Born To License
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Born To License does
Born to License is a B2B brand licensing agency and consultancy founded in 2015 by David Born and headquartered in London, with additional operating entities in the United States (Delaware) and Australia (Victoria). The firm acts as an outsourced in-house licensing department for growing brands, providing end-to-end services covering IP identification, pitch preparation, introductions to major rights holders, contract negotiation, product development oversight, approvals management, launch coordination, and ongoing royalty reporting. Its core proposition is access: through more than a decade of cultivated relationships with rights holders including Disney, Marvel, Warner Bros., Mattel, Hasbro, Netflix, Sanrio, Sesame Workshop, Paramount, Universal, Crunchyroll, Moonbug, and Skybound, Born to License opens licensing doors that would otherwise be closed to mid-market brands.
The company's revenue model is professional services, with fees charged on a per-engagement, negotiated basis rather than under any public pricing schedule. Beyond core consultancy, Born to License operates two adjacent products: the weekly Born to License Podcast, hosted by David Born as a thought-leadership and demand generation channel, and the Learn to License online course at learnedtolicense.com, an educational product targeting entrepreneurs and brand managers seeking licensing fundamentals. The technology stack is minimal by design; the firm is explicitly positioned as an expertise- and relationship-driven agency rather than a software company, with no proprietary platform, API, SDK, AI, or machine-learning components disclosed.
Born to License serves approximately 30 clients across diverse verticals including kids/e-commerce, fashion, jewelry, tactical accessories, tea and food & beverage, children's lifestyle, and trading cards. The mid-market target segment (growing brands rather than multinationals) and the founder-led, bootstrapped operating model with no external institutional funding point to a privately held firm with organic growth ambitions, evidenced by an explicit target of 100 clients by end of 2026. The team of approximately 12 named members brings more than 100 years of combined licensing experience, with senior personnel holding credentials from The Walt Disney Company and Turner Broadcasting.
Born To License firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Born To License
- Legal name
- Born Licensing Limited
- Website
- https://borntolicense.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Born To License industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Brand Licensing Services
- NAICS
- Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) (533)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Merchandising, Character & Brand Licensing (MPADALAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Content Licensing (Film/TV, Clips, Stills) (MPADALAA), Ancillary & Derivative Rights Licensing (Remakes, Spin-offs, Merchandising) (MPABANAJ)
Keywords
Where Born To License is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Born To License business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Licensing Consultancy and Agency Services: Born to License acts as an in-house licensing department for brands, managing the entire licensing journey including strategy, rights holder introductions, negotiation, product development, and launch. They charge fees for their consultancy and agency services, helping brands secure and manage IP licenses. The company also offers an online course called 'Learn to License' for education on licensing fundamentals.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Born To License product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Born to License is a B2B licensing agency and consultancy that acts as an in-house licensing department for growing brands. The company manages the entire licensing journey — strategy, IP identification, rights-holder introductions, pitch preparation, negotiation, license agreement management, product development support, approvals management, launch coordination, and ongoing royalty reporting — connecting client brands with major IP holders such as Disney, Marvel, Warner Bros., Mattel, Hasbro, Netflix, Sanrio, Sesame Workshop, Crunchyroll, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros. Discovery, Skybound, Moonbug, and King Features.
Product overview
Born to License is a brand licensing agency and consultancy that provides end-to-end licensing services connecting growing brands with intellectual property rights holders. The company manages the entire licensing journey from strategy and rights holder introductions through negotiation, product development, and launch. Their service portfolio includes strategic licensing consultation, deal negotiation with major rights holders (Disney, Marvel, Warner Bros., Mattel, Hasbro, Netflix, Sanrio, Sesame Workshop), product development oversight, and ongoing royalty reporting. They also operate the Born to License Podcast for industry insights and the Learn to License online course for education.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Brand Licensing Agency Services End-to-end brand licensing agency and consultancy service that connects growing brands with major IP rights holders (Disney, Marvel, Warner Bros., Mattel, Hasbro, Netflix, Sanrio, Sesame Workshop, Crunchyroll, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros. Discovery, Skybound, Moonbug, King Features, and others). The service covers strategy, IP identification, rights-holder introductions, pitch preparation, negotiation, contract management, product development support, approvals, launch coordination, and ongoing royalty reporting. Target buyers are growing (not multinational) consumer brands.
- Born to License Podcast Weekly podcast hosted by founder David Born sharing practical advice, industry perspectives, and conversations with industry leaders from companies such as Funko, Hasbro, and Cloudco Entertainment. Functions as a thought leadership and demand generation channel targeting entrepreneurs and brand managers interested in licensing.
- Learn to License Course Online course designed to make licensing accessible to everyone, providing the complete roadmap to licensing success with major IP holders. Hosted at learntolicense.com as a standalone educational offering distinct from the firm's B2B agency services.
Quantifiable outcome
- WOLFpak's Hello Kitty collection sold out in 72 hours (some sources indicate 4 days), demonstrating the power of licensed IP for product velocity.
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Born To License
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Born To License technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Born To License partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- CrunchyrollcoreAnime streaming service (owned by Sony) providing anime IP including My Hero Academia for fashion and lifestyle licensing programs. Born to License facilitated Fira x Wear's partnership with Crunchyroll.
