Charter Joins SF Standard in Splashy Acquisition Backed by Sequoia’s Mike Moritz
Charter is a platform that helps organizations improve decision-making by providing tools for strategic planning, leadership development, and organizational design.
Charter, the digital publication focused on the future of work, is being acquired by The San Francisco Standard, a local news outlet co-founded by legendary Sequoia investor Mike Moritz. Charter was co-founded by Kevin Delaney, Erin Grau, and Jay Lauf. Delaney, who also served as CEO, will now take on the role of editor-in-chief across both publications. While the deal terms weren’t disclosed, the move marks a bold expansion of editorial ambition—and a noteworthy media play from one of Silicon Valley’s most iconic venture capitalists.
The acquisition brings together two mission-driven newsrooms with complementary strengths: Charter’s focus on AI, workplace trends, and leadership innovation, and The Standard’s deeply reported coverage of San Francisco’s political and cultural landscape. The merger signals a shared belief in the civic value of journalism and a bet that San Francisco remains the front line of global change.
A VC Titan Bets on Journalism
Moritz, best known for early investments in Google, PayPal, and Yahoo, has turned his attention to rebuilding local news. He launched The Standard in 2021 out of concern that San Francisco’s information infrastructure had eroded. “I think news and information in any city is as vital as water, electricity and gas,” he told The New York Times. That conviction has fueled his vision for an ambitious, well-resourced newsroom at a time when others in tech have turned away from journalism entirely.
The Standard, which has roughly 60 employees, has already earned a reputation for investigative reporting, cultural deep-dives, and city hall accountability. With backing from Moritz and co-founder Griffin Gaffney, it has positioned itself as a scrappy challenger to legacy outlets like the San Francisco Chronicle—and this acquisition signals its intent to stretch beyond city limits.
A Future-of-Work Platform Gets Local Power
For Kevin Delaney, the acquisition creates a rare chance to scale Charter’s mission with new distribution and editorial muscle. “California is the fourth-largest economy in the world on its own,” he said. “Having a deep, ambitious journalistic agenda there and a strong newsroom is really interesting and meaningful.” Charter’s reporting, research, and events will continue under its own brand while reaching a broader audience via The Standard’s platform.
The deal also represents a personal full-circle moment for Delaney, who’s moving back to San Francisco to take the new role. “This merger is a bet that the future runs through San Francisco—and that telling its story is the smartest way to show the world what’s next,” he wrote on LinkedIn. With themes like AI, new management models, and tech-driven social change at the center of both outlets’ coverage, the alliance feels timely—and unusually optimistic.
Read more on The New York Times
Listen to Jenny Fielding with Kevin Delaney on the Venture Everywhere podcast: Work in Progress, Listen now on Apple and Spotify and check out all our past episodes here!
