Who Owns 1440 News? The Real Story Behind This Popular Newsletter

Ever wondered who owns 1440 News? Three founders - Tim Huelskamp, Andrew Steigerwald, and Pierre Lipton started this newsletter in Chicago back in 2018. The newsletter grew faster and reached over 3.2 million subscribers with a remarkable 5,500% growth. 1440 has evolved into an independent, employee-owned media company that fact-checkers rate as "Least Biased."

The Founders Behind 1440 News

The success story of one of America's most accessible newsletters started with three visionaries who brought their dream to life. Let's meet the brilliant minds behind this venture.

Tim Huelskamp: The business mind

Tim Huelskamp spent ten years in private equity before cofounding 1440 News. His time at the USD 20.00bn American Capital fund helped shape his business expertise. This background in finance became a crucial asset for launching a media startup.

"A lot of the principles that we take here at 1440, which is like, what are the unit economics? What's your lifetime value? What's your cost per acquisition? How do you keep the company lean and mean? How do you focus and only invest in things that are profitable...I think a lot of the strategies we take, financially and operationally, came from that experience," Huelskamp explains.

As CEO, we see him contribute to the Business and Markets section of the newsletter. His 11 years in Private Equity and Venture Capital shape his approach to building 1440. "I'm willing to bet on – I believe in the product. So I'm willing to acquire a user for three dollars to let that flywheel spin".

His steadfast dedication to entrepreneurship shows through his work with Fifth Star Funds, which provides startup capital to underrepresented founders. This generous spirit comes from his memories of "the times when people gave him a leg up when they didn't have to".

Andrew Steigerwald: The editorial lead

Dr. Andrew Steigerwald brings a scientist's point of view to journalism. After earning his PhD in interdisciplinary materials science from Vanderbilt University, he made his way into public policy in 2012.

Steigerwald's career highlights include:

• Working as a legislative fellow in the US Senate

• Serving as a senior adviser within the US Department of Energy

• Making complex scientific documents easier to understand for members of Congress

This unique background made him the perfect fit to create fact-focused news. As Editor-in-Chief, he leads "the creation and strategy of audience-facing products, including the daily digest" and writes about 85% of the daily newsletter.

Both Steigerwald and Huelskamp faced a common challenge: staying informed meant reading "15 or 20 different news sites a day". "To have that information every morning, it just took us way too long," they noted. So they decided to make it their full-time job to create 1440's newsletter and help others avoid this frustration.

Pierre Lipton: The operations strategist

Pierre Lipton rounds out the founding team as Chief Operations Officer. His talent earned him a spot on Forbes' prestigious 30 Under 30 list, showing his influence in the media industry.

Lipton felt "deeply troubled by the fact that two people of slightly differing beliefs could have fundamentally different understandings of what's happening in the world—in large part thanks to their media diet". This worry about media polarization drove 1440's mission.

The COO handles several key aspects of the business. He focuses on newsletter monetization, analytics, and sometimes manages public relations. He also writes the ad copy, "ensuring that messaging remains on-brand and on-point".

His business strategy proved to be a soaring win. With more than 1 million subscribers, 1440 expected to generate over USD 7.00 million in revenue in its early years, backed by USD 2.50 million from investors like Cannon Capital.

A simple email thread sent to 78 friends and family in 2017 reshaped the scene to become one of America's most influential newsletters, thanks to these three founders' unique skills and shared vision for better news delivery.

Who Owns 1440 Media Today?

1440 News stands out from corporate-controlled media outlets with its distinctive ownership structure that safeguards editorial independence. The answer to "who owns 1440 news" reveals a more complex picture than expected.

Employee ownership structure

1440 operates as an independent, employee-owned media company. This ownership model makes it unique in today's digital world, where corporate interests often dictate editorial choices. 

CEO Tim Huelskamp puts it simply: "One of the biggest benefits of not having taken VC funding is that you do not have to answer to shareholders. It really cannot be overstated how much of a bonus that is – not just for the owners, but for the employees that choose to work for the media business".

The employee-owned structure gives the team freedom to innovate and make editorial decisions. Huelskamp explains: "We have the very rare privilege that if we want to launch a product, and it makes sense, and we all believe in it, we can go launch that product". Most investor-backed companies face strict board limitations on new initiatives.

This independence lets 1440 stay true to its non-partisan stance without outside influence, which remains the life-blood of its reader appeal.

Minority stake by venture capital firms

1440 values its employee ownership but has accepted limited external investment. The company raised over USD 2.50 million since its founding. This amount stays modest compared to media startups that take massive funding rounds.

The venture capital partners include:

• MassChallenge

• Cannon Capital

These firms hold minority stakes. Huelskamp chose "a royalty-based investment instead of a traditional venture capital round". This strategy helped secure growth capital while maintaining control.

