In what seems like an offbeat strategy, the Atlanta-based email marketing platform Mailchimp, has acquired the seven-year-old Courier, a small London-based magazine for entrepreneurs and small business.
Founded by Jeff Taylor, Courier’s 12-person team produces a bi-monthly magazine, podcast and events. The publisher describes it as “the defining media brand for a new generation who want to live and work on their own terms.”
Courier reports on modern business and startup culture from around the world. Launched in 2013 as a free paper, it has since grown to a claimed worldwide readership of over 100k in 26 countries. The company is believed to have revenue of some £2-3m and is profitable.
In many ways, Courier has the individuality, style, and freshness of Tyler Brûlé’s Monocle.
Terms of the Mailchimp acquisition have not been disclosed. Presumably, it may treat Courier as subtle content marketing for the small business people targeted by both companies. Even before the acquisition, they had been collaborating on emailing subscribers with newsletters to complement the print edition.
Taylor, who will continue to be editor-in-chief of Courier under its new ownership, was the former CMO and co-founder of INQ, a mobile handset business.
