What Connect Partnership Group does

Connect Partnership Group is a Dallas-based private company founded in 2015 that operates as a B2B partnership facilitation firm for the large public venue sector, with specific focus on sports-adjacent live entertainment venues such as amphitheaters. The firm acts as an intermediary, brokering sponsorship, beverage supply, and hospitality agreements between major consumer brands and expanding venue operators. Its most prominent disclosed deal, announced 2026-03-18, named PepsiCo as the Official Beverage Supplier for VENU Holding Corporation's Sunset Amphitheater portfolio across Broken Arrow, McKinney, Houston, and El Paso, with additional venues expected as VENU expands nationwide.

The company generates revenue via transaction fees on the partnerships it brokers, with no disclosed pricing model, proprietary technology stack, or software platform; the value proposition rests on bilateral relationships with both brand owners and venue operators. Go-to-market is relationship-driven and event-tied: the firm connects brand partners seeking premium live entertainment distribution with venue operators building multi-location portfolios, exemplified by the PepsiCo-VENU arrangement where PepsiCo beverage brands spanning soft drinks, waters, sports drinks, and ready-to-drink categories will be featured across participating venues.

Operationally the firm is small (11-50 employees) and private, with no public funding history disclosed. Its inorganic footprint includes the acquisition of Harlon on 2022-06-23 for an undisclosed amount, which extends capabilities within the live entertainment sector. The firm's outbound presence is anchored by a Vice President of Sales (Lauren Halsey), and its distribution is national in scope, though its operating geographies are not formally enumerated beyond the anchor VENU venue markets.

Name

Connect Partnership Group

Website

https://connectwins.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Connect Partnership Group is a Dallas-based B2B partnership broker that connects major consumer brands with expanding live entertainment venue operators, facilitating sponsorship, beverage supply, and hospitality deals across amphitheater portfolios.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venue Sponsorship and Partnership Brokerage

akta.pro primary industry

Festival & Live Entertainment Brand Partnerships (MPAAAGAF)

Keywords

• Venue partnership brokerage
• Sponsorship facilitation
• Brand partnership services
• Sports venue consulting
• Amphitheater partnership deals

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Partnership Facilitation / Brokerage: Connect Partnership Group generates revenue by facilitating partnerships between brands (such as beverage suppliers) and venue operators. The company acts as an intermediary, connecting parties for sponsorship, supplier, and hospitality agreements across live entertainment venues.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Connect Partnership Group operates as a partnership facilitation intermediary that connects major consumer brands with live entertainment venue operators. The firm brokers beverage, hospitality, and sponsorship agreements — most notably facilitating PepsiCo becoming the Official Beverage Supplier for VENU Holding Corporation's expanding Sunset Amphitheater portfolio across Broken Arrow, McKinney, Houston, and El Paso.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Partnership Facilitation Services

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• VENU Holding CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2026Connect Partnership Group facilitated the partnership between VENU Holding Corporation and PepsiCo, naming PepsiCo as the Official Beverage Supplier for VENU's expanding Sunset Amphitheater portfolio. The partnership covers venues in Broken Arrow, McKinney, Houston, and El Paso, with additional amphitheaters expected to follow as VENU continues nationwide expansion.
• PepsiCocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2026Connect Partnership Group facilitated PepsiCo becoming the Official Beverage Supplier for VENU's Sunset Amphitheater portfolio. PepsiCo's beverage brands including soft drinks, waters, sports drinks, and ready-to-drink beverages will be featured across participating venues, with additional hospitality destinations expected to follow as the venue network expands.

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Learfield: Learfield is a media and sponsorship rights holder for collegiate and sports venues, brokering brand partnerships and supplier relationships with stadiums and arenas. It is directly comparable to Connect Partnership Group as a venue-side partnership broker, though focused on collegiate sports.
• Oak View Group: Oak View Group is a venue development and advisory firm that works with amphitheaters, arenas, and stadiums on partnerships, sponsorships, and supplier arrangements. It is a direct comparable to Connect Partnership Group's specialty of brokering partnerships for live entertainment venues.
• The Marketing Arm (Omnicom): The Marketing Arm is an Omnicom experiential and sponsorship agency that connects brands with sports and entertainment properties for partnership and activation deals. It is directly comparable to Connect Partnership Group's brand-to-entertainment-venue facilitation work.
• Excel Sports Management: Excel Sports Management is a sports marketing agency that negotiates endorsement and sponsorship deals between brands and athletes/sports properties. It is comparable to Connect Partnership Group as a sports-focused partnership facilitator, with overlap on the brand-sponsorship facilitation model.
• MKTG (Dentsu): MKTG is a Dentsu-owned experiential and lifestyle marketing agency that brokers brand sponsorships and activations across sports and entertainment venues. It is comparable to Connect Partnership Group as a brand-venue partnership facilitator specializing in live entertainment/lifestyle.

Broad incumbents

• Wasserman: Wasserman is a large sports marketing and talent management agency that brokers sponsorship deals between brands and sports/entertainment properties. It is comparable to Connect Partnership Group as a brand-to-venue/intermediary but operates at far greater scale and across many sports.
• Live Nation Entertainment: Live Nation operates amphitheaters, festivals, and concert venues and sells sponsorships to brands across its portfolio. It competes with Connect Partnership Group in monetizing amphitheater/live entertainment venues through brand partnerships, but at a vastly larger scale.
• Endeavor (WME): Endeavor (parent of WME) represents talent, brands, and sports properties across sponsorship, licensing, and experiential deals. It overlaps with Connect Partnership Group's brand-to-entertainment facilitation role but at a much larger, diversified scale.
• Octagon: Octagon is a global sports marketing agency within IPG that negotiates sponsorships and brand partnerships across sports properties, events, and athletes. It overlaps with Connect Partnership Group's brand-to-venue partnership facilitation role but at much larger scale and broader scope.
• AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group): AEG owns/operates major amphitheaters and live entertainment venues and runs a global sponsorship sales arm. It is comparable to Connect Partnership Group as a counterparty in venue sponsorship deals and as a venue-side partnership broker, though AEG is both venue operator and partnership facilitator.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Connect Partnership Group