Edison Nation
Edison Nation operates an online platform connecting individual inventors with consumer-products manufacturers, retailers, and ASOTV distributors. It evaluates submissions through an 8-stage process, charges $25 per idea, and shares licensing or development revenue with inventors while serving corporate partners seeking vetted new products.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersBethlehem, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Edison Nation does
Edison Nation, LLC operates an online social networking and idea-submission platform that connects individual inventors with consumer-products manufacturers, retailers, and As Seen on TV (ASOTV) distributors. The platform, owned and operated by Bouncing Brain Productions, LLC and headquartered at 520 Elliot St, Charlotte, NC, runs a structured 8-stage evaluation process (G1–G8) in which an internal review team assesses submitted ideas for patentability and design quality, with select ideas being pitched to licensing or ASOTV partners through sponsor-driven "Live Product Searches." A free community tier offers access to forums, blog content (Inventing 101, protoTYPING, Inventor Spotlights), and educational resources, while a paid Insider Membership provides reduced submission fees and a monthly Inventors Digest publication. A mobile iOS application ("Sparks by Edison Nation") extends inventor access beyond the desktop web.
The company's revenue model combines three streams: a $25 one-time submission fee per idea per Live Product Search, a revenue-share arrangement with inventors (Edison Nation retains 92.5% of adjusted gross revenue for internally developed products and 50% of licensing revenue when ideas are licensed to partners), and recurring Insider Membership subscriptions. Edison Nation serves two primary customer segments: (1) "everyday inventors" — individuals with product ideas ranging from sketches to working prototypes who lack direct access to corporate commercialization partners; and (2) corporate partners — global manufacturers, retailers, and ASOTV distributors seeking a vetted pipeline of inventions, illustrated by named relationships with HSN, Walmart, Dreambaby, Ellery Homestyles, Springs Creative, and Apothecary Products.
The business is privately held with no disclosed institutional funding or controlling shareholder. Documented commercialization wins include Perfect Bacon Bowl, Eggies, and Medi-Spout, and Edison Nation has built its credibility through extensive earned media coverage across CNBC, CNN, USA Today, The New York Times, Entrepreneur, and others. Operationally the company runs on a small team (11–50 employees) and is founder-led by Louis Foreman.
Edison Nation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Edison Nation
- Legal name
- Edison Nation, LLC
- Website
- https://edisonnation.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Edison Nation operates an online platform connecting individual inventors with consumer-products manufacturers, retailers, and ASOTV distributors. It evaluates submissions through an 8-stage process, charges $25 per idea, and shares licensing or development revenue with inventors while serving corporate partners seeking vetted new products.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Edison Nation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Invention Licensing Platform
- NAICS
- Industrial Design Services (54142)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Electronic Parts & Equipment, Nec (5065)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Electronics Components & OEM/ODM Sourcing Marketplaces (CRAFAHAM)
Keywords
Where Edison Nation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bethlehem
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Edison Nation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Idea Submission Fees: Inventors pay a $25 one-time fee to submit each idea. This covers the initial evaluation and review process.
- Revenue Sharing - Development Model: If Edison Nation funds and brings the idea to market, the inventor receives 7.5% of adjusted gross revenue.
- Revenue Sharing - Licensing Model: If Edison Nation licenses the idea to a partner, the inventor receives 50% of licensing revenue.
- Insider Membership: Premium membership tier offering reduced submission costs for multiple searches and monthly Inventor's Digest publication.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free Basic Membership - Access to community, forums, and blog content |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Idea Submission - $25 per idea per search |
| Subscription | Monthly | Insider Membership - Premium tier with reduced fees and additional benefits |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Edison Nation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Edison Nation operates an online platform that connects independent inventors with corporate partners to commercialize product ideas. The platform runs an 8-stage evaluation process (G1-G8) for submitted inventions, charges a per-submission fee to inventors, and earns revenue through licensing arrangements with partner companies when ideas are developed or licensed.
Product overview
Edison Nation is a platform connecting everyday inventors with companies to bring new products to market. The core offering is a unified platform consisting of: the main idea submission and evaluation system (8-stage G1-G8 process), Live Product Searches for partner-sponsored opportunities, category-specific submissions (Kitchen Gadgets, Infant Products, Fitness, ASOTV, Prototyping), and a free community forum for inventor networking and education. Revenue sharing is 7.5% of adjusted gross revenue for internally developed products or 50% for licensed products, with a $25 submission fee per idea.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Idea Submission Service
- Live Product Searches
- Product Licensing Program
Quantifiable outcome
- Inventors receive 7.5% of adjusted gross revenue if Edison Nation develops the product, or 50% if licensed to a partner
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Edison Nation
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Edison Nation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Edison Nation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Young Leaders of America Initiative (YLAI)minorEdison Nation participated in YLAI, a U.S. State Department initiative to grow relationships between American firms and Central/South American countries. EN hosted Dominican fellow Emil Rodriguez from Xolutronic and conducted innovation boot camps.
