Announcing Attention Capital
Attention Capital is a company that buys, builds and scales media brands and the technologies that power them. It’s built and operated on the core thesis that:
The industry of attention is the largest and fastest-growing segment of the global economy. There are massive inefficiencies in how people’s attention is being extracted and traded in today’s market (ad fraud, fracking for attention and fake accounts). Properly valuing people’s attention represents the largest investment opportunity in the next decade.
The opportunity lies in two main categories of businesses that will help create better curation layers for people:
Media Brands: Brands that have permission to curate or foster community. These brands build trust with people. (Think Tribeca. Read more about that here.) In a world where more “content” is created every minute than can be consumed in a lifetime, curation is king.
Media Technologies: Technologies that power premium media brands. Technologies that can better measure real attention and create better currencies (think MOAT, the measurement and analytics tool). Technologies that properly value people’s attention and advantage quality content monetization (think true[X], the leading engagement advertising platform) Technologies that allow people to optimize how they spend their attention (think new media operating systems, like an updated “TV Guide”).
What we are doing isn’t new. Build strong brands around the vision of the founders. Provide support in technology, partnerships, revenue diversification and expansion both geographically and into new business lines. What is different is the rules by which brands, especially media brands, must be built and operated.
Ok. But, why Attention Capital? And who the heck are we?
Joe Marchese: Multiple time founder, most recently a top Fox executive and founding partner of Human Ventures
Nick Bell: Multiple time founder, most recently VP of Content at Snap
Ashlyn Gentry: Most recently an SVP at Palantir
We are made up of multiple time founders balanced with experience driving change from inside, and outside, some of the largest companies in the world. A founder first vision. A team with a mix of best-in-class branding, marketing, product, distributions, data, and operations. And from those different vantage points, we all came to the same realization: the attention economy is broken, ads are fake, tech is addictive and brands are decaying to compete on platforms. This is all to the detriment of good ideas, good brands, good founders, good innovation.
We’re a leadership team that has deep domain expertise — it’s a mix we all wish we had at our various businesses. It’s the mix of support we want to give to every brand we get behind. It is “on the ground” help that can get things done. A network of talent that can shine in the right roles. Deep roots in the start-up communities. Strong connections to the media and advertising industry. If set to the task, we know we can help unblock company visions.
