Secret Walls
Secret Walls operates the world's premier competitive live art event format since 2006, producing 90-minute artist paint battles across 100+ cities and 50+ countries. It monetizes via event tickets, Shopify DTC merchandise, enterprise brand campaigns (SWX), LA campus venue rental and art education workshops.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Secret Walls does
Secret Walls operates the world's longest-running competitive live art event format, staging timed 90-minute paint battles between artists in bars, warehouses and brand venues. The company was founded in 2006 in Shoreditch, East London, has staged more than 2,000 battles across 100+ cities in 50+ countries, and is now headquartered as Secret Walls LLC at 2272 Venice Boulevard, Los Angeles, on a four-space campus in historic Harvard Heights established in 2016. The product portfolio centers on Battles (the core competitive format), SWX (a brand-collaboration division curating artist partnerships for enterprise marketing), the Art of Competition Tour and SYLA Tour (multi-city US/Canada touring programs), SW Academy (workshops in schools, museums and community organizations), SW HQ (venue rental of the LA campus), Battle Disciplines (OG Paint, 2D digital illustration, collage, 3D freestyle/composition, VR freestyle), Mystery Box merchandise drops and a community-owned soccer team (Harvard Heights FC).
The company's money mechanics span five streams: paid event tickets, Shopify-powered DTC merchandise (including limited drops like the $50 Mystery Box), SWX professional services billed to brand partners (e.g., General Motors, Bentley, EA Sports, Vans, Puma, Premier League, MLS/Adidas, Ubisoft, Modelo, NBA/47, Apple, Red Bull, Coinbase, Capcom), HQ venue rentals for private events and brand activations, and Academy workshop fees. Touring is anchored by recurring sponsorships from POSCA and Monster Energy Ultra, with additional ecosystem partners including EVO Films, Threadless, uni and Inner-City Arts. The technology stack is deliberately lightweight — Shopify storefront, Google Analytics, hCaptcha and social platform integrations — with no disclosed proprietary platform or AI/ML infrastructure; the underlying moat is community, brand and artist-talent curation rather than software. Customer segments fall into three primary groups: artists and fans who attend battles and buy merch, brand partners purchasing SWX campaigns and HQ activations, and youth reached through the Academy program.
Secret Walls firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Secret Walls
- Legal name
- Secret Walls LLC
- Website
- https://secretwalls.world
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Secret Walls operates the world's premier competitive live art event format since 2006, producing 90-minute artist paint battles across 100+ cities and 50+ countries. It monetizes via event tickets, Shopify DTC merchandise, enterprise brand campaigns (SWX), LA campus venue rental and art education workshops.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Secret Walls industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Art Events & Experiential Marketing
- NAICS
- Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (54185), Art Dealers (459920)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Video/IMAG & LED Wall Production (MPAGAKAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH), Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration) (EDAAAGAA)
Keywords
Where Secret Walls is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Secret Walls business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Event Tickets: Sale of tickets to live art battle events, including the Art of Competition Tour and SYLA Tour.
- Merchandise Sales: E-commerce sales of branded merchandise including mystery boxes, apparel, stickers, and limited edition collaborations sold through the online store.
- Brand Partnerships (SWX): SWX division curates artist-brand collaborations for experiential storytelling campaigns. Brands pay for creative services including murals, films, artist curation, and event activations.
- Venue Rentals: The Secret Walls HQ venue in Los Angeles is available for rental for events, brand activations, and community gatherings.
- Academy Workshops: Art education programming delivered in schools, youth clubs, museums, and community organizations, often in partnership with brands like POSCA and uni.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Mystery Box x January - $50 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Secret Walls product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Secret Walls produces and operates live 90-minute competitive paint battles between street and visual artists in cities worldwide. Through its SWX division it curates artist-brand collaborations and experiential marketing campaigns for major brands, while SW Academy delivers art education workshops. It also runs a Shopify-powered e-commerce store selling branded merchandise, mystery boxes, and limited-edition collaborations, and rents out its Los Angeles HQ campus as an event venue.
