Private Media and Pinstripe Media join forces to serve Australia’s small business and startup economy
Private Media, publisher of SmartCompany, today announced its acquisition of Pinstripe Media, combining two of Australia’s leading independent media networks focused on small businesses, startups and entrepreneurs.
Pinstripe Media’s network includes Startup Daily, Flying Solo, Business Builders (formerly Kochie’s Business Builders), and consumer finance title Your Money & Your Life. The combined group brings together deeply complementary capabilities — daily business journalism, specialist creative services, events, TV production, and a shared commitment to helping Australian businesses succeed.
“Australia’s economy depends on the drive of small and medium-sized businesses, startups, and scale-ups. Together, they generate more than half of GDP and employ the majority of Australians,” said Will Hayward, CEO of Private Media.
“But they remain underserved by traditional media. We’ve both been focused on informing, inspiring and supporting this community for over a decade — this combination allows us to do so at a greater scale, with more resources, and across more platforms.”
The enlarged network will offer advertisers and partners a unique, streamlined way to reach Australia’s vibrant community of entrepreneurs, sole traders, startups and SMEs. Brands will now be able to access a single suite of services: from high-impact digital media and editorial content to TV sponsorship, events, and best-in-class first-party data and creative services. Private Media clients will also benefit from access to Pinstripe’s bespoke content agency offering.
“We’re creating an ecosystem where advertisers have a compelling reason to invest — one place to reach this audience across digital, social, TV, events and more. And we will also be focused on growing audience revenue, with new subscription offers and events programming.”
AJ Koch, managing director of Pinstripe Media, added:
“We’ve always believed in building authentic relationships with Australia’s business community. By joining forces with Private Media, we can scale that mission, deliver even greater value to clients and audiences, and unlock new opportunities for our teams. This is an opportunity for our people to do their best work at an even greater scale.”
SmartCompany, Business Builders, Startup Daily, and Flying Solo will retain their editorial independence and brand identities, but will work together wherever it creates more value for audiences and partners. David Koch will take a role as strategic adviser to the business, and will continue to act as a presenter and commentator on the network
This partnership cements the combined group as Australia’s leading network for those who work for themselves, run a small business, or are part of a startup or scale-up — and as the default partner for brands looking to engage this essential and dynamic segment of the Australian economy.
About Private Media
Private Media is the publisher of Crikey, The Mandarin and SmartCompany. As one of Australia’s leading independent media businesses, Private Media has been committed to the value of public interest journalism since it was founded over 20 years ago.
About Pinstripe Media
Pinstripe Media is a specialist small business, startup, and consumer finance media and content business, dedicated to helping aspirational Australians become more successful. Its media titles span digital publishing to free-to-air TV, events and podcasts, including Business Builders (formerly Kochie’s Business Builders), Startup Daily, Flying Solo, and Your Money & Your Life. It also operates a creative content agency servicing tech scaleups to global brands with strategy, production, and creative content services.
AJ Koch
Responsible for overseeing content production, advertising and operations, AJ has grown Pinstripe Media from a small family business to a 25-person strong enterprise. With a background in TV production, journalism and media, AJ has proven skills in creating engaging content that connects with business owners. He's also fluent in Spanish and has a penchant for Mexican food and top shelf tequila.