- XolutronicminorXolutronic, an electrical product development company based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, partnered with Edison Nation through the YLAI program to host innovation boot camps for Dominican college students.
- Ellery HomestylescoreEllery Homestyles licensed Elizabeth Crouch's product through Edison Nation's licensing program. The company manufactures and distributes home goods products.
- DreambabycoreDreambaby (juvenile safety product manufacturer) licensed Peter Lefferson's invention through Edison Nation's Insider Licensing Program. The product subsequently went into production.
- Springs CreativecoreSprings Creative partnered with Edison Nation to select and commercialize John Larkin's craft kit concept. This represents a successful Live Product Search outcome where a corporate partner licensed an inventor's product through the EN platform.
- Global Manufacturers and RetailerscoreEdison Nation maintains extensive relationships with global manufacturers and retailers looking for new product development opportunities. These partners submit Live Product Searches and review inventor submissions through the platform.
- As Seen on TV (ASOTV) PartnerscoreASOTV partners regularly conduct Live Product Searches through Edison Nation to find new products for television marketing and retail distribution. Products are featured on TV shopping networks and major retailers.
- INTEC UniversityminorINTEC University in Santo Domingo provided facilities for the innovation boot camp conducted by Edison Nation and partners as part of the YLAI program.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Edison Nation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Product Hunt: Community-driven product discovery platform where makers launch and consumers vote on new products. Comparable on the inventor-community and product-discovery mechanism, though it lacks a formal licensing-to-manufacturer workflow.
- Kickstarter: Large-scale crowdfunding platform that funds inventors and creators launching new physical products. Overlaps with Edison Nation at the inventor-funding and product-launch stage, but replaces licensing with direct-to-consumer pre-sales.
- Indiegogo: Crowdfunding incumbent serving inventors and entrepreneurs with pre-order and equity-style campaigns. Comparable in providing an alternative commercialization channel to inventors, although the path-to-market differs from licensing-first models like Edison Nation.
- Sharper Image: Long-running consumer products brand with a legacy of sourcing innovative third-party products for retail. Comparable as a downstream commercialization partner model that absorbs inventor IP into a product catalog.
Direct peers
- IdeaConnection: Open-innovation intermediary that connects organizations seeking solutions with a network of solvers and inventors. Operates in the same two-sided problem-to-solution invention sourcing model Edison Nation serves on the consumer products side.
- HeroX: Crowdsourced innovation platform running prize-based challenges for breakthrough ideas. Closely comparable to Edison Nation's Live Product Search concept, pairing sponsor-driven challenges with an inventor/solver community.
- Quirky: Was the canonical invention crowdsourcing platform: it solicited consumer product ideas from the community and routed selected inventions to manufacturing partners. Directly comparable to Edison Nation in submission-fee, licensing, and commercialization mechanics — the most referenced historical comp for Edison Nation's model.
- InventionHome: Direct operating peer operating an inventor submission and licensing platform. Same inventor-fee monetization and corporate licensing model as Edison Nation, with category-specific product searches aimed at manufacturers and retailers.
Emerging players
- Inventables: Marketplace and resource platform for inventors and makers focused on materials and digital fabrication tools. Comparable at the product discovery and inventor-community layer, though more focused on tools than end-product commercialization.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Edison Nation social profiles
Digital presenceEdison Nation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Edison Nation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Edison Nation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Edison Nation 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 Edison Nation
What does Edison Nation do?
Edison Nation operates an online platform that connects independent inventors with corporate partners to commercialize product ideas. The platform runs an 8-stage evaluation process (G1-G8) for submitted inventions, charges a per-submission fee to inventors, and earns revenue through licensing arrangements with partner companies when ideas are developed or licensed.
Is Edison Nation a public or private company?
Edison Nation is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Edison Nation founded?
Edison Nation was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Edison Nation based?
Edison Nation is headquartered in Bethlehem, United States, in the North America region.
How does Edison Nation make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Idea Submission Fees are the primary driver. The others are revenue Sharing - Development Model, revenue Sharing - Licensing Model and insider Membership.
Who are Edison Nation's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Product Hunt, Kickstarter, Indiegogo and Sharper Image. Direct peers are IdeaConnection, HeroX, Quirky and InventionHome. Inventables is listed as an emerging player.
Does Edison Nation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Edison Nation.
What industry is Edison Nation in?
Edison Nation's product category is Invention Licensing Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFAHAM, Electronics Components & OEM/ODM Sourcing Marketplaces. Its NAICS code is 54142 and its SIC code is 5065.