Earlier this month, the podcast hosting network Libsyn acquired Glow, a Seattle-based podcast monetization startup of which Harker alumna Amira Valliani ‘06 is the CEO. Launched in 2019, Glow is a platform designed to create membership programs for podcasts. According to Geekwire, Libsyn plans to use Glow for private feed distribution and subscription billing for the more than 75,000 podcasts it hosts. 

Valliani told Geekwire that she co-founded Glow because of her belief in a “well-funded, thriving media.” Her idea was not initially well-received. “Most people looked at me like I was crazy when I said that I was making it easy for podcasters to charge for content. No one thought that people would actually pay for podcasts on a large scale,” she said. “I’m proud of this acquisition because it’s a demonstration that things have changed.”