The Startup Factory

What The Startup Factory does

The Startup Factory is a privately held startup accelerator headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, operating with a lean team of 1-10 employees. Per its firmographic self-description, the company positions itself as the Southeast's best funded and operating accelerator. Leadership comprises founders Aaron Houghton (serial entrepreneur) and Chris Heivly (founding managing director). The company's registered web domain is thestartupfactory.co.

The available source material contains a material identity inconsistency: content currently published at thestartupfactory.co reflects an independent affiliate review platform operated by Mason Brooks as a sole proprietorship under Philippine law. The platform reviews online casino and sports betting operators — with primary coverage of Taya365 — for Filipino players, and the article was last updated May 11, 2026. This gambling-affiliate operating activity does not reconcile with the US-based accelerator identity reflected in firmographics and leadership data, indicating either domain repurposing, data aggregation misattribution, or a significant unreported operational pivot.

Operational specifics for The Startup Factory as an accelerator — portfolio companies, program structure, cohort details, equity terms, revenue mechanics, partnerships, and customer relationships — are not disclosed in the available source data. No funding rounds, awards, patents, named customers, or material partnerships are documented.

Name

The Startup Factory

Legal name

Thestartupfactory

Website

https://thestartupfactory.co

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Startup Factory is a Durham, North Carolina-based startup accelerator with 1-10 employees, founded by serial entrepreneurs Aaron Houghton and Chris Heivly. Its website domain currently hosts gambling affiliate review content, creating a material identity inconsistency with its stated accelerator mission.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Gambling Affiliate Reviews

akta.pro primary industry

Casino/iCasino Affiliate & Review Sites (MPAEAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sportsbook Affiliate & Comparison Sites (MPAEAMAA), Bonus/Promo Code & Deal Aggregators (Betting) (MPAEAMAD)

Keywords

• Online gambling reviews
• Casino platform reviews
• Sports betting reviews
• Affiliate content publishing
• Gambling comparison site

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Startup Factory operates thestartupfactory.co, an independent affiliate review website that publishes detailed reviews, ratings, and comparative analyses of online casino and sports betting platforms serving the Philippine market, with Taya365 as the primary coverage focus. Content is produced through a structured methodology that includes real-money testing using local payment methods, licensing verification, and scoring across six weighted categories (licensing/safety, bonuses, games, payments, support, mobile). The site does not offer gambling services itself; it earns revenue when readers sign up with reviewed operators via embedded affiliate links.

Product overview

Thestartupfactory is a single informational platform — an independent review and affiliate website operated by Mason Brooks. The site does not offer a multi-product portfolio but rather provides casino and betting platform reviews, comparison content, and affiliate links to operators serving Filipino players, with Taya365 as the primary focus. All content is produced through a structured review methodology involving real-money testing, licensing verification, and scoring across six weighted categories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Thestartupfactory.co Review Platform Independent affiliate review website that publishes detailed reviews, ratings, and comparative analyses of online casino and sports betting platforms available to Filipino players, with Taya365 as the primary covered operator; monetized via affiliate commissions when readers register with reviewed operators through embedded links.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• Gambling.com Group: Publicly listed gambling affiliate and review operator covering multiple verticals and geographies. Directly comparable business model (affiliate commissions from operator referrals) at vastly larger scale, providing a useful reference for the affiliate economics the Startup Factory is attempting to capture.
• Catena Media: Large publicly listed gambling affiliate company operating casino and sportsbook review/lead-generation sites globally. Closest large-scale analog to the Startup Factory's review-and-affiliate model.
• Better Collective: Publicly listed sports betting and casino affiliate operator with deep SEO-driven content sites. Comparable affiliate revenue model and content-led acquisition approach.

Direct peers

• AskGamblers: Long-running online casino review and affiliate site with user-generated reviews and operator ratings. Directly comparable as a casino-focused review platform monetized via affiliate referrals to gambling operators.
• Casino.org: Major English-language online casino review and affiliate site covering licensing, bonuses, payments, and games. Closest direct analog in the casino-review affiliate niche.
• OddsChecker: Sports betting odds comparison and affiliate site. Comparable as an affiliate-driven comparison destination, though focused on sports rather than casino — relevant given the Startup Factory's sports betting coverage.
• BonusFinder: Casino and sportsbook bonus aggregator and affiliate site. Comparable as a bonus/promotion-centric gambling affiliate site with similar revenue model.
• VegasSlotsOnline: Casino review and slots-focused affiliate site. Comparable content-led affiliate model targeting casino players with operator referrals.
• Bookies.com: Sportsbook review and comparison affiliate site. Comparable as an operator-referral affiliate focused on sports betting, overlapping with the Startup Factory's sportsbook coverage.

Regional players

• Filipino gambling information portals (e.g., Filipino Gambler community sites): Philippine-focused gambling information and community sites serving the same Filipino player audience. Comparable regional focus and local-language editorial approach, though typically community-driven rather than single-operator reviews.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TSF_VC
• Facebookfacebook.com/TriangleStartupFactory

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&A

Investments35 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Startup Factory