Figure 53
Figure 53 is a founder-owned Baltimore software company that builds QLab (macOS sound, video, and lighting show control) and Go Button (iOS professional audio playback) for theaters, live-event venues, and touring performers across 100+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersBaltimore, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Figure 53 does
Figure 53 is a privately held, founder-owned software company founded in 2006 by Chris Ashworth and headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. It builds cue-based show control software for the live events and performing arts market. Its flagship product, QLab, is a macOS application that integrates sound, video, and lighting control into a single professional cue playback platform; it is deployed in more than 100 countries and is used at events ranging from Olympic opening ceremonies to community theaters. A complementary product, Go Button, is an iOS application that brings QLab-style professional audio playback to portable Apple devices for touring performers and mobile shows. The company also operates The Voxel, a Baltimore teaching center, research laboratory, and theater venue that supports the performing arts community.
The company's business model is product-led and self-serve: QLab is sold as licensed software via qlab.app, Go Button as a free-trial-then-purchase iOS app via gobutton.app and the Apple App Store, with a small merchandise line via Storenvy. It has no disclosed outside funding, no institutional investors, and no parent company. The operating model is fully remote post-COVID, with approximately 18-20 employees ("Action Figures") distributed across Maryland, Wisconsin, New York, and California. Compensation is structured around flat senior base salaries plus quarterly profit sharing, with the founder/CEO earning a 1.5x multiplier — a structure that signals profitability and a values-driven, non-venture-scaled posture rather than a growth-at-all-costs one.
Go-to-market combines PLG distribution with community-led adoption: team members are active theater practitioners (sound designers, composers, performers) who use their own products in professional artistic work, generating word-of-mouth credibility within the sound-design and theatrical production community. Distribution relies entirely on owned digital channels plus organic social (Instagram, YouTube), with no outbound sales force. The market served is horizontal across all live-event subsegments (theater, concerts, worship, education, ceremonies), with primary customer personas being professional sound designers, lighting designers, stage managers, and touring performers.
Figure 53 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Figure 53
- Legal name
- Figure 53
- Website
- https://figure53.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Figure 53 is a founder-owned Baltimore software company that builds QLab (macOS sound, video, and lighting show control) and Go Button (iOS professional audio playback) for theaters, live-event venues, and touring performers across 100+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Figure 53 industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Show Control Software
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live Performance & DJ Software (Playback, Mixing, Lighting Control) (MPAIAIAI)
Keywords
Where Figure 53 is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Baltimore
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Figure 53 business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- QLab Software Licensing: QLab is sold as licensed software for macOS. Customers can sign in to their account, buy licenses, and download QLab through qlab.app.
- Go Button App Sales: Go Button professional audio playback app for iOS is sold through gobutton.app. Try it for free then purchase.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Figure 53 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Figure 53 develops and sells show control software for live performances. Its flagship product, QLab, is a macOS application that integrates sound, video, and lighting control with professional cue playback for theaters and live events. Go Button is a complementary iOS application that delivers professional audio playback for portable use during live shows. Both products are sold as licensed software and are used in more than 100 countries, ranging from Olympic ceremonies to community theaters.
Product overview
Figure 53 is a software company offering a portfolio of show control products. The core product is QLab, a macOS application for sound, video, and lighting control and cue playback. Go Button is a companion iOS application providing professional audio playback for mobile use. The Voxel is the company's physical teaching center and research laboratory in Baltimore that also operates as a theater and resource for performing artists. The two software products serve the professional live events and theater market, with QLab being the primary platform and Go Button serving as a portable audio option.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- QLab: Sound, video, and lighting control software for macOS. Used in event spaces of all sizes, from Olympic opening ceremonies to community theater. Available in more than 100 countries.
- Go Button
- The Voxel
Products and services
- QLab
Companies that use Figure 53
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Figure 53 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Figure 53 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Figure 53 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Figure 53 social profiles
Digital presenceFigure 53 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Figure 53 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Figure 53 subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Figure 53 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Figure 53 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 Figure 53
What does Figure 53 do?
Figure 53 develops and sells show control software for live performances. Its flagship product, QLab, is a macOS application that integrates sound, video, and lighting control with professional cue playback for theaters and live events. Go Button is a complementary iOS application that delivers professional audio playback for portable use during live shows. Both products are sold as licensed software and are used in more than 100 countries, ranging from Olympic ceremonies to community theaters.
Is Figure 53 a public or private company?
Figure 53 is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Figure 53 founded?
Figure 53 was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Figure 53 based?
Figure 53 is headquartered in Baltimore, United States, in the North America region.
How does Figure 53 make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. QLab Software Licensing is the primary driver. The others are go Button App Sales.
Does Figure 53 have an API?
No public API is recorded for Figure 53.
What industry is Figure 53 in?
Figure 53's product category is Show Control Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAIAI, Live Performance & DJ Software (Playback, Mixing, Lighting Control). Its NAICS code is 512.