TechCrunch reporter O’Hear leaving for grocery startup

Steve O’Hear, a senior reporter at TechCrunch, is leaving the site to become vice president of strategy at grocery startup Zapp.

Isabel Woodford at Sifted writes, “Donning his trademark hat, and tapping an enviable contact book, O’Hear has covered an entire generation of UK startups — penning some of the first articles about the likes of Monzo and Transferwise.

“With over 10 and a half years at TechCrunch he has watched the UK tech ecosystem grow up, with venture funding into the sector climbing from €690m in 2011 to $15bn last year.

“Leaving journalism has been ‘the hardest decision’ of his life, the 45-year-old tells Sifted, but adds there’s also a quiet relief to exiting the public sphere. ‘I was always scared I would be fired for my tweets,’ he jokes. ‘A decade’s a long time.’

“His coverage has attracted fans from across the industry over the years. ‘He was the preeminent voice in the tech scene,’ Monzo founder Tom Blomfield tells Sifted. ‘He had such credibility. He wasn’t going to write a puff piece.'”

Read more here.