Key shareholders and leadership roles

1440 Media's ownership shows a strategic balance. The co-founders and top management own the majority stake. CEO Tim Huelskamp, Editor-in-Chief Andrew Steigerwald, and COO Pierre Lipton hold the largest shares in the company.

The expanded leadership team includes:

• Head of Product and Design Aaron Enequist-Leiker

• Head of Social Lauren Routt

• Chief Growth Officer Mike Rome

• Director of Brand Partnerships Amanda Black

• Chief Content Officer Sony Kassam

• VP of Product and Growth Mitchell Kapoor

These leaders own a minority stake, which creates strong alignment between ownership and operations.

1440 has hired about 25 people as of March 2024. This lean team size shows the company's commitment to streamlined processes and sustainable growth.

The company's business model reinforces its independence. Instead of relying on venture funding, 1440 gets over 95% of its revenue from advertisements, while reader donations provide additional income.

How 1440 Makes Money

1440 Media's financial success stems from a fine-tuned business model that helps this independent newsletter flourish despite today's challenging media world. The revenue generation strategy of 1440 News owners reveals their path to sustainability and growth.

Advertising as the main revenue stream

Advertising makes up over 95% of 1440's income, serving as the foundation of their financial model.

The company uses a strategic CPM (cost per thousand impressions) pricing structure:

• Larger format ads (immediately visible when readers open the newsletter): $40 CPM

• Smaller format ads (visible when readers scroll down): $10 CPM

• Combined CPM package: approximately $50 for both formats

Reader engagement directly affects their advertising success. A remarkable 65% open rate helps 1440 earn about five cents each time a subscriber opens their daily email. CEO Tim Huelskamp explains, "When someone opens an email, we make about a nickel. We send 25 emails a month-ish... They're opening 15 emails a month. At five cents, [that adds up to] 70-ish cents per user per month".

The newsletter gets more than one million clicks daily across the internet, including between 10,000 and 50,000 clicks on advertisements. This impressive performance leads to a 75% rebooking rate from advertisers.

Ad space sales happen monthly (about 50% of business), quarterly, and annually. While longer-term commitments receive discounts, Huelskamp notes they're "just trying to optimize how to deliver the best revenue".

Reader donations and affiliate marketing

Reader donations add to advertising income and show reader loyalty, though they represent a small portion of 1440's revenue. Readers can also choose a premium subscription that removes ads.

Affiliate marketing provides another income stream. 1440 earns commissions when readers buy products or services through specialized newsletter links. This approach matches their business model of maintaining high audience engagement while earning from reader actions beyond impressions.

Events, webinars, and content licensing

1440 has expanded into events, webinars, and content licensing. These revenue streams make use of their growing audience of 4.5 million subscribers and respected brand position.

The new "Topics" – specialized content areas – creates fresh money-making opportunities. 

Huelskamp explained, "Topics gives our advertisers a one-two punch. They get to reach a broad, intellectually curious audience, but they can also reach readers who are interested in going deep on a specific niche, like finance". This breakthrough lets 1440 earn from readers twice – through the main newsletter and specialized content.

Their business model works as a well-oiled machine that CEO Huelskamp describes proudly: "We do over a million [dollars] in revenue per employee". With about 15 employees, annual revenue exceeds $15 million.

This revenue model helps 1440 News owners maintain independence while funding substantial growth – they add about 300,000 new subscribers monthly, with roughly 150,000 becoming long-term readers.

Editorial Process and Claims of Impartiality

1440's editorial approach drives its growing popularity. News sources face intense scrutiny these days, and 1440's approach to staying impartial shows why millions have subscribed to this newsletter whatever its ownership.

Fact-checking and source selection

1440's editorial team follows a strict curation process. The editors look through dozens of articles about a topic before they decide which links to include. This careful selection will give a balanced and complete picture.

The newsletter organizes its content into three categories:

• "Need to Know" (1-3 major summarized stories)

• "In the Know" (subcategories with one-sentence summaries)

• "In-Depth" (links to longer analysis pieces)

1440 links to trustworthy outlets for each story. Media Bias Fact Check found that they "generally link to credible media outlets that range from Left-Center to Right-Center". Their fact-check record stands clean with "None in the Last 5 years".

No opinion columns or emotional language

1440 sets itself apart from traditional news sources by staying away from opinion-based content. Andrew Steigerwald puts it simply: "We try to go an inch deep and a mile wide". Their summaries stay brief—usually between one sentence and one paragraph.

Their editorial standards make it clear: "We don't waste your time with speculative or opinion-based stories" and "We will never cover a news story about any person, political or otherwise, based on cherry-picked quotes".

