OPENWEB PARTNERS WITH PATCH TO STRENGTHEN LOCAL NEWS COMMUNITIES NATIONWIDE

Strategic Partnership Brings Best In Class Community Engagement and Technology Solutions to Leading Hyperlocal News Platform

NEW YORK, Aug. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- OpenWeb, the premium community engagement platform, today announced a strategic partnership with Patch, the nation's leading hyperlocal news platform serving over 30,000 communities across the United States. The collaboration will integrate OpenWeb's award-winning community and commenting technology into Patch's network, enhancing reader engagement while strengthening the foundation of local journalism through healthier online conversations.

The partnership comes at a pivotal time for local news, as communities nationwide seek more meaningful ways to connect around the issues that matter most to them. Patch, which reaches over 25 million unique visitors monthly across all 50 states, will leverage OpenWeb's comprehensive community engagement suite to foster deeper connections between readers and the stories that shape their neighborhoods.

"We're proud to partner with Patch to deepen engagement in local communities," said Haim Sasson, President of OpenWeb. "By bringing our AI-powered moderation and community engagement tools to Patch's vast local network, we're helping to make neighborhood conversations vibrant, constructive, and inclusive."

At the heart of the partnership is OpenWeb's industry-leading technology including Aida, the company's proprietary LLM-based solution that recognizes nuance and learns context to maintain healthy discussions. When combined with OpenWeb's suite of 25+ AI/ML models, Aida will help Patch maintain the high standards of discourse essential for productive community engagement around local issues. Additionally, the partnership will also leverage OpenWeb's proprietary Topic Tracker, which allows users to follow specific topics and authors of interest. This functionality is particularly valuable for local news, where readers often want to stay informed about specific community issues, local government decisions, or neighborhood developments.

"We've always believed that strong local communities are built through meaningful conversation and shared engagement," said Will Figueroa, President of Patch. "OpenWeb's technology aligns perfectly with our mission to connect neighbors and strengthen local journalism. Their tools will help us create even more vibrant spaces for residents to discuss the issues that matter most to their communities."

Patch's expansion to 30,000 communities through AI-powered newsletters, combined with OpenWeb's engagement technology, creates unprecedented opportunities for community building at scale. The platform's 3 million newsletter subscribers and 85 full-time newsroom staff will benefit from enhanced reader engagement and deeper community insights.

The integration supports both companies' commitment to combating the growing challenge of "news deserts" in American communities. By providing tools that make local journalism more engaging and financially sustainable, the partnership helps ensure that communities have access to the reliable, independent news coverage they need.

OpenWeb's technology has proven successful with major publishers including CNN, Metro, New York Post, and Wall Street Journal, with partners typically seeing significant increases in user engagement and new registrations. The platform's ability to drive meaningful conversations while maintaining civil discourse makes it particularly well-suited for local news environments where community trust and respectful dialogue are essential.

About OpenWeb
OpenWeb's mission is to improve online conversation. As a product company, OpenWeb partners with publishers and brands to build strong, direct relationships with their audiences. OpenWeb's technology empowers its partners to build vibrant communities rooted in healthy conversations and robust social experiences. OpenWeb works with more than 5,000 top-tier publishers, hosting more than 150+ million monthly active users.

Founded in 2015, OpenWeb has offices in New York City, Tel Aviv, Kiev, San Diego, Canada, London, and Paris and is backed by world-class investors including Georgian, Insight Partners, Entrée Capital, The New York Times, Samsung Next, Dentsu, and ScaleUp. To learn more about OpenWeb's platform visit OpenWeb.com, or follow @OpenWebHQ on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Patch
Patch is America's largest hyperlocal news platform, serving over 30,000 communities across all 50 states with more than 25 million monthly unique visitors. Founded to strengthen local communities through journalism, Patch combines professional reporting with community engagement to keep residents informed about the issues that matter most to their neighborhoods. The platform features 85 full-time reporters and serves 3 million newsletter subscribers with both human-curated and AI-powered local news content. Patch is owned by Hale Global and operates as a profitable, bootstrapped company committed to sustainable local journalism.

SOURCE OpenWeb