iHigh

What iHigh does

iHigh (legal entity iHigh Marketing Inc.) is a privately held, U.S.-based marketing and media platform that operates a national network of more than 10,000 high school websites created in 1999 in partnership with the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS), alongside 34 state association marketing sponsorships. The company monetizes this network primarily through advertising sales, brand-sponsored marketing programs, and experiential event activations aimed at connecting advertisers with the U.S. high school demographic. Its flagship event property, the Great American Rivalry Series (GARS), has run for over 20 years and underwrites a scholarship program that has recognized more than 150 scholar athletes; in-school fitness events, sports clinics, and custom client events round out the experiential layer, with longstanding repeatable programs built around partnerships with the Navy SEALs, US Marines, and US Army.

The underlying technology is a web-based content and distribution platform (hosted on WordPress/WP Engine) that aggregates high school digital presence and serves as the media layer for sponsorships and brand campaigns; no AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or SDKs are disclosed. In 2024, iHigh launched BRAINBOX Intelligent Marketing (BBIM), a wholly-owned full-service digital and experiential marketing division intended to extend the company's offering beyond the high school sports vertical into a broader range of industries. The company has raised approximately $19.15M in disclosed funding across four rounds between 2008 and 2012, with the largest being an $11.7M round led by Cox Media Group in May 2012; no funding activity has been disclosed since. The firm operates with 11-50 employees out of Lexington, Kentucky, and is led by CEO Jim Host, with founder/principal Rick Ford referenced in connection with the company's 25th anniversary in July 2024.

Name

iHigh

Legal name

iHigh Marketing Inc.

Website

https://ihigh.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

iHigh operates a U.S. national network of 10,000+ high school websites and 34 state association sponsorships, monetized through brand advertising, the Great American Rivalry Series, and experiential events targeting the high school demographic, with BBIM extending the offering to broader industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Marketing and Advertising Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Athletics Fundraising, Sponsorships & NIL Support (EDALAIAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

B2B Demand Generation & Lead Nurture Agencies (BPAFAKAA)

Keywords

• High school sports marketing
• Digital advertising network
• Experiential marketing services
• Youth audience sponsorship
• Sports event marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising Services: Advertising opportunities within the network of 10,000+ high school websites targeting the high school demographic
2. Marketing and Promotional Programs: Marketing and promotional programs including in-school fitness events, Great American Rivalry Series, Sports Clinics, and custom client-specific events
3. State Association Marketing Sponsorships: 34 state association marketing sponsorships providing brands access to state-level high school sports audiences

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

iHigh operates a national website network of over 10,000 high school websites and 34 state association marketing sponsorships that connects brands and sponsors with the high school demographic through advertising, marketing programs, and event-based promotions including in-school fitness events, the Great American Rivalry Series, and Sports Clinics. The company also runs a digital and experiential marketing division called BRAINBOX Intelligent Marketing (BBIM) that offers broader marketing services for clients across multiple industries.

Product overview

iHigh is a full-service marketing and promotional platform for high school sports, operating as a unified platform with multiple integrated offerings. The core product is iHigh.com, a national website network for high schools developed in partnership with NFHS. This is supplemented by BRAINBOX Intelligent Marketing (BBIM), a digital and experiential marketing division offering expanded services. The Great American Rivalry Series (GARS) serves as a flagship 20+ year marketing program connecting brands with high school audiences, while in-school fitness events and sports clinics provide additional promotional channels. Together these products form a comprehensive marketing ecosystem targeting the high school demographic.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Great American Rivalry Series (GARS): A 20+ year marketing program that helps brands gain awareness by connecting with high school sports audiences through the largest fan bases in America.
• BRAINBOX Intelligent Marketing (BBIM)

Products and services

• iHigh.com National Website Network A national website network for high schools created in partnership with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), providing a platform for high school sports marketing and promotional programs that reaches the high school demographic nationwide.
• BRAINBOX Intelligent Marketing (BBIM) Full-service digital and experiential marketing division offering holistic marketing services including creative advertising and promotional programs for a broader range of industries, designed to deliver unique, immersive marketing experiences.
• Great American Rivalry Series (GARS) A 20+ year marketing program that enables brands to reach high school audiences through association with one of the largest fan bases in America, including scholar athlete scholarship awards for the All-America Team.
• In-School Fitness Events and Sports Clinics Event-based marketing programs around fitness that connect brands with student athletes and high school communities, including partnerships with the Navy SEALs, US Marines, and US Army.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 150 high school athletes received scholarships through the Great American Rivalry Series All-America Team

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Federation of High Schools (NFHS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999iHigh was created in 1999 as a national website network for high schools in partnership with NFHS. This first-to-market partnership established iHigh's core platform and provided the foundation for the company's high school sports marketing network.
• Navy SEALsminorStrategic or Co-development PartneriHigh created repeatable marketing programs around fitness with the Navy SEALs, which are still utilized today.
• US MarinesminorStrategic or Co-development PartneriHigh created repeatable marketing programs around fitness with the US Marines, which are still utilized today.
• US ArmyminorStrategic or Co-development PartneriHigh created repeatable marketing programs around fitness with the US Army, which are still utilized today.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NFHS Network: NFHS Network is the official high school sports streaming platform operated by the NFHS in partnership with Sinclair, providing live and on-demand video coverage of high school athletics—directly competing with iHigh for sports-marketing inventory and audience attention.
• MaxPreps: MaxPreps is the largest online presence for high school sports, offering scores, stats, rankings, and news. It competes with iHigh for high school athlete/fan mindshare and for brand advertising budgets targeting the high school demographic.
• Hudl: Hudl is a leading sports video and analytics platform used by high school and collegiate teams, with growing advertising and content reach into the high school sports audience—a direct comparator to iHigh's high school sports network.
• PlayOn Sports: PlayOn Sports operates a high school sports content and live-streaming network across the U.S., monetizing through sponsorship and advertising—closely overlapping iHigh's model of monetizing high school athletic audiences for brands.
• SIDEARM Sports: SIDEARM Sports builds and operates official athletic websites for colleges and high schools, monetizing through digital advertising and sponsorships—a directly comparable website-network business model to iHigh.com.
• PrestoSports: PrestoSports provides athletic website platforms and digital media services to high schools and colleges, generating ad revenue from sports content audiences—mirroring iHigh's high school website network and ad monetization approach.
• Stretch Internet: Stretch Internet provides live video streaming and website services to high schools and colleges, monetizing through sponsorships and advertising—comparable to iHigh's sports media and event-driven monetization model.
• Snap! Raise: Snap! Raise (formerly Snap! Mobile) sells advertising and runs fundraising programs for K-12 schools, monetizing youth audiences through brand partnerships and in-school campaigns—overlapping iHigh's school-based advertising and sponsorship model.

Broad incumbents

• Varsity Brands: Varsity Brands is a large incumbent in the youth sports ecosystem (spirit, apparel, camps, events) with broad sponsorship and brand activation capabilities—an established incumbent that competes for youth sports marketing dollars alongside iHigh.
• NBC Sports Next (SportsEngine): NBC Sports Next (formerly SportsEngine) operates youth and amateur sports platforms (websites, registration, video) backed by NBCUniversal's media scale—a broad incumbent directly adjacent to iHigh's high school sports media network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ihigh
• Facebookfacebook.com/109551842403919

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors1 record

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 iHigh