Martha Stewart

Founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and co-founder of Hint^{Source [1]}^{Source [2]}

Home and lifestyle mediaPublishingBrand licensingTelevisionHome management software

Unclaimed profileLast verified Oct 2, 2026

About

Martha Stewart is the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, the media and merchandising company built around her name, and a co-founder of Hint, a home management app that launched in 2026.^{Source [1]}^{Source [2]}

Before building her media business she worked as a model and a stockbroker, and in 1976 she started a catering business in Westport, Connecticut. Her first book, Entertaining, was published in 1982; the company's prospectus dates the start of its original businesses to that book.^{Source [3]}^{Source [1]}

She created Martha Stewart Living magazine, which launched as a quarterly in 1991, and a syndicated Martha Stewart Living television program that began in 1993. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, formed in 1996, bought the magazine, television program, books and catalog businesses from Time Publishing Ventures in 1997 and listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MSO in October 1999.^{Source [1]}

After her June 2003 indictment she resigned as chairman and CEO. On March 5, 2004 a jury found her guilty of conspiracy, obstruction of an agency proceeding and making false statements concerning a personal sale of non-company stock, and she was sentenced to five months in prison; the Second Circuit affirmed in January 2006. By March 2015 she was again the company's Chief Creative Officer and Non-Executive Chairman, and Sequential Brands Group acquired the company that December.^{Source [4]}^{Source [5]}^{Source [6]}^{Source [7]}

In 2024 she co-founded Hint with CEO Yih-Han Ma and CTO Kyle Rush. TechCrunch reports that she holds equity in the company and works on the product, which the company says offers guidance from experts including Stewart.^{Source [2]}^{Source [8]}

Career

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

1996 to 2004

1 company has no public dates yet, so it is listed below but not charted.

Company	Years	Role	Status
Hint Co-founded Hint, a home management app, with CEO Yih-Han Ma and CTO Kyle Rush. The company announced a $10 million seed round led by Slow Ventures in May 2026 and launched its iOS app on July 29, 2026.^{Source [2]}^{Source [9]}^{Source [10]} Co-founded the company with CEO Yih-Han Ma and CTO Kyle Rush; TechCrunch reports she holds equity and works for the company rather than acting as a financial investor.^{Source [2]} Hint announced a $10 million seed round led by Slow Ventures in May 2026.^{Source [9]} The free iOS app launched on July 29, 2026, building a home profile from property, climate and soil data and offering guidance from experts including Stewart.^{Source [2]}^{Source [8]} Suggest a correction to Hint	now	Co-founder^{Source [2]}^{Source [9]}^{Source [8]}	Active
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Founded the company and served as its chairman and chief executive officer from its creation in 1996 until she resigned both posts after her June 2003 indictment. On March 5, 2004 a jury found her guilty of conspiracy, obstruction of an agency proceeding and two counts of making false statements concerning her personal December 2001 sale of ImClone Systems stock; a securities fraud count ended in a judgment of acquittal. On March 15, 2004 she resigned as a director and Chief Creative Officer and became Founding Editorial Director, a non-officer post. On July 16, 2004 she was sentenced to five months in prison, two years of supervised release including five months of home confinement, and a $30,000 fine, and the Second Circuit affirmed the conviction on January 6, 2006. In August 2006 she settled the SEC's related civil insider trading case without admitting or denying the allegations, paying disgorgement, interest and penalties and accepting a five-year bar from serving as a public company director. By 2015 she was again the company's Chief Creative Officer and Non-Executive Chairman.^{Source [1]}^{Source [4]}^{Source [11]}^{Source [5]}^{Source [12]}^{Source [13]}^{Source [6]} Created Martha Stewart Living and served as its editor in chief and editorial director from 1990 until 1997.^{Source [1]} Led the company's 1997 purchase of the magazine, TV program, books and Martha by Mail catalog from Time Publishing Ventures and its 1999 IPO on the New York Stock Exchange.^{Source [1]} Built a merchandising business that included a 1997 bed and bath licensing deal with Kmart; retail sales of Martha Stewart branded merchandise reached $763 million in 1998.^{Source [1]} As Chief Creative Officer and Non-Executive Chairman, held about 89% of the company's voting power as of early 2015.^{Source [6]} Suggest a correction to Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia	1996 to 2004	Founder^{Source [1]}^{Source [6]}Chairman and Chief Executive Officer^{Source [1]}^{Source [4]}Chief Creative Officer^{Source [4]}Founding Editorial Director^{Source [4]}Chief Creative Officer and Non-Executive Chairman^{Source [6]}	Acquired

Company

Years

Role

Status

Hint

Co-founded Hint, a home management app, with CEO Yih-Han Ma and CTO Kyle Rush. The company announced a $10 million seed round led by Slow Ventures in May 2026 and launched its iOS app on July 29, 2026.^{Source [2]}^{Source [9]}^{Source [10]}

Co-founded the company with CEO Yih-Han Ma and CTO Kyle Rush; TechCrunch reports she holds equity and works for the company rather than acting as a financial investor.^{Source [2]}
Hint announced a $10 million seed round led by Slow Ventures in May 2026.^{Source [9]}
The free iOS app launched on July 29, 2026, building a home profile from property, climate and soil data and offering guidance from experts including Stewart.^{Source [2]}^{Source [8]}

