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Outlet profile

The Next Web

European center-left, tech-focused

Owned byTekpon (founded by Alexandru Stan), which acquired the TNW media and events brand from the Financial Times in December 2025; the FT retained the TNW Spaces coworking business in Amsterdam
FundingAdvertising and sponsored content, technology conferences and events, and digital subscriptions; now operating under Tekpon's broader software and media strategy
On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

The Next Web was co-founded in Amsterdam in 2006 by Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, Patrick de Laive, and Arjen Schat, initially as a conference to promote their startup Fleck.com; the accompanying technology news website launched in 2009. It grew into a well-regarded source for European tech industry news, startup coverage, and digital policy, running an annual TNW Conference that became a flagship event for the European tech community. In March 2019, the Financial Times acquired a majority stake, giving TNW resources and credibility under a major global media group. The COVID-19 pandemic heavily damaged the conference-dependent revenue model, and by 2025 TNW announced it would wind down its media and events operations. In December 2025, Romanian-founded software marketplace Tekpon acquired 100% of the TNW media and events brands from the FT, with plans to relaunch and expand the conference in 2026. Media Bias/Fact Check rates TNW as left-center in editorial slant, noting use of loaded language in headlines but generally factual reporting. The outlet's perspective is distinctly European: it tends to frame U.S. tech policy — including Trump-era AI deregulation and trade actions — through the lens of potential risks to European digital sovereignty and consumer protections.

Sources

  1. TNW (website) - Wikipedia
  2. Tekpon acquires TNW (The Next Web) brand from The Financial Times
  3. Exclusive: Software marketplace owner acquires The Next Web, plans relaunch
  4. The Next Web - Bias and Credibility - Media Bias/Fact Check
  5. Tech firm Tekpon acquires Amsterdam-based TNW tech news platform from Financial Times | NL Times
  6. The story of The Next Web - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
  7. Trump AI plan exposes threat of Europe 'surrendering' to big tech | TNW

Profile compiled 2026-06-25; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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