Media Kit & Rates

Accepting sponsors

Get your company in front of buyers at the exact moment they’re comparing options

Founders and investors read our ranking and comparison pages when they are choosing tools - “best data rooms for startups”, “[tool] vs [tool]”, “best VC internships”. A Featured placement or a sponsored deep dive puts you on the page your customers are already reading, right as they’re choosing a vendor. Every placement is clearly labelled, and its links are marked rel=“sponsored”.

Live
Value Add Pulse
Startup and VC news feed, updated through the day, read by founders and investors
Inbox
Value Add News
Our newsletter for founders, operators and investors
Labelled
Always disclosed
Every placement marked Sponsored or Featured; every paid link rel=sponsored

As of November 2026: ~5,000 newsletter subscribers, ~45K LinkedIn followers, ~26K X followers.

Companies already featured across our ranking pages

CartaRampBrexMercuryDeelGustoHubSpotStripeAmplitudeDocuSign+ 120 more

What sponsors book

Two flagship formats. This is what they look like live.

All current inbound interest is for these two. Both put you in front of readers who are already researching your category - all pricing is one-time, per placement.

valueaddvc.com/blog/your-market-analyzed-2026...
Sponsored

[Your market], analyzed

By Value Add VC Editorial · 1,500+ words

Pulse

Featured on the news desk

Email

In the newsletter send

@Trace_Cohen

Posted to X

A permanent, labeled analysis on your market — pushed through all three channels at launch

Flagship 01

Sponsored Deep Dive

$3,000one-time

Who it’s for: companies that want a permanent, credible analysis of their market that readers can come back to - an asset, not an impression.

  • 1,500+ word editorial analysis on a topic in your space, written by our editorial process - not your marketing copy. That's why readers trust it.
  • Permanent URL on valueaddvc.com, so the analysis keeps reaching readers for quarters. Links to you are marked rel=sponsored.
  • Topic collaboration. You bring the market and the angle you care about; editorial decides how to cover it.
  • Fact-approval round before publish - nothing about your company runs inaccurate.
  • Three distribution channels: featured on Value Add Pulse, the newsletter, and @Trace_Cohen on X.
  • Site search + category feeds. The piece surfaces everywhere our own content does.
  • Clearly labeled Sponsored. Disclosure is the feature - readers extend the site's trust to what's honestly marked.
1,500+ wordsPermanent URL3 distribution channels
  1. Day 0
    Topic brief
  2. ~Day 7
    Draft delivered
  3. ~Day 10
    One revision round
  4. ~Day 12
    Live + distributed

What it is not

Not a press release and not ad copy. Sponsors approve facts; editorial keeps the pen. That separation is exactly why the format works.

Book a deep dive →

Flagship 02

Ranking Page “Featured” Slot

$1,00030-day placement

Who it’s for: vendors who want to be the first thing bottom-of-funnel readers see on the page where they’re choosing.

  • Labeled Featured card at the top of a relevant Best-of ranking or comparison page - logo, one-liner, and a link marked rel=sponsored.
  • Bottom-of-funnel intent. Readers on these pages are actively choosing a vendor. This is not display advertising.
  • Exclusive: one Featured slot per page at a time. When you hold it, no competitor can.
  • Live in 2-3 days once your assets are in - no production cycle, no creative review committee.
  • Clearly labelled. An amber FEATURED chip sits on the card, and its link is marked rel=sponsored.
  • Placement report screenshot at the end of the 30-day run, plus the public URL to verify any day in between.
  • Growing inventory. New ranking and comparison pages publish weekly - more pages to appear on every month.
  • Never touches the ranking. The editorial list below your card stays untouched - which is exactly what makes sitting above it credible.
30-day placementBottom-of-funnel readersLive in 2-3 days
  1. Day 0
    Pick your page
  2. Day 1
    Logo + copy in
  3. Day 2-3
    Placement live
  4. Day 30
    Report delivered

The bright line

Featured placement never affects the actual ranking - and that’s exactly why placement next to it is credible.

Reserve a Featured slot →
valueaddvc.com/blog/best-data-rooms-for-startups-2026-ranked...

Best Data Rooms for Startups 2026: 8 Ranked + What VCs Expect

Featured
Your
logo

[Your Company]

One line on why buyers on this page should pick you.

