The media accelerator Velocidad launched in 2019 to help news startups grow and thrive. We look at its impact in a region where press freedom is under constant threat
Subscribe to the Journalism.co.uk podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud and Spotify
In 2019, a media accelerator was launched to fast-track the growth of news startups in Latin America. This programme, Velocidad, gave 10 grantees the funds and expert consultancy to ramp up their business models in a part of the world where media capture is rife, which means that news outlets are bought up by private firms who then largely dictate their editorial focus.
The idea behind Velocidad was that greater financial independence would contribute to greater editorial independence in Latin American news industries.
In this week's podcast, we talk about the key ingredients to grow and sustain a media startup.
Our guest Jazmín Acuña, the co-founder and editor of a Paraguayan news organisation El Surtidor, was one of the grantees. She worked hard to help her newsroom find new revenue streams which make full use of its stand-out visual illustrations and quality reporting.
We also hear from Janine Warner, a Knight Fellow at the International Centre for Journalists (ICFJ) and the co-founder of Sembra Media, the two organisations which launched Velocidad with support of the Luminate Group, to get a better understanding of media startups, the challenges they face, and what they must do to survive and thrive.
If you like our news and feature articles, you can sign up to receive our free daily (Mon-Fri) email newsletter (mobile friendly).
Sign up to receive job alerts of your choice by email, or manage your subscription
Featured recruiter: click to view its vacancies
Local news publication in Greater Manchester seeks digital reporter with NCTJ diploma or equivalent and working knowledge of relevant media law
Subscribe to our newsletter for latest news, tips, jobs and more
End that deadline stress today and find help in our freelance directory
Cargo Force stuns the world: free 10kg shipping to India in celebration of ICC Trophy victory – offer ongoing until Sunday, 16 March!
Our 35th Newsrewired conference will be held 13 May 2025, News UK, London.
Reporters who have worked under Putin, Erdogan and the Taliban share what they have learned about how autocrats consolidate power and how communities can fight back against the erosion of democratic freedom
Leaders from The Times, Sky News and Reuters reveal why chasing fewer but more engaged readers - and embracing AI as a creative tool rather than a threat - is proving more profitable than old-school mass reach strategies
A TikTok master with 100m views, a paywall pioneer with 3,000 subscribers, and a community visionary backed by local businesses share their strategies for making independent journalism pay beyond ads
Slovakia's Dennik N broke three years of subscriber stagnation with an innovative anniversary campaign, while The New Statesman transformed podcasts from a side project into a powerful growth engine – both offering valuable lessons for media companies hitting plateaus