The newsletter also avoids emotional language and clickbait headlines. CEO Tim Huelskamp's words reflect this: "We've developed a high-quality product that relies on facts, not 'takes'".

Balanced story curation across political spectrum

Source selection shows 1440's steadfast dedication to balanced reporting. Their "In-Depth" section features right-leaning publications like The Dispatch among left-leaning outlets such as Wired Magazine.

Independent evaluators have noticed this approach. Media Bias Fact Check rates them "Least Biased based on balanced story selection and minimal editorializing". Snopes' research confirms that "1440's newsletter generally sticks to the facts and does not favor one political leaning over another".

Some critics ask if true impartiality exists. One media critic points out, "At the outset, you should question a claim of no bias. We all have biases". 1440's systematic approach to selecting and presenting content has built them a reputation for factual reporting that strikes a chord with readers of all backgrounds.

Public Perception and Media Bias Ratings

The credibility and impartiality of 1440 News naturally makes people curious about its ownership. Third-party validation gives significant insights into how this newsletter grows faster beyond who owns it.

Rated 'Least Biased' by MBFC

Media Bias Fact Check (MBFC), a respected media watchdog, rates 1440 as "Least Biased" with a score of -0.5 on their political spectrum. This coveted classification shows 1440's balanced story selection and minimal editorializing. The newsletter also got a "High" rating from MBFC for factual reporting because of proper sourcing and a clean fact-check record.

In fact, MBFC's detailed evaluation shows "None in the Last 5 years" under failed fact checks. This clean record highlights the newsletter's steadfast dedication to accuracy. Media analysts note that true "unbiased-ness" is nowhere near possible since journalists are human.

This philosophical debate aside, both Snopes' investigation and the Ad Fontes Media Bias Chart place 1440 "right in the center of the political bias spectrum". They call it having "middle or balanced bias".

Recognition from Shorty Awards and Inc. 5000

1440's excellence goes beyond bias ratings. The newsletter earned:

• A finalist spot at the 8th Annual Shorty Impact Awards in the News & Media category

• A place on the 2023 Inc. 5000 List of fastest-growing private companies

• The Momentum Award for breakthroughs in Chicago's tech sector

The newsletter then got the Audience Honoree title in News and Media at the 2023 Shorty Impact Awards, with the highest public votes. The company ranked No. 1 in Crain's Chicago Fast 50 in 2024, with five-year revenue growth of 38,655.6%.

Social media growth and audience trust

1440's social media performance stands out, especially since it managed to keep away from emotional language and clickbait content. 

The newsletter's achievements since January 2023 include:

• A 65,175 increase in Instagram followers (26% growth in six months)

• 1.6 million total likes and 129,000 comments

• A 3.68% engagement rate (this is a big deal as it means that it's higher than the industry average of 0.53%)

• 19,460 newsletter subscriptions from social channels (64% from Instagram)

The newsletter now has over 3 million active subscribers. This growth comes at a time when media trust problems are systemic. These numbers show how people just need trustworthy news sources that present facts without political bias, whatever their ownership or funding source.

Conclusion

1440 News is a unique media entity in today's divided world. Three visionaries founded the company that managed to keep its employee-owned structure. The newsletter built reader trust through factual reporting and balanced coverage. Their success demonstrates that readers value impartial news over sensationalism—a positive shift in modern journalism.

FAQs

Q1. Is 1440 News politically biased? 

1440 News is rated as "Least Biased" by Media Bias Fact Check and is known for its balanced story selection and minimal editorializing. The newsletter aims to present factual information from across the political spectrum without favoring any particular ideology.

Q2. How does 1440 News make money? 

1440 News primarily generates revenue through advertising, which accounts for over 95% of its income. The company also receives some reader donations and utilizes affiliate marketing. Additionally, they have diversified into events, webinars, and content licensing opportunities.

Q3. Who are the founders of 1440 News? 

1440 News was founded in 2018 by three individuals: Tim Huelskamp (CEO), Andrew Steigerwald (Editor-in-Chief), and Pierre Lipton (COO). Each brings unique expertise to the company, ranging from business acumen to scientific knowledge and operational strategy.

Q4. How many subscribers does 1440 News have? 

As of the latest reports, 1440 News has surpassed 3 million active newsletter subscribers. The company has experienced rapid growth, adding approximately 300,000 new subscribers monthly, with about half becoming long-term readers.

Q5. What sets 1440 News apart from other news sources? 

1440 News distinguishes itself through its commitment to factual reporting without opinion or emotional language. The newsletter provides concise summaries of key news stories, links to credible sources across the political spectrum, and maintains a rigorous fact-checking process. Its employee-owned structure also contributes to its editorial independence.