Congrats Kathryn, Alex, Melissa and team! You have come far, fast and it's been a delight to watch you spread your wings and fly. I cannot wait to see what's in store next!
Love, Tereza
Today we celebrate the first birthday of The Daily Muse. Muses, it’s been a great year.
When we launched on September 6, 2011, we had no idea what the next 12 months would have in store. From 20,000 users, to 100,000, to 1 million and beyond, we’ve seen our mission spread and our message resonate around the globe. Our users are currently active in over 160 countries (and counting!), and we’ve published over 1,400 articles on navigating your career, life, and more. And we couldn’t have done it without you, our readers and extended family.
Whether you shared us with friends and family, liked us on Facebook, or just visited us on your own from time to time, we appreciate it and are immensely grateful.
The past year has been filled with exciting milestones and the ups and downs so familiar to any new community. Last September, our Manifesto set the stage for who we wanted to be and the mission we were striving to achieve. In November, three months after launch, we crossed our 100,000th user and found our first investors (thanks, Lisa Blau, Thomas Lehrman, and Y Combinator—we are forever in your debt). We left for San Francisco in December, subsisting on Mission burritos as seven of us worked out of one teeny tiny apartment.
February brought fresh excitement, as we debuted The Muse, our job search tool, to the world and prepared for March’s Y Combinator Demo Day, where we were named one of the best by The Next Web. Summer saw us celebrating being included as one of Forbes’ top websites for women and our team furiously working on the Muse job search and user login, the latter of which will be coming soon!
August was bittersweet, as we said goodbye to San Francisco and relocated some of the team back to New York, where we’re setting up a new office and preparing more surprises for you, our beloved community. It’s been one hell of a ride, and we’re honored that so many of you have joined us as we take our next step. From zero to 1.5 million women in Year One—where on Earth will Year Two take us? All we can say is, buckle up, Muses, and get ready for the ride.
—Kathryn, Melissa, and Alex
Photo of birthday cake courtesy of Shutterstock.
