Loading organizations...
Mode Media is a technology company.
Mode Media provides a digital lifestyle media platform, managing websites where community-generated content receives professional editorial refinement. Its properties, including Glam and Foodie, address diverse lifestyle interests, integrating original video production through Mode Studios. This approach delivers curated content discovery and in-feed distribution across its ecosystem.
Founded in Silicon Valley in 2003 as Project Y, Inc., later Glam Media, the company's inception was rooted in the belief that individuals are natural content curators. Key co-founders Samir Arora and Ernie Cicogna launched the venture, with Glam.com in 2005 focusing on fashion and beauty before diversifying content.
Mode Media serves a broad audience of users, creators, and advertisers via specialized channels like women's style and culinary topics. Its mission facilitates engaging content creation, curation, distribution, and social sharing, envisioning a comprehensive discovery platform deeply connecting with its diverse user base.
Mode Media has raised $139.0M across 5 funding rounds.
Mode Media has raised $139.0M in total across 5 funding rounds.
# Mode Media: A Digital Lifestyle Media Company
Mode Media is a digital lifestyle media company, not primarily a technology company, though it operates technology platforms[1]. Founded in 2004 in Silicon Valley, Mode Media built a suite of websites across 20 lifestyle categories where user-generated content is reviewed by professional editors before publication[1]. The company operates channels including Glam (women's style, fashion, beauty), Brash (men's lifestyle), Bliss (health & wellness), Tend (parenting), and Foodie (food and restaurants)[1].
At its peak, Mode Media achieved significant scale: it became the #1 women's web property in the US by 2007 and reached a $1 billion valuation in 2013 as it prepared for an IPO[1]. By 2015, the company had grown to over $100 million in revenue, primarily from native content, branded video, and digital advertising to large brands[1]. The company's core mission centered on the idea that people are the curators of content, pioneering the popularization of "curation" as a content filtering mechanism in the social web[1].
Mode Media emerged from a simple but powerful concept: democratizing content curation while maintaining editorial quality[1]. The company was founded in 2004 in Silicon Valley and initially operated under the name "Project Y" before becoming known as Glam Media[1]. A pivotal moment came in September 2007 when Mode Media launched "Glam Curator," its first discovery product, which helped popularize the term "curation" as a new way of filtering content in the social web[1].
The company expanded through strategic acquisitions. In January 2009, Mode acquired Personiva Inc., which led to the creation of Glam India as a 100% subsidiary[1]. In September 2011, Mode acquired Ning, a social media platform that allowed users to create custom social networks[1]. The company was rebranded from Glam Media to Mode Media in 2014[1].
Mode Media rode the wave of user-generated content and social media expansion in the mid-2000s, emerging as a leader in the lifestyle media space when digital advertising was rapidly shifting from traditional to online channels. The company's emphasis on content curation anticipated broader industry trends toward personalization and algorithmic filtering that would dominate platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, and later TikTok.
The timing was critical: Mode Media scaled during the explosive growth of digital advertising budgets and the rise of influencer and lifestyle content as marketing channels. By positioning itself as a bridge between user creators and brand advertisers, Mode Media captured value in an emerging ecosystem. The company's acquisition of Ning and development of proprietary ad-serving technology reflected an understanding that infrastructure and platform control would be essential to long-term competitive advantage.
Mode Media's trajectory illustrates both the promise and peril of the digital media landscape. Despite achieving a $1 billion valuation and $100+ million in revenue, the company faced significant challenges: by 2015, it had over $100 million in expenses, indicating profitability pressures[1]. The company's evolution from a women's lifestyle platform to a diversified multi-category publisher reflected market realities but also suggested difficulty in maintaining a focused competitive advantage.
The broader shift toward algorithmic feeds, social commerce, and platform consolidation (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) created headwinds for independent lifestyle media networks. Mode Media's model of professional curation in a user-generated content space became increasingly difficult to monetize as advertising dollars concentrated on platforms with superior targeting and scale. The company's investments in original video and streaming platforms showed ambition but also the capital intensity required to compete in evolving media categories.
Mode Media has raised $139.0M in total across 5 funding rounds.
Mode Media's investors include Hubert Burda Media, Acrew Capital, Kapor Capital, Mango Capital, SV Angel.
Mode Media has raised $139.0M across 5 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $30.0M Series F in May 2015.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2015 | $30.0M Series F | Hubert Burda Media | |
| Apr 29, 2014 | $15.0M Other Equity | ||
| Jan 1, 2008 | $65.0M Series D | Acrew Capital, Kapor Capital, Mango Capital, SV Angel | |
| Nov 1, 2006 | $19.0M Series C | Acrew Capital, Kapor Capital, Mango Capital, SV Angel | |
| Jun 1, 2005 | $10.0M Series B | Acrew Capital, Kapor Capital, Mango Capital, SV Angel |