- Moonbug EntertainmentcoreEntertainment company providing CoComelon IP for children's product licensing. Born to License facilitated Dream Big Little Co.'s partnership with Moonbug for a 44-piece CoComelon range.
- DisneycoreMajor entertainment IP holder providing licensed properties including Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, Disney Princess, and more. Born to License connects clients with Disney properties for product licensing programs.
- MarvelcoreMajor entertainment IP holder (owned by Disney) providing superhero properties including Spider-Man, Avengers, and more for product licensing.
- Warner Bros.coreMajor entertainment studio providing IP properties including DC Comics characters (Batman, Superman), and other properties for licensing programs.
- MattelcoreMajor toy and entertainment company providing IP including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Masters of the Universe, and more for product licensing.
- HasbrocoreMajor toy and entertainment company providing IP including Dungeons & Dragons, Peppa Pig, Transformers, Care Bears, and more for licensing.
- NetflixcoreMajor streaming platform with growing IP portfolio including Squid Game, Stranger Things, and Roald Dahl properties for licensing.
- SanriocoreJapanese entertainment company providing iconic IP including Hello Kitty, and other characters for licensing programs.
- Sesame WorkshopcoreNon-profit educational organization providing Sesame Street characters and related IP for licensing.
- King FeaturescoreMedia company providing IP including Popeye for licensing programs. Facilitated WOLFpak's first licensing partnership with King Features.
- SkyboundcoreEntertainment company providing Invincible IP for trading card and collectible licensing. Born to License facilitated Keepsake's partnership with Skybound.
- ParamountcoreMajor entertainment company providing IP including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT), and PAW Patrol for licensing programs.
- Universal StudioscoreMajor entertainment studio providing IP for licensing programs including Wicked and other properties.
- Warner Bros. DiscoverycoreMajor entertainment company providing IP including DC Comics characters and other properties for licensing programs. Hippo Blue secured Batman licensing through this partnership.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Born To License competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- WildBrain CPLG: One of the largest global licensing agencies, formed from the merger of CPLG and WildBrain's licensing arm. Comparable as a brand licensing service provider, but operates at much larger scale and serves multinational rights holders directly.
Emerging players
- Ink & Paint: Independent brand licensing and consumer products consultancy with a growing roster of entertainment and lifestyle IP. Comparable to Born to License as a smaller, founder-led licensing agency pursuing similar end-to-end service model.
- Stacey Henley / S Henley Licensing: Independent licensing consultancy representing licensors and brand owners in the UK and international markets. Comparable to Born to License as a boutique licensing agency serving smaller and mid-market brand owners.
Direct peers
- Lisa Marks Associates: Boutique licensing agency that represents entertainment and character brands for consumer product licensing. Comparable to Born to License as a boutique character/entertainment licensing agency.
- Beanstalk: Global brand licensing agency and consultancy that manages licensing programs for rights holders and brand owners. Directly comparable to Born to License as a B2B licensing agency, although Beanstalk is significantly larger and serves bigger enterprise clients.
- The Joester Loria Group: Licensing and brand extension agency representing IP owners and developing licensing programs across consumer products. Comparable to Born to License in operating model and focus on building licensing programs for brands.
- Rocket Licensing: UK-based licensing agency representing character and entertainment brands for licensing into consumer products, gifts, and apparel. Comparable to Born to License as a UK-headquartered licensing agency with overlapping IP roster.
- Global Icons: Licensing agency that manages consumer products licensing programs for entertainment-based brands and IP owners. Directly comparable in service offering and target customer (entertainment IP holders and brand licensees).
- Brandgenuity: Licensing agency and consultancy that builds and manages licensing programs for brands and IP owners. Closely comparable business model to Born to License, with similar end-to-end service offerings and emphasis on growing brands.
Others
- Licensing Expo: The industry's flagship annual licensing trade show and ecosystem event. Directly comparable not as a competitor but as the central industry marketplace where Born to License and its peers exhibit, network, and source rights holder relationships.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Born To License social profiles
Digital presenceBorn To License financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Born To License leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Born To License funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Born To License 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 Born To License
What does Born To License do?
Born to License is a B2B licensing agency and consultancy that acts as an in-house licensing department for growing brands. The company manages the entire licensing journey — strategy, IP identification, rights-holder introductions, pitch preparation, negotiation, license agreement management, product development support, approvals management, launch coordination, and ongoing royalty reporting — connecting client brands with major IP holders such as Disney, Marvel, Warner Bros., Mattel, Hasbro, Netflix, Sanrio, Sesame Workshop, Crunchyroll, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros. Discovery, Skybound, Moonbug, and King Features.
Is Born To License a public or private company?
Born To License is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Born To License founded?
Born To License was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Born To License based?
Born To License is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Born To License make money?
One revenue line is on record: licensing Consultancy and Agency Services.
Who are Born To License's main competitors?
WildBrain CPLG is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Ink & Paint and Stacey Henley / S Henley Licensing. Direct peers are Lisa Marks Associates, Beanstalk, The Joester Loria Group, Rocket Licensing, Global Icons and Brandgenuity. Licensing Expo is listed as an others.
Does Born To License have an API?
No public API is recorded for Born To License.
What industry is Born To License in?
Born To License's product category is Brand Licensing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADALAF, Merchandising, Character & Brand Licensing, with a secondary code of MPADALAA, Content Licensing (Film/TV, Clips, Stills). Its NAICS code is 533 and its SIC code is 7822.