TicketIQ
TicketIQ is a New York-based secondary ticket marketplace founded in 2009 that connects individual buyers with 1,000+ independent sellers and venue partners for sports, concerts, and theater events, monetizing through a 10% seller commission while offering fee-free pricing to consumers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What TicketIQ does
TicketIQ, LLC is a privately held secondary ticket marketplace founded in 2009 (originally as TiqIQ, rebranded in 2016) and headquartered at 79 Madison Avenue in New York City. The company operates a two-sided online platform connecting individual ticket buyers with a network of over 1,000 independent ticket sellers, brokers, and direct listings from teams, leagues, festivals, and venues. Its inventory spans professional and college sports (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAA), concerts, theater, and other live events across the United States and Canada, reaching over 25 million ticket buyers each month through its website (ticketiq.com), iOS and Android mobile apps, and SEO-optimized event landing pages.
The platform is built around three differentiating technical and product components: a proprietary A-to-F seat rating system that benchmarks each listing against similar seats in the same section (deepened by the 2016 SeatSmart acquisition); a fee-free buyer pricing model where the displayed price is the final price; and a TicketIQ Guarantee covering authenticity, on-time delivery, and refund/replacement for canceled events. An Elite Seller Program with badge designation rewards reliable brokers, and direct integrations with official team and venue apps handle ticket delivery. The buyer-facing experience is consumer-direct, while seller acquisition is channel-driven through broker partnerships and state licensing compliance (e.g., 32 NY State registered broker licenses listed on-site).
TicketIQ monetizes exclusively via a 10% commission charged to sellers on each completed transaction; buyers pay no additional fees. Marketing is primarily organic: SEO-driven event pages, a content blog publishing ticket pricing analytics, and social media presence on Instagram, Facebook, and X. A reciprocal infrastructure-sharing arrangement with companion resale platform TickPick enables cross-routing of postponed-event resales. Leadership is founder-led, with Jesse Lawrence as CEO and co-founder Drew Stanton as CRO, supported by a small team of 11-50 employees. The company has raised approximately $2.3M in disclosed venture funding across 2012 and 2013 and has not reported a subsequent funding round.
TicketIQ firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- TicketIQ
- Legal name
- TicketIQ, LLC
- Website
- https://ticketiq.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- TicketIQ is a New York-based secondary ticket marketplace founded in 2009 that connects individual buyers with 1,000+ independent sellers and venue partners for sports, concerts, and theater events, monetizing through a 10% seller commission while offering fee-free pricing to consumers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
TicketIQ industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Secondary Ticket Marketplace
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Secondary Ticket Marketplaces (Resale/Exchange) (MPAGAJAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Secondary Ticketing & Resale Marketplaces (MPAIAFAE), Pricing, Yield Management & Anti-Fraud Services (MPAGAJAH)
Keywords
Where TicketIQ is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
TicketIQ business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Seller Commission (10%): TicketIQ charges sellers a 10% commission on the total sale price when tickets are sold through the platform. This is the primary revenue stream, collected from sellers rather than buyers.
- Buyer Transaction (No Fee): Buyers do not pay any additional fees on top of the ticket price. The platform monetizes through seller commissions rather than buyer fees, creating a differentiated pricing model in the secondary ticket market.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard marketplace pricing with no buyer fees |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Elite Seller Program |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
TicketIQ product offering
Product offeringCore offering
TicketIQ operates a secondary ticket marketplace that connects ticket buyers with over 1,000 independent verified sellers for sports (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAA), concerts, theater, and other live events. Buyers pay no added fees (fee-free model) while sellers are charged a 10% commission. The platform includes a proprietary A to F seat rating system, a TicketIQ Guarantee for authentic tickets and on-time delivery, and an Elite Seller verification program.
Product overview
TicketIQ operates as a secondary ticket marketplace platform that connects ticket buyers with verified independent brokers and sellers. The core offering is the TicketIQ Marketplace featuring fee-free tickets, where buyers pay no added fees while sellers pay a 10% commission. The platform includes a data-driven seat rating system (A to F scale), the TicketIQ Guarantee for buyer protection, and an Elite Seller Program. TicketIQ specializes in sports (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAA), concerts, theater, and other live events across the United States, with operations since 2009.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- FanIQ: Related platform for fan engagement mentioned in company footer links.
Products and services
- TicketIQ Marketplace A secondary ticket marketplace that connects fans with verified ticket brokers and sellers, offering fee-free tickets for sports, concerts, theater, and other live events across the United States.
- TicketIQ Guarantee Buyer protection guarantee ensuring authentic and valid tickets, timely delivery, refunds for canceled events, and replacement tickets for emergencies or invalid tickets.
