Top 15 Startup Newsletters Like Failory

Did you know that 9 out of 10 new startups won’t make it? And that 10% don’t survive past their first year? With stats like that, it’s no surprise that startup newsletters like Failory are incredibly popular.

Failory, whose name is short for failure + story, is a weekly deep dive into which startups are failing, and why. Thousands of entrepreneurs and founders trust publications like Failory to help them learn from the mistakes of others.

According to data from Paved, readers who subscribe to Failory have the following demographics:

• •Founders, C-level execs, and thought leaders in startups.
• •Small business owners and people who are interested in starting a business.
• •Investors and business enthusiasts interested in crowdfunding.

Previous advertisers who’ve seen success with Failory include:

• •SaaS companies like Monday.com and ActiveCampaign
• •UX and digital design tools like Pendo.io and Around.io
• •Compliance platforms like Vanta and Drata
• •Startup fundraising tools like On Deck
• •Cutting-edge tech and AI newsletters like Human Future Journal

15 Best Startup Newsletters like Failory

As with Failory, there are many fantastic newsletters in this genre:

• •Company Forensics
• •Starter Story
• •Short Squeez
• •Trends.VC
• •Open Scout
• •The Growth Newsletter
• •Femstreet
• •Startup Curated
• •Napkin Math
• •Startup Buffer
• •Hacker News Digest
• •SaaSFix
• •Scott Clary's Newsletter
• •Work "After" Work
• •Building Momentum

These 15 startup newsletters have a similar audience profile, plus data-packed teardowns and deep dives into business growth strategies.

Let's explore each one in more detail.

1. Slidebean’s Company Forensics

Over 100K subscribers

Company Forensics is a weekly email series that covers success and failure stories from venture-backed startups. This publication keeps thousands of founders and CEOs up-to-date by sharing in-depth news, stats, and relevant threads from social media.

The Audience:

• •Slidebean’s audience comprises 140,000+ entrepreneurs, founders, early-stage business owners, and those who dream about the next big thing.

Sponsor Company Forensics

2. Starter Story

Over 100K subscribers

Much like Failory, Starter Story covers valuable tips and lessons from successful founders. It features founder case studies, analysis, and product recommendations intended for business owners and entrepreneurs.

The Audience:

• •Small business founders, marketers, agencies, investors, e-commerce & SaaS founders, and creators.
• •Location Data: 38% US | 22% India | 9% UK
• •Demographics: 63% ages 18-34 | 38% founder or business owner | 42% key decision maker for their company

Sponsor Starter Story

3. Short Squeez

Hundreds of thousands of subscribers

Short Squeez is a weekday email newsletter that delivers business and tech news, stock picks, curated articles, and recommendations– all with a fun twist and a sprinkling of memes. Its affluent subscriber base consists of the next generation of business leaders who rely on Short Squeez for insights, entertainment, and product recommendations to enhance their professional lives.

The Audience:

• •Investment bankers
• •Private equity/hedge fund professionals
• •Institutional investors
• •Startup founders
• •Venture capitalists
• •Consultants

Sponsor Short Squeez

4. Trends.vc

Tens of thousands of subscribers

Recommended by none other than Failory’s founder, Nico Cerdeira, Trends.vc combs the web for the best startup news and market research. Each email roundup distills the latest research and case studies into a no-fluff summary that takes 5 minutes or less to read. Popular topics include no-code, micro-SaaS, venture capital, paid newsletter subscriptions, agencies, and online courses.

The Audience:

• •Investors and founders of internet companies.
• •This includes agency owners, SaaS founders, consultants, recruiters, and more.

Sponsor Trends.vc

5. Open Scout

Tens of thousands of subscribers

Founded in 2022, Open Scout is a weekly newsletter dedicated to helping both investors and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and beyond. Every week, the team curates the best startups in the world, from early-stage companies to those who are in first-round review.

The Audience:

• •Readers include investors at Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital & more
• •Mostly individuals in key decision-making roles—from managers and execs at large companies to founders of startups, to investors working in the ecosystem.

Sponsor Open Scout

6. The Growth Newsletter

Tens of thousands of subscribers

Every week, the team at Demand Curve writes The Growth Newsletter to break down the strategies fast-growing startups use to grow. In just a few short years, the newsletter gained the trust of tens of thousands of marketers and founders through their dedication to high-quality content.

The Audience:

• •Made up of mostly founders/executives and marketing professionals
• •Primarily in the startup and tech industries
• •Over 70% is from North America, primarily in the United States

Sponsor The Growth Newsletter

7. Femstreet

Tens of thousands of subscribers

Femstreet is a newsletter that helps women in tech lead, shape, and fund the future. It covers a variety of topics, including fintech, startups, and entrepreneurship. In addition to its free weekly newsletter, it also offers paid pricing that includes access to a private Slack network and tools for meeting mentors and networking.

