Forbes veteran Alex Konrad launches Upstarts Media, a founder-focused startup journalism outlet on Substack

Summary

Alex Konrad is leaving Forbes after 12 years to launch Upstarts Media, a founder-focused startup journalism outlet publishing on Substack. Mainstream tech media has drifted toward big-tech politics and Washington, leaving the founder-journey storytelling that defined Konrad's career largely unserved. His cover profiles of Melanie Perkins at Canva, the Collison brothers at Stripe, and Assaf Rappaport at Wiz represent the type of work he wants to continue.

Editorial positioning

Konrad frames Upstarts as pro-founder but independent. VC relationships won't translate into favorable coverage of portfolio companies, and he will ask uncomfortable questions. He draws a clear line at punching down on early-stage startups. TechCrunch, by contrast, is caught between wanting to be where founders announce rounds and wanting to run investigative takedowns, a tension Konrad sees as unresolved after its private equity sale.

Business model

Konrad is bootstrapping initially to test product-market fit. He plans to publish twice a week on Substack, with one free edition per week subsidized by brand partners. Brex is signed as the launch partner. A live video interview series with founders launches next week, and a podcast is on the longer-term roadmap.

Konrad chose Substack over competitors like Beehive primarily because other journalists and startup-curious readers are already concentrated there, which he sees as a distribution advantage and potential for cross-promotion. Beehive is technically impressive, and he acknowledges Substack needs to improve its own product.

The broader media landscape

Konrad's launch reflects a structural gap rather than a contrarian bet. The outlets that defined startup coverage, TechCrunch and VentureBeat, have either changed hands or lost focus. The audience for founder storytelling remains, but the supply has thinned. Whether a solo bootstrapped Substack can fill that void at scale remains unclear. Konrad is treating the venture the way he would any early-stage bet: build in public, publish consistently, and let the product find its readers.