ONA’s annual Start-Up Alley is where new, innovative ventures come to shine. We are thrilled to introduce you to seven pioneers joining us as part of ONA22 with tools and ideas ready to help elevate the online media space. Learn more through their short videos below about what they’re doing and why (and how!) you should make a point to connect with them at the conference.
Special thanks to our ONA22 sponsors.
BeeLine’s patented text augmentation technology — an eye-guiding color gradient applied to text — has been proven to dramatically improve audience engagement while simultaneously improving website accessibility.
Nick Lum, founder of BeeLine, will be in-person and online for ONA22. Schedule a conversation with him ahead of time via Calendly.
CatchLight is a nonprofit visual media organization that partner with news organizations through visual journalism fellowships, editorial support, and community engagement — meeting critical information needs and improving representation, especially of underserved or marginalized communities.
Three members of CatchLight’s team will be in-person and online for ONA22; email Jeremy Hay, Director of Audience and Memberships, to find a time to connect. Also, don’t miss CatchLight’s CEO, Elodie Mailliet Storm, speaking in the Midway Session Build a Visual-First Strategy for Immediate Audience Engagement taking place on Sat. Sept. 24 at 11:30 a.m. PDT.
JournoDAO is a professional network where traditional journalists who are new to Web3 can come together with Web3 natives to learn from each other. In addition to creating free educational materials to teach journalists about Web3 and Web3 folks about journalism, we are also incubating projects and tools that will be the future of journalism.
Co-founders Eric Mack and Keith Axline will be in person and online for ONA22. Schedule a time to connect via Calendly, and don’t miss their Midway session Even if Web3 Is Full of Scams, the Part That Isn’t Might Just Change Everything taking place on Thurs. Sept. 22 at 2:30 p.m. PDT.
Media Bridge Partners works to improve and transform the internal culture of news organizations and provide teams with the awareness and skills to support people from historically marginalized backgrounds within their ranks. Their suite of services include Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) consulting, training, coaching, and leadership development.
Media Bridge Partners will be in person and online for ONA22. Schedule a chat through Calendly
And! Be sure to catch the two of the partners on the following panels:
Emma Carew Grovum
- Wednesday, Sep 21, 10:30 am – Are You Ready to Transform Your Source Diversity?
- Thursday, Sep 22, 11:30 am – Inclusive and Equitable News Spaces are the Future: Four Methods To Get You Started Now
John Davidow
- Friday, Sep 23, 2:30 pm – How To Hire and Team Build in a Post-Pandemic World
- Friday, Sep 23, 11:30 am – Table Talks: There’s No “Pipeline Problem”
Stylebot is the digital journalist’s style guide, allowing everyone in your newsroom to check copy editing questions and get up-to-date language guidance on Slack and Microsoft Teams. Based on USC Annenberg’s style guide, Stylebot can be used as is or tailored to a newsroom’s specific needs.
Laura Davis, co-founder of Stylebot, is looking forward to sharing more at ONA22 about Stylebot can help streamline your newsroom’s workflow. Plan ahead and schedule a conversation in-person or online.
VoteLight enables newsrooms to increase audience engagement regarding local, state, and national political issues, create new revenue streams, and improve coverage. Opportunities are available to monetize their daily/weekly issues in newsletters and websites and distributing curated content from VoteLight in a shared revenue partnership.
Co-founders Jeff Pierce and David Masher look forward to sharing more about their no-cost pilot program and how VoteLight can improve your audience engagement at ONA22. Plan ahead and schedule an in-person conversation with Jeff or a virtual meeting with David.
Who Sponsors Stuff tracks who advertises in email newsletters and brings the data straight to publishers and marketers. Not only are they tracking more than 250 newsletters, they also have direct contact information for 3,500+ sponsors and the creative archives for each sponsor to help you understand their goals and strategies.
Co-founders Ryan Sager and Jesse Watkins will be in person and online for ONA22. Plan ahead and schedule a conversation to learn how Who Sponsors Stuff can help multiply your newsletter revenue. Also, don’t miss Ryan and Jesse speaking in the Midway session Make Your Newsletters Sustainable Revenue Builders on Thurs. Sept. 22 at 11:30.
