How a niche newsletter about startups evolved into a data business episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 4, 2026 · 56 MIN

How a niche newsletter about startups evolved into a data business

from The Business of Content with Simon Owens · host Simon Owens

My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/   When Will Richards first started compiling news about startups, he wasn't trying to launch a media company. He was working at a family office and needed a better way to track what was happening across the Australian startup ecosystem. After realizing there wasn't a single place that aggregated all this information, he began sending out a weekly email. That side project eventually evolved into Overnight Success, a newsletter read by thousands of founders, investors, and startup operators. But Richards didn't stop at building a newsletter. He's since expanded Overnight Success into a broader business that includes sponsorships, a startup database, and an investment syndicate. In our interview, we discussed how he grew within such a narrow niche, why a small audience can still attract major sponsors, and how he's turning years of startup coverage into a valuable data product.  

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How a niche newsletter about startups evolved into a data business

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This episode was published on June 4, 2026.

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My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/   When Will Richards first started compiling news about startups, he wasn't trying to launch a media company. He was working at a family office and needed a better way to track what was happening...

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