Sea Glass

What Sea Glass does

Sea Glass is a privately held boutique lifestyle real estate franchisor headquartered in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, founded in 2007. The company licenses independent brokerages to operate under the Sea Glass brand in exclusive territories serving luxury and second-home property markets including coastal, waterfront, lakefront, mountain, ranch, golf/resort, and yachting-adjacent communities. From a single Caribbean operation through 2024, Sea Glass launched a national franchise division in May 2025 under President Eddie Sturgeon, rapidly expanding to 17+ offices across the US Virgin Islands, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Virginia, Texas, North Carolina, and South Carolina through a combination of new franchise launches and co-branding partnerships with established brokerages. CEO Jay Olshonsky, former Chairman/President/CEO of NAI Global, was appointed to lead the company alongside its January 2026 acquisition of Sperry Commercial Global Affiliates.

The core product is the Sea Glass Franchise and Master License program, which delivers franchisees a turnkey platform combining brand identity, technology infrastructure, marketing systems, and operational support. The technology stack is built around BoldTrail by Inside Real Estate, which provides CRM, lead routing, transaction oversight, branded agent websites, and commission accounting via QuickBooks integration. Supplementary tools include Canva-based marketing templates (listing presentations, flyers, buyer/seller guides, social assets), a proprietary franchisee portal branded Sea Glass Connect, Zapier workflow automation, monday.com for franchise candidate evaluation, Meta advertising integration, and BoldTrail's training/onboarding library. The company's stated technology differentiators are integration/interoperability, ease of use, and configurability across lifestyle segments rather than proprietary AI or proprietary tech IP.

Sea Glass's business model rests on three revenue streams: initial franchise fees, ongoing royalties from franchisees, and master license agreements that grant regional or lifestyle-segment control (e.g., national lakefront or coastal segments) in exchange for sub-licensing rights. A national referral network between franchise offices generates additional referral fee revenue, with ancillary ecosystem revenue from affiliated brands Sea Glass Vacations (curated villa stays and yacht charters) and Sea Glass Yachts (forthcoming yacht sales division). The go-to-market is sales-led enterprise franchise development targeting experienced broker-owners, supplemented by co-branding partnerships that allow established brokerages to adopt the Sea Glass brand while retaining local identity (e.g., Highlands | Sea Glass, Premiere Properties | Sea Glass, SumnerBaird | Sea Glass). The company has fewer than 50 corporate employees; its network spans hundreds of agents across franchisees, with the legacy USVI office alone reporting 140+ agents and $2.4 billion+ in cumulative resort/lifestyle/second-home sales.

Name

Sea Glass

Legal name

Sea Glass Franchising, LLC

Website

https://franchising.seaglass.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sea Glass is a boutique lifestyle real estate franchisor licensing independent brokerages that serve luxury and second-home markets across the US East Coast, Gulf region, and Caribbean. It earns revenue through franchise fees, royalties, master licenses, and referral network commissions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Thomas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fees: Sea Glass charges an initial franchise fee for new franchisees and ongoing royalty fees for continued use of the brand, technology platform, and support services. Franchisees operate independently owned brokerages under the Sea Glass brand in exclusive territories.
2. Master License Agreements: Sea Glass offers master license agreements for regions or lifestyle segments, allowing licensees to expand through sub-licenses and strategic partnerships, providing an additional revenue stream and growth mechanism.
3. Referral Network Revenue: The company operates a national referral agent program and referral network between franchise offices, generating referral fees when clients are referred across markets or to affiliated services including Sea Glass Vacations and Sea Glass Yachts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sea Glass is a boutique lifestyle real estate franchisor that sells franchise and master license rights to experienced broker-owners operating in lifestyle-driven markets (coastal, lakefront, mountain, resort, golf, ranch). Franchisees receive exclusive territories, the Sea Glass brand, the BoldTrail technology stack, Canva marketing templates, training, leadership coaching, and access to a national referral network. The franchisor extended into commercial real estate via the January 2026 Sperry acquisition, with ancillary divisions Sea Glass Vacations and Sea Glass Yachts.

Product overview

Sea Glass is a boutique lifestyle real estate franchisor built around a platform-plus-services architecture. The core offering is the Sea Glass Franchise and Master License program, which provides exclusive territories, branding, technology infrastructure (including CRM integrations, lead management, transaction oversight, and marketing tools), and operational support for independent brokerages in lifestyle-driven markets. Supporting the franchise platform are sub-brands Sea Glass Vacations (vacation rental and travel services) and Sea Glass Yachts (yacht sales). In January 2026, Sea Glass acquired Sperry Commercial Global Affiliates, adding commercial real estate franchising capabilities under shared leadership. The technology ecosystem includes the Sea Glass Connect franchisee portal, BoldTrail training platform, Canva-based marketing templates, and an Email Signature Generator. Leadership includes CEO Jay Olshonsky, President Eddie Sturgeon, VP Sarah Humphrey, and franchise development team members Aaron Dalgord and Teri Blanco.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sperry Commercial Global Affiliates: Commercial real estate franchisor offering brokerage services across investment sales, leasing, and advisory with international presence.
• Sea Glass Yachts
• Sea Glass Vacations

