An investigation by The Tennessee Star uncovered that the major backers of NewsBreak, an application that curates local news stories, are heavily backed by venture capital funds from communist China.
As reported in 2021, NewsBreak’s parent company is Particle Media.
Venture capital reports from dealroom.co show that in 2017, Particle Media raised $6.2 million in Series B funding from three venture capital firms based in China: IDG Capital, ZhenFund, and NetEase Capital.
ZhenFund was founded “in collaboration with” Sequoia Capital China.
Sequoia Capital, whose affiliated groups donated millions to Democrats and establishment Republicans alike, has faced scrutiny for influencing American politics while heavily invested in Chinese companies.
In 2021, California-based Francisco Partners, a technology investing titan, joined IDG for another round of funding for NewsBreak to the tune of a combined $115 million.