Suggest a correction to Hint

now

Co-founder^{Source [2]}^{Source [9]}^{Source [8]}

Active

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

Founded the company and served as its chairman and chief executive officer from its creation in 1996 until she resigned both posts after her June 2003 indictment. On March 5, 2004 a jury found her guilty of conspiracy, obstruction of an agency proceeding and two counts of making false statements concerning her personal December 2001 sale of ImClone Systems stock; a securities fraud count ended in a judgment of acquittal. On March 15, 2004 she resigned as a director and Chief Creative Officer and became Founding Editorial Director, a non-officer post. On July 16, 2004 she was sentenced to five months in prison, two years of supervised release including five months of home confinement, and a $30,000 fine, and the Second Circuit affirmed the conviction on January 6, 2006. In August 2006 she settled the SEC's related civil insider trading case without admitting or denying the allegations, paying disgorgement, interest and penalties and accepting a five-year bar from serving as a public company director. By 2015 she was again the company's Chief Creative Officer and Non-Executive Chairman.^{Source [1]}^{Source [4]}^{Source [11]}^{Source [5]}^{Source [12]}^{Source [13]}^{Source [6]}

Created Martha Stewart Living and served as its editor in chief and editorial director from 1990 until 1997.^{Source [1]}
Led the company's 1997 purchase of the magazine, TV program, books and Martha by Mail catalog from Time Publishing Ventures and its 1999 IPO on the New York Stock Exchange.^{Source [1]}
Built a merchandising business that included a 1997 bed and bath licensing deal with Kmart; retail sales of Martha Stewart branded merchandise reached $763 million in 1998.^{Source [1]}
As Chief Creative Officer and Non-Executive Chairman, held about 89% of the company's voting power as of early 2015.^{Source [6]}

Suggest a correction to Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

1996 to 2004

Founder^{Source [1]}^{Source [6]}Chairman and Chief Executive Officer^{Source [1]}^{Source [4]}Chief Creative Officer^{Source [4]}Founding Editorial Director^{Source [4]}Chief Creative Officer and Non-Executive Chairman^{Source [6]}

Acquired

Milestones

2026-07Hint, the home management app she co-founded, launched on iOS in the United States.^{Source [2]}^{Source [10]}
2024-10Netflix released the documentary Martha about her life and career.^{Source [3]}^{Source [14]}
2023-05Appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.^{Source [3]}^{Source [14]}
2019-06Sequential Brands Group sold Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia to Marquee Brands for about $166 million in cash plus a possible earnout.^{Source [15]}
2015-12Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia merged into Sequential Brands Group and stopped trading publicly.^{Source [7]}
2012Returned as chairman of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.^{Source [3]}^{Source [14]}
2004-03Found guilty at trial of conspiracy, obstruction of an agency proceeding and making false statements; resigned as a director and Chief Creative Officer and became Founding Editorial Director.^{Source [4]}
2003-06Resigned as chairman and CEO of the company after her indictment, remaining a director and Chief Creative Officer.^{Source [4]}
1999-10Took Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia public on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MSO.^{Source [1]}
1997-02Her company bought Martha Stewart Living magazine and related businesses from Time Publishing Ventures for about $53.3 million.^{Source [1]}
1997Launched branded bed, bath and paint collections at Kmart.^{Source [1]}
1993Martha Stewart Living television program launched as a weekly syndicated show.^{Source [1]}
1991Martha Stewart Living magazine launched as a quarterly.^{Source [1]}
1982Published her first book, Entertaining.^{Source [1]}^{Source [3]}
1976Started a catering business in Westport, Connecticut.^{Source [3]}^{Source [14]}

Boards, investments and other roles

Organization	Role	Years
PBSMedia	Host of Martha Bakes and Martha Stewart's Cooking School^{Source [6]}
The Martha Stewart ShowMedia	Host^{Source [6]}^{Source [14]}
Revlon, Inc.Board	Board member^{Source [1]}
drugstore.com, inc.Advisor	Professional advisory board member^{Source [1]}

Education

Barnard College, History and architectural history^{Source [3]}^{Source [14]}

Books

Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook 1999^{Source [1]}
Martha Stewart's Gardening^{Source [1]}
Entertaining 1982^{Source [1]}^{Source [3]}

Links

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Sources

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. prospectus (Form 424B4), U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 1999-10-19. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Hint, a new AI startup co-founded by Martha Stewart, offers an AI assistant for homeowners, TechCrunch, 2026-07-29. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Martha Stewart, Academy of Achievement. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal year 2003, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 2004-03-15. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
United States v. Stewart, 433 F.3d 273 (2d Cir. 2006), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (via vLex), 2006-01-06. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal year 2014, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 2015-03-06. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. Form 8-K (completion of mergers with Sequential Brands Group), U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 2015-12-02. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
HINT Home Intelligence, Hint. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
It's a Good Thing? Martha Stewart to Get Into Home Insurance With Hint, Insurance Journal, 2026-05-18. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Martha Stewart-Founded Hint Launches AI-Powered Homeownership App, PYMNTS, 2026-07-29. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Litigation Release No. 18169: Martha Stewart and Peter Bacanovic, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2003-06-04. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
United States v. Martha Stewart and Peter Bacanovic, 433 F.3d 273, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (via CourtListener), 2006-01-06. Accessed Sep 28, 2026.
Litigation Release No. 19794: Martha Stewart and Peter Bacanovic Agree to Settle SEC Insider Trading Charges, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2006-08-07. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Martha Stewart, Wikipedia. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Sequential Brands Group Announces Second Quarter 2019 Results (Exhibit 99.1), Sequential Brands Group via SEC EDGAR, 2019-08-09. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.

History

Sep 28, 2026: Profile created from public sources (Founded editors)
Oct 2, 2026: Enriched profile: about, education, other roles, milestones, books, stint highlights (Founded editors)

Compiled by Founded editors from the cited public sources. Editorial policy / Request removal