Intermediaries · media company
Complex Networks
Youth culture media company, ComplexCon · New York
- Founded
- 2002
- Entered
- 2005
- Placed at
- 2005: founded 2002, before the timeline start; shown from 2005
- Status 2026
- Acquired
- Metro
- New York
- Embeddedness
- 7 connections
- Confidence
- verified · strongest source trade or financial press
Method
Marc Ecko starts Complex in 2002 as a magazine promoting his streetwear brand; Rich Antoniello turns it into a digital publisher with Hot Ones, ComplexCon from 2016 and brand deals with Nike and Adidas, and the print edition ends in 2017. Verizon and Hearst buy it in 2016 through a joint venture, BuzzFeed buys it in June 2021 for 300 million dollars in cash and stock, and on February 21, 2024 BuzzFeed sells it to the live shopping platform NTWRK for 108.6 million dollars while cutting 16 percent of its own staff. Complex runs under NTWRK in 2026 with ComplexCon expanding to Hong Kong.
People: Marc Ecko, Rich Antoniello, Aaron Levant
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The path: money and goods moving
- spawnedFirst We Feast (Hot Ones)First We Feast begins as Complex's food vertical and produces Hot Ones.2012
- acquired byVerizonA Verizon and Hearst joint venture buys Complex in April 2016 for a reported 250 million to 300 million dollars.2016 to 2021
- backed byHearstHearst co owns Complex with Verizon from 2016 to 2021.2016 to 2021
- acquired byHearstHearst co owns Complex through the Verizon joint venture from April 2016 until the 2021 sale to BuzzFeed.2016 to 2021
- acquired byBuzzFeedBuzzFeed buys Complex in June 2021 for 300 million dollars and sells it in February 2024 for 108.6 million.2021 to 2024
- acquired byNTWRKNTWRK buys Complex from BuzzFeed for 108.6 million dollars in cash on February 21, 2024.2024
Representation, events, tools
- atComplexConComplex launches ComplexCon in 2016 and under NTWRK stages it in Las Vegas with a Hong Kong edition in 2024.2016 to present
Sources (trade or financial press): variety.com · en.wikipedia.org