A Boulder media company is growing its footprint in the active lifestyle space, raising $150 million in equity funding to fuel five acquisitions.
Pocket Outdoor Media today announced acquisitions that will expand the company’s audience and range of coverage. The deals add Outside Integrated Media, Outside TV, Gaia GPS, athleteReg and Peloton magazine to the company’s growing media portfolio.
To back these acquisitions, Pocket Outdoor announced the closing of a $150M Series B round from Sequoia Heritage, JAZZ Ventures, Zone 5 Ventures and NEXT Ventures.
The company aims to create a platform whose scale across television, mobile, desktop and print is “unparalleled in the outdoor, endurance, fitness, and wellness markets,” a spokesperson told Denver Business Journal and Colorado Inno.
The company also announced that it has changed its name from Pocket Outdoor Media to Outside in a corresponding move.
“This is a transformational day for our company and our customers,” Robin Thurston, CEO of the new Outside, said in a statement. “Everything we do is driven by a belief that a hike, run, ride, or yoga practice can change your life, and these new brands will help us fulfill our mission to build the world’s best consumer experience across a wide range of activities.”
The new acquisitions join existing brands such as SKI, Yoga Journal, Women’s Running, Triathlete, Backpacker, Climbing, Clean Eating, VeloNews, Trail Runner, FinisherPix, Warren Miller Entertainment and more.
“With these moves, we can now deliver world-class content 24/7 to almost every home in America across every platform, screen, and device,” Thurston added.
The acquisitions will add 185 employees to the newly-formed Outside, bringing the company’s total employment to 450. The company will have 155 employees spread between Denver and Boulder and the new businesses will continue operating out of their existing locations
For Outside, the acquisitions bring new offerings to the company’s Active Pass membership, a $99 per year subscription that gives consumers access to premium digital content, print subscriptions, event entries, books, gear discounts, a personalized feed and interactive experiences.
