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ARIANNA HUFFINGTON TO LAUNCH NEW STARTUP: THRIVE
By Larry Scheinfeld
OVER A DECADE AFTER BIRTHING ONE OF THE
INTERNET’S MOST POPULAR AND WIDE-
REACHING NEWS OUTLETS, ARIANNA
HUFFINGTON IS LOOKING TO TRY HER HANDS AT A
NEW VENTURE.
BLOOMBERG REPORTS
HUFFINGTON IS PREPARING TO
LAUNCH A NEW COMPANY KNOWN
AS THRIVE.
THE STARTUP WILL FOCUS ON HEALTH AND WELLNESS, AND WILL DERIVE THE MAJORITY OF ITS CONTENT FROM
CELEBRITY CONTRIBUTORS AND
BLOGGERS.
Photo source: www.oprah.com
IT WILL ALSO LOOK TO PROVIDE OTHER
COMPANIES WITH CONSULTATION SERVICES AND EDUCATIONAL
WORKSHOPS AND EMPLOYEE WELL-
BEING.Photo source: mindvalleyacademy.com
THRIVE BUSINESS MODEL
ACCORDING TO BLOOMBERG’S ANONYMOUS SOURCES,
HUFFINGTON IS CONSIDERING VARIOUS BUSINESS MODELS
FOR THE STARTUP, INCLUDING ADVERTISING AND
CONFERENCES, AS WELL AS A POSSIBLE SUBSCRIPTION-
BASED PROGRAM FOR COMPANIES.
Photo source: www.wnyc.org
“ One source said, “Thrive will look to arrange classes for corporate clients to improve their employees’ well-being and productivity, while helping them retain talent.”
THE HUFFINGTON POST
HUFFINGTON HAS ENJOYED ENORMOUS SUCCESS FROM HER
LEFT-LEANING MEDIA COMPANY, THE HUFFINGTON
POST. Photo source: thedianerehmshow.org
THE BRAND WAS SOLD TO AOL IN 2011
FOR $315 MILLION, THOUGH HUFFINGTON
HAS REMAINED PRESIDENT AND
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF.
SOURCES SAID VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC., WHO ACQUIRED AOL IN
2011, HAS GRANTED HUFFINGTON PERMISSION TO LAUNCH THRIVE WHILE
MAINTAINING HER TITLE AT THE HUFFINGTON POST.
Photo source: www.zimbio.com
HUFFINGTON HAS STATED THAT THE NEW
COMPANY WILL BE RUN BY A SEPARATE
MANAGEMENT TEAM, AND WILL NOT DISTRACT
FROM HER CURRENT ROLE AT THE POST.
Photo source: adexchanger.com
“Thrive is “not a media venture. The goal will be to provide workshops, e-courses and certification programs to companies around the world. The workshops will be tailored for businesses to drive organizational success, built on the latest scientific findings which prove that the health and well-being of employees and the health of the bottom line are strongly connected.”
-Ariana Huffington, Business Insider
INSPIRING PUBLICATIONS
THE STARTUP IS INSPIRED BY HUFFINGTON’S 2014
PUBLISHED TITLE, “THRIVE: THE THIRD METRIC TO
REDEFINING SUCCESS AND CREATING A LIFE OF WELL-
BEING, WISDOM, AND WONDER,” AS WELL AS ITS
FOLLOW-UP, “THE SLEEP REVOLUTION.”
IN THE BOOKS, HUFFINGTON STRESSES
THE IMPORTANCE OF BALANCING WORK WITH
REST AND THE ESSENTIAL ENJOYMENTS THAT LIFE
HAS TO OFFER. SHE ALSO SEEKS TO REDEFINE THE
MEANING OF SUCCESS IN TODAY’S SOCIETY.
THE IMPORTANCE THAT HUFFINGTON PLACES ON EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND
RECUPERATION IS SUCH THAT SHE HELPED INTRODUCED
“NAP ROOMS” TO THE WORK OFFICES AT THE HUFFINGTON
POST AND AOL AND HAS EVEN OFFERED HER OWN BED
FOR RESTING AS A PART OF AN AIRBNB CONTEST.
Photo source: www.dailymail.co.uk
““There is this kind of founder myth that if you are a founder you can’t afford to get enough sleep.”
-Huffington in an interview with TechCrunch
““The truth is three-quarters of startups fail and if founders got more sleep they’d have a better chance of succeeding.”
- Huffington in an interview with TechCrunch
VENTURE CAPITAL
THRIVE WILL BE BACKED BY VENTURE CAPITAL
FIRM LERER HIPPEAU, WHOSE MANAGING
DIRECTOR KEN LERER CO-FOUNDED THE
HUFFINGTON POST IN 2005.
Photo: Eric Hippeau, partner at Lerer Ventures and former chief executive officer of The Huffington Post (Source: lererhippeau.com)
LERER IS ALSO A CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF
THRILLIST MEDIA GROUP AND HAS
INVESTED IN SUCCESSFUL
COMPANIES SUCH AS WARBY PARKER AND
BUZZFEED INC.
Image source: www.crainsnewyork.com
LAST YEAR, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
REPORTED THAT LERER HIPPEAU WAS HEAVILY
INTERESTED IN “SOFTWARE-AS-A-
SERVICE COMPANIES,” PARTICULARLY THOSE FOCUSED ON HR AND
HEALTH-CARE.Half of the firm’s investments
are devoted to such ventures.
JACK MA, CO-FOUNDER OF THE CHINESE
ONLINE SHOPPING GIANT ALIBABA, HAS
ALSO AGREED TO INVEST IN
HUFFINGTON’S STARTUP.
MA’S E-COMMERCE SITE SURPASSED
WALMART AS THE WORLD’S LARGEST RETAILER EARLIER
THIS YEAR.Photo source: www.forbes.com
“I became an evangelist for sleep 7 years ago when I collapses after my own wake up call from exhaustion and sleep deprivation. That’s when I started reimagining my life and the first habit that I changed was how much sleep I got.” - Arianna Huffington
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➤ Larry Scheinfeld, co-founder and partner at Zelkova Ventures, concentrates most of his time working with current portfolio companies deciding strategic funding and customer acquisition plans. Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors for Starlight Foundation, an organization offering quality of life programs for seriously and terminally ill children. In his free time, Larry takes pleasure in the Arts, golfing, and fitness training. He lives with his family in Palm Beach, Florida.
