What ICv2 does

ICv2 is a privately held trade media and business intelligence platform serving the pop culture products industry, founded in 2001 by Milton Griepp and operated through parent company GCO, LLC from Madison, Wisconsin. The company's core product is ICv2.com, a daily news and information website covering comics, games, anime/manga, toys, and movie/TV merchandise for pop culture retailers, publishers, manufacturers, libraries, and industry consultants. The platform is supported by proprietary data assets including the Top 10 Cool bestseller lists based on retailer sell-through data and the annual ICv2 White Paper market analysis presented at New York Comic Con. The company publishes the ICv2 Guide magazine (distributed free to retailers through Diamond Comic Distributors, Alliance Game Distributors, GTS Distribution, and Lion Rampant), operates the paid ICv2 Pro subscription tier, and distributes the Headline News weekly and Daily Insider morning newsletters.

ICv2's product portfolio has expanded beyond content publishing to include the ICv2 Direct B2B e-commerce marketplace (launched February 2024), which enables publishers to sell directly to retail stores, addressing a distribution gap created by Diamond Comic Distributors' 2024 bankruptcy. The company also hosts the ICv2 Insider Talks conference series at New York Comic Con, the Comic Industry Social Hour networking events, and provides consulting services through GCO, LLC. Technology infrastructure is built on standard commercial tools: Shopify for e-commerce, Stripe for subscription billing, Google Analytics for site analytics, and Google AdManager for advertising.

The business model combines four revenue streams: advertising and exclusive site-wide sponsorships from publishers and manufacturers (primary), recurring PRO subscriptions for premium industry content, paid magazine subscriptions for non-retailers (retailers receive free copies), and consulting engagements through the parent company. Pricing is structured as freemium for retailers (free magazine access) and subscription-based for professional content, while advertising uses a site-sponsorship model providing exclusivity to retailers. The company maintains a small team of 1-10 employees and has remained under founder ownership with no external funding rounds, positioning it as a sustainable, founder-led niche trade media operation rather than a venture-backed growth company.

Name

ICv2

Legal name

GCO, LLC

Website

https://icv2.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ICv2 is a Madison-based trade media platform providing daily news, market intelligence, and a B2B marketplace to pop culture retailers, publishers, manufacturers, and libraries in the comics, games, and anime industries, founded in 2001 by Milton Griepp.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Media and B2B Market Intelligence

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

akta.pro primary industry

Newsletters & Email-Based News Publishers (B2B/B2C) (MPAJADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms (BPAMAGAD), B2B / Industrial Market Research (MPAAALAA)

Keywords

• Trade media publishing
• Pop culture industry news
• B2B marketplace platform
• Retail market intelligence
• Hobby industry research

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising & Sponsorships: ICv2 sells advertising on its website and at events, using a sponsorship model where individual companies sponsor all advertising on the site for varying periods, providing exclusivity to retailers.
2. PRO Subscription (ICv2 Pro): Paid subscription tier offering exclusive industry-only content, analysis, and premium resources. Uses Stripe for subscription payments.
3. Magazine Sales and Subscriptions: The ICv2 Guide (formerly Internal Correspondence) is sold as a subscription magazine covering anime, manga, games, and graphic novels. Free to retailers; paid for non-retailers.
4. Consulting Services: GCO, LLC (parent of ICv2) provides consulting engagements in the pop culture products industry, including market analysis, distribution strategy, and positioning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ICv2 publishes a daily B2B trade news and market intelligence platform for the pop culture products industry at icv2.com, covering comics, games, anime/manga, toys, and licensed merchandise. It monetizes through advertising, sponsorship, and a paid PRO subscription tier; distributes the ICv2 Guide print magazine (free to retailers via comic/hobby distributors, paid for non-retailers and libraries via EBSCO); operates the ICv2 Direct B2B e-commerce platform where publishers sell directly to retail stores; and delivers consulting engagements through parent GCO, LLC.

Product overview

ICv2 operates a comprehensive media and business intelligence platform for the pop culture products industry. The core offering is ICv2.com, a daily news and information website serving pop culture retailers. The company publishes the ICv2 Guide magazine (rotating focus on anime/manga, graphic novels, and games), the Internal Correspondence trade publication, and delivers multiple newsletters including Headline News (weekly) and Daily Insider (morning news feed). ICv2 Direct is a B2B e-commerce platform enabling publishers to sell directly to retail stores. The ICv2 Pro subscription tier provides exclusive professional content. The company hosts ICv2 Insider Talks conferences and Comic Industry Social Hour networking events. Additional offerings include the annual ICv2 White Paper, themed content weeks (Comic Store Week, Game Store Week, Manga Week, etc.), bestseller lists, product reviews, market reports, and consulting services. The platform covers five pop culture categories: anime, games, comics, toys, and movie/TV merchandise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ICv2 Pro: Professional/pro subscription service offering enhanced content and analysis for industry professionals.
• ICv2 Direct
• Internal Correspondence
• ICv2 White Paper
• ICv2 Insider Talks

