Pocket Outdoor Media (POM) has acquired the Healthy Living, Fitness, and Outdoor divisions of Active Interest Media (AIM). The acquisition by POM coincides with the closing of its Series A investment from JAZZ Venture Partners, a global investment firm based in San Francisco, with participation from NEXT VENTŪRES, and Zone 5 Ventures.
Included in the AIM acquisition are: Yoga Journal, SKI, Climbing, BACKPACKER, Warren Miller Entertainment, Oxygen, IDEA Health and Fitness Association, Clean Eating, Vegetarian Times, Better Nutrition, NatuRx, Muscle & Performance, Nastar, Fly Fishing Film Tour, National Park Trips, and SNEWS.
The media brands will join POM’s existing stable of endurance sports brands: VeloNews, Women’s Running, Triathlete, PodiumRunner, Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, VeloPress, VeloSwap, and Roll Massif. The latter is a recently acquired event production company that produces a series of eight Colorado cycling events.
‘The acquisition brings together best-in-class brands, diversifying POM’s media platform and allowing them to better serve active lifestyle enthusiasts and their media partners. The expanded business will continue to focus on putting the needs of its readers first, delivering content and experiences across the wide range of activities they are passionate about.’
“The strength of these collective brands positions us to build the premier active lifestyle media destination to meet the needs and interest of our readers on a daily basis, whether they’re beginners or experts – looking for a training plan, healthy recipe, event coverage, nutrition advice, injury prevention and more,” said Robin Thurston, CEO of Pocket Outdoor Media.
“Our mission is to inspire people to do the activities they love – yoga, ride, cook, ski, run, swim, hike, climb – with greater enjoyment and knowledge.”
In an evolving media landscape, POM aims to become the hub for active lifestyle enthusiasts looking to live a balanced and healthy lifestyle. The first phase of its Active Pass membership program was recently launched with perks that include a wide range of premium content, VeloPress books, magazine subscriptions, Roll Massif event access, and training plans through a strategic partnership with Today’s Plan.
“After getting to know Robin and the Pocket Outdoor Media team, it was clear that we share a great commitment to the communities we serve in outdoor, fitness, and wellness,” said Andy Clurman, CEO of Active Interest Media (AIM).
“Our alignment around our shared values, strategy, and Boulder location made this a natural fit for our people and brands. Pocket’s new technology platform unifies, personalizes and syndicates the best content around the customer journey. Combining their personalization platform with their membership strategy felt like a home run for the brands and team members of AIM’s Outdoor, Fitness, and Active Lifestyle divisions.”
John Spinale, Managing Partner at JAZZ Venture Partners, said “The synergies of these iconic brands, some of which have been around for over 50 years, uniquely enables Pocket Outdoor Media to deliver an integrated experience never seen before.
“They have already developed a personalized newsfeed and membership experience that allows readers to access content across the POM brands, and it will only be bolstered as they add the AIM businesses to the experience.”
www.pocketoutdoormedia.com
www.aimmedia.com
www.nextventures.com
www.jazzvp.com
www.zone5ventures.com