Visit site →
Your labelled placement on a ranking page like “Best Data Rooms for Startups”

Compare formats

Every format at a glance

FormatPriceDurationPlacementBest forTurnaround
Full Sponsorship PackageFlagship$3,000PermanentFeatured slot + tools directory page + editorial articleCompanies that want full coverage across the site~2 weeks brief-to-live
Ranking Featured SlotFlagship$1,00030 daysLabelled Featured card above a live ranking / comparison page; links marked rel=sponsoredVendors who want bottom-of-funnel buyers nowLive in 2-3 days
Newsletter placement$300-500One sendPrimary sponsor slot in a Value Add VC sendHitting the site's most engaged repeat readersNext scheduled send

All pricing is one-time. Final rates confirmed by email.

More formats

Also available

Newsletter placement

Primary sponsor slot or a dedicated send to the Value Add VC list. You get the top placement in a send our readers actually open for the data - logo, 2-3 sentences of copy, and a tracked link. Newsletter readers are the site’s most engaged repeat audience, so this pairs well with a deep dive or Featured slot to hit the same buyers twice.

$300-500 one-time per send

Finance newsletter CPMs run $80-180; final pricing on current list size.

Quarterly data report title sponsor

“Presented by X” on a flagship original-data report - AI revenue, IPO market - published as PDF and web. You get your name on the cover, a sponsor note inside, and your logo on every page of an asset that gets cited and shared for quarters, not days, so the sponsorship keeps surfacing long after the run ends.

$3,000-5,000 one-time per report

New: Value Add Pulse

Pulse Sponsored Card - your card in the live Value Add Pulse news feed for 30 days, between the funding and AI stories founders and VCs check every day. Clearly labeled Sponsored, never mixed into our reporting. $2,000 / 30 days. Email to book dates. Front-page “Presented by” takeovers open later this year.

Audience

Who you reach

The audience is people making or moving capital decisions: venture investors sizing up a market, founders benchmarking a raise, angels tracking the IPO pipeline, operators and retail investors researching private-company revenue. They come to this site to answer a specific question with a specific number - which means attention here is researched, not scrolled past.

Pricing

One-time pricing, no contracts

The current rate for the full package is $3,000, paid once by invoice. No subscriptions, no auto-renewals. You are buying a clearly labelled placement in front of our readers, never a link, a ranking or a position in a list.

The rules

Editorial independence

Sponsors never influence rankings, coverage, or takes. Sponsored content is always labeled as sponsored, every paid link carries rel=“sponsored”, and Featured placements never affect where anything ranks. We do not sell links or rankings. That separation is exactly why placement here is worth buying - readers trust the numbers, so they pay attention to what runs alongside them.

Read our full editorial standards →

Sponsor FAQ

Questions sponsors actually ask

Can I buy a ranking position?

No. Rankings are never for sale, at any price. That is not a limitation of the product - it is the product. Because readers know the list itself cannot be bought, the labeled Featured card sitting next to it carries real credibility. If positions were purchasable, your placement would be worth a fraction of what it is.

Do you work with agencies?

Yes, on the same terms as a direct sponsor: every placement is booked for a named company, clearly labelled Sponsored or Featured, and every link in it is marked rel="sponsored". We do not sell links, link equity or search rankings, to agencies or anyone else.

Do sponsored links pass SEO value?

No. Every link in a paid placement carries rel="sponsored", as Google requires for paid links, so it passes no ranking credit. You are buying a labelled placement in front of readers, not a backlink or a search position.

What does the Sponsored labeling look like?

Exactly what you see in the mockups above: an amber FEATURED or SPONSORED chip directly on the placement. It is visible, honest, and - counterintuitively - good for conversion, because readers extend the site's credibility to placements that are clearly disclosed.

How do I know it ran?

Everything lives on a permanent public URL you can check any day of the run. Featured slots also come with a placement report screenshot at the end of the 30 days, and deep dives ship with links to every distribution touch (Pulse, newsletter, X).

What are the payment terms?

Simple: one-time payment by invoice. No subscriptions, no auto-renewals, no long-term contracts. If it works, you come back and buy again.

Can I suggest the topic?

For deep dives, yes - topic selection is collaborative. You tell us the market and the angle you care about; editorial decides how to cover it and keeps the pen. You get a fact-approval round before publish, so nothing about your company runs inaccurate.

The operator

Who runs this

Value Add VC is owned, edited, and run by Trace Cohen - Founder, Value Add Holdings LLC (which operates Value Add VC); founder and investor; 75 angel investments; and formerly Managing Partner at NYVP (2015–2024). Sponsorships are contracted with Value Add Holdings LLC. Every sponsorship is handled directly by Trace: t@nyvp.com or @Trace_Cohen.

Get on the page your customers are already reading

Name the ranking page or topic you want, send your dates, and we’ll confirm availability within a day.