Flipboard Buys Graze to Bring Creator Ads to Bluesky and AT Protocol Feeds
Flipboard acquires Graze, bringing privacy friendly contextual ads and a 70% creator share to more than 7,000 Bluesky feeds across AT Protocol ecosystem.
Summary
Flipboard announced on August 26, 2026, that it is acquiring Portland based Graze, a two person feed building startup that raised $1 million in early 2025. Terms were not disclosed, but the deal is small. Launched 21 months ago, Graze says it has delivered more than 41 billion posts to about 12 million people. Its tools build, customize, publish and manage more than 7,000 curated Bluesky feeds that users can make their home feed, pin or access through apps sharing Bluesky’s open AT Protocol. About 60% of Graze traffic is monetized.
Graze sells contextual ads based on a feed’s subject, not individual tracking, and lets curators approve placements. Creators receive 70% of revenue and Graze takes 30%. Flipboard began using Graze technology in its Surf app, exposing overlapping work and a shared plan for user controlled social media. Graze CEO Devin Gaffney saw Flipboard’s advertiser relationships as infrastructure for faster growth, while Flipboard CEO Mike McCue backed its privacy and shared economics. Flipboard will retain Graze’s technology and expand user built feeds beyond Bluesky to AT Protocol services, including Surf. McCue said communities may attract people through interests rather than open web branding, citing The Tea, women’s sports and Surf’s Bet on Her feed.
Positives
- 41 billion posts reached about 12 million people during Graze’s first 21 months.
- Creators receive 70% of advertising revenue, while Graze retains 30%.
- More than 7,000 Bluesky feeds can be built, customized, published and managed through Graze.
- Contextual advertising avoids tracking individuals and lets curators approve which placements appear.
- Flipboard’s advertiser relationships could accelerate Graze’s monetization beyond its current infrastructure.
- User built feeds will expand beyond Bluesky to AT Protocol services, including Flipboard’s Surf app.
Risks & concerns
- About 40% of Graze traffic remains unmonetized because only 60% currently carries advertising.
- Acquisition terms were not disclosed, limiting visibility into the deal’s valuation and structure.
- Graze enters the acquisition with only two team members after raising $1 million in early 2025.
- Flipboard and Graze had been duplicating work before deciding to combine their operations.
- Graze currently concentrates on Bluesky feeds, with broader AT Protocol availability dependent on post acquisition expansion.