Product overview
Secret Walls is a live art event company and brand that operates a multi-platform portfolio centered on competitive art battles. The core product is the Battles program — live 90-minute paint battles between artists. The portfolio includes SWX (brand collaboration arm), the Art of Competition Tour and SYLA Tour (touring event programs), SW Academy (education platform), SW HQ venue rental (Los Angeles campus), Battle Disciplines (multiple art competition formats), Mystery Box (merchandise drops), and Harvard Heights FC (community soccer team). The company serves artists, fans, brands, and event venues through these interconnected offerings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Battles 90-minute live competitive paint battles between street and visual artists staged in cities worldwide; the format has expanded to over 2,000 battles across 100+ cities in 50+ countries and serves as the core content engine for tickets, merchandise, brand activations, and content production.
- SWX (Secret Walls X) Brand collaboration service that connects Secret Walls' curated artist network with brand partners for experiential storytelling campaigns, murals, custom product designs, and film productions, handling campaigns from concept to execution for major brands including GM, Bentley, EA Sports, Vans, Puma, Premier League, MLS/Adidas, Ubisoft, Modelo, and NBA/47.
- SYLA Tour Multi-city touring program that brings Secret Walls battles and Academy workshops across the USA and Canada, featuring live art competitions, musical performances, DJs, limited-edition merchandise, and artist residencies; the SYLA Tour covered 25+ cities, 60+ days, 13,500+ miles, 120+ artists, and produced 50+ works of art.
- Art of Competition Tour National tour featuring world-famous paint battles, musical performances, Academy workshops, and limited-edition merchandise drops in cities across the USA, powered by sponsors POSCA and Monster Energy Ultra (2024 tour).
- SW Academy Art education programming that partners with schools, youth clubs, museums, and community organizations to deliver artist-led workshops for emerging artists, available in physical and digital formats and often co-branded with art supply partners such as POSCA and uni (e.g., uni-Versity Back to School 2023 two-week workshop series).
- SW HQ Venue Event venue rental at the Secret Walls campus at 2272 Venice Boulevard, Los Angeles, comprising a warehouse studio, premium art gallery, coffee shop, and the city's only black-and-white mural yard; available for private events, brand activations, and artist residencies with past clients including 1800 Tequila, Nike Air Max Day, PopSockets, and MLS Rivalry Week.
- Mystery Box Periodic curated merchandise mystery boxes sold through the Secret Walls Shopify store, containing branded items such as vinyl stickers, t-shirts, and POSCA markers plus special limited-edition items like artist merchandise, priced below collective retail value as a loyalty offering.
Quantifiable outcome
- $23,000 raised for Inner-City Arts from Bentley Art In Motion auction
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Secret Walls
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Secret Walls technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Secret Walls partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- POSCAcorePOSCA is a sponsor of the Art of Competition Tour, providing art supplies for battles and workshops. Academy sessions use POSCA markers and paint supplies.
- Monster Energy UltracoreMonster Energy Ultra is a sponsor of the Art of Competition Tour 2024, powering the nationwide tour.
- General MotorsflagshipGM Neighborhoods project - curated four artists to create art on GM vehicle hoods, displayed at Made In America festival and auctioned.
- Bentley MotorsflagshipArt In Motion campaign featuring films with artists inspired by Bentley Bentayga. Raised $23,000 for Inner-City Arts.
- EA SportsflagshipMadden 99 Club collaboration - artists created portraits of NFL players joining the prestigious 99 Club in Madden 21.
- VansflagshipArtist Customization Series at Vans Michigan Avenue Chicago store - custom shoe design workshops and merchandise.
- Puma FootballflagshipCity Pack 2.0 collaboration - limited edition Puma Future 5.1 Netfit soccer cleat with Harvard Heights FC.
- Niky's SportsminorLocal soccer store partner for Puma x Harvard Heights FC collaboration.
- Premier LeagueflagshipPL Skateboards project - five artists painted 20 skate decks representing PL clubs for Premier League Mornings Live event.
- MLS / AdidasflagshipPrime Blue Animation - 15 second 3D animation for MLS PrimeBlue jersey initiative using recovered ocean plastic.
- UbisoftflagshipTom Clancy's The Division - curated street artists for in-game creative campaign, integrated real street art into gaming platform.
- ModeloflagshipModelo Custom Shop - artists from thirteen markets designed merchandise for Modelo activations.
- NBA / 47flagship47 Global Artist Project - international artists reinterpreted American team apparel with unique styles.
