# Digital News Ventures (MDIF Fund)

> Digital News Ventures (MDIF Fund) is a VC fund in New York backing News and Advertising. See 7 investments, check sizes, portfolio. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: New York, United States
- Total investments: 7
- Last investment: Apr 2021
- Lead investor: 0%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- X (Twitter): http://twitter.com/mdiforg
- Website: http://www.mdif.org/our-approach/digital-news-ventures
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mdiforg

Digital News Ventures (MDIF Fund) is a VC fund in New York focused on News and Advertising. Digital News Ventures makes seed investments in news and information start-upsWe foster innovation in the creation of useful news and information. We invest in entrepreneurs who are creating the platforms, tools and services that news businesses need to be viable in the digital age. See some of our portfolio businesses here.MDIF has longbeen active in the digital media space. We have financed some of the most respected and successful online news sites in the developing world, including Malaysiakini.com and South Africa’s M&G Online. Digital News Ventures is the next evolution of our investment strategy. It extends the scope of our activity beyond media companies to include platforms, tools, and services that news businesses need to be viable in the digital age.

## Round sizes

| Stage | Round size |
| --- | --- |
| Seed | $75k–$2.2M |

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| News | 3 | 43% |
| Advertising | 3 | 43% |
| Digital Media | 3 | 43% |
| Education | 2 | 29% |
| Audio | 1 | 14% |

23 industries tracked in total.

### Country

| Country | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | 4 | 57% |
| Ecuador | 1 | 14% |
| Argentina | 1 | 14% |
| Venezuela | 1 | 14% |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Localized | Localized is a talent tech company focusing on early-stage recruitment in growth markets. Companies subscribe to access virtual career fairs and year-round recruitment and universities and talent hubs join to provide students and alumni with access to industry experts and employers. We work with universities in the Middle East, North Africa, India,China and the United States. With 85% of the world's population in emerging markets, our partners know that the future of early-stage talent recruitment is global and online. | $2.2M | Seed | Apr 02, 2021 |  |
| El Cambur | El Cambur is a network digital media and services enterprise committed radically to the political center. This center is ignored by the mainstream media. The team is focused on digital media and propose essential reading agenda about the country and the world. A media made with quality information presented in short texts based on data, graphicsand audiovisual. The team wants to create essential text, data, graphics and audiovisual content to This will generate debate on ideas, create different products in the area of communication and political sociology, and propose solutions. | $75K | Seed | Sep 09, 2014 |  |
| El Meme | El Meme la red más activa de productores creativos digitales de la región. Cuenta con más de 10,000 redactores, creativos, filmmakers y todo tipo de profesionales de la comunicación y el diseño. Como medio alcanza mensualmente a una audiencia de más de 30 millones de jóvenes millennials de Estados Unidos, México, Colombia, Chile y Argentina.Ofrecemos servicios de producción de contenido digital (content marketing, native advertising) y distribución a audiencias específicas (programmatic buying, social media). | $75K | Seed | Sep 01, 2014 |  |
| GkillCity | GKillCity is a digital, countercultural citizens’ communication project. It was founded in 2011, in Guayaquil, and 152 editions have been published since, with contributions of over 290 collaborators from all over the world. New media in Ecuador is almost unexplored, and Gkillcity.com wants become the iconic digital media of Ecuador. It aims tocreate more audio content and mobile applications, and also make use of digital TV channels. | $75K | Seed | Aug 05, 2014 |  |
| Versa | Versa is a media technology company founded on a deep belief in a thriving press and an informed, engaged public. Featured Perspectives is the only technology-driven platform that gives leading organizations, executives, thought leaders, and advocates the ability to attach commentary and analysis directly to a developing news story, generatingpremium revenue for publishers and giving readers access to high-quality opinion alongside the news in real-time. | $1.3M | Seed | Apr 02, 2013 |  |
| Mic Network | Mic is the leading digital news company for society’s changemakers, who most influence and impact the world. The company also offers news on various sections, such as politics, world, business, culture, science, media, national, environment, and economy. Mic reaches a monthly audience of 50 million with original reporting on the most importantissues through diverse perspectives that challenge conventional thinking. It was founded in 2012 and is based in New York, NY, USA. | $1.8M | Seed | Mar 01, 2013 |  |
| Rock Content | Rock Content helps brands deliver outstanding content experiences. Our mission is to make marketing better, while having a positive impact in the world. | $650K | Seed | Jan 15, 2013 |  |

7 of 7 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [North Base Media](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/north-base-media) — VC Fund, 3 deals together
- [NXTP Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/NXTP-Ventures) — VC Fund, 3 deals together
- [Knight Enterprise Fund](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/knight-enterprise-fund) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Media Development Investment Fund](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/media-development-investment-fund) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Abril Participações](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/abril-participaes) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Bisk Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/bisk-ventures) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

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## FAQ

### What does Digital News Ventures (MDIF Fund) invest in?

Digital News Ventures (MDIF Fund) invests primarily in News, Advertising and Digital Media startups, most often at Seed stage. Most of the 7 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### What is Digital News Ventures (MDIF Fund)'s check size?

Digital News Ventures (MDIF Fund) typically joins rounds of $75k–$2.2M at Seed. These ranges are 10th–90th percentile round sizes calculated from confirmed public funding rounds, so they are a realistic guide to the rounds Digital News Ventures (MDIF Fund) participates in.

### When did Digital News Ventures (MDIF Fund) last invest?

The most recent investment recorded for Digital News Ventures (MDIF Fund) closed in Apr 2021. Shizune tracks 7 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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