New York-based First30Days, a sort of self-help site focused on guiding its readers through change, today launched its beta version and closed a first round funding. The round of $5 million was led by Hearst Interactive Media, The New York City Investment Fund and other angel investors.

Instead of providing information in a commonly used how-to format, the site offers a collection of original feature articles, change-specific news feeds and interviews with experts including Steve Wozniak, George Foreman, Barbara Corcoran and David Bach. The site was founded by Ariane de Bonvoisin, former managing director of Time Warner Digital Media Venture Fund and its management team is made up of former executives from various media companies including About.com, CNN, and others. Already in the works is the May 2008 release of de Bonvoisin’s book, “The First 30 Days: Your Guide to Any Change,” with a national tour to promote it. Release.