Loading organizations...
§ Private Profile · San Francisco, CA, USA
PandoDaily is a technology company.
PandoDaily has raised $4.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Key people at PandoDaily.
PandoDaily has raised $4.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
PandoDaily operated as a digital media platform, providing news, analysis, and commentary on the technology industry. It focused on the Silicon Valley startup ecosystem, delivering reporting and critical perspectives on emerging companies, venture capital, and tech culture. The platform aimed to offer a distinct journalistic view.
Founded in November 2011 by journalist Sarah Lacy and writer Paul Carr, PandoDaily arose from an insight into the need for independent scrutiny of the tech startup scene. Lacy and Carr leveraged their backgrounds in technology reporting to create a publication challenging narratives and offering candid industry commentary.
The platform catered to founders, investors, and professionals within the tech startup community. PandoDaily’s vision was to become the "site-of-record" for the Silicon Valley entrepreneurial landscape, striving to be an indispensable resource. It aimed to provide a critical, unfiltered view of the evolving tech sector.
# PandoDaily: A Technology News Publication, Not a Technology Company
PandoDaily is a media and publishing company, not a technology company. It is a web publication offering technology news, analysis, and commentary with a focus on Silicon Valley and startup companies[1][2], rather than a company that builds technology products or services.
PandoDaily operates as a news and media platform dedicated to covering the technology startup ecosystem[7]. The publication's mission, stated at launch, was to be "the site of record for Silicon Valley"—positioning itself as the authoritative source for news and analysis about the startup world and the companies emerging from it[4][6]. Rather than serving as a technology vendor, PandoDaily serves journalists, investors, entrepreneurs, and technology enthusiasts seeking in-depth reporting on the innovation economy. The publication expanded its scope beyond Silicon Valley to cover startup ecosystems in New York and Los Angeles[2].
PandoDaily was founded on January 16, 2012, by Sarah Lacy, a former TechCrunch writer[6]. At launch, *Business Insider* called it "TechCrunch 2.0," reflecting its positioning as a competitor to the established technology news outlet[4][6]. The publication attracted prominent technology journalists and investors from the outset, including Michael Arrington (founder of TechCrunch), Paul Carr, M.G. Siegler, and Farhad Manjoo[6]. In November 2013, PandoDaily acquired NSFW Corp, a politics-and-humor website founded by journalist Paul Carr, as part of a strategic shift to double down on investigative reporting[6]. By late June 2015, the publication transitioned to a subscription model with a paywall, prioritizing editorial independence over advertiser dependence[6].
PandoDaily emerged during the Web 2.0 boom and positioned itself as a chronicler of the startup cycle—documenting the emergence, growth, and impact of technology companies reshaping the economy. As a media outlet, it influenced how the startup ecosystem understood itself and communicated its narrative to investors, employees, and the public. The publication's investigative approach and founder credibility gave it influence beyond typical tech journalism, shaping conversations about startup culture, ethics, and business practices.
PandoDaily represents a particular moment in technology media—when independent, founder-led publications could compete with established outlets through editorial quality and insider access. The shift to a subscription model reflected broader challenges in technology journalism: maintaining editorial independence while building sustainable revenue. As a media company rather than a technology vendor, PandoDaily's influence depends on its ability to remain relevant to its audience of startup insiders and investors, a challenge that intensified as the technology news landscape fragmented across platforms, newsletters, and social media.
Key people at PandoDaily.
PandoDaily has raised $4.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $1.0M Series A in February 2014.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1, 2014 | $1M Series A | — | Bessemer Venture Partners, Flex Capital, Alex Schultz, Chung NG, Jason Putorti, Maria Thomas, Nirav Tolia, Scott Banister | Announced |
| May 1, 2013 | $3M Seed | — | 10100, Andreessen Horowitz, Audrey Capital, Benchmark, Bessemer Venture Partners, BoxGroup, Brainchild, First Round Capital, Giza Polish Ventures, Lobby Capital, Lumia Capital, Maveron, Meritech Capital Partners, SciFi VC, Seven Seven SIX, Slow Ventures, SV Angel, The General Partnership, The HIT Forge, Zinc, Aaron Levie, Emil Michael, Josh Elman, Joshua Schachter, Loic LE Meur, Manish Patel, Martin Varsavsky, Richard Chen, Ryan Sarver, Steve Martocci | Announced |
PandoDaily has raised $4.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
PandoDaily's investors include Bessemer Venture Partners, Flex Capital, Alex Schultz, Chung Ng, Jason Putorti, Maria Thomas, Nirav Tolia, Scott Banister, 10100, Andreessen Horowitz, Audrey Capital, Benchmark.
