Forbes
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1917
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
Forbes firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Forbes
- Legal name
- Forbes Media LLC
- Website
- https://forbes.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1917
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Forbes industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Business Media & Publishing
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Syndication, Licensing & Content Partnerships (Columns, Features, Photos) (MPAJADAI), Data Journalism & News Intelligence Publishers (Indexes, Election/Market Data) (MPAJADAK)
Keywords
Where Forbes is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Forbes business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Advertising: Digital advertising revenue from display ads, pre-roll video, and native advertising placements across Forbes.com and mobile properties.
- BrandVoice Sponsored Content: Native advertising program where brands pay to publish sponsored content articles on Forbes platforms, clearly labeled as paid partnerships.
- Subscriptions and Memberships: Forbes offers subscription plans for premium content access, newsletters, and membership perks including exclusive reporting and early access to features.
- Events and Conferences: Revenue from flagship events including Under 30 Summit, CMO Summit, Women Summit, and various regional summits featuring speaker fees and sponsorships.
- Licensing and International Editions: Forbes licenses its brand and content to international editions including Forbes Asia, Forbes Europe, and 50+ regional licensees worldwide.
- Forbes Councils: Invitation-only membership communities (Agency Council, Business Council, etc.) with annual membership fees providing networking and thought leadership opportunities.
- E-commerce and Commerce: Revenue from Forbes Wine Club, Forbes Books, and other commerce initiatives including the Forbes Games platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free access with advertising support |
| Subscription | Annual | Premium subscription for enhanced access |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels7 records
Forbes product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Forbes is a global media company that publishes business, finance, investing, and marketing journalism across digital, print, and live event channels. It monetizes through advertising (display, video, and BrandVoice native content), consumer and membership subscriptions, branded events and summits, licensing of international editions, and e-commerce verticals such as the Forbes Wine Club and Forbes Books.
Product overview
Forbes operates a multi-platform media company offering a unified portfolio of content, tools, and services across digital media, financial products, and consumer recommendations. The core offerings include the flagship Forbes.com news platform, the Forbes Magazine publication, the Forbes Games suite of word puzzles, the Forbes Councils membership program, Forbes Vetted product review platform, Forbes Advisor comparison tools, and the Forbes Digital Assets cryptocurrency vertical. Additional products include Forbes Books publishing, Forbes Insights research division, and Forbes Global Properties real estate marketplace. The company also operates various international editions and a network of licensee publications globally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Forbes Vetted: Product review and recommendations division
- Forbes Advisor
- Forbes Games
- Forbes Daily
- Forbes Real-Time Billionaires
Products and services
- Forbes Digital Platform (Forbes.com and Mobile Apps) Primary digital news and rankings platform delivering business journalism, lists, and analysis to executive readers and consumers, with display, video, and BrandVoice advertising inventory for enterprise marketers.
- Forbes Magazine Print and digital publication covering business, technology, entrepreneurship, leadership, and lifestyle topics distributed via newsstand and subscription.
- ForbesPredict Prediction platform that lets readers forecast outcomes of news stories and build reputation through accuracy tracking, shifting audience engagement from passive consumption to active participation.
- Forbes Games Suite of free online word games and puzzles including the proprietary Mini Crossword, Frase, Pinpoint, Queens, and Crossclimb, designed to drive audience engagement and time on site.
- Forbes Vetted Product review and recommendation platform providing editorial reviews and deal tracking across consumer categories for shoppers and affiliate commerce.
- Forbes Advisor Comparison and recommendation platform for financial products including credit cards, mortgages, loans, banking, and insurance, targeting consumers researching financial decisions.
- Forbes Wine Club Wine-focused content vertical and e-commerce subscription initiative selling wine under the Forbes brand.
- Forbes Councils Paid invitation-only membership communities for executives across multiple disciplines (Agency, Business, Finance, HR, Technology, etc.) offering networking, thought leadership, and brand visibility through annual dues.
- Forbes Books Book publishing imprint producing business and leadership titles under the Forbes brand with companion audio editions.
- Forbes Insights Research and thought leadership division producing industry reports and market analysis for enterprise clients.
- BrandVoice Sponsored Content Native advertising product enabling brands to publish sponsored editorial-style content on Forbes platforms with clear disclosure, sold by Forbes' direct sales team.
- Forbes Events Flagship live summits and conferences (Under 30, CMO Summit, Women Summit, Ignite, regional summits) featuring ticket sales, speaker fees, and sponsorships for enterprise attendees and sponsors.
- International Licensed Editions Brand and content licensing program covering 50+ regional editions operated by local licensee partners across Asia, Europe, Africa, Latin America, and other regions.
- Forbes Digital Assets Cryptocurrency and blockchain coverage vertical providing price tracking, research, and education on crypto, DeFi, Web3, and NFTs.
- Forbes Global Properties Luxury real estate platform and marketplace operating under the Forbes brand for high-end property listings.
- Forbes Real-Time Billionaires Live tracking tool that displays real-time net worth updates for the world's billionaires throughout each trading day.
