The opportunity was obvious to me: I wanted to create an email newsletter explaining complex stories to help readers understand what was happening in their city. So my co-founder and I created a Google Slides presentation describing our target audience, our editorial mission, and our budget at the end of the napkin. Our next steps? It wasn’t so clear.
That was almost four years ago, and after starting the project awkwardly, I knew there needed to be a better support system for aspiring future entrepreneurs. Since I joined Local Independent Online News Publishers (LION)an association of nearly 300 news organizations based in the United States and Canada, I’ve spoken with dozens of our members who, at one point, also thought, “OK, now what should I do ?
That’s why LION Publishers has partnered with the Google News Initiative to launch the GNI Startup Laba program that will help aspiring information entrepreneurs in the United States and Canada prove that there is a need and audience for their idea, create their information product, and put their business on the path to success. sustainability.
Even as local news publications continue to decline or even close, we see that readers’ appetite for reliable information only grows. We want to support our existing members and, with the GNI, contribute to the creation of digital information startups. In particular, we want to create opportunities for underserved communities who historically have not seen themselves reflected in their local news.
Today we open apps for the first phase of our program: an eight-week, fully remote boot camp that includes live online classes, one-on-one coaching and peer learning. The boot camp will be led by advisor Phillip Smith, who has helped many media startups shape and launch their businesses across the Journalism entrepreneurship training company.
Upon graduation, boot camp participants will have launched or developed their news offering. They will be able to provide a realistic revenue forecast for the next six to three years, know how to achieve a set of three-month goals, and have a deeper understanding of how the project will meet the needs of their audience.
The GNI Startups Lab will also collaborate with Oasis Projecta GNI-funded research project investigating how digital news startups in North America can succeed, and will share resources like our Starter Pack with templates and guides for launching a local news business.
We will accept up to 24 teams of entrepreneurs based in the United States and Canada who have identified a community need for better news and want advice on how to launch or further grow a news business recently launched. Maybe it’s a podcast covering a city’s government or a site with in-depth reporting on local immigrant communities. We want to know what entrepreneurs think their communities need.
Additionally, while we expect participants to commit to their startup during the eight-week boot camp, we have designed the program to accommodate those who must continue to work full-time.
We are particularly interested in applications from entrepreneurs who are underrepresented in the media and/or committed to serving underrepresented communities. While we will prioritize entrepreneurs focused on a geographic community, we will also consider applications that cover a single topic, such as Chalk beat, The catch Or Grist.
As part of the GNI Startups Lab, we will also create an online community of practice and peer learning open to anyone interested in journalism entrepreneurship. Register on our website to receive more details.
The second phase of the GNI Startups Lab, launching later this year, will provide boot camp graduates and other entrepreneurs with a six-month opportunity to learn the basics of running a journalism business and benefit mentoring their peers, with the aim of retaining their customers and generating recurring revenue. .
The GNI Startups Lab provides much-needed opportunities for passionate news entrepreneurs who care deeply about serving their communities. We look forward to showcasing their journalism projects to the world in the coming months.