Affinity Licensing
Affinity Licensing is a Carlsbad-based licensing agency founded in 1997 that represents more than 100 trademark owners across fraternal, education, and association markets, connecting them with 1,500+ licensed vendors via its Affinity Gateway platform to monetize officially branded merchandise through royalty-bearing agreements.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersCarlsbad, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Affinity Licensing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Affinity Licensing
- Legal name
- Affinity Licensing
- Website
- https://affinitylicensing.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Affinity Licensing is a Carlsbad-based licensing agency founded in 1997 that represents more than 100 trademark owners across fraternal, education, and association markets, connecting them with 1,500+ licensed vendors via its Affinity Gateway platform to monetize officially branded merchandise through royalty-bearing agreements.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Affinity Licensing industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Trademark Licensing Services
- NAICS
- Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) (533)
- SIC
- Patent Owners & Lessors (6794)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Merchandising, Character & Brand Licensing (MPADALAF)
Keywords
Where Affinity Licensing is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Carlsbad
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Affinity Licensing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Licensing Agency Services: Affinity Licensing acts as a trusted licensing agency representing trademark owners (fraternal, education, and association markets) and earning revenue by facilitating licensing agreements with vendors who want to sell officially licensed products bearing the trademark owners' brands.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Affinity Licensing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Affinity Licensing is a licensing agency that acts as an intermediary between trademark owners (universities, fraternal organizations, and associations) and licensed vendors. The company manages official trademark licensing programs through its proprietary Affinity Gateway platform, which streamlines vendor licensing applications, compliance management, and provides a searchable marketplace of officially licensed products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Affinity Gateway A streamlined, sophisticated, and secure web-based licensing platform that dramatically reduces the time, cost, and effort required to apply for and comply with the essential requirements of licensing. It serves as the primary portal for managing trademark licensing applications and compliance for both trademark owners and licensed vendors.
- Licensed Products Search A searchable database providing consumers access to thousands of high-quality licensed products from approved vendors across fraternal, education, and association markets, enabling users to find officially licensed merchandise by browsing a comprehensive list of licensed vendors.
- Licensing Application Portal A streamlined online application system that enables vendors to submit licensing applications and begin the process of selling officially licensed products under trademarks represented by Affinity Licensing. Used by more than 1,500 licensed vendors.
Companies that use Affinity Licensing
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Affinity Licensing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Affinity Licensing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Affinity Licensing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Wild Apple Licensing: Wild Apple Licensing is a boutique licensing agency representing artists, publishers, and brand owners. It mirrors Affinity's agency-as-intermediary model in a narrower brand portfolio, making it comparable as a smaller-scale licensing agency.
- Coppins Creative: Coppins Creative is a licensing and brand-management consultancy working with brands to develop and manage licensing programs. It is comparable to Affinity in offering professional licensing representation to brand owners, though typically at smaller scale.
Direct peers
- Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC): CLC is the dominant collegiate trademark licensing agency in the U.S., representing most major university athletic programs. It is the closest direct peer because it operates the same core business model (licensing agency representing trademark owners, earning royalties from licensed vendors) in the same higher-education vertical.
- Fermata Partners: Fermata Partners is a licensing and brand-management agency with a strong focus on Greek-letter organizations (fraternities and sororities). It directly overlaps Affinity's fraternal-organization vertical and competes for the same type of clients.
Broad incumbents
- Learfield: Learfield is a major collegiate-focused media, licensing, and brand-management company. While broader in scope (multi-rights holder, multimedia), its licensing arm competes for the same university trademark owners that Affinity serves.
- Beanstalk: Beanstalk is a global brand licensing agency that manages licensing programs for major corporate brands. It is a broader incumbent operating in adjacent brand-licensing categories and serves as a benchmark for agency-driven licensing economics.
- Global Icons: Global Icons is a brand-licensing agency representing entertainment and corporate brands. Comparable to Affinity in operating model (agency-as-intermediary in licensing agreements), though it serves a different brand portfolio.
Market position
Customer concentration
Affinity Licensing social profiles
Digital presenceAffinity Licensing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Affinity Licensing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Affinity Licensing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Affinity Licensing 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 Affinity Licensing
What does Affinity Licensing do?
Affinity Licensing is a licensing agency that acts as an intermediary between trademark owners (universities, fraternal organizations, and associations) and licensed vendors. The company manages official trademark licensing programs through its proprietary Affinity Gateway platform, which streamlines vendor licensing applications, compliance management, and provides a searchable marketplace of officially licensed products.
When was Affinity Licensing founded?
Affinity Licensing was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Affinity Licensing based?
Affinity Licensing is headquartered in Carlsbad, United States, in the North America region.
How does Affinity Licensing make money?
One revenue line is on record: licensing Agency Services.
Who are Affinity Licensing's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Wild Apple Licensing and Coppins Creative. Direct peers are Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) and Fermata Partners. Broad incumbents are Learfield, Beanstalk and Global Icons.
Does Affinity Licensing have an API?
No public API is recorded for Affinity Licensing.
What industry is Affinity Licensing in?
Affinity Licensing's product category is Trademark Licensing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADALAF, Merchandising, Character & Brand Licensing. Its NAICS code is 533 and its SIC code is 6794.