Quantifiable outcome
- Buyers save 10-20% compared to other secondary ticket sites
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use TicketIQ
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
TicketIQ technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
TicketIQ partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- TickPickcoreTickPick serves as the companion resale platform for TicketIQ. When events are postponed, customers are directed to TickPick to resell their tickets. The platforms share branding and infrastructure (static.tickpick.com assets used on TicketIQ).
- Teams, Leagues, Festivals, and VenuescoreTicketIQ works directly with teams, leagues, festivals, and venues to source tickets and provide secondary market access. They list official team apps and venues as ticket delivery and event information sources.
- 1,000+ Independent Ticket SellerscoreTicketIQ aggregates inventory from over 1,000 independent ticket sellers who list tickets on the platform. The company provides an elite seller program for top-performing brokers with verified reliability.
- FanIQminorRelated company mentioned in TicketIQ's footer links, suggesting affiliation or shared ownership within the ticket industry ecosystem.
- NY State Licensed BrokerscoreTicketIQ facilitates compliance for sellers requiring state licensing, listing 32 NY State registered broker licenses including companies like That's the ticket, Inc. (71TH1001785), AllShows LLC (72AL1001183), and others, ensuring legal compliance for secondary ticket sales.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
TicketIQ competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TickPick: TickPick is a fee-free secondary ticket marketplace and explicitly named partner/sister platform of TicketIQ. They share infrastructure assets and route postponed-event buyers between platforms, making them the closest direct functional peer.
- SeatGeek: SeatGeek operates a secondary ticket marketplace with primary ticketing partnerships and mobile-first product. It competes with TicketIQ for buyers across sports and concerts, and also pursues sports team primary ticketing deals that affect supply dynamics.
- StubHub: StubHub is the largest US secondary ticket marketplace for sports, concerts, and theater, charging buyers service fees. It directly competes with TicketIQ on inventory and buyer demand, and is the primary competitor the fee-free model is positioned against.
- Razorgator: Razorgator is an established secondary ticket marketplace for sports, concerts, and theater with a traditional buyer-fee model. It competes with TicketIQ for both buyer demand and seller supply across the same event categories.
- Vivid Seats: Vivid Seats is a publicly traded secondary ticket marketplace serving sports, concerts, and theater across the US. It competes directly with TicketIQ for both buyer demand and seller inventory, with similar commission-based revenue model.
Broad incumbents
- AXS (AEG): AXS is a primary ticketing platform operated by AEG that also provides resale/transfer functionality for venues and artists it serves. It competes with TicketIQ at the supply side through direct venue integrations and team partnerships.
- Ticketmaster (Live Nation Entertainment): Ticketmaster is the dominant primary ticketing platform in North America, owned by Live Nation Entertainment, and also operates secondary market resale. It controls primary inventory access that affects the entire secondary ecosystem, including TicketIQ's supply.
Emerging players
- Goldstar: Goldstar is a discounted ticket marketplace focused on theater, concerts, comedy, and local events with a half-price positioning. It targets a budget-conscious buyer segment that overlaps with TicketIQ's value-driven positioning, though with a different inventory mix.
- Gametime: Gametime is a mobile-first secondary ticketing app specializing in last-minute sports and concert tickets with low-fee positioning. It targets a similar price-conscious buyer segment as TicketIQ but with a narrower mobile-only product focus.
- Fever: Fever is an experiences marketplace offering concerts, festivals, immersive events, and local experiences in multiple countries. While not a direct secondary ticket competitor, it overlaps with TicketIQ's live-event buyer base and is shaping digital discovery for live entertainment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
TicketIQ social profiles
Digital presenceTicketIQ financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
TicketIQ leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
TicketIQ funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
TicketIQ M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about TicketIQ
What does TicketIQ do?
TicketIQ operates a secondary ticket marketplace that connects ticket buyers with over 1,000 independent verified sellers for sports (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAA), concerts, theater, and other live events. Buyers pay no added fees (fee-free model) while sellers are charged a 10% commission. The platform includes a proprietary A to F seat rating system, a TicketIQ Guarantee for authentic tickets and on-time delivery, and an Elite Seller verification program.
Is TicketIQ a public or private company?
TicketIQ is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was TicketIQ founded?
TicketIQ was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is TicketIQ based?
TicketIQ is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does TicketIQ make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Seller Commission (10%) is the primary driver. The others are buyer Transaction (No Fee).
Who are TicketIQ's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TickPick, SeatGeek, StubHub, Razorgator and Vivid Seats. Broad incumbents are AXS (AEG) and Ticketmaster (Live Nation Entertainment). Emerging players are Goldstar, Gametime and Fever.
Does TicketIQ have an API?
No public API is recorded for TicketIQ.
What industry is TicketIQ in?
TicketIQ's product category is Secondary Ticket Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAJAB, Secondary Ticket Marketplaces (Resale/Exchange), with a secondary code of MPAIAFAE, Secondary Ticketing & Resale Marketplaces. Its SIC code is 7900.