What authorized.by does

authorized.by GmbH is a Munich-based SaaS company founded in 2018 that operates a brand-controlled authorization management platform connecting brand manufacturers with their authorized retail partners. The platform's core product is a real-time authorization seal combined with machine-readable digital certificates, where authorization status is verified and confirmed directly by the brand — retailers cannot self-assign authorized status. The company serves three primary segments: brand manufacturers (sports, bicycle, toy, luxury, cosmetics, DIY, home and garden, security, consumer electronics), online retailers and shops, and — increasingly — online marketplaces seeking verifiable authorization data for EU Digital Services Act compliance. Physical retailers are served via a separate Local Retailer Badge offering.

The underlying technology stack includes native plugins for Shopware, Magento, JTL-Shop, WooCommerce, Shopify, and OXID eShop; an MCP server infrastructure exposing authorization data to AI systems and LLMs; SSL-encrypted tamper-proof certificate storage; and an integration with TÜV Saarland for identity verification. AWS cloud infrastructure is hosted in Frankfurt. The platform claims 7,000+ companies using the seal, 3,000+ brand manufacturers, 16,000+ confirmed partnerships, 5.4 billion+ seal impressions, and 98.5% customer satisfaction.

The business model combines a freemium tier (Basic seal free for shops), tiered subscriptions (Business, Enterprise, plus Core/Grow packages for brands), usage-based impression pricing on seal displays, and a Brand Sponsoring model where brands cover Business package costs for selected retailers. Minimum contract terms are 12 months with annual or monthly billing; setup fee is €179 plus VAT; 15% discount on annual payments and 21% discount for members of bevh, BOVH, HDE, and Bundesverband Parfümerien e.V. GTM motion is hybrid: product-led growth through self-serve registration and a 3-step drag-and-drop seal integration, complemented by sales-assisted enterprise motion and a multi-tier agency partner program (Expert, Premium, Referral, Tech). The company is privately held, independently operated, with Felix Nottensteiner as Managing Director.

Name

authorized.by

Legal name

authorized.by GmbH

Website

https://authorized.by

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

authorized.by is a Munich-based SaaS platform that enables brand manufacturers to verify and manage their authorized retail partners through real-time trust seals, machine-readable digital certificates, and an MCP-accessible authorization database for AI systems. It serves brands, online shops, marketplaces, and physical retailers across multiple European verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Authorization Management Software

NAICS

Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) (53311), Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (92615)

SIC

Patent Owners & Lessors (6794), Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Contracting, Licensing & Rights Management (Music/Performance Releases) (HSACAHAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Rights Catalog Management & Metadata/Asset Registry (MPADALAL)

Keywords

• Brand authorization platform
• Authorization management software
• Retailer trust seals
• Brand partnership verification
• TÜV retailer certification

Headquarters

HQ city

München

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Packages (Basic, Business, Enterprise): Tiered subscription model for shops and brands. Basic tier free for shops (authorization requests and basic seal). Business and Enterprise tiers offer premium features like TÜV ShopIdent, product content sharing, advanced analytics, and marketing support. 12-month minimum contract terms with annual or monthly billing.
2. Usage-based Pricing: Impression-based pricing for seal displays. Volume packages with 12-month validity. Annual prepaid contingents with no retroactive charges. Additional packages available when volume exhausted.
3. Brand Sponsoring (PREMIUM Partnership): Brands can sponsor premium seal features for selected retailers, covering their costs. Effective tool for selective marketing of brand distribution.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

authorized.by operates a SaaS authorization management platform that lets brands, retailers, and marketplaces exchange real-time, brand-issued authorizations in the form of trust seals, digital certificates, retailer search listings, product content, and machine-readable MCP authorization data. The brand remains the sole issuer of the authorization, while retailers and marketplaces consume the data to display verified status, automate compliance (e.g., DSA), and route consumers to authorized resellers.

