We assembled a great group of investors for our seed round last year, and now we've built on that with a powerful and diverse group for our first equity round.

The fact that we're racing for class is interesting. These sanders are really fast. It only takes a couple seconds for them to go all the way down the track.

Both in the case of Wired and the Standard, they didn't turn out the way he hoped. The things he's doing now are very much his things, and he has the ability to pursue them on his own terms, to show what he really can and can't do with them.

The strength and diversity of our group of investors and advisers is a major asset for New West. We believe our new model for regional and community-based journalism can play a big role in serving both residents of the region and visitors, and in shaping the conversation about the future of the West.