Founders Entertainment LLC
Founders Entertainment LLC is a New York-based live entertainment company that produces and promotes the Governors Ball music festival in NYC (150,000 attendees) and Sound on Sound in Connecticut, generating revenue through ticket sales, brand sponsorships, and media partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Founders Entertainment LLC does
Founders Entertainment LLC is a New York-based live entertainment company that produces and promotes music festivals. Its flagship property, the Governors Ball, was founded in 2011 and is described as New York City's largest and most celebrated music festival, featuring 66 acts across 4 stages over 3 days and drawing approximately 150,000 attendees annually, with a multi-genre lineup spanning rock, hip hop, electronic, and indie along with curated restaurant partners and street artists. The company has since expanded its portfolio with Sound on Sound, a Connecticut-based festival held at Seaside Park with 22+ bands across 2 stages and no overlapping sets.
The business operates an event-driven go-to-market model and earns revenue through three streams: ticket sales to festival attendees, brand sponsorship deals with 60+ major consumer companies (Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Samsung, Spotify, PepsiCo, Anheuser Busch, Honda, Citibank, PayPal, Red Bull, and others), and media partnerships with outlets including Billboard, Rolling Stone, iHeartRadio, Hearst, and Vevo. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer through festival websites and ticketing channels, augmented by sponsor activations and media co-promotion.
The company is structured as a private LLC registered in New York, headquartered at 430 West 15th Street in Manhattan, with a reported 1-10 employees — a lean operating footprint consistent with outsourced event production. Leadership includes co-founder and partner Jordan Wolowitz, Director of Festivals & Events Jennifer Stiles, and Co-Executive Producer / Head of Global Partnerships Alex Joffe. No institutional investors, funding rounds, or acquisitions are disclosed in the available data.
Founders Entertainment LLC firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Founders Entertainment LLC
- Legal name
- Founders Entertainment, LLC
- Website
- https://foundersent.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Founders Entertainment LLC is a New York-based live entertainment company that produces and promotes the Governors Ball music festival in NYC (150,000 attendees) and Sound on Sound in Connecticut, generating revenue through ticket sales, brand sponsorships, and media partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Founders Entertainment LLC industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Music Festival Production
- NAICS
- Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Music Festival Organizers & Promoters (MPAGAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Concert & Tour Promoters (MPAIAFAA), Festival & Event Producers/Organizers (MPAIAFAC), Event Marketing, Sponsorship Sales & Promotion (MPAGAAAE)
Keywords
Where Founders Entertainment LLC is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Founders Entertainment LLC business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Festival Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from ticket sales to attendees of music festivals including Governors Ball and Sound on Sound.
- Brand Sponsorships: Revenue from brand partnerships with major consumer brands including Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Honda, Citibank, Red Bull, PayPal, Tito's, Samsung, Spotify, and 50+ other brands.
- Media Partnerships: Partnerships with media outlets including Billboard, Rolling Stone, iHeartRadio, Vevo, Hearst, and others for event promotion and content distribution.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Founders Entertainment LLC product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Founders Entertainment LLC produces and promotes multi-day music festivals, anchored by The Governors Ball in New York City and the Sound on Sound festival in Connecticut. The company sells tickets directly to consumers, secures brand sponsorships, and activates media partnerships to monetize its live event properties.
Product overview
Founders Entertainment LLC is a music festival production and event management company operating a portfolio of music festivals. The company runs two flagship festivals: Governors Ball (NYC's largest music festival founded in 2011) and Sound on Sound (Connecticut-based festival). Both festivals offer live music experiences with multiple stages, food vendors, and entertainment elements.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Governors Ball Multi-day music festival held in New York City featuring headline and emerging artists across multiple genres; sold to general consumers via ticketing and supported by brand sponsorships and media partnerships.
- Sound on Sound Music festival held in Connecticut, operating as a second live event property under the Founders Entertainment portfolio and monetized through ticket sales, brand sponsorships, and media partnerships.
Quantifiable outcome
- 150,000 attendees annually at Governors Ball
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Founders Entertainment LLC
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Founders Entertainment LLC technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Founders Entertainment LLC partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Coca-ColacoreBrand partner for Founders Entertainment music festivals. Coca-Cola logo displayed on Partners page as a brand the company has worked with.
- StarbuckscoreBrand partner for Founders Entertainment music festivals.
- SamsungcoreBrand partner for Founders Entertainment music festivals including Governors Ball and Sound on Sound.
- SpotifycoreBrand partner for Founders Entertainment music festivals.