Product overview

authorized.by is a brand-controlled SaaS authorization management platform that connects brands and retailers through an official, brand-controlled directory. The core offering is the authorized.by Platform, which serves as the central portal for managing authorization relationships, product data, and partnership verification. It is supplemented by a suite of add-on modules: the authorized.by Realtime Seal (available in Basic, Business, and Brand Sponsored tiers), the TÜV ShopIdent identity verification seal (powered by TÜV Saarland), Digital Real-Time Certificates for machine-readable proof of authorization, the Ask the Brand retailer search directory, Product Content Sharing for automated product data distribution, MCP Servers for AI/LLM-accessible authorization data, PREMIUM Partner Status for elevated retailer positioning, Brand Sponsoring for brand-funded retailer access, Authorization as a Service for Marketplace integration (supporting DSA compliance), the Local Retailer Badge for physical retail, and the Amazon Brand Registry Integration. The platform is offered in Free, Business, and Enterprise tiers, with the Basic version free for retailers and Core/Grow packages available for brands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Realtime Seal (Real-time trust seal) Real-time, brand-issued trust seal embedded on retailer websites, in search results, and on marketplaces to prove the retailer is authorized to sell the brand's products. It updates automatically when the brand changes a retailer's authorization status, and is available free for shops with paid brand-side subscription and impression-based display options.
• TÜV ShopIdent (certified retailer verification) Third-party certified retailer verification operated in cooperation with TÜV Saarland. Goes beyond brand-issued authorization by adding an independent TÜV audit of the retailer's legitimacy, displayed alongside the trust seal to strengthen consumer trust and brand protection.
• Digital Real-Time Certificate (Digitale Echtzeit-Urkunde) Real-time digital certificate that brands can issue to prove relationships such as brand-athlete, brand-event, or brand-partner status. The certificate updates in real time and can be embedded on any website, giving consumers and partners an always-current, verifiable document.
• Ask the Brand Retailer Search (Frag den Markenhändler) Brand-curated retailer search engine that lets consumers look up authorized resellers directly on the brand's website. Brands control which retailers are listed, and retailers are discoverable based on their real-time authorization status, driving qualified traffic to authorized shops.
• Product Content Sharing (Produktinhalte-Sharing) Structured product content distribution service that lets brands push authoritative product data, images, and descriptions to their authorized retailers, ensuring consistent product information across the authorized distribution network, including in marketplaces and AI-driven channels.
• MCP Server (Model Context Protocol) for brand authorization Machine-readable authorization endpoint that exposes brand authorization data through the Model Context Protocol, allowing AI agents, LLMs, and automated systems to consume up-to-date, brand-confirmed authorization data for use in shopping assistants, agentic commerce, and automated compliance checks.
• Brand Sponsoring (Marken-Sponsoring) Program in which brands can sponsor specific authorized retailers, increasing their visibility in brand-curated retailer search and on the brand's own channels. Provides brands with a paid lever to steer consumer demand toward preferred authorized partners, and provides retailers with additional traffic and lead generation.
• Authorization-as-a-Service for Marketplaces API-based authorization service for marketplaces and large platforms that need automated, auditable, brand-confirmed retailer verification. Supports use cases such as EU Digital Services Act (DSA) compliance, counterfeit mitigation, and authorized-seller labeling at marketplace scale.
• Amazon Brand Registry Integration Integration that surfaces authorized.by authorization status within the Amazon Brand Registry ecosystem, helping brands signal authorized-reseller status on Amazon and helping consumers identify legitimate authorized sellers of branded products on the marketplace.
• Local Retailer Badge Trust badge for local brick-and-mortar retailers, used to translate online brand authorization into an offline signal. Helps local specialist stores compete against unauthorized online sellers and become discoverable through the brand's retailer search.
• Premium Partner Status Premium status for retailers that goes beyond the standard trust seal, including a Premium Partner shop badge and additional lead-generation features. Provides retailers with differentiation against competitors and brands with a way to highlight their most valuable authorized partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Significantly more buyers and higher sales for established stores using the seal (case study proven with Globetrotter)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TÜV SaarlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partnership for ShopIdent verification - TÜV Saarland provides shop identity verification that combines with authorized.by brand authorization for dual trust signals. authorized.by is a Member of TÜV Saarland. TÜV logo used in authorized.by branding.
• AmazoncoreTechnology or IntegrationAmazon Brand Registry integration support. Helps brands manage authorized sellers on Amazon marketplace and protect against unauthorized sellers.
• eologyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExpert and referral partner - online marketing agency specializing in SEO, Paid Advertising, Content Creation and Content Outreach.
• elaboratumminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExpert partner - consultant agency for digitalisation of marketing, sales and service, combining needs-oriented concepts with custom-fit technologies.
• knowmates GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerReferral and tech partner - e-commerce & online marketing agency in Leipzig offering individual JTL-Shop solutions. Exclusively developed authorized.by plugin for JTL-Shop.
• web.SKORminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWebdesign agency focusing on websites and online shops, creating modern and user-friendly solutions.
• kreativkarussellminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPremium and tech partner - digital agency with focus on online marketing and web development. JTL Shop & Shopify partner.
• ZweiPunktminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerReferral partner - full-service Shopware agency successfully implementing online shop projects from development to redesign and online marketing.
• EBRANDminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExpert partner - offers all-round business solutions for creating, developing and protecting domain names and brands on the Internet.
• gomingaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPremium partner - leading software company for review management across Amazon, Apple and Google. SaaS tool for analyzing and replying to reviews professionally.
• behamicsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTech partner - Behavioral Science meets AI to optimize customer experience. Intelligent influence fueled by AI.
• Weissmann & Cie.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExpert, premium and referral partner - Consulting House for Family Businesses offering Strategy Consulting, Organisational Development, Process Improvement, Leadership & Support.
• ShopwarecoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial plugins for Shopware 5 and Shopware 6 available in Shopware store for plug & play seal integration.
• JTL-SoftwarecoreTechnology or IntegrationJTL-Shop 4 and JTL-Shop 5 plugins available in JTL-Software extension store. knowmates GmbH developed exclusive plugin.
• MagentocoreTechnology or IntegrationMagento extension available on Magento Marketplace for authorized.by seal integration.
• WooCommercecoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial WooCommerce plugin available through WooCommerce.com marketplace.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial Shopify App available in Shopify App Store for seamless authorized.by seal integration.
• bevh (Bundesverband E-Commerce und Versandhandel)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerTrade association partner providing 21% discount on annual bookings for members.
• BOVH (Bundesverband Onlinehandel)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerTrade association partner providing 21% discount on annual bookings for members.
• HDE (Handelsverband Deutschland)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerGerman Retail Federation partner providing 21% discount on annual bookings for members.
• Bundesverband Parfümerien e.V.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPerfume trade association partner providing 21% discount on annual bookings for members.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• EBRAND: Domain name and brand protection services firm focused on creating, developing, and protecting brand presence online. EBRAND addresses adjacent brand integrity challenges (domain strategy, anti-counterfeiting) that overlap with authorized.by's brand-authorization scope, and is listed as an authorized.by partner.
• ChannelEngine: Marketplace integration and management platform that helps brands and retailers sell across channels including Amazon, eBay, and bol.com. Overlaps with authorized.by's marketplace authorization services and shares the same brand-retailer customer base.
• Lengow: Product feed management and marketplace integration platform serving brands and retailers across Europe. Comparable to authorized.by's Product Content Sharing feature and broader brand-retailer data distribution use cases.
• Trusted Shops: German-based trust seal and certification provider for online shops, very similar business model and customer base. Trusted Shops issues trust badges, certifies retailers, and supports consumer protection—directly comparable to authorized.by's seal and TÜV ShopIdent offerings in the DACH market.

