Fatherly Site Raises $4M To Expand Video, Events

Fatherly, a parenting site targeting millennial dads, will use the $4 million raised to develop original video series, launch podcasts and create experiential events.

Fatherly wants to double its editorial and video output by creating new franchises around verticals that have been “over-performing,” a spokesperson told Publishers Daily. 

The spokesperson said science and health articles, in particular, perform two to three times better than other beats. Fatherly’s celebrity and product-related stories are also popular.

Stories on the site range from a warning about toxic plastic toys to a line of diaper bags for dads. Editorial is also organized by different ages and stages in a child’s life.

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Last summer, GMC sponsored a branded-content series Fatherly produced around the theme “940 Weekends.” That's the number of weekends dads have with their kids before they turn 18 and go to college. The series gives dads ideas of fun weekend activities to do with their children.

And last month,Fatherly co-sponsored a campaign by baby-carrier maker BabyBjörn, which featured videos on real dads and their kids.

Fatherly has 30 full-time employees. It plans to hire across all departments, as well as focus on building a strong product and tech team. The company makes revenue from a combination of native ads and custom content.

Fatherly says it beat its full 2017 revenue goal of $5 million by July.

The company’s first event, Father of the Year Awards, will take place November 1. The event will be sponsored and free to attendees. It will celebrate the men and women who have gone “above and beyond for families, communities and children,” the spokesperson said.

The Series A venture funding was led by BDMI, owned by media company Bertelsmann, as well as talent agency UTA. SoftTech VC, Crosslink and Lerer Hippeau Ventures also participated in the round.

Fortune, which first reported the news, says the Fatherly site draws in 3.5 million monthly unique visitors.

Fatherly is headquartered in New York and has offices in Los Angeles and Chicago.

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