Atavist Inc. was launched in 2011 and is the company behind the Atavist multimedia publishing platform and The Atavist Magazine, an award-winning monthly magazine. It was founded by Jefferson Rabb, Evan Ratliff, and Nicholas Thompson. In the spring of 2015, the company released its free publishing platform. The new platform allows users to create and sell long-form content across multiple platforms. Early investors in the company include IAC, Eric Schmidt, and the Founders Fund. It is now owned by Automattic.