Broad incumbents

• Trustpilot: Globally dominant consumer review and trust platform for online businesses. While Trustpilot focuses on post-purchase reviews rather than pre-purchase brand authorization, it competes for the same retailer trust-signal budget and consumer mindshare in e-commerce credibility.
• Mirakl: Enterprise marketplace platform enabling retailers and brands to launch third-party seller programs. Mirakl operates at a larger scale and broader scope but addresses adjacent problems in marketplace seller verification and brand-retailer onboarding that overlap with authorized.by's DSA-compliance value proposition.
• CommerceHub (formerly ChannelAdvisor): Enterprise commerce platform for marketplace integration, product content syndication, and channel management. Comparable to authorized.by's product content sharing and marketplace authorization use cases at enterprise scale.

Emerging players

• Bazaarvoice: User-generated content and product review platform serving brands and retailers. While focused on reviews and ratings rather than authorization, Bazaarvoice competes for retailer trust-signal budgets and shares the same brand-retailer customer base.
• Signifyd: E-commerce fraud protection and trust platform for enterprise retailers. Addresses adjacent retailer concerns around consumer trust and transaction integrity, complementing the trust-signal positioning that authorized.by targets.
• Feedonomics (an Adyen company): Product feed management platform focused on data optimization and syndication for brands and retailers across marketplaces. Direct overlap with authorized.by's Product Content Sharing feature set, particularly for retailers managing multi-brand product data.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/authorized-by
• Xx.com/authorized_by

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

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 authorized.by