From smartphones to smart homes, our world is dramatically changing.
But while most tech publications report on the minutiae of Apple’s Watch, multimillion dollar startup funding or the latest over-hyped app, very few tell you why these developments matter.
When I launched Tech City News in 2013, it quickly became the leading title for startups in London and picked up News Website of the Year at the Lovie Awards, beating both the FT and Huffington Post.
I’m so proud of what the Tech City News team achieved, and I learned a hell of a lot. And now feels like the perfect time for me to put my own stake in the ground.
Over the past 18 months I’ve been lucky enough to travel, experiencing first hand the ways technology makes a positive difference to people’s lives — but I’ve felt increasingly dissatisfied with how these stories are surfaced and discussed.
I’ve seen ambitious projects like Hong Kong’s Cyberport, with its 1 million square feet of space and Marseille’s multi-billion dollar regeneration. Both reflect the sheer scale of technological change out there, and the urgent need for lucid, intelligent, down-to-earth debate about what that change means — for business and society.
Our mission
I care about sustainable journalism. This has never been more timely with the news that GigaOM, a pioneering tech news site, is closing down. And yet with digital businesses predicted to account for 12% of Britain’s GDP by next year, all the signs point to growing demand.
The Memo is the magazine I’ve always dreamed of building. It will explain what matters, telling the stories behind technological change and its impact on our lives.
Our mission at The Memo will be to build a sustainable model that does not compromise on editorial integrity or quality.
To do this, we’ve also launched Creative Agenda, a new agency offering branding, photography, print and video production. In order to protect ourselves from editorial bias, we won’t offer any communications or PR services through our agency.
The Memo will be a new kind of magazine for forward-thinking people who are curious about the future, but don’t read the tech press. Positioned between Wired and the Economist, The Memo offers an accessible view into the rapidly changing world of business. One that isn’t male-centric, geeky, jargon-filled or reactionary. And we may encourage wit and playfulness, but we won’t pander to clickbait.
Our team
At the heart of any great magazine is its community of thinkers and writers. I’m thrilled to announce Oliver Smith, who joins us from City AM, as our talented senior reporter. He will work alongside our eclectic group of associate editors including Adam Westbrook, Molly Flatt, Chris Woodcock and Guy Levin.
Each of our associate editors will manage sections of The Memo across four specialist areas of interest including finance, publishing, the arts and public policy.
Our home
We’re based at Second Home, recently described by the Evening Standard as “the workplace of the future”.
It’s London’s most beautiful place to work, co-founded by Rohan Silva and Sam Aldenton, two of the most influential people in tech.
Created by the award-winning architects SelgasCano, our neighbours at Second Home include Foursquare, TaskRabbit, Artsy, General Assembly, SurveyMonkey and Santander’s $100m fintech fund.
If you haven’t had the chance to visit Second Home, come and visit us.
Our future
Right now we’re focussing on building the best publishing platform possible with our talented team of developers.
We will deliver a series of newsletters from launch, curating the best of the web and from our community of writers. Look out for a number of new video series and events, hosted at Second Home.
The Memo launches this April and we want to hear what you want from the new magazine. If you want to be the first to try it out, we’re welcoming registrations for our beta trial.
For the latest updates, follow us on Twitter or Facebook.
