Thank you to Substack’s newest investors

Closing our community fundraise—and how to invest before the April 20 deadline

In two days, we’ll be closing our community round to new investments. If you would like to invest in Substack, you still have a chance. You can do so via the link below until April 20: 

When we embarked on a process to let writers and readers invest in Substack and own a piece of the company, we hoped our community fundraise would bring people who value the same things we value closer to us—people who believe that writers and creators should be able to make a living, even a prosperous one, from doing great work; people who believe that what you read matters; that the internet’s rules need to be rewritten to give more agency to culture makers; and that the internet’s powers can be married to a better model that unlocks untapped potential in the world and restructures the media economy.

We have been truly overwhelmed by the response.

You only need to look at wefunder.com/substack to see why we’re blown away. Thousands of people have expressed interest in investing in this community round. More than a thousand have posted comments on the “What People Say” page to say why they’re investing. Here’s a small sample: 

“I believe Substack is the future of media.”

Suleika Jaouad

,

The Isolation Journals with Suleika Jaouad

“I’m cheering on Substack’s laser-like focus on readers paying publishers, rather than gathering eyeballs and data for advertisers. It completely changes the incentives and therefore the places we live in online and offline in the best way. I’m thrilled to be able to stand with Substack in this way.”

Bernard Hickey

,

The Kākā by Bernard Hickey

“Substack is making it possible for me to make a living at work I love, on my own terms. I’m excited to see and be a part of how it grows.”

Sari Botton

,

Oldster Magazine

We extend a huge THANK-YOU to all the people who have committed to investing in Substack. Your investment in this mission and this company is incredibly meaningful, because it shows us that you believe in Substack as much as we do.

If you placed a reservation to invest when we launched and would still like to be an investor, please make sure to confirm your investment. In order to secure your place, you need to confirm your reservation.

Startups are risky, and our mission is extraordinarily ambitious. We are here to build a new economic engine for culture. This kind of pursuit is not for the faint of heart, so we have emphasized to everyone who has been considering an investment that they should not do so if they’re not prepared to lose the entire amount they would put in.

Having said that, we have been extremely encouraged by the outpouring of support and belief that has come through this community round. We feel a strong sense of duty to build Substack into something truly great. Substack is much more than the collective efforts of the employees of the company—it’s a movement that draws on many thousands of writers and creators, and their many millions of subscribers. It’s a joint effort to make a better internet.

We’re at the start of that journey now, and we are so grateful, and energized, to have thousands of writers and readers with us as part owners in this enterprise. Thank you, again and always, for your belief. Let’s do amazing things together.