Products and services

• icv2.com Daily News & Market Intelligence Website Primary web platform publishing daily news, market analysis, product previews, bestseller lists, and reviews for pop culture retailers and industry professionals across comics, games, anime/manga, toys, and licensed merchandise. Free with registration; serves as the main entry point to other ICv2 paid offerings.
• ICv2 Direct B2B Marketplace Wholly-owned B2B e-commerce platform enabling publishers such as Quartermaster Direct and FairSquare Graphics to sell directly to retail stores, with publisher-set freight thresholds such as free freight over $20 (FairSquare) or over $350 (Quartermaster Direct).
• ICv2 Pro Membership Subscription tier providing exclusive PRO-only content — channel checks, deep market analysis, and industry-only research — billed monthly via Stripe and gated through the icv2.com registration system.
• ICv2 Guide Print Magazine Monthly trade magazine covering anime/manga, graphic novels, and games with bestseller lists, reviews, and market reports; free subscription to retailers via Diamond Comic Distributors, Alliance Game Distributors, GTS Distribution, and Lion Rampant; paid subscription for non-retailers via the ICv2 Online Store and EBSCO (title 408-601-128).
• ICv2 White Paper Annual industry research publication presented at New York Comic Con providing comprehensive market size estimates and trend analysis for the comics and graphic novel market (e.g., $1.935B total comics and graphic novel sales in 2024).
• Headline News Weekly Newsletter Weekly email newsletter providing a curated compendium of top pop culture industry headlines; opt-in via icv2.com registration with unsubscribe instructions in each email.
• Daily Insider Morning Newsletter Morning email news feed providing daily updates on geek culture business developments for industry professionals, distributed as part of the ICv2 Pro product line.
• ICv2 Insider Talks Industry Conference Series Conference programming series featuring expert panels and discussions at New York Comic Con and other major conventions, with ticket-based attendance and sponsor packages; panels feature industry executives, publishers, and analysts.
• ICv2 Consulting Services Consulting engagements delivered through parent GCO, LLC covering product launches, market analysis, distribution strategy, and positioning for clients in the pop culture products industry; pricing not publicly disclosed.

Quantifiable outcome

• Traffic grew from ~10 visits on launch day to ~2,000 visits per day within one year (January 2002)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Universal DistributioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 September 2025Universal Distribution CEO Angelo Exarhakos discussed expanding its U.S. comic distribution network at ICv2 Insider Talks at New York Comic Con. The expansion aims to support independent retailers and publishers with multiple warehouses and a broad product range following Diamond Comic Distributors' bankruptcy.
• GlobalComixminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 September 2025GlobalComix co-sponsored the ICv2 Insider Talks at New York Comic Con, supporting the programming and events for industry professionals.
• Publishers WeeklyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublishers Weekly co-sponsored the ICv2 Graphic Novel Conference at New York Comic Con and provides editorial coverage of the comics and graphic novel industry.
• Transcontinental PrintingminorOthersTranscontinental Printing (largest printer in Canada, seventh in North America) sponsored the ICv2 Graphic Novel Conference cocktail reception. The company printed graphic novels and provided event support.
• VIZ MediaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVIZ Media sponsored the ICv2 Graphic Novel Conference at New York Comic Con as part of its marketing to the retailer and industry community.
• ToppsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTopps was ICv2's first and most frequent advertiser, sponsoring the site on behalf of its Planet of the Apes Cards in 2001. Topps was among the original charter sponsors during ICv2's first year.
• Diamond Comic DistributorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDiamond Comic Distributors distributes the ICv2 Guide magazine free to its retailer accounts. Diamond was also a co-sponsor of ICv2's Direct Market 50th Anniversary Celebration. Diamond's bankruptcy in 2024 significantly disrupted the comics distribution landscape, which ICv2 has covered extensively.
• Charter Sponsors (First Year)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerDuring ICv2's first year (2001-2002), charter sponsors included Dark Horse, Comic Images, Inkworks, Pioneer, Viz, WizKids, Tokyopop, and FUNimation. These companies supported the site through advertising during its launch phase.
• comiXologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnercomiXology signed on as a sponsor for ICv2's Comics and Digital Conference in 2012. ICv2 CEO Milton Griepp served on the Board of Directors of comiXology's parent Iconology, Inc. from 2009 to 2014, which was sold to Amazon in April 2014.
• EBSCOminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEBSCO offers institutional subscriptions to the ICv2 Guide magazine for librarians (title number 408-601-128), expanding distribution to the library market.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Comichron: Independent comics sales data project (now part of ICv2 ownership per industry reporting), historically providing monthly and yearly North American comics sales charts. Closely adjacent data-service peer to ICv2's market reports and Top 10 Cool bestseller lists.
• Bleeding Cool: Entertainment and comics news site with heavy comics and showbiz coverage, publishing scoops and analysis that overlap ICv2's daily news product. Direct overlap on the news/advertising layer without ICv2's B2B retail depth.
• Popverse: Digital pop culture news and reviews outlet overlapping ICv2's comics/showbiz coverage. More consumer-facing and event-driven, but it competes for ad dollars and attention in adjacent portions of ICv2's audience.

Broad incumbents

• Circana (formerly NPD): Large-scale entertainment and consumer research firm whose market intelligence products (including books, toys, and games tracking) compete with ICv2's market reports and PRO channel checks at the data/research tier - a broader, well-capitalized incumbent in adjacent research territory.

Direct peers

• Kidscreen: B2B trade media for the children's entertainment industry combining daily news, a magazine, paid subscriptions, and industry events like Kidscreen Summit. Mirror image of ICv2 in vertical, scale, and product mix.
• Publishers Weekly: B2B trade publication for the book industry with the same long-running print + digital + event model (e.g., BookExpo) that ICv2 applies to comics/pop culture. ICv2 has an existing partnership with PW (NYCC graphic novel conference sponsorship and editorial coverage), underscoring model comparability.
• License Global: B2B trade media brand covering the licensing industry (licensed merchandise is one of ICv2's five coverage pillars). Same vertical trade-publication DNA - daily news, magazine, events, awards - serving brand licensors, manufacturers, and retailers.
• The Toy Book: B2B trade publication covering the toy industry with print magazine, digital news, and buyer guides serving mass-market and specialty toy retailers - structurally analogous to ICv2 serving pop culture and hobby retailers with trade news and product previews.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/icv2
• Xx.com/ICV2
• Facebookfacebook.com/181838551834340

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 ICv2