Upstarts’ Alex Konrad on Trustworthy Startup Coverage, Pitching in the AI Era, and Why Numbers Don’t Impress Him Anymore

If you’ve followed startup or venture capital coverage over the past decade, you’ve almost certainly come across a story from Alex Konrad. After 12 years at Forbes, where he helped shape the outlet’s tech and VC coverage, and profiled founders like Canva’s Melanie Perkins and Salesforce’s Marc Benioff, Alex left in January 2025 to launch Upstarts Media, an independent news brand focused on “fun and trustworthy” reporting about the startup ecosystem.

We sat down with Alex to talk about what those years at Forbes taught him, why he built Upstarts to sit between traditional media and industry content, how he’s thinking about AI coverage, and what PR teams and founders should keep in mind when pitching him.

Here’s what he had to say.

You spent 12+ years at Forbes. What did that experience teach you about covering startups?

Audiences ultimately care about the humans behind technology. For a while, especially in the AI and unicorn era, massive valuations and funding numbers impressed readers on their own. Now, people want context. They want to know who the founders are and why they’re building what they’re building.

When I look back on my favorite stories, they were usually deep profiles that helped readers understand the person behind the product. That sense of narrative and thoughtfulness is what I aim for with Upstarts. Readers come for the news, but they stay for the people.

What inspired you to start Upstarts, and where do you see it fitting in the current media landscape?

Before launching Upstarts, I talked to a lot of readers and mapped the market. What I found was a gap between reporting that was serious but dull and coverage that was entertaining but not journalistic. On one side, trustworthy outlets publish concise, sometimes paywalled pieces that get screenshotted more than read. On the other, industry podcasts and launch videos generate buzz but rarely provide depth.

Upstarts sits in the middle. I wanted a place where reporting could be rigorous and fun, where we could experiment with format, use a little voice, and still apply veteran-journalist standards. The goal is to build a sense of community around startup coverage that feels both credible and engaging.

How do you view the relationship between traditional and new media today?

Every outlet needs to understand its “right to win.” Legacy brands like Forbes still have major strengths (i.e., huge reach, recognizable covers, and the prestige that appeals to certain audiences).

Among the Substack and independent crowd, each of us has carved out a slightly different lane. Eric Newcomer is “your seat at the cap table” with Newcomer, Alex Kantrowitz hosts Big Technology with public-company CEOs, Alex Heath focuses on AI labs at Sources, and I think of Upstarts as almost like “little technology,” the early-stage founders and human stories. There’s room for all of us if we lean into our differences rather than replicate each other.

What advice would you give founders trying to break through the noise and earn thoughtful coverage?

Start with the outcome you want and find the right publication fit for that goal. Sometimes it makes sense to go deep with one outlet rather than going wide with many. When Handshake refocused its business around AI, they decided to share real revenue numbers and discuss layoffs candidly with us. It was a sensitive topic, but by partnering closely on one exclusive, the story resonated widely.

By contrast, when companies rush to pitch everyone at once with little collaboration, they often end up with surface-level mentions. That’s fine if broad awareness is the goal, but it won’t yield the depth or nuance many founders hope for. Clear expectation-setting up front helps avoid disappointment.

AI coverage has become crowded. What separates a compelling AI story from the rest?

There are two strong paths. Either you’re a genuine AI lab with the credentials and scale to prove it, or you can demonstrate real-world impact (i.e., AI meaningfully improving a product or outcome in a specific vertical). Most of the AI stories I cover fall into that second camp.

What I look for most is a takeaway for peers. If another founder can read the story and think, “I learned something I can use tomorrow,” then it’s worth doing. Otherwise, it’s just another “AI-powered” headline in an already noisy space.

Since launching Upstarts, has your perspective on what makes a great story changed?

Definitely. Numbers don’t move readers anymore. I care much more about the “why.” Why would this story teach readers something or make them think differently?

For example, I think “agentic security” in cybersecurity — how to protect autonomous AI agents — is going to be huge, and I’ve written about two startups in that area, Descope and Keycard. But I only pursue those stories when there’s something truly fresh to say.

A smart team raising money in a hot sector isn’t enough. I’d rather publish one story that surprises people than 10 that blend together. Ultimately, success for me is when people open the newsletter even if it has nothing to do with their portfolio, because it’s consistently useful or fun. If it’s not, then I’m not doing my job.

Follow Alex on X at @alexrkonrad and subscribe for free to Upstarts for his latest reporting on the startup ecosystem. Alex is offering Offleash readers a 1 month trial of his paid edition.