The Spark of an Idea
Three Israeli entrepreneurs, Asaf Peled, Gilad Beiman, and Yuval Larom, united in 2011 under a daring belief, to revolutionise the way in which sports stories around the world were told. They introduced their first project, FTBpro ( later rebranded as 90min), with a goal of enabling the fans themselves to be the ones telling the stories. Unlike the old guard of journalism-run outlets, the kind that are adorned with bylines and too developed a voice, they were an outlet that turned your average sports fan into a creator of original content.
The three founders thought fans’ energy, passion and raw perspective had a power to connect with audiences that polished reporting sometimes couldn’t. Peled with his high-tech education and business experience, Beiman with his extensive media background, and Larom through his entrepreneurial spirit, formulated, from the very beginning, a conception that combined technology, communities, and a global approach.
An Idea with Global Implications
Fan-created media has got repercussions. First, it broke down barriers between consumers and producers, demonstrating how real engagement often arose out of lived passion, not slick narratives.Second, by building a solid content management system (CMS) out the gate, the founders made it possible for the company to scale and become a tech-driven business that could grow beyond local markets. The choice to build Minute Media as a technology-led publisher rather than traditional media enabled its global expansion. Within hours, the platform had picked up, radiated even, began replicating itself in a dozen different languages and regions around the globe — a place where fans of the sport from around the world could share stories and opinions and analysis about their favorite teams and games.
Transforming into a Media Powerhouse
As the company expanded, its brand moved beyond sports pundits. In 2016, the company, still under the ownership of Mr. Federbush, was refashioned under the parent name Minute Media, a signal of its aspirations to try new things and grow. What started as a football-focused blog quickly evolved into a family of dedicated sites. The founders created 12up to embrace American sports fans and launched DBLTAP to focus on the growing esports fan base. They dreamed of not only creating a media company, but also developing a multi-brand ecosystem that could engage a broad range of audiences across interests and geographies.
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The founders understood that scaling content meant more than simply fan voices; they meant acquisitions and technology innovation. Minute Media grew its portfolio over the years through acquiring storied brands such as Mental Floss, The Big Lead, The Players’ Tribune and FanSided, adding another layer of storytelling with built in credibility to the company. At the same time, the company bet massively on technology. Schedule a call With a best of breed platform – Voltax They became a powerhouse not only for their brands, but for partners through advanced publishing and video solutions.
Adopting this technology-first approach helped them to successfully scale content and better monetize it, and to license their innovations outside their company to other publishers, turning Minute Media into a media and tech company.
Where the Company Stands Today
Today, Minute Media is a worldwide powerhouse, with an army of over six hundred people in offices in Tel Aviv, London, New York, and other major cities. The company has raised over two hundred million dollars in funding and, as of 2024, reached a valuation of greater than one billion dollars, making it a ratified media unicorn.
Generating over three hundred million dollars of annual revenue, Minute Media achieved profitability in the fourth quarter of 2023, highlighting the clear sustainability of their model. The company’s mix of organic growth, acquisitions and technology building has placed the company among the most powerful entities in the global media world. Recent acquisitions such as VideoVerse in 2025 have consolidated its power in AI-led video solutions, continuing its chase beyond publishing into real-time content creation and distribution.
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The Road Ahead
With an eye to the future, we are refocusing our efforts on scaling Minute Media and we will continue doing so as a private company. Its CEO, Asaf Peled was reported to have said that he does not have plans for an IPO and prefers the private status since it allows the company more independence and freedom to manoeuvre. The founders still see a road marked by deeper investments in artificial intelligence, video technologies and global licensing opportunities.
The purchase of VideoVerse spells a wider ambition to be a publisher and technology supplier for the entire digital content industry. At a time of growing global demand for brands with purpose and meaning, and as the company focuses on growing Voltax partnerships and cultivating new brand identities, Minute Media is committed to lead the way in digital storytelling and the intersection of passion and technology.
Final Thoughts
Above all, the story of Minute Media is the story of three entrepreneurs who saw the power of fans. Their path from a tiny football blog in Tel Aviv to a billion-dollar global business demonstrates how determination, creativity and just a little bit of luck can remake industries.
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Empowering communities, investing in technology and re-inventing themselves repeatedly, Asaf Peled, Gilad Beiman and Yuval Larom have turned Minute Media into a behemoth that doesn’t just tell stories, but builds the platforms that stories, fostering communities of fandom across the social web. Their journey is a roadmap for aspirant entrepreneurs; where one’s passion along with some technology && some strategy can scale to a global scale.
