If you haven’t heard the news, TechCrunch has a shiny new home. After years under the ownership of Yahoo — which, in turn, is backed by Apollo Group — the brand is now in fresh hands. Its new parent company: Regent, a dynamic private equity firm with a diverse portfolio spanning media, retail, and manufacturing. Regent was founded 12 years ago by Michael Reinstein, a personable one-time startup founder who quickly realized he might have a brighter future as a PE executive and who has an undeniable passion for TechCrunch.
While the financial terms remain undisclosed, one thing is clear: Regent is acquiring an iconic brand. TechCrunch isn’t just a tech news site; it’s the most influential voice chronicling innovation in Silicon Valley and beyond. Getting featured in TechCrunch has long been a rite of passage for startups, but our mission extends far beyond the industry insiders who make up our core readership. We aim to give absolutely everyone a front-row seat to the future of technology. Whether you’re a founder, an investor, or someone who is curious about how tech is reshaping the world, we help you to see what’s next by reporting the news, then putting the pieces together to share the bigger picture.
The best part: This deal is structured to ensure minimal disruption to TechCrunch’s operations. You can almost think of it more like a software update rather than a system overhaul. In San Francisco and New York, we’ll be moving into new offices leased by Regent. (Goodbye, Financial District; hello, SoMa!) And Yahoo isn’t severing ties entirely — it’s keeping a small interest in the company. (What can we say? It’s hard to let go of TechCrunch.) Relatedly, my personal thanks to Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone, who has been an incredible mentor and sounding board and to whom I’m deeply grateful.
But here’s what really matters: The same team of expert journalists you know and trust will continue bringing you the must-read stories of the tech world. Without a doubt, this is the strongest TechCrunch team we’ve ever had, and we’ve been fortunate to work with some amazing talent over the years.
TechCrunch has been at the heart of Silicon Valley since Michael Arrington and Keith Teare founded it in 2005. With the ongoing support of our readers and advertisers, we’ve covered every major tech trend, every billionaire brawl, and every industry shake-up. And we’re just getting started. Many of the founders and executives we’ve written about over the years are now shaping policies in Washington, and we’ll be right there, reporting on what happens next.
Yahoo decided to sell TechCrunch because, in the end, our DNA is simply different from the rest of its portfolio. While Yahoo Sports, Yahoo News, and Yahoo Finance excel at aggregation, TechCrunch has always been about original reporting and news analysis. The timing of the sale also makes sense. While much of the news industry has been punched in the face by a host of challenges — from AI-generated summaries to Twitter’s evolution into X — TechCrunch has bucked the trend over the last year, steadily regrowing its readership. Our secret? We put readers first, deliver must-know news without bias, and showcase the wild, often ridiculous, human side of the tech world.
As close followers of TechCrunch already know, this isn’t our first rodeo when it comes to new ownership (we all still have swag from AOL and Verizon). But what mattered most in this transition was ensuring that our team retains the freedom and support to do what we do best. With Regent, we have exactly that.
So to Yahoo, thank you for standing by us through some tougher times. And to Regent, we love your enthusiasm for what we do and we’re excited to embark on this next chapter with you. Now, let’s do this thang.
P.S. Yes, our StrictlyVC brand is part of the overall package, and by the way, our first event of the year in San Francisco takes place in a few weeks, with SF Mayor Daniel Lurie, Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour, Forerunner founder Kirsten Green, and others. Don’t wait to sign up; we’re nearly sold out.
