Berkeley has proved itself once again to be a pioneering community — one willing to embrace new ideas that work towards the greater good.
Hundreds of residents have joined forces to make sure that local news in Berkeley flourishes. So far, 293 Berkeleyside readers have become Berkeleyside investors through our direct public offering — the first such offering made by any news organization in the United States. To date, those investors have raised $893,000 to secure the long-term sustainability of their independent community news site.
Now there are just 24 days before the DPO closes — will you help us reach our $1 million goal?
For more than nine years Berkeleyside has delivered award-winning, 24-7 news to our community, and we are committed to continuing doing so. Unlike the San Francisco Chronicle or the New York Times, for example, which readers must pay for, Berkeleyside is free to access. But we do allow you to support Berkeleyside financially — through our membership program, and through our direct public offering.
Will you join your friends and neighbors in becoming a pioneering founding investor in Berkeleyside? If just 107 readers come in at the minimum $1,000 investment in the next three weeks we will reach our $1 million goal.
Bigger than Berkeley
This is bigger than Berkeley — or Berkeleyside. Our investors have proved there is a model to potentially sustain local journalism across the country. With Berkeleyside’s help, a second news organization, that happens to also be based in northern California, has recently been approved for a DPO. We are creating a free open-source tool-kit, with help from an innovation grant from the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, to help others follow suit. The DPO, and our community’s phenomenal response to it so far, has, and will continue to, generate a lot of press and attention.
Why invest?
- To make an impact investment in your community.
- To support award-winning, independent reporting that holds the powerful to account and keeps you well informed.
- Investors receive 3% annual dividends (accruing from year to year, if not paid in cash) and wonderful benefits. (Some perks will be provided once we close the DPO.)
- To receive insider investor newsletters bringing you behind-the-scenes insights into Berkeleyside.
- To be included on the list of names of every Berkeleyside investor that we plan to publish later this week.
- To be sure your name is on the guest list of the first (and then annual) Berkeleyside Investor party! We are planning it right now and it’s going to be a very special event. Be sure you’re on that guest list and will soon be celebrating in style with all your fellow, pioneering supporters of local journalism.
In the short video below the Berkeleyside team talks about Berkeleyside and its DPO.
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This is not an offer to sell any securities. Offers to sell are made only pursuant to authorized offering materials. The offering is limited to California residents that meet certain suitability requirements. You must verify that you are a California resident in order to receive the authorized offering materials, and you must verify that you meet the suitability requirements in order to subscribe for the securities.
