Velocity Institute

What Velocity Institute does

Velocity Institute is a private, nonprofit global industry association founded in 2008 and headquartered in Charlotte, NC, focused exclusively on retail-owned brands across all categories and channels. It serves three primary member segments: retailers, manufacturers, and solution partners, and operates as a central convener for the private label industry through membership programs, annual events, industry research, and educational content. The organization is led by President Christopher Durham, who co-founded the Vertex Awards and previously founded My Private Brand.

The company generates revenue through three principal streams: membership subscriptions (PLUS and PRO tiers with content submission privileges), event tickets and sponsorships (flagship Velocity Conference + Expo, Vertex Awards, Sustainability Summit, Velocity Innovate virtual summit, and Vertex Bold Bash), and industry research conducted in partnership with VOCCII and FMI—The Food Industry Association. The Vertex Awards, now in its 13th Annual edition (2026), is the organization's flagship intellectual property and serves as the premier global recognition program for retailer-owned brand packaging design.

Distribution is direct-to-enterprise via membership sales and event sponsorships, with global reach spanning North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand. Marketing is event-driven and content-led, anchored by Velocity News, Velocity This Week Live! weekly broadcasts, a YouTube channel, and regional in-person programming. The organization is not a technology product company; its competitive position rests on community, brand recognition, and proprietary benchmarking research rather than software or AI infrastructure.

Name

Velocity Institute

Legal name

Velocity Institute

Website

https://velocityinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Velocity Institute is a global nonprofit industry association that convenes retailers, manufacturers, and solution partners around retail-owned brands through membership, annual events including the Vertex Awards, and benchmarking research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Programs: Velocity Institute generates revenue through membership fees, with PLUS and PRO tiers available for retailers, manufacturers, and solution partners dedicated to building retail-owned brands. Higher-tier memberships grant privileges such as guest post and press release submissions to Velocity News.
2. Event Tickets and Sponsorships: The institute sells tickets and sponsorships for annual events including the Vertex Awards, Velocity Conference + Expo, Sustainability Summit, Velocity Innovate Virtual Summit, and regional Vertex Awards celebrations. The Sustainability Summit early bird tickets were priced at $795, with regular pricing offering savings of $200.
3. Industry Research and Benchmarking Reports: Velocity Institute conducts annual industry surveys and benchmarking research on private brand innovation, sustainability, and state of the industry. Research is conducted in partnership with VOCCII and FMI—The Food Industry Association. Survey participation is voluntary and responses are confidential.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Velocity Institute is a global industry association serving retailers, manufacturers, and solution partners focused on building retail-owned (private label) brands. It monetizes through membership fees at PLUS and PRO tiers, paid event tickets and sponsorships for the Velocity Conference + Expo, Sustainability Summit, Vertex Awards and other events, and annual industry benchmarking research delivered with research partners VOCCII and FMI—The Food Industry Association.

Product overview

Velocity Institute is a global industry association focused on retailers and their brands, operating primarily as a content publishing and events organization rather than a technology product company. Its core offerings include the Vertex Awards (an annual packaging design competition for retailer-owned brands), Velocity News (industry publication covering branding, innovation, marketing, sustainability and diversity), and multiple annual events including the Velocity Conference, Velocity Sustainability Summit, Velocity Innovate, and Velocity Bold Bash. The organization also conducts industry benchmarking research and offers PLUS and PRO membership tiers for industry participants. WISE, a nonprofit focused on diversity in store brands, is affiliated with the organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vertex Awards: Annual awards recognizing outstanding achievement in retailer-owned brand and private brand packaging design from around the world
• Velocity Conference
• Velocity Sustainability Summit
• Velocity Bold Bash
• Velocity Innovate
• Velocity This Week Live

