TechCrunch has a new owner: Yahoo sold the tech-news site to investment company Regent for an undisclosed amount.
The announcement of deal comes a day after news that Regent acquired Foundry, home of PCWorld, Macworld, InfoWorld, CIO, TechAdvisor and other tech publications, from International Data Group (IDG).
Financial terms of the deals for TechCrunch and Foundry were not disclosed. Yahoo is holding on to a small stake in TechCrunch, according to Connie Loizos, TechCrunch’s editor in chief and general manager. The deal for TechCrunch is expected to close “in the coming weeks,” Yahoo and Regent said. Yahoo retains ownership of Engadget, another tech-oriented news site.
TechCrunch publishes news, podcasts, newsletters and videos about the tech world and hosts several in-person and virtual events throughout the year, including its flagship Disrupt conference and TC Early Stage.
In a post Friday, TechCrunch’s Loizos, wrote that the 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.” TechCrunch will move into new offices In San Francisco and New York leased by Regent, Loizos said. But she signaled that there would be no significant staffing changes, writing, “The same team of expert journalists you know and trust will continue bringing you the must-read stories of the tech world.”
In a statement, Regent said: “We’re excited to bring TechCrunch and Foundry into our portfolio. TechCrunch has been the number one publisher for all things startups since its founding in 2005, and we’re thrilled to expand its reach as it provides breaking technology news, opinions, and analysis on tech companies worldwide to our audience.”
Yahoo said in a statement: “TechCrunch has consistently stood out as a distinguished component of Yahoo’s portfolio, renowned for its original reporting, incisive analysis, and comprehensive industry coverage, distinct from our broader focus on news aggregation and innovative tools for users. We believe this next chapter under Regent can help maintain TechCrunch’s influence and support its continued growth.”
Yahoo added that the company “looks forward to a continued collaboration with Regent and TechCrunch, built upon a long-term partnership focused on expanding audience reach, fostering innovative content development, and creating mutual financial growth.”
Regent, based in Beverly Hills, focuses on acquiring businesses across diverse sectors including retail, luxury, media, technology, automotive and industrial. Its media portfolio comprises newspapers and magazines including Sunset, Defense News, Military Times and broadcaster Cheddar TV.
TechCrunch was acquired in 2010 by AOL for $25 million. Verizon subsequently acquired both Yahoo and AOL and merged their brands under the Yahoo umbrella; in 2021, Verizon sold Yahoo for $5 billion to private-equity firm Apollo Global.
Yahoo’s other brands include Yahoo News, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Search and AOL.
According to Loizos, 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.” She also claimed that 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.”
