Patreon vs Substack: Founders, CEOs and History
Patreon was founded in 2013 by Jack Conte, Sam Yam and is led by Jack Conte. Substack was founded in 2017 by Chris Best, Hamish McKenzie, Jairaj Sethi and is led by Chris Best.
Company facts
Founders
Patreon
Jack Conte
Jack Conte co-founded Patreon in 2013 after years of building an audience on YouTube with Pomplamoose and earning little from ads.
Sam Yam
Sam Yam co-founded Patreon with Jack Conte in 2013 and built the first version of the platform, serving as its chief technology officer during its early growth.
Substack
Chris Best
Chris Best is the co-founder and CEO of Substack. Before Substack he co-founded Kik.
Hamish McKenzie
Hamish McKenzie is a Substack co-founder and serves as its Chief Writing Officer, acting as the company's main voice to the writer community and recruiting creators to the platform.
Jairaj Sethi
Jairaj Sethi is a Substack co-founder and its chief technology officer, responsible for the platform's engineering.
CEOs and their tenures
Patreon
- Jack Conte2013–present
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder
Has led Patreon since founding, through $10 billion in lifetime creator earnings and the 2026 restructuring.
Source - Sam Yam2013–present
Co-Founder (former CTO)
Built the original Patreon platform and led early engineering.
Source
Substack
- Chris Best2017–present
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Sets product and business strategy; led the 2025 Series C and the push into the app, Notes and video.
Source - Hamish McKenzie2017–present
Co-Founder and Chief Writing Officer
Leads writer relations and the company's public voice to creators.
Source - Jairaj Sethi2017–present
Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer
Leads engineering of the publishing, email and payments platform.
Source
Timeline: Patreon and Substack side by side
2013Patreon
Patreon Founded in San Francisco by Jack Conte and Sam Yam
Musician Jack Conte and engineer Sam Yam founded Patreon, writing the platform in six weeks and raising $2.1M.
2014Patreon
$15M Series A Led by Danny Rimer at Index Ventures
Raised Series A, crossing 10,000 creators earning over $1 million per month in fan subscriptions.
2016Patreon
$30M Series B & Crosses $100M in Cumulative Creator Payouts
Raised $30 million led by Thrive Capital, passing $100 million paid out directly to artists.
2017Patreon
$60M Series C & The December Fee Crisis Humility Moment
Reached $60M Series C; reversed controversial transaction fee changes following creator community feedback.
2017Substack
Substack founded in San Francisco
Chris Best, Hamish McKenzie, and Jairaj Sethi founded Substack to build subscription publishing for writers.
2017Substack
Bill Bishop Launches Sinocism as First Substack Publication
China analyst Bill Bishop moved his Sinocism newsletter to Substack, proving that writers could earn six figures directly.
2019Patreon
$60M Series D at $660M Valuation & Launches European Entity
Expanded internationally, establishing Dublin operations and launching multi-currency billing.
2019Substack
$15.3M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz
a16z led a $15.3 million Series A.
2020Patreon
$90M Series E at $1.2B Valuation & Pandemic Creator Boom
Achieved unicorn status during COVID-19 lockdowns as creators turned to Patreon for direct survival.
2020Substack
The Great Media Exodus & COVID-19 Newsletter Boom
Prominent journalists (Matt Taibbi, Andrew Sullivan, Glenn Greenwald) left corporate media to build independent Substack empires.
2021Patreon
$155M Series F at $4.0B Valuation Led by Tiger & Lone Pine
Valuation reached $4.0 billion; cumulative creator payouts surged past $2.0 billion.
2021Substack
$65M Series B at $650M Valuation Led by a16z
Valuation surged to $650 million, crossing 1 million paid subscriptions and launching Substack Pro.
2022Substack
Launches Substack Reader Mobile App and Substack Chat
Debuted dedicated consumer mobile reading app and subscriber-only chat rooms.
2023Patreon
Launches Free Memberships, Patreon Commerce & Spotify Partnership
Debuted digital goods sales, free membership tiers, and native podcast streaming inside Spotify.
2023Substack
Launches Substack Notes & Raises $7.8M Community Crowdfund
Debuted Substack Notes to rival Twitter/X, raising $7.8M from 6,700+ community investors on Wefunder.
2024Substack
Passes 3 million paid subscriptions
Substack said in 2024 that creators had passed 3 million paid subscriptions.
2025Substack
$100M Series C at $1.1B valuation
BOND and The Chernin Group led the round, with a16z, Rich Paul and Jens Grede participating.
2026Patreon
Creators Pass $10 Billion in Lifetime Earnings
Cumulative creator earnings passed $10 billion in August 2025, with about 25 million paid memberships.
2026Substack
Data breach disclosed
Substack disclosed on February 5, 2026 that user emails, phone numbers and internal metadata were accessed in October 2025.
Acquisitions
Questions about Patreon vs Substack
Who is the CEO of Patreon, Inc. and Substack Inc.?
Patreon, Inc. is led by Jack Conte and Substack Inc. is led by Chris Best. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Patreon, Inc. founded vs Substack Inc.?
Patreon, Inc. was founded in 2013 — 4 years before Substack Inc., which was founded in 2017. Patreon, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Substack Inc..
How many employees does Patreon, Inc. have compared to Substack Inc.?
Patreon, Inc. employs approximately 370 people. A verified employee count for Substack Inc. is not currently available.
Where are Patreon, Inc. and Substack Inc. headquartered?
Both Patreon, Inc. and Substack Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Patreon, Inc. and Substack Inc.?
Patreon, Inc. was founded by Jack Conte, Sam Yam. Substack Inc. was founded by Chris Best, Hamish McKenzie, Jairaj Sethi.
Which company has a longer operating history — Patreon, Inc. or Substack Inc.?
Patreon, Inc. has been operating for approximately 13 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Substack Inc. has been in operation for around 9 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Patreon vs Substack overview