- PepsiCocoreBrand partner for Founders Entertainment music festivals.
- Anheuser BuschcoreBrand partner for Founders Entertainment music festivals.
- TwitterminorSocial media brand partner for Founders Entertainment music festivals.
- SnapchatminorSocial media brand partner for Founders Entertainment music festivals.
- BillboardcoreMedia partner providing coverage and promotion for Founders Entertainment music festivals.
- Rolling StonecoreMedia partner providing coverage and promotion for Founders Entertainment music festivals.
- iHeartRadiocoreMedia partner for Founders Entertainment music festivals.
- VevominorMedia partner for Founders Entertainment music festivals.
- HearstcoreMedia partner for Founders Entertainment music festivals.
- EverytownminorCharity and civic partnership for Founders Entertainment music festivals.
- HeadCountminorCharity and civic partnership for Founders Entertainment music festivals focusing on voter registration.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Founders Entertainment LLC competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- C3 Presents: Independent festival producer behind Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits Music Festival. Directly comparable to Founders as a festival operator monetizing events through tickets, sponsorships and media partnerships on a similar independent-promoter model.
- Goldenvoice: Independent music festival producer best known for operating Coachella and Stagecoach. Directly comparable to Founders Entertainment as a festival production company building marquee annual events for similar audiences and consumer-brand sponsors.
- Another Planet Entertainment: Bay Area–based independent concert and festival promoter producing events across Northern California. Comparable to Founders as a regional independent competitor combining concerts and festivals with similar brand-sponsorship monetization.
- Danny Wimmer Presents: Large independent festival operator producing BottleRock, Louder Than Life, Sonic Temple and other marquee U.S. festivals. Comparable to Founders as an independent promoter building a multi-region festival portfolio on a similar sponsorship and ticketing model.
- Superfly: Independent experiential producer behind Bonnaroo, Outside Lands and other multi-city festivals. Comparable to Founders as an operator applying one festival playbook across multiple U.S. markets.
- Bowery Presents: NYC-headquartered independent concert promoter operating Bowery Ballroom, Brooklyn Steel, Terminal 5 and other venues. Directly comparable to Founders as a New York–based independent live-music promoter competing for the same audiences and brand sponsors.
- Jam Productions: Long-standing independent concert and festival promoter active across U.S. markets including Chicago and New York. Comparable to Founders as another independent live-music promoter in the same competitive set, monetizing via tickets and brand sponsorships.
Broad incumbents
- Live Nation Entertainment: World's largest live entertainment company and parent of Ticketmaster, dominating concert and festival promotion globally — including competing festivals in NYC. The industry incumbent whose scale dwarfs independent peers like Founders.
- AEG Presents: Major global live entertainment and festival promoter (parent of Goldenvoice/Coachella). Operates Panorama in NYC, directly competing with Founders' Governors Ball, and broadly competes across the same sponsorship and artist-access pools.
Emerging players
- Madison House Presents: Independent artist-management and live-event producer operating regional festivals and concerts. Comparable to Founders as a smaller independent player scaling festival and concert production across multiple US markets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Founders Entertainment LLC social profiles
Digital presenceFounders Entertainment LLC financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Founders Entertainment LLC leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Founders Entertainment LLC funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Founders Entertainment LLC M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Founders Entertainment LLC
What does Founders Entertainment LLC do?
Founders Entertainment LLC produces and promotes multi-day music festivals, anchored by The Governors Ball in New York City and the Sound on Sound festival in Connecticut. The company sells tickets directly to consumers, secures brand sponsorships, and activates media partnerships to monetize its live event properties.
Is Founders Entertainment LLC a public or private company?
Founders Entertainment LLC is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Founders Entertainment LLC founded?
Founders Entertainment LLC was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Founders Entertainment LLC based?
Founders Entertainment LLC is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Founders Entertainment LLC make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Festival Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are brand Sponsorships and media Partnerships.
Who are Founders Entertainment LLC's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are C3 Presents, Goldenvoice, Another Planet Entertainment, Danny Wimmer Presents, Superfly, Bowery Presents and Jam Productions. Broad incumbents are Live Nation Entertainment and AEG Presents. Madison House Presents is listed as an emerging player.
Does Founders Entertainment LLC have an API?
No public API is recorded for Founders Entertainment LLC.
What industry is Founders Entertainment LLC in?
Founders Entertainment LLC's product category is Live Music Festival Production. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAAAB, Music Festival Organizers & Promoters, with a secondary code of MPAIAFAA, Concert & Tour Promoters. Its NAICS code is 7113 and its SIC code is 7900.