What Astound US Inc does

Astound US Inc is a privately held illustration agency founded in 2014 and headquartered in New York, with additional offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, and London. The company represents over 200 contemporary illustrators from more than 50 countries, connecting them with children's book publishers, greeting card companies, jigsaw puzzle and game manufacturers, decorative product suppliers (tableware, stationery, apparel, posters), and advertising/editorial clients. Its go-to-market is a hybrid of enterprise field sales, with agents traveling coast-to-coast in the US and attending major European book fairs (Frankfurt, Bologna, London), and a self-serve digital platform at astound.us that supports portfolio browsing, custom lightbox curation, theme/format/availability filtering, and direct inquiries.

The company's core technology is a digital illustration representation platform that combines portfolio hosting, lightbox curation, artist availability tracking, and a proprietary payment tracking system described as 'world-first' that lets illustrators monitor fee remittance from clients in real time. The platform also supports saved artists, saved searches, agent messaging, and bulk artist sharing by email, forming the operational backbone for both agent-led and self-serve client workflows. No native mobile application or public API is disclosed.

Astound earns revenue through three streams: commission on artist representation (typical agency economics on illustration fees), art licensing royalties (licensing illustrator IP to publishers and commercial clients), and direct publishing commissions (illustration placements for children's publishers). Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the company operates on quote-based B2B engagement with art directors, publishers, and creative buyers. The customer base includes both enterprise publishers (HarperCollins US and UK, Charlesbridge, ASHA) and individual authors, distributed across a horizontal segmentation spanning five distinct end markets.

Name

Astound US Inc

Legal name

Astound US Inc

Website

https://astound.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Astound US Inc is a New York-based illustration agency founded in 2014 that represents over 200 contemporary illustrators across 50+ countries, connecting them with children's book publishers, greeting card, game, decorative product, and advertising clients through agent-led sales and a self-serve digital platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Illustration Representation Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (54143)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Graphic Design & Visual Content Production (BPAFAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Merchandising & D2C Management (Artists) (MPAIAGAI)

Keywords

• Illustration representation agency
• Children's book illustration
• Art licensing services
• Commercial illustration
• Artist talent agency

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Artist Representation Commission: Agency earns commission from illustrators it represents, connecting them with children's publishing houses, greeting card companies, jigsaw puzzle and game manufacturers, poster and decorative product suppliers, tableware, stationery, apparel companies, and advertising clients
2. Art Licensing: Licensing of illustrator-authored intellectual property to publishers and commercial clients
3. Publishing Commissions: Illustration commissions from children's publishing houses for picture books, board books, young adult books, graphic novels, and licensed characters

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Astound US Inc is a global illustration representation agency that connects over 200 contemporary children's book illustrators with publishing houses and commercial clients. The agency provides three core service lines: Publishing (placing illustrators on picture books, board books, chapter books, YA, and graphic novels), Art Licensing (licensing artwork to greeting card, stationery, apparel, and decorative product companies), and Design/Ad (providing illustration for advertising, editorial, packaging, and games). The agency operates a digital platform with portfolio browsing, lightbox curation, and artist availability filters, and earns commissions on placements and licensing of artist intellectual property.

Product overview

Astound US Inc is an illustration agency offering three core service areas: Publishing (connecting children's book illustrators with publishers), Art Licensing (licensing artwork for consumer products), and Design/Ad (illustrations for advertising and editorial). The company represents over 200 international illustrators and operates a platform where clients can browse artist portfolios, filter by themes and formats, save favorites to lightboxes, and submit inquiries. The platform serves art directors, publishers, and creative buyers seeking contemporary illustration talent.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Publishing Representation Representation and placement services connecting contemporary children's book illustrators with publishing houses for picture books, chapter books, young adult books, board books, graphic novels, and licensed character work. Clients include art directors and editors at children's book publishers.
• Art Licensing Licensing of illustration artwork to greeting card companies, stationery brands, calendar publishers, apparel companies, tableware manufacturers, and decorative product suppliers for use on consumer goods.
• Design / Ad Illustration Illustration services for creative advertising campaigns, editorial publications, packaging design, games, and visual merchandising projects. Provided to advertising agencies and editorial clients seeking distinctive contemporary illustration.

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ITSme Society AgenciescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorITSme works directly with Astound agents to select and sign illustrators. Artists interested in representation submit portfolios to ITSme at [email protected] with Astound in the subject line.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Folio: Long-standing illustration and photography agency representing artists for advertising, editorial, design, and publishing work. Comparable to Astound's mix of illustration representation across commercial and publishing end markets.
• Heart Agency: Independent illustration agency representing artists to publishing, advertising, and editorial buyers. Comparable to Astound in its curated-roster, agent-led representation model.
• Meiklejohn Illustration: UK-based illustration agency representing artists for editorial, advertising, and publishing work. Comparable to Astound in its mix of children's publishing and commercial illustration representation.
• Central Illustration Agency: London-based illustration agency representing a diverse roster of illustrators to publishing, advertising, and editorial clients globally. Comparable in scope, client mix, and agent-driven model to Astound.
• The Artworks: Established illustration representation agency working across editorial, advertising, and publishing clients. Highly comparable to Astound as a multi-discipline illustrator rep firm serving publishers, ad agencies, and licensing buyers.
• NB Illustration: Independent illustration agency representing artists for advertising, editorial, and publishing projects. Comparable to Astound as a boutique rep firm with a curated artist roster.
• The Illustrated Agency: Illustration-focused talent agency representing a roster of artists for publishing and commercial clients. Comparable to Astound in being a smaller, specialist illustration rep firm.

Broad incumbents

• Bernstein & Andriulli: Larger, established talent representation firm spanning illustration, photography, and design across advertising and editorial. Comparable to Astound in rep services but with broader categories and bigger enterprise clients.
• Shutterstock Editorial: Stock content marketplace that also distributes editorial and commercial illustration at scale. Comparable to Astound as a competing sourcing channel for commercial illustration buyers, though operates a low-touch marketplace model rather than agent representation.
• Getty Images Creative: Global visual content marketplace with editorial, creative, and licensable imagery. Comparable to Astound as an alternative sourcing channel for illustration and visual content buyers in advertising and publishing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/astound-us

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Astound US Inc