What Akuna Group does

Akuna Group (The Akuna Group, TAG) is a privately-held London-headquartered creative and entertainment company co-founded with actor Idris Elba, operating a portfolio of interconnected businesses centered on African storytelling, content production, and digital distribution. Its core operating assets include film production studios in Ghana, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, and the USA (via Akuna USA and the 22Summers production entity), the Akunaverse virtual marketplace for African creative content (art, crafts, film, music) with a proprietary Akunawallet escrow system supporting subscription streaming and direct digital sales, and Afriskaut, an AI-claimed sports talent discovery platform targeting African athletes.

The company's digital platform layer is built primarily on WordPress, with the Akuna Group WordPress Store distributing 3,811 themes, plugins, and affiliate content with 121M+ total downloads. A significant portion of the WordPress Store inventory consists of multi-language gambling, casino, and betting review sites localized into 12+ languages (English, Turkish, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean) operated under an affiliate/referral monetization model. Adjacent ventures include a Sierra Leone renewable energy joint venture with Octopus Energy (2024) and an agriculture partnership with Cocoasource, signaling diversification into infrastructure and food supply chains beyond the core creative thesis.

Revenue mechanics are diversified across (1) WordPress Store affiliate/product sales, (2) Akunaverse marketplace commissions and subscriptions (pricing not publicly disclosed), and (3) partnership and program revenue, most notably a $1M+ Google.org-funded AI training program announced at the Google Cloud Summit in Johannesburg in July 2026, which provides Gemini AI access to ~100,000 content creators across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and South Africa. The company has 51–100 employees, no disclosed revenue, no institutional venture or private equity ownership, and relies on Idris Elba's celebrity brand for distribution and partnership leverage.

Name

Akuna Group

Legal name

The Akuna Group

Website

https://theakunagroup.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Akuna Group is a London-headquartered, Idris Elba-founded creative company operating African film studios, the Akunaverse marketplace for African creatives, a WordPress product store, and an AI sports-talent platform (Afriskaut), serving global consumers and African SMB creators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative and Entertainment Production Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115), Software Publishers (5132), Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Retail-Computer & Computer Software Stores (5734)

akta.pro primary industry

E-commerce & Digital Membership Clubs (CRAEADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Virtual Goods & Digital Item Commerce (skins, cosmetics, DLC) (MPAFAJAF)

Keywords

• Film production services
• Creative content marketplace
• Digital content distribution
• WordPress digital products
• Affiliate marketing network

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. WordPress Store - Affiliate / Product Sales: The Akuna Group WordPress Store operates as a digital storefront offering professional WordPress themes and plugins, with affiliate-style product distribution generating revenue through downloads. The store lists over 3,811 products with more than 121 million total downloads, with products categorized into themes, plugins, and affiliate content including casino/betting/gambling review sites in multiple languages.
2. Akunaverse Digital Content Marketplace: Virtual marketplace revenue generated from digital content transactions including art, crafts, films, and music sold by African creatives to global buyers. Includes subscription streaming model for unlimited African film and music access, direct film downloads, and escrow-secured transactions.
3. Partnership and Program Revenue (Google): Revenue generated through the Google-Akuna partnership funded by Google.org (over $1 million), part of Google's 'Building for Africa' mission, supporting AI education and digital tool access for African creators.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Akuna Group is a creative and entertainment company that produces film and content through studios in Ghana, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, and the United States, and distributes African creative content globally through its Akunaverse virtual marketplace (art, music, film, crafts) with built-in escrow payments. It also operates a WordPress digital storefront with 3,811+ themes and plugins (121M+ downloads), multi-language affiliate websites for gambling content in 12+ languages, and an AI-powered African sports talent discovery platform called Afriskaut.

Product overview

Akuna Group is a multi-faceted creative and entertainment company operating a portfolio of interconnected businesses. The core offerings include film production studios (Ghana, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, and Akuna USA), the Akunaverse virtual marketplace for African creative content, 22Summers production venture, and a WordPress digital products store with over 3,800 themes and plugins. The company also operates multi-language affiliate marketing websites for gambling/betting content across 12+ languages. Additional ventures include Afriskaut (AI-powered African sports talent discovery) and partnerships in sustainable agriculture (Cocoasource) and renewable energy (Octopus Energy).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 22Summers: Film production entity
• Akuna USA
• Film Studio Ghana
• Film Studio Tanzania
• Film Studio Sierra Leone
• Akunaverse
• Afriskaut

