Jay Mandel + Ojasvi Jalal · Cauldron
Get in on the ground floor of a different kind of newsletter sponsorship.
Sponsor a relevant story, invite readers to predict what happens next, and return together to see the result. I’m working with Cauldron founder Ojasvi Jalal to shape the first commercial pilots.
Request a Cauldron pilot proposalHere is the idea.
A newsletter covers a topic its readers care about. Cauldron adds a question with a clear outcome and deadline. Readers make a prediction and follow the story. An approved advertiser sponsors clearly labeled placements alongside that experience.
Imagine a housing newsletter covering rental trends. A suitable subletting company could sponsor a prediction about where rents are heading. The subject, audience, and advertiser fit together. The publisher keeps editorial control.
You are buying an agreed sponsorship campaign: the publication, placements, prediction experience, follow-up, and reporting are defined before launch. The proposed model gives most advertising revenue to the publisher or writer.
See the idea in practice
A question worth following.
Our MAC conversation shows how a prediction connects to coverage, gives readers something to consider, and creates a reason to revisit the story.
This is the starting point for our pilot partnership: useful editorial work, participation, and sponsors whose values fit the publication.
Watch the conversation and read the MAC article
Meet the founder
Ojasvi cares about what happens after the headline.
Ojasvi Jalal grew up with the news always on and loved reading the Sunday newspaper. Later, she watched friends and family tune out because the news felt overwhelming.
At BlackRock, she worked as a machine learning engineer, building language models to extract signals from market data. Cauldron brings that technical experience to a personal question: how can people follow current affairs and think more clearly?
She built a way to consider a question, update your view, and return to the outcome. I see potential in that combination of technical ability and a clear human purpose.
After MAC challenged the Substack–Polymarket partnership, Ojasvi reached out. I used Cauldron myself, invited her into our MAC conversation, and introduced our creator pilot in my June 23 article about Ojasvi and Cauldron.
My interest is personal: I want my own publishing to invite scrutiny and follow-through. Working with her is a practical way to apply that belief.
An early partnership
Help shape what this becomes.
Getting in on the ground floor means joining an early commercial pilot and helping us learn what works. We want partners who will contribute ideas, make decisions, and review the results with us.
You can help shape the topic, the reader experience, and the sponsor package within agreed editorial boundaries. We start small, evaluate the campaign, and decide together if it deserves another run.
This is participation in a developing media offer. Equity, exclusivity, guaranteed growth, and fixed returns are not included.
For advertisers: fund a story your customers care about.
Your company gets disclosed placements in a participating newsletter, connected to a relevant topic and a reason for readers to return. We agree on the audience, campaign schedule, sponsor message, and reporting before you commit.
The first pilot tests relevance, participation, and commercial value. I bring brand strategy and relationships; Ojasvi brings Cauldron; the publisher brings its coverage and audience.
For newsletter operators: build on the work you already publish.
Bring your editorial focus and relationship with readers. We can explore an advertiser-funded pilot that pays your publication an agreed revenue share.
If you prefer to commission Cauldron’s reader participation service directly, we can request a separate paid proposal from Ojasvi. Those service fees are distinct from sponsorship revenue.
What happens next
One publication. One sponsor. One question.
- Tell me what you want to do. Share your company or newsletter, topic, audience, timing, and available budget.
- We check the fit. Jay, Cauldron, and the publisher review the offer, sponsor, and editorial match.
- You receive a written proposal. It defines deliverables, dates, price, revenue shares, responsibilities, approvals, and measurement.
- Approve the scope, then launch. We confirm the commercial agreement and payment arrangements before the campaign begins.
Commercial terms are still being finalized. Requesting a proposal creates no payment commitment. The pilot price will reflect the audience, placements, duration, and production required.
Request a Cauldron pilot proposalOnly advertisers aligned with our values will be considered.
We look for a relevant offer, credible claims, integrity, and responsible data practices. Sponsors must respect permission, transparency, verification, and people’s control over their information.
Each publisher approves its sponsors. Placements are disclosed. Advertisers cannot buy favorable coverage or influence a prediction’s outcome. Identifiable reader data requires an agreed purpose and appropriate permission.
The right customer is willing to test, learn, and respect those boundaries. A budget alone does not qualify a company.
Explore Cauldron or read the MAC story behind our partnership.