May 25
Momentum Builds: New Partnerships, Pitch Wins, and Product Progress
New Publishing Partner: LinkNKY Joins Content Credits
We’re thrilled to welcome LinkNKY as the latest publishing partner on the Content
Credits platform. Based in Northern Kentucky, LinkNKY delivers vital local coverage that
keeps the community informed and connected — exactly the kind of journalism Content
Credits was built to support. Together, we’re working on a customized implementation
of our platform that meets their unique operational needs while maintaining the flexible,
reader-first model at our core. This partnership marks another step towards proving that
pay-per-article access can work for newsrooms of all sizes, and we’re excited to launch
with LinkNKY soon.
Content Credits Wins First Place at PitchForce
We’re thrilled to announce that Content Credits took first place at PitchForce, a
competitive pitch event showcasing emerging startups. Contestants presented a slide
along with a 4-minute tightly timed pitch, followed by 4 minutes of panel Q&A and direct
feedback from all panelists. As part of our prize, we received a $5,000 business
valuation package from Eqvista — a trusted provider of 409A valuations, cap table
management tools and startup financial services. This valuation will support our ongoing
conversations with angels and early-stage VCs, providing a credible benchmark for our
next fundraising steps and solidifying pricing for future capital rounds. It’s another sign
of momentum — and validation that the market sees real potential in the Content
Credits model.
Institutional Relationships Strengthen Access
In addition to expanding our publisher network, we’re growing our connections with key
academic and library institutions. Recent engagement includes ongoing conversations
and pilot discussions with the University of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky University,
University of Kentucky, St. Leo University, Kenton County Public Library, and the
University of the Cumberlands. These relationships are essential for building trust and
providing equitable access to local journalism in educational settings. As we continue to
broaden our institutional partnerships, we’re also reinforcing Content Credits as a
platform that serves not only individuals, but entire learning communities.
Improvements
● Publisher Portal In Development: We’re actively developing a Publisher Portal
that will give participating newsrooms real-time insight into how their content is
performing on the Content Credits platform. This dashboard will include metrics
like article reads, revenue earned, and user engagement patterns. This will give
publishers the data they need to optimize their strategy and better understand
their digital audience. Our goal is to make the experience as transparent and actionable as possible, helping our partners thrive in a rapidly changing media
landscape.
● Enhanced Dashboards and Streamlined Navigation: We’ve rolled out updated
dashboard views for both publishers and readers, designed to make the Content
Credits experience more intuitive and data rich. Publishers can now easily track
performance and revenue insights through a simplified layout, while readers
benefit from a cleaner interface that makes it easier to manage credits and
access their article history. We also made thoughtful changes to site navigation
to improve usability across the board. These upgrades are part of our ongoing
commitment to delivering a user experience that’s smart, simple and scalable.
What’s Next
● Investor Conversations and PitchForce Momentum: April turned out to be an
exciting month on the fundraising front. We continued active conversations with
investors, including Pointe Angels, CincyTech, and PitchForce. These
conversations are critical to fueling our next phase of product development and
market expansion. We’re optimistic about the momentum we’re building with
investors who understand the importance of reinventing digital content access,
and we look forward to sharing more updates soon.
● Gearing Up for SubSummit: At the end of May, we’ll be attending SubSummit
2024 in Dallas, TX (May 28–30). This is one of the largest gatherings focused on
the subscription and recurring revenue economy. We’ve scheduled one-on-one
meetings with key decision-makers from top media organizations. These
conversations are an opportunity to continue expanding our publisher network
and demonstrate how the Content Credits model can support both innovation
and sustainability in digital publishing.
● Preparing Our Data Room with Fidelity: In parallel, we’re finalizing the setup of
our Data Room with Fidelity, a key step as we move further into conversations
with angels and VCs. This will provide prospective investors with the financial
transparency and documentation needed to evaluate opportunities with
confidence. Whether you’re a publisher interested in per-article monetization or
an investor aligned with our mission, we’re always open to connecting.