Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy takes a 7.7% stake in BuzzFeed

Advertisement

Advertise with us

Former Republican presidential candidate and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has purchased a minority stake in BuzzFeed, the digital publishing company that shut down its media outlet last year.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!

As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.

Now, more than ever, we need your support.

Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.

Subscribe Now

or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.

Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on brandonsun.com
  • Read the Brandon Sun E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
Start now

*Your next Free Press subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/05/2024 (853 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Former Republican presidential candidate and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has purchased a minority stake in BuzzFeed, the digital publishing company that shut down its media outlet last year.

Shares of the company skyrocketed higher Wednesday.

Ramaswamy acquired a 7.7% stake in BuzzFeed, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission late Tuesday.

FILE - Vivek Ramaswamy speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2024, at National Harbor, in Oxon Hill, Md., Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. Ramaswamy had purchased a 7.7% stake in Buzzfeed, the Pulitzer Prize winning digital media outlet that went into restructuring last year. Shares skyrocketed more than 50% before the market open on Wednesday, May 22. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
FILE - Vivek Ramaswamy speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2024, at National Harbor, in Oxon Hill, Md., Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. Ramaswamy had purchased a 7.7% stake in Buzzfeed, the Pulitzer Prize winning digital media outlet that went into restructuring last year. Shares skyrocketed more than 50% before the market open on Wednesday, May 22. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Ramaswamy said in the filing that he believes BuzzFeed’s stock is undervalued. He is looking to speak with the company’s board and management.

BuzzFeed has struggled to prop up sales since it went public in 2021. In late 2022 job cuts began rolling out with the company citing a poor digital advertising environment, then early last year announced that it was shutting down its Pulitzer Prize winning digital media outlet BuzzFeed News.

The corporate parent’s co-founder and CEO Jonah Peretti said in a memo to staff at the time that in addition to the news division, layoffs would take place in its business, content, tech and administrative teams.

Earlier this month, BuzzFeed reported a first-quarter loss of $35.7 million, or 72 cents per share, on revenue of $44.8 million. Advertising revenue fell 22%, while content revenue declined 19% and the company is projecting a worsening revenue situation.

Ramaswamy suspended his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination in January and endorsed former President Donald Trump after finishing a distant fourth in Iowa’s leadoff caucuses.

The son of Indian immigrants, Ramaswamy entered politics at the highest level after making hundreds of millions of dollars at the intersection of hedge funds and pharmaceutical research, a career he charted and built while graduating from Harvard University and then Yale Law School.

Shares of BuzzFeed Inc., based in New York City, rose 22% to about $3.05 early Wednesday.

Report Error Submit a Tip

Business

LOAD BUSINESS ARTICLES