What Intelligence Squared does

Intelligence Squared (legally Intelligence Squared UK Ltd) is a London-based, privately held media and live-events company founded in 2002 that operates the UK's leading forum for live intellectual debate. It hosts 40–50 live events annually at prestigious UK venues including the Royal Geographical Society, Conway Hall, Sheldonian Theatre, Union Chapel, and Richmond Theatre, featuring world-leading speakers across politics, science, economics, arts, and culture (e.g., Mustafa Suleyman, Francis Fukuyama, Nicola Sturgeon, Philip Pullman, Robert Peston). The company also distributes long-form content through podcasts on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Megaphone, Audioboom, and YouTube, where its channel has accumulated 75 million+ views and approximately 1 million monthly plays/downloads. A flagship AI-themed podcast, 'Power Trip: The Age of AI', and a July 2026 flagship AI event underscore its topical programming strategy.

The underlying platform is built on a standard content-and-commerce stack: WordPress as CMS, WooCommerce for e-commerce, Eventbrite for ticketing, Stripe for payments, and Google Analytics for web measurement. There is no proprietary AI/ML infrastructure. The product surface spans four layers: (1) live ticketed events; (2) the Intelligence Squared+ subscription membership offering five guaranteed event seats annually plus ad-free podcast listening and exclusive content; (3) an extensive owned podcast portfolio (Intelligence Squared, Business, Arts & Culture, Power Trip, Energised, Economic Outlook, How I Found My Voice, VS, and others); and (4) a full-service branded content production business for corporate partners, delivering white-label podcasts, live events, and hybrid programming.

Revenue is generated through four streams: one-time ticket sales for live events, recurring membership subscriptions via Intelligence Squared+, bespoke branded podcast and event production fees from enterprise clients (CHANEL, Sotheby's, Iberdrola, Havas, Selfridges, Guinness Global Investors, Y TREE), and voluntary donations processed via Stripe. The customer base is bifurcated — a broad long-tail of intellectually curious event attendees and podcast listeners on the consumer side, and a curated set of enterprise brand partners (predominantly in luxury, energy, finance, and advertising) on the B2B side. The company is independently owned with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or parent entity, and operates with an 11–50 person team.

Name

Intelligence Squared

Legal name

Intelligence Squared UK Ltd

Website

https://intelligencesquared.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Intelligence Squared is a London-based live debate and podcast platform founded in 2002 that hosts 40–50 events annually and produces branded audio content for enterprise partners including CHANEL, Sotheby's, and Iberdrola. It serves intellectually curious consumers and corporate brand partners seeking premium thought-leadership content.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Events and Podcasting

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Other Sound Recording Industries (512290), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Lectures & Speaker Series (MPAGACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Live Podcast Recordings (MPAGACAJ), Online Public Speaking & Debate Programs (Live/Recorded) (EDAMAOAD), Podcast Live & Interactive Podcast Platforms (Live Shows, Call-ins) (MPACADAJ)

Keywords

• Live debate events
• Podcast production
• Branded content
• Intellectual discussions
• Event ticketing

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from selling tickets to live events held at prestigious venues including Royal Geographical Society, Conway Hall, Sheldonian Theatre, and other UK locations. Events range from individual talks to major debates with prominent speakers.
2. Membership Subscriptions: Intelligence Squared+ subscription providing members with guaranteed seats at five events over 12 months for the price of four, plus exclusive content, ad-free listening, and early access to events. Monthly and annual subscription options available.
3. Branded Podcast Partnerships: Custom podcast and event production services for corporate clients including CHANEL, Sotheby's, Iberdrola, Havas, Selfridges, and others. Services include white-label event delivery, branded podcast series, and audience promotion through the company's substantial subscriber base.
4. Donations: Voluntary donations from supporters to support the company's mission of promoting global conversation and informed decision-making.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Intelligence Squared hosts 40-50 live debates, talks, and discussions per year at prestigious UK venues featuring world-leading thinkers, speakers, and orators across science, technology, politics, economics, arts, and culture. Content is distributed through podcasts (approximately 1 million plays and downloads per month), YouTube (75 million+ views), and a paid membership (Intelligence Squared+). The company also produces branded podcasts and event content for corporate partners such as CHANEL, Sotheby's, Iberdrola, Havas, and Selfridges.

