News outlet The Athletic co-Founder & CEO Alex Mather believes "focusing on quality stories and eliminating the annoyances (popup ads, autoplay videos) can be a successful formula" for the startup, according to Kevin Kleps of CRAIN'S CLEVELAND BUSINESS. The Athletic's Cleveland operation, which debuted March 1, had "four full-timers on opening day." Mather expects the total to reach "double digits in the near future." The company even "started without a Browns writer." The Athletic's lead NBA writer and recruiting leader Jason Lloyd said it was "not ideal, but we'd rather go slow and get this right than just have a Browns writer at the launch." It is all part of a "long view that everyone involved said is part of the plan -- even in an industry that can be as unforgiving as it is challenging." The Athletic "introduced its Chicago site" in January '16. That same year they debuted their Toronto site, which was funded by a $2.3M financing round. The "largest investment," $500,000, was made by venture capital fund Courtside Ventures, which is led by Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert. Courtside Ventures Partner Deepen Parikh said that the firm "isn't involved in the day-to-day operations of The Athletic." Instead, the firm is "assisting with the startup's strategic plans." Mather said that the Toronto operation has "grown 'unbelievably fast' ... and is on track to be profitable" by Q2 of '17. He also "expects Chicago to be in the black before the end of the year." Meanwhile, Mather said that Cleveland's operation will "probably need 'closer to 15,000' subscriptions to be profitable." Kleps noted The Athletic "thinks it can differentiate itself in a crowded market because of the strength of its mobile site and its app" (CRAIN'S CLEVELAND BUSINESS, 3/6 issue).
