Audience at Hot Pod Summit. Photo: The Verge/On Air Fest
The energy at Hot Pod Summitwas a reminder that the brand may have been a small acquisition by Vox Media, but a smart one.
Why it matters: The digital media company just faced a significant valuation drop with Penske Media's new investment reportedly coming in at half of Vox's previous $1 billion peak.
Details: Vox announced its acquisition of Hot Pod in September 2021. The brand was founded in 2014 by Nicholas Quah, who joined Vox as a full-time podcast critic while his newsletter became part of The Verge.
Hot Pod became The Verge's first paid subscription product and brought in a new event business.
Hot Pod Summit has been held 10 times, three as part of Vox. It's sold out the past two years in New York with 200 attendees.
