Smooth Media Acquires Energy Central

Smooth Media has acquired Energy Central, a leading community platform and media publication for the electric power industry.

We couldn’t be more thrilled to merge our teams and further Energy Central’s mission to be a can’t-miss resource for this dynamic vertical.

The electric power industry is enormous. Seven of the 10 largest companies by revenue in the world are in energy and commodities. And the business of energy is around us every day, from the time we switch on the lights in the morning to the time we plug in our phones before bed—it’s a fundamental industry with vast geopolitical, environmental, regulatory, and economic implications.

But the space is changing rapidly…

• The shift to cleaner and more sustainable energy sources will require a large-scale reskilling of the workforce.

• Technological shifts like AI mean energy shifts. Ever thought about how those massive data centers being built all over the country will power their servers? The energy industry has.

• Energy is a space marked by frequent policy tide changes and lots of federal funding. In fact, investment across all energy sources will total $2.8 trillion in 2024.

Energy Central is at the forefront of this evolving industry. “Since 1995 Energy Central has been an invaluable resource for Energy Professionals,” said Steve Drazga, founder of Energy Central. “With more than 200,000 members today it is the leading platform for the sharing of industry knowledge and expertise. Combining with Smooth Media’s expertise and leadership opens exciting new opportunities to serve energy industry professionals with content powered by a thriving community, high-octane partnerships with leading brands, and a space for energy leaders to come together.”

This marks an exciting chapter for us at Smooth. Our ex-Morning Brew team (hi! it’s us—Josh Kaplan, Jenny Rothenberg, and Kinsey Grant) launched Smooth in 2021 with a mission to usher in the next generation of business media—one powered by content, community, and creators that educates, empowers, and engages professional audiences.

We’ve spent the past three years building a portfolio of niche business media companies and representing knowledge creators with focus areas in tech, AI, finance, the creator economy, and entrepreneurship.

Through this acquisition, we're expanding our portfolio to include an exciting and high-potential industry. Much more to come on the future of Smooth and Energy Central.

Got questions? Want to hear more about our thesis? Interested in partnering with Energy Central? Email Josh ([email protected]). And if you’re so inclined, we’d really appreciate some love on this LinkedIn post.