Product overview

Intelligence Squared operates a live events and podcasting platform hosting 40-50 debates and talks annually with approximately 1 million monthly plays/downloads. The core offering includes the Intelligence Squared main podcast and the Intelligence Squared+ subscription membership. The company also produces an extensive portfolio of branded podcasts including Power Trip: The Age of AI, Energised, The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook, and How to Lead a Sustainable Business, as well as branded content for partners such as CHANEL Connects, The Specialist (Sotheby's), Advertising Will Save Us (Havas), and No Bullsh*t Leadership (Havas Creative). Partnership services include custom podcast production and event hosting for corporate clients. The platform distributes content through multiple channels including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Megaphone, and YouTube.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Intelligence Squared+ Membership Premium annual subscription for individual audience members providing guaranteed seating at five events per year at the price of four, exclusive content, ad-free podcast listening, early access to events, and bonus subscriber-only series.
• Live Debate and Talk Tickets Per-event ticket sales for individual live debates, talks, and panel discussions featuring prominent speakers, held at prestigious UK venues and accessible to general audiences and members.
• Branded Podcast Production Full-service custom podcast creation for brand partners including editorial development, technical production, and post-event content production, with notable branded series such as CHANEL Connects and The Specialist.
• Corporate Event Hosting Event production and hosting service for corporate partners including editorial programming, technical production, white-label event delivery, and audience promotion through Intelligence Squared's subscriber base.
• Intelligence Squared Podcast Flagship ongoing podcast series featuring curated debates and discussions with influential thinkers distributed across Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and other major platforms.
• Intelligence Squared Business Podcast Podcast covering business, economics, and capitalism with contributions from authors, public intellectuals, and economists.
• Intelligence Squared Arts & Culture Podcast Podcast series exploring artistic and cultural moments and conversations with leading cultural figures, writers, actors, and artists.
• Power Trip: The Age of AI Original podcast exploring the societal, cultural, and workforce impact of artificial intelligence, hosted by Carl Miller.
• Energised Branded podcast and debate series produced in partnership with Iberdrola covering climate change, net zero policy, clean energy, and environmental issues.
• The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook Recurring live event series and companion podcast featuring leading economists discussing global economic threats, opportunities, and political implications.
• CHANEL Connects Acclaimed branded arts and culture podcast produced for CHANEL featuring global thought leaders, artists, and creators exploring questions that shape culture.
• The Specialist Branded podcast produced for Sotheby's featuring global specialists exploring significant works of art and objects with notable figures.
• Advertising Will Save Us Branded podcast produced for Havas exploring how advertising can be used as a force for environmental and social good.
• No Bullsh*t Leadership Branded podcast produced for Havas Creative exploring modern leadership principles, hosted by Chris Hirst.
• How to Lead a Sustainable Business Branded podcast produced for Selfridges exploring sustainability innovation in retail and business transformation, hosted by Alannah Weston.
• The View (with Y TREE) Recurring event and content series produced in partnership with Y TREE exploring future challenges and innovative solutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40-50 live events per year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IberdrolacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIberdrola partnered with Intelligence Squared on 'Energised', a series of debates focusing on climate and clean energy. The partnership aligns Iberdrola with high-quality intellectual discourse on environmental issues, positioning the company as a thought leader in renewable energy while providing engaging content for Intelligence Squared's audience.
• Guinness Global InvestorscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGuinness Global Investors sponsors the 'Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook' event series, featuring discussions with leading economists and thinkers on global economic trends. The partnership provides thought leadership positioning for Guinness while supporting Intelligence Squared's economics programming.
• CHANELcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHANEL partnered with Intelligence Squared to produce 'CHANEL Connects', an acclaimed arts and culture podcast featuring global thought leaders, artists, and creators exploring profound questions that shape culture. The partnership exemplifies Intelligence Squared's ability to deliver premium branded content.
• Sotheby'scoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSotheby's collaborated with Intelligence Squared on 'The Specialist' podcast, where their global specialists explore significant works of art and objects with notable figures. The podcast showcases Sotheby's expertise while delivering engaging content to Intelligence Squared's audience.
• HavascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHavas partnered with Intelligence Squared to produce 'Advertising Will Save Us' and 'No Bullsh*t Leadership' podcasts. These branded content series explore advertising's potential for positive change and modern leadership themes, leveraging Havas's industry expertise with Intelligence Squared's production capabilities.
• SelfridgescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelfridges partnered with Intelligence Squared for the 'How to Lead a Sustainable Business' podcast series with Chairman Alannah Weston, exploring sustainability innovation in retail and business transformation.
• Y TREEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerY TREE partnered with Intelligence Squared on 'The Y TREE View' event and content series, exploring future challenges and innovative solutions across topics including technology, sustainability, and societal transformation.
• IBMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBM logo appears in Intelligence Squared partnerships section indicating past or ongoing content collaboration.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Hay Festival: UK literary and ideas festival with global editions; similar intellectual-audience targeting and branded-partnership model but focused more on literature/writing, with primary UK footprint.
• Festival of Dangerous Ideas: Sydney-based debate and ideas festival featuring provocative intellectual discourse; comparable debate-first format with international audience reach but limited regional competition against Intelligence Squared.

Broad incumbents

• Acast: Podcast hosting and monetization platform that distributes Intelligence Squared content; competes for branded-podcast production budgets and provides alternative infrastructure for partners evaluating podcast-first vendors.
• Aspen Ideas Festival: U.S.-based premier ideas festival featuring world-class speakers across policy, science, and culture — comparable high-profile speaker roster but operates at larger scale with sponsorship-driven model.
• Royal Society of Arts (RSA): London-based fellowship running public lectures, debates, and video/podcast content on social innovation; broader institutional mission but comparable public-events format and intellectual-audience focus.
• TED / TED Talks: Global talks platform with far larger scale and audience; operates a much broader portfolio of conferences, digital content, and partnerships but addresses an overlapping premium-intellectual-event niche.

Emerging players

• PopTech: U.S.-based ideas conference and speakers platform focused on innovation and social impact — comparable intellectual-event format but smaller scale and narrower theme focus.

Direct peers

• How To Academy: London-based talks and ideas platform hosting world-leading speakers across science, politics, and culture with a comparable ticketing and membership model — directly competes for the same audience in the same UK venues.
• Munk Debates: Canadian debate platform staging structured Oxford-style debates on policy and culture — the closest international analogue to Intelligence Squared's live-debate forum format, with similar revenue model around ticketing and broadcast/media partnerships.
• Intelligence Squared U.S. U.S. offshoot of the same Intelligence Squared brand, producing live debates across the U.S.; same format and brand DNA as the UK parent, making it the most operationally and editorially comparable peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/intelligence2
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/iqsquared
• Facebookfacebook.com/intelligence2
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/intelligence-squared
• Instagraminstagram.com/intelligencesquared

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Intelligence Squared