Products and services

• Akunaverse Virtual Marketplace Virtual marketplace platform connecting African artists, musicians, filmmakers, and craftsmen with global buyers. Features secure transactions via Akunawallet, an escrow system, subscription streaming for unlimited African film and music access, and content discovery by country, genre, and creator. Supports payments via credit card, Apple Pay, PayPal, and Akunawallet.
• Akuna Group WordPress Store Digital storefront offering WordPress themes and plugins for website development. Platform statistics show over 3,811 products with 121,161,482 total downloads across themes, plugins, and affiliate content categories. Serves WordPress developers and SMBs globally.
• 22Summers Film Production Film and content production venture under Akuna Group focused on creative production and global storytelling. Part of the company's portfolio of film studios supporting African and global content creation.
• Film Studio Ghana Film production studio facility in Ghana offering diverse landscapes and production capabilities for African storytelling and content creation. Serves production enterprises seeking Ghana filming locations.
• Film Studio Tanzania Film production studio facility in Tanzania supporting African storytelling and content creation. Serves production enterprises seeking Tanzania filming locations.
• Film Studio Sierra Leone Film production studio facility in Sierra Leone offering diverse landscapes and coastal scenery for film production. Located in Lungi, Sierra Leone, supporting African storytelling and content creation.
• Akuna USA Akuna Group's American operations supporting the company's global storytelling expansion strategy. Part of the portfolio of film production operations.
• Afriskaut Sports Talent Discovery Platform AI-powered platform that uses data and AI to identify, discover, and connect promising athletic talent emerging from across the African continent with global sports opportunities.
• Multi-language Gambling Affiliate Sites Affiliate marketing websites providing guides and reviews for gambling, betting, and casino platforms across 12+ languages including English, Turkish, Korean, Indonesian, Hindi, Arabic, Russian, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, and Spanish. Drives global SEO traffic and affiliate monetization.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1 million in AI training program funding through Google.org to train approximately 100,000 African content creators
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and minor.

• Google (Google.org)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Akuna Group and Google announced a joint $1 million+ AI training program at the Google Cloud Summit in Johannesburg on July 1, 2026, aiming to train approximately 100,000 content creators from underrepresented backgrounds across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and South Africa. The program provides access to Google's Gemini AI assistant and other digital production tools, funded through Google.org as part of Google's 'Building for Africa' mission. The initiative targets reducing content creation costs and helping African creators compete in global markets.
• Octopus Energy (Akuna Sierra Leone)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Akuna Sierra Leone partnership with Octopus Energy to build a first-of-its-kind renewables project for Sierra Leone in 2024, with potential to expand the partnership in the future. Octopus Energy will construct the renewable energy infrastructure.
• Cocoasource (Akuna Sierra Leone)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAkuna Sierra Leone partnership with Cocoasource supporting cocoa farmers and building a secure food supply chain in Sierra Leone. This falls under Akuna Group's broader cross-continental creative and impact initiatives beyond the creative industries.
• AfriskautminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfriskaut is a related venture under the Akuna Group ecosystem, revolutionizing talent discovery in African sports using data and AI to identify and connect promising athletic talent from across the continent with the world.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• iROKOtv: Nigerian-origin streaming and film distribution platform focused on African (especially Nollywood) film content for global audiences. Most directly comparable to Akunaverse's African film streaming and global distribution thesis.
• Showmax: MultiChoice-owned subscription streaming service with deep African content library and pan-African market presence. Competes directly with Akunaverse's subscription streaming of African film and music.
• Trace (Trace TV / Trace Africa): Global media group with dedicated African music and entertainment channels and digital platforms, comparable to Akunaverse's positioning as a curated African-content platform connecting local creators to global audiences.
• FilmOne Entertainment: Nigerian film distribution and production company operating across cinema, home video, and digital channels for African content. Comparable to Akuna Group's studio-plus-distribution model (Ghana, Tanzania, Sierra Leone studios + Akunaverse marketplace).
• Boomplay: Leading African music streaming and download platform operating across multiple African countries. Directly comparable to Akunaverse's music-streaming component and the cross-border African creator monetization problem Akuna is solving.

Broad incumbents

• Africa Magic (MultiChoice): MultiChoice-owned portfolio of African entertainment channels and streaming content. A broad incumbent in the same African-content curation and distribution space as Akunaverse, with significantly larger scale.
• Etsy: Global marketplace for handmade and creative goods including African art and crafts. Comparable to Akunaverse's marketplace model for African artists, musicians, filmmakers, and craftsmen, though at vastly larger scale and global category breadth.

Emerging players

• Mubi: Curated global film streaming platform with a focus on arthouse, international, and emerging-cinema storytelling. Comparable to Akunaverse in model (curated film marketplace/subscription) though not Africa-specific.

Others

• Creative Artists Agency (CAA): Global talent and entertainment agency representing actors, filmmakers, and creatives. Comparable to Akuna Group in the talent/creative representation and storytelling space, particularly given Idris Elba's agency relationships.
• Endeavor (WME): Global talent agency and entertainment company with an explicit focus on emerging-market and African creative economies. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler and representation partner for the same creator pool Akuna is targeting.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/akuna-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries9 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 Akuna Group