Products and services

• Velocity Institute Membership (PLUS and PRO tiers) Recurring membership program for retailers, manufacturers, and solution partners dedicated to building retail-owned brands; higher tiers (PLUS and PRO) grant guest post and press release submission privileges to Velocity News.
• Velocity Conference + Expo Annual flagship conference and expo bringing together private brand industry professionals with paid tickets and sponsorship packages.
• Velocity Sustainability Summit Annual paid event focused on sustainability in retailer-owned brands, featuring expert speakers and networking; early bird tickets were priced at $795 with regular pricing offering $200 in savings.
• Vertex Awards Annual paid-entry global competition recognizing outstanding achievement in retailer-owned brand and private brand packaging design, with Gold, Silver, Bronze, Publisher's Choice, Best of Show, Global Retailer of the Year, and regional Agency of the Year honors; 13th Annual in 2026.
• Velocity Innovate (Virtual Summit) Paid virtual summit focused on the future of retailer-owned brand innovation, featuring presentations from industry executives.
• Vertex Bold Bash Paid cocktail and networking reception held at the end of the PLMA trade show floor, scheduled for November 16, 2026 at Joe's Live!, Rosemont, IL.
• Private Brand Innovation Industry Research Annual benchmarking research survey conducted with research partner VOCCII to gauge how retailers, manufacturers, and solution partners are approaching private brand innovation, sustainability, and state of the industry.

Quantifiable outcome

• Private brands account for 22% of global grocery spend
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• VOCCIIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVOCCII is Velocity Institute's research partner for conducting industry benchmarking surveys including annual research on private brand innovation, sustainability, and state of the industry. The partnership enables Velocity to field anonymous surveys to retailers, manufacturers, and solution partners, providing insights about the current state of the private brand industry and opportunities for the future.
• FMI—The Food Industry AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFMI is a strategic research partner for Velocity Institute, contributing to industry reports including The Power of Private Brands research. The partnership enables sharing of industry insights and executive perspectives on private brand growth strategies and innovation opportunities.
• Vertex Awards AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVelocity Institute co-founded and operates the Vertex Awards, the premier global competition for retailer-owned brand packaging design. The awards are promoted through vertexawards.org and celebrate excellence across multiple categories and regional divisions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Sustainable Brands: Sustainable Brands runs conferences, content, and a community focused on brand sustainability, directly comparable to Velocity's Sustainability Summit and sustainability research. It targets CPG/retail brand sustainability leaders—an overlapping but more emergent peer.
• Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP): IoPP is a professional association for packaging professionals offering certifications, events, and education. It targets the same packaging-industry professionals as Velocity's Vertex Awards and sustainability programming, serving as an emerging-player peer.
• Brand New (UnderConsideration): Brand New is a widely read blog and commentary platform on corporate and brand identity design, with adjacent awards programming. It is an emerging-player peer in design-focused content and brand packaging recognition.

Broad incumbents

• FMI – The Food Industry Association: FMI is a broad-incumbent food-industry trade association and an existing research partner of Velocity Institute (co-producing Power of Private Brands). It serves food retailers broadly, of which private brands is one program area, making it a partner-overlap peer rather than a pure competitor.
• RILA (Retail Industry Leaders Association): RILA represents major US retailers on policy, supply chain, and sustainability. It overlaps with Velocity's enterprise retail membership and sustainability programming, functioning as a broad-incumbent peer in retail industry convening.
• National Retail Federation (NRF): NRF is the largest US retail trade association, running the NRF Big Show and broad retail research/policy programs. Many of Velocity's members (Walmart, Target, Kroger) are also NRF members, making NRF a broader-incumbent peer competing for sponsorship and member attention.
• Consumer Brands Association: Consumer Brands Association (formerly GMA) represents CPG manufacturers and brands, including many private-label manufacturers that are Velocity's manufacturer segment. It is a broader-incumbent peer with adjacent research, policy, and event assets.

Direct peers

• Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA): PLMA is the longest-running trade association dedicated to private label/store brands, running the industry's flagship annual trade show. It is the most directly comparable organization to Velocity Institute, and Velocity's Bold Bash is even scheduled at the close of PLMA's show floor.
• Pentawards: Pentawards is the leading global packaging design awards program, directly comparable to the Vertex Awards as a competition-based community platform for brand packaging. It targets agencies and brands worldwide and overlaps with Velocity's awards, content, and event model.
• The Dieline Awards: The Dieline runs an annual packaging design competition and content platform covering consumer brand packaging. It competes for the same design-agency and brand attention as the Vertex Awards and overlaps with Velocity on content marketing and packaging-industry events.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@velocityinstituteInc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Velocity Institute