Products and services

• Sea Glass Franchise A boutique lifestyle real estate franchise offering exclusive territories, full access to Sea Glass branding, technology, and systems. Designed for experienced brokers seeking to attract high-end agents and discerning clients in lifestyle-driven markets.
• Sea Glass Master License Regional or lifestyle segment master license opportunities allowing control of entire states or national lifestyle real estate segments. Enables expansion through sub-licenses and strategic partnerships with access to a premium portfolio of lifestyle real estate domains.
• Sea Glass Vacations Ancillary vacation and travel services division offering curated villa stays and yacht charters with trusted partners and thoughtful coordination, designed to support how clients travel, unwind, and explore.
• Sea Glass Yachts Yacht sales division focused exclusively on representing yacht buyers and sellers with guidance, discretion, and market insight as a seamless extension of the Sea Glass lifestyle platform.
• Sperry Commercial Global Affiliates Commercial real estate franchisor offering brokerage services across investment sales, leasing, and advisory with international presence, acquired by Sea Glass in January 2026 and operating as a distinct brand under shared leadership.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $2.4 billion in resort, lifestyle, and second-home real estate sold by Sea Glass Properties (Virgin Islands office with 140+ agents)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Sperry Commercial Global AffiliatescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 January 2026Sea Glass acquired Sperry Commercial Global Affiliates, an industry-leading commercial real estate franchisor, bringing both brands under shared leadership with Jay Olshonsky as CEO of both companies. The combined platform spans residential lifestyle and commercial real estate brokerage services while maintaining each brand's independence. Sperry brings established international presence and commercial expertise, while Sea Glass contributes lifestyle and resort market footprint including the Caribbean.
• BoldTrail by Inside Real EstatecoreTechnology or IntegrationBoldTrail by Inside Real Estate is Sea Glass's core technology platform providing comprehensive real estate technology including lead management, branded agent websites, transaction oversight, marketing tools, commission tracking, and QuickBooks integration. Provides robust library of live and on-demand training sessions for franchise onboarding and ongoing education.
• CanvasupportingTechnology or IntegrationSea Glass provides franchisees with Canva-based marketing templates including buyer guides, seller guides, property flyers, recruiting brochures, listing presentations, social media posts, business cards, letterhead, and postcards. Templates are pre-designed with approved brand colors, fonts, and layouts.
• Sea Glass VacationssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSea Glass Vacations is an ancillary business division providing curated villa stays, yacht charters, and vacation experiences for clients. Creates referral opportunities for franchise offices whose clients travel between lifestyle destinations.
• Sea Glass YachtssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSea Glass Yachts will focus exclusively on yacht sales, representing buyers and sellers with the same level of guidance, discretion, and market insight as the real estate platform. Positioned as a seamless extension for clients whose lifestyle and investments move between land and sea.
• Vista PrintsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVista Print is an approved vendor for Sea Glass franchisees providing business cards, banners, signs, and promotional materials with quick turnaround. Franchisees can order through a dedicated Sea Glass shop.
• The Profit CentresupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe Profit Centre provides real estate coaching, training, and consulting programs designed to help brokers, team leaders, and REALTORS achieve predictable profit and greater financial success. Available to Sea Glass franchisees for leadership development.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• Sotheby's International Realty: Global luxury real estate franchise network focused on premium and lifestyle properties. Most directly comparable peer given Sea Glass's boutique lifestyle positioning, exclusive-territory model, and affluent second-home buyer focus.
• Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices: National real estate franchise with premium brand recognition and a multi-tier franchise model including luxury and lifestyle segments. Comparable to Sea Glass on franchise fee economics, technology provisioning, and cross-market referral positioning.
• Coldwell Banker: Long-established real estate franchise with strong luxury and international presence (Coldwell Banker Global Luxury). Closely comparable to Sea Glass's premium/lifestyle positioning and global ambitions post-Sperry.
• Century 21: Global real estate franchise with broad demographic reach and a master-franchise structure in many regions. Comparable to Sea Glass on international footprint ambitions and franchise/master license governance model.
• Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate: Real estate franchise backed by a trusted lifestyle brand with curated marketing and strong consumer recognition. Comparable to Sea Glass's strategy of monetizing an aspirational lifestyle brand across differentiated real estate categories.
• Engel & Völkers: International real estate franchise specializing in premium and luxury residential and commercial properties, especially in resort and waterfront markets. Closely comparable to Sea Glass on boutique luxury positioning, European/Caribbean footprint, and lifestyle-segment verticalization.
• Realty ONE Group: Fast-growing, modern real estate franchise with a 100% commission and tech-enabled model. Comparable to Sea Glass in franchise-driven rapid expansion and lifestyle branding across US markets.

Broad incumbents

• RE/MAX: Largest global real estate franchise network with a global agent base and recognized brand. While more mass-market than Sea Glass, RE/MAX defines the competitive benchmark on franchise fee economics, technology stack, and referral network scale.
• Keller Williams Realty: Largest real estate franchise by agent count in the US with a strong technology, training, and culture-driven operating system. Represents the productivity/efficiency benchmark Sea Glass's BoldTrail-plus-coaching platform must compete against.

Emerging players

• eXp World Holdings: Cloud-based, agent-centric brokerage model with international franchise-like expansion. Comparable to Sea Glass as a non-traditional, tech-forward alternative to legacy real estate franchises seeking to attract entrepreneurial agents.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SeaGlassVI
• Xx.com/seaglassvi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Sea Glass