Editorial standards
Sesamers is a media company that also runs events and sells services to the ecosystem it covers. That only works if the lines are bright. These are the rules every byline on this site works under - including the founders'.
Last reviewed Sep 2026 - applies to all sections and newsletters
Independence
Advertisers and partners never see coverage before publication, never pick who we cover, and never buy a verdict. Editorial and commercial calendars are maintained separately; the sales team learns a review's verdict when you do.
Verification & data
- Funding rounds enter the tracker only with a primary source: the term-sheet party, a regulatory filing, or the announcement itself - never a repost.
- Two-sided confirmation: when a startup names an investor on a round, the investor's claimed account is asked to confirm before the verified chip appears.
- Database medians suppress below n=5 - we'd rather show "not enough data" than a fake number.
- External statistics carry their source in-page. If we computed it ourselves (like investor density), we say so and show the inputs.
Labels we use
Every piece that isn't plain reporting wears its label in the same position, top left, before the headline:
- Sponsored - a partner paid for the placement. Written with our editors, held to the same accuracy bar, never pay-to-praise.
- Contributed - an operator or company byline. The expertise is theirs; the fact-check is ours.
- Opinion - the author's view, not the desk's. Right of reply available to anyone named.
Conflicts of interest
Sesamers sells event services (villages, booth sales, investor days) to organisers we may also cover. The rule set:
- Client status is disclosed inline wherever a client event is covered.
- Our own events count too. Sesame Summit, its Investor Day and the programmes we run for clients can be covered like anything else - the desk is not barred from them. Every article that covers one carries the disclosure inside the piece, above the fold, in the same words on every page.
- Client and own events are never ranked against events we have no stake in.
- Staff holding angel positions declare them; they don't cover their own portfolio.
- The Club's deal memos are member material, not editorial - and deals never influence coverage of the companies involved.
Corrections
Material errors are corrected in place with a dated note at the top of the piece. The tracker keeps a visible edit history per round. If we got your round, fund or event wrong, one email fixes it: corrections@sesamers.com - same-day during the week.
Ownership & funding
Sesamers is independently owned. Revenue comes from advertising, event products (Startup Village, booth sales, Investor Day, competitions), membership in the Investment Club, and sponsored content that is always labelled. Editorial hiring and coverage decisions are not shared with the commercial team.
AI use
We use AI for research, transcription and data cleaning. Every published word is edited and fact-checked by a named human, and no byline on this site belongs to a machine. Database pages are generated from verified data and labelled as such.
Reach the desk
News and embargoes: desk@sesamers.com · Corrections: corrections@sesamers.com.