Financial summary

TweenTribune was a free site for teachers and students, monetized exclusively through advertising. Our primary ad partner was HotChalk, a Silicon Valley education company. The numbers, from 2014:

Advertising revenue: $685,606

Expenses

• $18,000: Associated Press subscription
• $15,000: Development
• $48,000: Hosting
• $100,000: Salary

Net Profit: $479,000

Profit Margin: 73.6%

That 73.6% margin wasn’t theoretical — it was the lived operating reality of a site at scale, serving millions of students and teachers.

Risk awareness & due diligence
Because I had previously worked with for-profit education companies under Department of Education scrutiny, I was careful about compliance. I retained KelleyDrye, a premier K Street law firm, and paid thousands for a full operational review. Their conclusion: TweenTribune was operating fully within the law.

Why it matters
For VCs and partners, the number is just the headline. What it proves is:

• I can design a lean, scalable business model.
• I know when to bring in top counsel and invest in diligence.
• I have first-hand experience running a high-margin, high-volume digital platform.