, Economy
0
Home Economy Business

RelatedPosts

Fitbit shares rise as filing reveals bidding war between Google and mystery firm

Google to acquire Fitbit, valuing the smartwatch maker at about $2.1 billion

Vermont joins antitrust investigation of Google

The Biggest Rhode Island Tech & Startup News From March

Google to invest $13 billion in new US offices, data centers

Post Views: 211

 

Silicon Valley celebrates the massive exits and the brilliant entrepreneurs behind them. There’s Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Snap’s Evan Spiegel, Salesforce’s Marc Benioff and Twitter’s Evan Williams, just to name a few.

But the overwhelming majority of start-up founders are a lot more like Paul Edmondson than any of the aforementioned celebrities.

Edmondson poured 12 years of money, sweat and tears into HubPages. He raised $8 million from venture capitalists in the early days before hitting a wall — and then another wall — and then falling out of favor with tech’s financiers.

On Friday morning, Edmondson finally got his exit. HubPages, a collection of websites that cover topics ranging from pets and cars to healthy living, was acquired by a Seattle-based content company named Maven, which has a market value below $70 million and a stock that trades over-the-counter (OTC).

Terms of the deal weren’t fully disclosed, but the general structure calls for HubPages’ investors to get $5 million and for company founders and employees to receive a combination of cash and shares that could be worth another $10 million to $15 million, based on performance metrics and stock appreciation over the next three years.

Existential threats

The story didn’t get any pickup, not even from the reliable tech blogs. Edmondson called to tell me about the deal, not so much because he wanted a story, but because we’ve spoken many times in recent years about the deep existential challenges that companies like his face in a world where so much traffic comes from Google search.

Edmondson was excited because he’d found a home for himself and his 32 employees (including eight that start on Monday) and he’s giving them a chance to own stock with potential upside.

“When you’re trapped inside small private companies, you don’t have a way for you or your employees to get liquid,” Edmondson said. He added that he’s been paying himself a “below-market salary.”

Edmondson’s team will double the size of Maven, which similarly operates a network of websites on topics from chocolate to economics. Both companies have been trying to build a business that can survive without reliance on Google and Facebook, which control about two-thirds of the U.S. digital ad market, according to eMarketer.

HubPages attracts more than 35 million visitors a month through its 27 domains. Close to 70 percent of that traffic is now on mobile, Edmondson said.

The business has stabilized since 2016, when HubPages narrowed its focus to those 27 particular subjects and committed to obtaining premium content that could be edited by in-house professionals.

In previous years, HubPages’ success was tied to Google and fluctuated based on whatever the web giant did with its search engine. For example, in May 2015, HubPages saw its traffic plunge 22 percent in one week after Google suddenly lowered the visibility of how-to sites. Like with most of Google’s algorithm changes, there was no warning and no explanation.

“Imagine how hard it is to run a business when you see 22 percent of your traffic evaporate overnight,” Edmondson told CNBC for a story about that change, which was dubbed “Phantom 2” by one analyst.

It was just the latest in a series of hits that HubPages had faced over the years. Building an independent online media company has mostly been a losing model, as ad dollars have concentrated in the hands of the giant internet and entertainment businesses.

HubPages was able to raise venture money in 2007 and 2008, and then never again.

Far from taking a breather, Edmondson is now likely to be working even harder. The company has performance targets it has to meet for him to maximize his pay, and he also wants to do what he can to help Maven’s stock.

As an OTC company, Maven shares are highly volatile and thinly traded. After the announcement on Friday, the stock jumped as much as 32 percent to $2.57, before closing up 6.6 percent at $1.95.

Maven CEO James Heckman knows the internet ad and content market, having previously served as the chief media strategist at Yahoo and chief strategy officer at Fox Interactive Media. He said that Maven’s goal is to build a publishing business that’s not beholden to the Google-Facebook duopoly. That requires acquiring premium content sites with a technology platform that allows advertisers to promote across the network.

“Paul and I are aligned because we both agree that mom-and-pop or small publishers no longer have a sustainable business,” Heckman said in an interview. “It’s over.”

Source :
CNBC
Tags: buyerendlessfightsGoogleHubPagesstart-up
ShareTweetShare

Related Posts

Business

China criticizes US order against dealing with Chinese apps

January 6, 2021
‘Good riddance,’ says China snub Germany leaving UN Security Council
Asia

‘Good riddance,’ says China snub Germany leaving UN Security Council

December 25, 2020
Apple Adding Privacy Fact Labels to App Store Items
Business

Apple Adding Privacy Fact Labels to App Store Items

December 15, 2020
Best Accounting Software and Invoice Generators of 2020
Business

Best Accounting Software and Invoice Generators of 2020

October 27, 2020
The Ultimate List of Small Business Software & Tools
Business

The Ultimate List of Small Business Software & Tools

October 26, 2020
Next Post
Trump reportedly targeting China in aggressive trade crackdown

Trump reportedly targeting China in aggressive trade crackdown

Translate

Popular Post

4 dead, 52 arrested after Donald Trump supporters storm US Capitol
Featured

4 dead, 52 arrested after Donald Trump supporters storm US Capitol

January 7, 2021
0

The chaotic and violent scene unfolded at the US Capitol as supporters of President Donald Trump swarmed the building to...

Read more
Mattis to Reassure Nervous Asian Allies

Mattis to Reassure Nervous Asian Allies

October 13, 2017
Asian Company Invest In America As Trump Takes Office

Asian Company Invest In America As Trump Takes Office

October 13, 2017
Trump lost: 9th Circuit Court declines restoring travel ban

Trump lost: 9th Circuit Court declines restoring travel ban

October 13, 2017
Central Intelligence: Gina Haspel new Deputy chief

Central Intelligence: Gina Haspel new Deputy chief

October 13, 2017
  • About Us
  • Creative Commons
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact Us

Topics

Follow Us

About Us

Varnum Continental is part of Varnum Continental Media Group LLC, which daily news around the globe.

© 2011 Varnum Continental

No Result
View All Result
  • Region
    • Delaware
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • New Hampshire
    • New Jersey
    • New York
    • Pennsylvania
    • Rhode Island
    • Vermont
  • U.S. News
  • National Security
    • Defense
    • Politics
    • Terrorism
  • World News
    • Africa
    • Asia
      • Australia & New Zealand
      • China
      • India
      • Japan
      • North & South Korea
    • Canada
    • Europe
      • Germany
      • Russian Federation
    • Latin America
      • Mexico
    • Middle East
    • United Kingdom
  • Economy
    • Business
    • Science
  • Sports
    • Auto Racing
    • Cycling
    • Golf
    • MLB
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Mets
    • NBA
      • Boston Celtics
      • Brooklyn Nets
    • NFL
      • New England Patriots
      • Philadelphia Eagles
      • New York Giants
      • New York Jets
    • NHL
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Soccer
    • Tennis
    • Water Sports
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Books & Literature
    • Fashion
    • Health
    • History
    • Lifestyle & Family
    • Music
    • Religion
    • Television & Movies
    • Theatre
    • Travel
      • Great Outdoors
      • Rhode Island Travel
    • Women
  • Environment
    • Climate Change
    • Green News
    • Greenpeace
    • Oceans & Marinelife
    • Wildlife

© 2011 Varnum Continental