Capital Brief

{{Short description|Australian news website}}

{{Use Australian English|date=February 2024}}

{{Infobox website

| name = Capital Brief

| logo =

| url = https://www.capitalbrief.com

| commercial = Yes

| registration = Optional

| language = English

| owner = Scire

| editor = John McDuling

| launch_date = 2023-08-23

| current_status = Active

| CEO = Chris Janz

| headquarters = Sydney, Australia

}}

Capital Brief is an Australian news website that primarily covers business and politics. It launched in August 2023{{cite news |last1=Song |first1=Darcy |title=Scire's Capital Brief soft-launches to the public |url=https://mumbrella.com.au/scires-capital-brief-soft-launches-to-the-public-798237 |work=Mumbrella |date=23 August 2023 |access-date=9 January 2024}} and is aimed at founders, executives, investors and politicians and policymakers.{{cite web |title=About Capital Brief |url=https://www.capitalbrief.com/about/ |website=Capital Brief |access-date=9 January 2024}}{{Cite web |title=Scire reveals Capital Brief masthead |url=https://influencing.com/au/story/scire-reveals-capital-brief-masthead |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=influencing.com}}

The editor-in-chief is John McDuling, the former national business editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.{{cite web |title=Chris Janz and David Eisman's Scire names John McDuling as inaugural editor-in-chief |url=https://www.mediaweek.com.au/scire-names-john-mcduling-as-inaugural-editor-in-chief/ |website=Mediaweek |access-date=9 January 2024 |language=en-AU |date=27 March 2023}}

Journalists are based in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. They include chief political correspondent Anthony Galloway,{{Cite web |title=Journalist Spotlight {{!}} Interview with Anthony Galloway, Chief Political Correspondent at Capital Brief |url=https://www.medianet.com.au/blog/anthony-galloway |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=www.medianet.com.au |language=en}} VC and startups correspondent Bronwen Clune,{{Cite web |title=Clune brings "lived experience" to Capital Brief reporting (Part 1) |url=https://influencing.com/au/story/clune-brings-lived-experience-to-capital-brief-reporting-part-1 |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=influencing.com}} legal and regulatory affairs correspondent Laurel Henning,{{Cite web |title=Journalist Spotlight {{!}} Interview with Laurel Henning, Legal and Regulatory Affairs Reporter at Capital Brief |url=https://www.medianet.com.au/blog/laurel-henning |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=www.medianet.com.au |language=en}} media correspondent John Buckley,{{Cite web |title=Buckley joins Capital Brief newsroom |url=https://influencing.com/au/story/buckley-joins-capital-brief-newsroom |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=influencing.com}} markets and finance correspondent Jack Derwin,{{Cite web |title=Journalist Spotlight {{!}} Interview with Jack Derwin, Markets and Finance Correspondent at Capital Brief |url=https://www.medianet.com.au/blog/jack-derwin |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=www.medianet.com.au |language=en}} technology correspondent Dan Van Boom,{{Cite web |title=Scire Media's Capital Brief builds out team - AdNews |url=https://www.adnews.com.au/news/scire-media-s-capital-brief-builds-out-team |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=www.adnews.com.au |language=en}} associate editor business and geopolitics Philip Wen{{Cite web |last=Molloy |first=Shannon |date=2023-07-16 |title=News start-up Scire reveals reporting team for flagship title Capital Brief |url=https://mumbrella.com.au/news-start-up-scire-reveals-reporting-team-for-flagship-title-capital-brief-794132 |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=Mumbrella |language=en-US}} and associate editor banking and finance Andrew Cornell.{{Cite web |title=Journalist Spotlight {{!}} Interview with Andrew Cornell, Associate Editor for Financial Services at Capital Brief |url=https://www.medianet.com.au/blog/andrew-cornell |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=www.medianet.com.au |language=en}}

Its main newsletter, The Edition, is published at 4.30pm weekdays. Specialist newsletters Capital Gains (banking and finance), Prima Facie (legal affairs), Sweat Equity (VC and startups), and Political Capital (politics and policy) are published weekly.{{cite web |title=Newsletters |url=https://www.capitalbrief.com/newsletters/ |website=Capital Brief |access-date=9 January 2024 |language=en}}

The company also produces the daily M&A, equity capital markets and VC deals newsletter Letter of Intent, which was acquired in 2023 for an undisclosed sum.{{cite web |title=Kal Jamshidi on LinkedIn: It started as a COVID side project |url=https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7091562634247856128/ |website=LinkedIn |access-date=9 January 2024 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=☕️ Rates expectations |url=https://newsletter.letterofintent.com.au/p/rates-expectations |website=Letter of Intent |language=en}}

