Inventors Assistance League

What Inventors Assistance League does

Inventors Assistance League, operating commercially as Inventions.org and its sub-brand Retail MBA, is a private, founder-led training and coaching business that helps individual inventors and small product entrepreneurs get their products onto retailer shelves and into other sales channels. The organization traces its lineage to a 1963 trade association founded by Ted DeBoer; the original association was retired and, per company history, Karen Waksman revamped the platform circa 2016 into a paid coaching and training business under the Inventions.org brand.

The core offering is the Retail MBA Year-Long Training & Coaching System, a step-by-step program covering packaging, pricing, logistics, buyer communication, and sales techniques for approaching major retailers, online retailers, catalogs, HSN/QVC, and smaller retailers, plus licensing to corporations. It is supplemented by the 28 Day Bootcamp One-on-One Coaching Program and the Retail Buyers Lists, a licensed database of 5,000+ buyer contacts at the top 100 retailers. The company also runs a free 'Business of Inventing' workshop and a 6-part video training series as lead magnets. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; delivery is direct-to-consumer via self-serve online enrollment through inventions.org and retailmba.co.

The business operates with an 11-50 employee base out of La Canada Flintridge, California, with a sales-led go-to-market motion, content-driven organic acquisition (blog, SEO, social), and a global, geographically unrestricted customer base. There is no disclosed external funding, no patent or trademark portfolio, no AI/ML capabilities referenced, and no institutional ownership; Karen Waksman is the founder, and Jeremy Horne is listed as CEO, indicating a small, founder-controlled operation.

Name

Inventors Assistance League

Legal name

Inventions.org

Website

https://inventions.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Inventors Assistance League, operating as Inventions.org and Retail MBA, is a private coaching and training business that teaches individual inventors and small product entrepreneurs how to pitch and sell their inventions to major retailers, online retailers, HSN/QVC, and licensing partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Inventor Education and Retail Sales Coaching

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAMAHAG

Marketing, Branding & Sales Skills

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Entrepreneurship & Business Enrichment

SECONDARYEDAMAHAB

Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Entrepreneurship & Business Enrichment

Keywords

• Inventor education
• Retail sales coaching
• Product licensing training
• Invention consulting
• Trade association services

Headquarters

HQ city

La Canada Flintridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Training Programs: Year-long Retail MBA Training & Coaching System providing step-by-step formula on how to approach, pitch and sell to retail chain store buyers. Covers packaging, pricing, logistics, buyer communication, and sales techniques.
2. 28 Day Bootcamp Coaching: One-on-One Coaching Program designed to help inventors approach, pitch and sell to retail chains in a fraction of the time.
3. Retail Buyers Lists: List of over 5000 buyer contacts at top 100 retailers including first name, last name, email address, product category, corporate address and phone number, plus training on how to utilize the list.
4. Free Workshop: Free 'Business of Inventing' workshop to attract and introduce customers to paid programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Inventors Assistance League (operating as Inventions.org) is an inventor trade association that delivers training programs, coaching systems, and curated buyer contact databases to help individual inventors and product entrepreneurs approach, pitch, and sell their inventions to major retailers, online retailers, catalogs, HSN/QVC, and smaller retailers. The flagship offering is the Retail MBA Year-Long Training & Coaching System, supplemented by a 28 Day Bootcamp coaching program and a Retail Buyers Lists database of over 5,000 buyer contacts at the top 100 retailers.

Product overview

Inventions.org (formerly Inventors Assistance League) operates as a trade association offering a comprehensive suite of training and coaching services for inventors. The core product is the Retail MBA Year-Long Training & Coaching System, which provides a step-by-step formula for selling inventions to major retailers. This is supplemented by the 28 Day Bootcamp One-on-One Coaching Program for personalized support and the Retail Buyers Lists database containing over 5,000 buyer contacts. The company also offers free educational resources including the 'Business of Inventing' Workshop and a 6 Part Video Training Series. All programs are led by founder Karen Waksman and focus on helping inventors without prior sales experience or buyer relationships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Retail MBA: Training and coaching system for retail selling - Year-Long Training & Coaching System teaching product entrepreneurs how to approach, pitch and sell to retail chain store buyers.

Products and services

• Retail MBA Year-Long Training & Coaching System A comprehensive step-by-step training program teaching inventors how to approach, pitch, and sell to retail chain store buyers. Covers packaging, pricing, logistics, buyer communication strategies, and sales techniques. No sales experience, buyer relationships, or patents required.
• 28 Day Bootcamp One-on-One Coaching Program Personalized one-on-one coaching program designed to help inventors approach, pitch, and sell to retail chains within 28 days, providing accelerated guidance and support.
• Retail Buyers Lists Database containing over 5,000 buyer contacts at the top 100 retailers, including buyers' first name, last name, email address, product category they buy for, corporate address, and phone number, along with training on how to utilize the list.
• Business of Inventing Free Workshop Free workshop teaching inventors easier ways to make money with their invention businesses in a fraction of the time and cost.
• 6 Part Video Training Series Free 6-part video training series on how to approach, pitch, and sell to retail chain store buyers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Clients have gotten products into retailers such as Walmart, Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowes, Kroger Grocery Stores, Bed Bath and Beyond, BuyBuyBaby, Groupon and more
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• RangeMe: Platform connecting emerging consumer-product brands with retail buyers; adjacent enabler that addresses the same 'get products in front of retail buyers' need the company teaches.
• ECRM: Runs buyer-seller meetings connecting brands with category buyers at major retailers; enabling ecosystem player for the retail-selling outcome the company coaches toward.
• Mr. Checkout Distributors: Distribution and retail-placement service for product entrepreneurs seeking shelf space; overlaps on helping inventors reach retail chains, though via distribution rather than training.
• Retail Bloom: Agency helping brands sell and grow on retail and marketplace channels; adjacent to the retail go-to-market expertise the company sells as training.

Direct peers

• InventHelp: Long-standing invention-assistance company helping individual inventors patent, prototype, and pitch products to industry; directly overlaps in serving inventors seeking to commercialize ideas.
• Edison Nation (Inventionland Innovation): Helps inventors develop and license products to retailers and brands; comparable target customer (inventors) and outcome (getting products to market/retail).
• Davison Design & Development: Invention services firm that designs, prototypes, and presents inventor products to corporations and retailers, serving the same inventor/product-entrepreneur base.
• Amazing.com (Amazing Selling Machine): Sells training and coaching programs teaching entrepreneurs how to build product businesses and sell through retail/e-commerce channels; same info-product/coaching model.

Emerging players

• Foundr: Entrepreneurship education company offering courses and coaching on building and selling products; comparable content-led business-skills training model, broader in scope.
• Enhance Product Development: Product development and go-to-market services for inventors and startups; overlaps on helping inventors commercialize, with a design/manufacturing emphasis.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCuA3wTs16nEz-_9jmy-1TrQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/RetailMBA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inventors-assistance-league
• Instagraminstagram.com/retailmba
• Xtwitter.com/product4profit

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Inventors Assistance League