- EVO FilmscoreProduction partner for documentary-style films documenting artist journeys and brand campaigns.
- JapaneseDadminorAnimator for MLS Prime Blue 3D animation project.
- ThreadlessminorSYLA Tour X Threadless merch collection featuring tour artwork available exclusively via Threadless.
- unicorePartner for uni-Versity Back to School 2023 workshops with POSCA, two week series of workshops and artist storytelling.
- Inner-City ArtsminorLA-based nonprofit organization that received $23,000 raised from Bentley Art In Motion auction.
- Harvard Heights FCcoreOfficial soccer team of Secret Walls, representing the Harvard Heights neighborhood. First collaboration was with Puma Football.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Secret Walls competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Art Battle: Art Battle operates live competitive painting events globally where artists compete in timed rounds, the most direct competitor to Secret Walls' paint battle format with similar audience, artist network, and event-driven GTM.
- POW! WOW!: POW! WOW! is a network of street art festivals and murals in cities worldwide, directly comparable to Secret Walls' touring festival format and artist-curation model, with similar brand-partnership-driven economics.
Broad incumbents
- Art Basel: Art Basel is the dominant global art fair brand operating flagship events in Basel, Miami Beach, and Hong Kong; broader incumbent in the art event/experience space that competes for brand sponsorship dollars and cultural mindshare.
- Frieze: Frieze operates major international art fairs, exhibitions, and publishing; a broader incumbent that competes with Secret Walls for premium brand activations and high-end cultural audiences.
- Complex Networks: Complex is a youth culture media and events brand (ComplexCon) that competes with Secret Walls for street-culture brand campaigns and experiential activations; broader incumbent with deeper media distribution.
Emerging players
- Hypebeast: Hypebeast is a digital street culture media platform that has expanded into live events and brand collaborations, intersecting with Secret Walls in street-culture audience, brand-partnership monetization, and content production.
- Juxtapoz Magazine: Juxtapoz is a long-running art and culture magazine that has launched events and artist collaborations, sharing Secret Walls' positioning at the intersection of underground art, brand partnerships, and event programming.
- Superchief Gallery: Superchief Gallery operates contemporary art galleries and curated events across multiple US cities, comparable to Secret Walls as a hybrid gallery/event brand exhibiting street and contemporary artists to brands and the public.
Regional players
- Moniker International: Moniker is a London-based art and culture agency producing events, fairs, and brand collaborations with street and contemporary artists - a strong European analogue to Secret Walls' SWX brand partnership model.
Others
- Secret Walls (cross-ref: 1AM Gallery / Saatchi): Saatchi Gallery is a high-profile contemporary art gallery that frequently partners with brands and runs ticketed exhibitions, an ecosystem comparables for Secret Walls' gallery-as-event format and brand collaboration work.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Secret Walls social profiles
Digital presenceSecret Walls financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Secret Walls leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Secret Walls funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Secret Walls M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Secret Walls
What does Secret Walls do?
Secret Walls produces and operates live 90-minute competitive paint battles between street and visual artists in cities worldwide. Through its SWX division it curates artist-brand collaborations and experiential marketing campaigns for major brands, while SW Academy delivers art education workshops. It also runs a Shopify-powered e-commerce store selling branded merchandise, mystery boxes, and limited-edition collaborations, and rents out its Los Angeles HQ campus as an event venue.
Is Secret Walls a public or private company?
Secret Walls is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Secret Walls founded?
Secret Walls was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Secret Walls based?
Secret Walls is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Secret Walls make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Event Tickets are the primary driver. The others are merchandise Sales, brand Partnerships (SWX), venue Rentals and academy Workshops.
Who are Secret Walls's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Art Battle and POW! WOW!. Broad incumbents are Art Basel, Frieze and Complex Networks. Emerging players are Hypebeast, Juxtapoz Magazine and Superchief Gallery. Moniker International is listed as a regional player. Secret Walls (cross-ref: 1AM Gallery / Saatchi) is listed as an others.
Does Secret Walls have an API?
No public API is recorded for Secret Walls.
What industry is Secret Walls in?
Secret Walls's product category is Live Art Events & Experiential Marketing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAKAD, Video/IMAG & LED Wall Production, with a secondary code of THAJADAH, Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit). Its NAICS code is 54185 and its SIC code is 7310.