The Audience:

• •85% female
• •Majority based in the US
• •79% between the ages of 24-44
• •70% earn $100k+ per year, 38% earn $200k+ per year

Sponsor Femstreet

8. Startup Curated

Tens of thousands of subscribers

Billed as “the startup community’s newsletter with the best content from and for founders”—this publication recently merged with Marketing BS. Its founder, Edward Nevraumont, personally curates every issue with a blend of humor and in-depth analysis.

The Audience:

• •Job titles: founders and investors.
• •Our audience is about 55% USA based, 25% EU based, and the remaining 20% is spread across the globe.
• •SUC has over 10,000 subscribers and a 30% open rate.

Sponsor Startup Curated

9. Napkin Math

Tens of thousands of subscribers

Napkin Math is a must-read newsletter focusing on business by the numbers. Common topics include startup teardowns, case studies, and productivity hacks for startup founders. Napkin Math is popular with thousands of investors, hedge fund managers, founders, and VCs.

The Audience:

• •Job titles: angel investors, hedge fund managers, venture capitalists as well as start-up founders of small and medium businesses, operators in tech with positions like managers, VPs, strategists, directors, and business executives (e.g. CEO, CTO, CFO, CMO).

Sponsor Napkin Math

10. Startup Buffer

Thousands of subscribers

Startup Buffer is an online directory where founders promote and discover new startups. The audience of its weekly digest includes entrepreneurs who want to know more information about the latest startups.

The Audience:

• •The audience is primarily made of young entrepreneurs who are trying to grow their startups.
• •They are interested in ways/tools/resources that can help achieve their goals.

Sponsor Startup Buffer

11. Hacker News Digest

Thousands of subscribers

Hacker News Digest is a daily newsletter that delivers the top 10 blog posts from https://news.ycombinator.com, a premium startup accelerator. Hacker News Digest’s audience consists of developers, tech startup entrepreneurs, and hackers. They're all very technical, entrepreneurial, or both. Previous advertisers say they got great ad CTRs with this publication.

The Audience:

• •37% from the US
• •30% from Europe

Sponsor Hacker News Digest

12. The SaaSFix Newsletter (from Future of SaaS)

Thousands of subscribers

SaaSFix is a monthly newsletter for everything SaaS-related. Thousands of readers trust this newsletter to deliver helpful hacks, inspiring content, and growth strategies for software-as-a-service startups.

The Audience:

• •64% North America, 26% Europe. 32%
• •CRM, Sales & Marketing, 14% Analytics & BI, 6% FinTech, 4% eCommerce.
• •Company size: 25% 51-200, 22% 201-500, 20% 501-1000.
• •Job roles: 5% Founder, 15% C-suite/VP, 20% Marketing/Growth, 15% Product Manager/Owner, 15% Revenue Operations.
• •Stage of growth: 6% MNCs, 24% SME, 37% Scale Up, 22% Start-Up Series A-B Funding.

Sponsor SaaSFix

13. Scott D. Clary’s Newsletter

Thousands of subscribers

Next up, Scott Clary’s newsletter aims to help people level up in their personal and professional lives, whether they want to advance their careers or start their own businesses. Each newsletter contains insights on mental models, performance, business, and entrepreneurship.

The Audience:

• •Business leaders, salespeople, entrepreneurs, marketers, and side hustlers
• •70% male, 30% female
• •The age range is between 25-40
• •The geographic breakdown is 70% USA, 20% CAD & 10% other

Sponsor Scott Clary’s Newsletter

14. Work “After” Work

Thousands of subscribers

The Work “After” Work newsletter is an easy-to-read daily update on economic trends. In terms of voice and tone, it feels a lot like Morning Brew for identifying lucrative side hustles new business ideas.

The Audience:

• •Individuals looking to grow their income
• •Individuals looking to stay up to date on business trends
• •Age Range 18-50
• •74% Male, 26% female

Sponsor Work “After” Work

15. Building Momentum

Thousands of subscribers

Effective marketing plays a major role in startup success. Building Momentum is an emerging newsletter dedicated to marketing SaaS and B2B startups. It's read by an engaged audience of product marketers and startup founders.

The Audience:

• •53% are product marketers in mid-level or higher roles.
• •Audience is majority US/UK.
• •Highly influential stakeholders in their businesses, working closely with sales, marketing, product management, and executive teams.
• •They are tech-savvy, and they care about delivering impact to their customers and business.

Sponsor Building Momentum

Find more of the best startup newsletters on Paved

Sign up as an advertiser with Paved to find more newsletters in the startup niche. Find new partners, manage multiple campaigns, and track performance results, all in one place.

To find more sponsorship opportunities, check out:

• •10 Newsletters Like Morning Brew
• •Top Fintech Newsletters
• •10 Tech Newsletters Like TL:DR
• •Top Newsletters Like The Hustle
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