Companies that use Forbes
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Forbes technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Forbes partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- AxiomcoreForbes partnered with media technology startup Axiom to launch ForbesPredict, a first-of-its-kind prediction platform that allows readers to predict outcomes on news stories with aggregated real-time results and reputation building through accuracy. The platform has no real-money wagering element and is designed to shift audience engagement from passive consumption to active participation and loyalty.
- StatistacoreForbes partners with market research firm Statista for annual rankings including Best Employers, Best Banks, Best-In-State lists, and America's Best Recruiting Firms. Statista provides independent survey data and methodology support for these rankings.
- SHOOK ResearchcoreForbes partners with SHOOK Research for wealth advisor and CPA rankings. SHOOK Research provides proprietary methodology and qualitative evaluation for Best-In-State Wealth Advisors and similar financial professional rankings.
- TrueBridge CapitalcoreForbes partners with TrueBridge Capital for the annual Midas List ranking of top venture capital investors. TrueBridge provides methodology expertise and industry data for the ranking.
- SprinklrminorForbes partnered with Sprinklr for the World's Most Influential CMOs list, using supplemental data from LinkedIn and Sprinklr's analytics platform to evaluate marketing influence across multiple data points.
- Frost & SullivanminorForbes China partnered with Frost & Sullivan for the Pioneer Innovators selection recognizing leading enterprises in renewable energy and other sectors.
- WAN-IFRAminorForbes has partnered with INNOVATION Media Consulting and WAN-IFRA (World Association of News Publishers) on industry reports about media business models.
- Amazon (Alexa+)minorForbes provides content for Amazon's Alexa+ podcast-generation feature, where Forbes articles are used as source material for AI-generated audio podcasts on various topics.
- FedExminorForbes Asia partners with FedEx for the annual Small Business Grant Contest, selecting winners from Forbes Asia 100 to Watch companies to receive grant funding.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Forbes competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bloomberg Media: Bloomberg Media operates Bloomberg.com, Businessweek, and Bloomberg TV, directly competing with Forbes in business news, rankings, and enterprise advertising targeting affluent decision-makers.
- The Wall Street Journal (News Corp): The Wall Street Journal is the leading subscription-based business news brand in the U.S., competing head-to-head with Forbes for executive readers, enterprise advertising, and authoritative rankings.
- Financial Times: Financial Times is a global business news brand with a strong subscription model, competing with Forbes for affluent readers, premium advertisers, and international business audiences.
- Business Insider (Insider): Business Insider is a digital-native business and technology news site, directly competing with Forbes for online business news audiences, native advertising, and lifestyle-business crossover content.
- Fortune Media: Fortune publishes Fortune 500, Most Powerful Women, and Best Workplaces lists, making it a closely matched peer to Forbes' rankings franchises and business-news advertising business.
- Inc. Magazine (Mansueto Ventures): Inc. targets founders and growth-stage entrepreneurs with rankings like Inc. 5000, events, and newsletters, overlapping directly with Forbes' 30 Under 30 and entrepreneur audience.
- Harvard Business Review: HBR serves senior executives with management and leadership content, competing with Forbes' leadership and C-suite content verticals, premium subscriptions, and enterprise learning offerings.
Broad incumbents
- CNBC: CNBC is a large incumbent business news brand spanning TV, digital, events and lists (e.g., Disruptor 50), competing broadly with Forbes for advertisers targeting business decision-makers.
- Reuters (Thomson Reuters): Reuters is a global news and information incumbent with a deep business-news vertical, providing a broad alternative to Forbes for international business audiences and enterprise content licensing.
- Morningstar: Morningstar is a broader investment-research and media incumbent offering news, data and rankings for investors, overlapping with Forbes' investing, wealth, and financial-professional content verticals.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Forbes social profiles
Digital presenceForbes financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Forbes leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Forbes funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Forbes M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A5 records
Investments6 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Forbes
What does Forbes do?
Forbes is a global media company that publishes business, finance, investing, and marketing journalism across digital, print, and live event channels. It monetizes through advertising (display, video, and BrandVoice native content), consumer and membership subscriptions, branded events and summits, licensing of international editions, and e-commerce verticals such as the Forbes Wine Club and Forbes Books.
Is Forbes a public or private company?
Forbes is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Forbes founded?
Forbes was founded in 1917. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Forbes based?
Forbes is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Forbes make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Advertising is the primary driver. The others are brandVoice Sponsored Content, subscriptions and Memberships, events and Conferences, licensing and International Editions, forbes Councils and E-commerce and Commerce.
Who are Forbes's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bloomberg Media, The Wall Street Journal (News Corp), Financial Times, Business Insider (Insider), Fortune Media, Inc. Magazine (Mansueto Ventures) and Harvard Business Review. Broad incumbents are CNBC, Reuters (Thomson Reuters) and Morningstar.
Does Forbes have an API?
No public API is recorded for Forbes.
What industry is Forbes in?
Forbes's product category is Business Media & Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAM, Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines, with a secondary code of MPAJADAI, Syndication, Licensing & Content Partnerships (Columns, Features, Photos). Its NAICS code is 513120 and its SIC code is 2721.