The Information is seeking a reporter to break news and write deeply reported features on venture capital and startups from our San Francisco headquarters. This is a job that cuts to the heart of what makes Silicon Valley tick: investments in young companies that hold the promise of world-changing products and fabulous wealth for their backers but could easily go up in smoke.
Venture capital and startup investing is at a crossroads. After investors raced to back the next Airbnb or Doordash during the pandemic, funding has dried up and a dormant IPO market has pushed off long-expected payouts. Powerful VC firms are nursing wounds from wrong-way bets on crypto and after giving unfathomable valuations and capital to fintech and “AI” startups with questionable businesses. Founders are trying to adjust to a market that became unforgiving to many cash-burning startups.
The Information’s reporters have kept readers two steps ahead of the changes ricocheting through venture crypto during a tumultuous three years. We’ve broken the news of OpenAI’s funding from Microsoft, Sequoia Capital’s FTX relationship and Tiger Global’s declining returns. We’ve exposed the business setbacks at once buzzy startups such as Fast and Bolt and reported on the management shortfalls at high-valued startups such as Gopuff and Patreon. We’ve also taken readers inside the powerful VC firms behind their rise, from Tiger Global Management to Benchmark.
The candidate for this job will enjoy chasing deals and collaborating with our other reporters to confirm tips and break news. They will also want to dig into a VC firm or startup or founder for long-form features. They’ll have an eye for details that capture the zeitgeist of investing and startups, whether it’s the return of due diligence, disappearing term sheets, or newfound FOMO for generative AI. And they’ll relish learning about the intricacies of startup financing—from “double-barrelled RSUs” to liquidity preferences—and translating them for a broad audience.
The candidate will have a keen interest in the business of technology and The Information’s mission. And they’ll want to take their reporting to the next level by working with a team of friendly, top-notch journalists who are eager to share tips and advice on their craft with colleagues. We will consider candidates earlier in their career as well as experienced journalists who want to shape their beat around the most important stories.
Responsibilities:
- Break news about VC deals, including funds, performance, and leadership
- Write in-depth profiles of the most important people and trends
- Contribute to editorial products such as org charts
- Keep and cultivate relationships with trusted sources
Requirements:
- At least one year of business reporting experience
- A track record of original reporting in business, technology or politics
- Ability to cultivate sources and develop a beat
- Familiarity with major developments in tech and finance over the last three years
- Bachelor’s degree
- The ability to work out of The Information’s San Francisco office. Willing to provide a relocation stipend for the right candidate.
To apply, go here.