Its business model is subscription based{{Cite web |last=Burrowes |first=Tim |date=2024-02-25 |title='I love to prove the naysayers wrong': Scire founder Chris Janz on launching a subs-led business publishing challenger |url=https://www.unmade.media/p/i-love-to-prove-the-naysayers-wrong |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=www.unmade.media |language=en}} and unlike many Australian media companies,{{Cite web |title=Perspective - First party data emerging as the new oil in digital advertising - AdNews |url=https://www.adnews.com.au/news/perspective-first-party-data-emerging-as-the-new-oil-in-digital-advertising |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=www.adnews.com.au |language=en}} it does not collect personal data for advertisement targeting.{{Cite web |title='No personal data': Chasing audience scale, ad exchanges, big tech targeting is publisher folly as media trust plummets, says Scire's Chris Janz, Guardian's Dan Stinton; No-tracking, contextual ads next growth wave {{!}} Mi3 |url=http://www.mi-3.com.au/05-06-2023/smarter-segments-scires-chris-janz-and-guardian-md-dan-stinton-why-australias-big-0 |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=www.mi-3.com.au |language=en}} Its "reader-revenue-first and journalism-first" approach is modelled on the US websites The Information, Axios and Semafor.{{Cite web |title=Australian site learns from new generation of U.S. news startups |url=https://www.inma.org/blogs/newsroom-initiative/post.cfm/australian-site-learns-from-new-generation-of-u-s-news-startups |access-date=2024-03-07 |website=International News Media Association (INMA)}}

The publication includes breaking news provided by national newswire Australian Associated Press in a "briefings" format that is unique to the publication.{{Cite web |title=AAP partners with new startup Capital Brief |url=https://www.aap.com.au/announcements/aap-partners-with-new-startup-capital-brief/ |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=Australian Associated Press |language=en}}

It is the first publication from Scire, a start-up launched by former Fairfax Media executives Chris Janz and David Eisman.{{cite news |title=Chris Janz's Scire reveals its first title - AdNews |url=https://www.adnews.com.au/news/chris-janz-s-scire-reveals-its-first-title |access-date=9 January 2024 |work=AdNews |language=en}}{{Citation |title=Media Mavericks Unleashed: Redefining Digital News {{!}} Straight Talk Podcast {{!}} Mark Bouris | date=21 September 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAP_CZMg-Wk |access-date=2024-02-27 |language=en}} The venture was confirmed in March 2023 after months of speculation in Australian media.{{Cite web |date=2023-02-03 |title=Former Fairfax executives score VC backing for mystery start-up |url=https://www.afr.com/companies/media-and-marketing/former-fairfax-executives-score-vc-backing-for-mystery-start-up-20230203-p5chp4 |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=Australian Financial Review |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Madden |first=James |date=2023-06-26 |title=Ex-Nine execs Chris Janz and David Eisman aim to fill news 'void' with business website |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/exnine-execs-chris-janz-and-david-eisman-aim-to-fill-news-void-with-business-website/news-story/2b78e67fc52bba6d1e8a5b34e4aca992 |website=The Australian}}{{Cite web |last=Jaspan |first=Calum |date=2023-03-20 |title=Former Nine/Fairfax execs to launch VC-backed subscription news business Scire |url=https://mumbrella.com.au/former-nine-fairfax-execs-to-launch-vc-backed-subscription-news-business-scire-779969 |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=Mumbrella |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Chris Janz building a news subscription venture - AdNews |url=https://www.adnews.com.au/news/chris-janz-building-a-news-subscription-venture |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=www.adnews.com.au |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Mediaweek |date=2023-03-26 |title=Former Nine execs Chris Janz and David Eisman reveal plans to launch a new business publication |url=https://mediaweek.com.au/former-nine-execs-reveal-plans-to-launch-a-new-business-website/ |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=Mediaweek |language=en-AU}} Janz was previously publisher of The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review and led the initiatives that prevented The Age and Herald from discontinuing their print editions.{{Cite web |last=Burrowes |first=Tim |date=2021-07-12 |title=How Chris Janz's Blue Team saved The Age and The SMH |url=https://mumbrella.com.au/how-chris-janzs-blue-team-saved-the-age-and-the-smh-692352 |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=Mumbrella |language=en-US}}

Scire is backed by Sydney venture capital firm Shearwater Capital.{{cite web |title=Our companies |url=https://www.shearwater.co/companies/ |website=Shearwater Capital |access-date=9 January 2024}}