qso today academy

What qso today academy does

QSO Today Academy is a virtual events and content platform serving the global amateur radio (ham radio) community, operated as a DBA of KEG Media, Inc., a privately held California corporation headquartered in Los Angeles. Founded in 2020 by Eric Guth (4Z1UG) as the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company pivoted in September 2023 to its current Academy format, refocusing from a virtual convention-with-vendor-booths model to a presentation-centric model. The Academy runs twice-yearly weekend events and offers members on-demand access to a back-catalogue of more than 400 one-hour expert presentations on contesting, DXing, technical topics, and other ham radio subjects.

The platform is built on Sequel.io virtual event infrastructure, which provides presentation rooms capable of broadcasting high-quality presentations to large audiences, live Q&A, audience participation tools, immediate playback of recorded content, and 48-hour branded networking round-tables for vendors. A Vimeo showcase hosts archived presentations, and the QSO Today Community website handles ticket sales and membership via an aMember subscription system. The QSO Today Podcast serves as the top-of-funnel awareness channel, feeding attendees into Academy events and membership.

The business model is event-driven and dual-stream. Vendors (ham radio product sellers) pay $500 USD per presentation hour, which includes access to a branded networking round-table and the ability to promote multiple products within the hour. Attendees purchase tickets granting 30-day post-event access to all recorded content, and QSO Today Listener Sponsors are automatically granted Academy membership. Customers span three segments: individual amateur radio operators (primary), ham radio vendors, and amateur radio clubs seeking promotional and member-engagement opportunities. Marketing and distribution rely primarily on the QSO Today Podcast, community email/newsletter, and the virtual events themselves, with global reach and no geographic restrictions.

Name

qso today academy

Legal name

KEG Media, Inc.

Website

https://qsotodayhamexpo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

QSO Today Academy, operated by KEG Media, Inc. in Los Angeles, runs twice-yearly virtual amateur radio conferences on the Sequel.io platform, offering live expert presentations, vendor showcases, and a 400+ presentation on-demand library to ham radio operators, vendors, and clubs worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Amateur Radio Education Events

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual Training, Workshops & Masterclasses (Interactive Sessions) (MPAGAOAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Virtual Classroom Platforms (Synchronous Teaching Environments) (EDAFABAA)

Keywords

• Amateur radio education
• Virtual ham radio events
• Ham radio presentations
• Amateur radio community
• Virtual event platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Vendor Presentation Sales: Vendors pay $500.00 USD per hour of presentation time on the Sequel.io platform. Each presentation hour includes access to a branded networking round-table. Vendors can book multiple hours for multiple products and presentations.
2. Ticket Sales: Paid registration tickets for Academy weekends grant 30-day access to all recorded content following the event. QSO Today Listener Sponsors automatically become Academy members with exclusive content access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

QSO Today Academy organizes twice-yearly virtual Academy weekends featuring 40+ live amateur radio presentations with live Q&A, video round-table networking lounges, and access to an on-demand library of over 400 archived one-hour presentations. The platform also offers paid vendor presentation slots ($500 per hour) and provides amateur radio clubs promotional opportunities through video commercials and virtual round-tables.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• QSO Today Academy Weekend Events Twice-yearly virtual event weekends featuring 40+ live amateur radio presentations covering contesting, DXing, rag chewing, technical topics, and more, with live Q&A, audience participation, and immediate playback of recorded sessions. Targeted at amateur radio operators worldwide.
• QSO Today Academy Membership and On-Demand Content Library Membership access providing on-demand viewing of more than 400 one-hour amateur radio presentations, including content not previously published and newly added presentations beyond the twice-yearly events. Granted automatically to QSO Today Listener Sponsors; ticket purchasers receive 30-day post-event access.
• Vendor Presentation Hours at Academy Weekends Paid presentation slots for ham radio equipment and service vendors at $500 USD per hour, including access to a branded video round-table in the Sequel.io networking lounge. Vendors can present, demonstrate products, conduct user meetings, take live Q&A, and engage prospects and customers. Multiple hours can be booked for multiple products.

Quantifiable outcome

• Six successful Virtual Ham Expos completed before transition to Academy format
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Sequel.iocoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020Sequel.io is the core virtual event platform powering the QSO Today Academy. The platform provides presentation rooms capable of broadcasting high-quality presentations to large audiences, with features for live Q&A, audience participation, and immediate playback of recorded content. All vendor round-table lounges are hosted on this platform.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bizzabo: Bizzabo is an established event experience platform serving conferences with registration, sponsorship, and attendee engagement features. It is comparable to QSO Today Academy because both monetize ticketed attendee access and sponsor/vendor participation around event programming.
• ON24: ON24 is an enterprise virtual event and webinar platform with presentation broadcasting, live Q&A, and on-demand content libraries. It is comparable to QSO Today Academy because both run interactive live sessions that are subsequently archived for on-demand viewing by registered audiences.
• Hopin (RingCentral Events): Hopin, now part of RingCentral Events, is a broad virtual and hybrid events platform offering presentation rooms, networking lounges, and Q&A. It is comparable because the QSO Today Academy's core experience (Sequel.io-powered presentation rooms with live Q&A and round-table networking) mirrors Hopin's feature set, but at a far smaller and more niche scale.

Direct peers

• vFairs: vFairs is a virtual events platform that powers industry-specific expos with vendor booths, presentations, and networking. It is comparable to QSO Today Academy because the predecessor QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo used a similar vendor-booth-plus-presentations virtual expo model before reformatting into the Academy.
• Airmeet: Airmeet is a virtual and hybrid events platform supporting community-led gatherings with networking tables and live sessions. It is comparable to QSO Today Academy because both emphasize attendee interaction via round-tables and live presentations, including for niche community audiences.
• BigMarker: BigMarker is a virtual event and webinar platform with live presentation rooms, audience interaction, and on-demand playback. It is comparable to QSO Today Academy because both sell tickets or registrations to attend live expert presentations, with archived content available afterward.

Emerging players

• Mighty Networks: Mighty Networks is a community platform that hosts paid memberships with content, events, and discussion. It is comparable to QSO Today Academy because both monetize engaged hobby/professional communities through membership access to exclusive content and live interactions.
• Circle: Circle is a community platform that supports paid memberships, events, and courses. It is comparable to QSO Today Academy because both blend community membership with event-based programming for niche interest audiences.
• Bevy: Bevy is a community-led events platform used to run virtual and in-person community events at scale. It is comparable to QSO Today Academy because both rely on a core enthusiast community (user group leaders, sponsors) to drive recurring event programming.

Others

• ARRL (American Radio Relay League): ARRL is the national association for amateur radio in the United States, providing education, advocacy, and community resources. It is comparable to QSO Today Academy because both serve the same amateur radio operator community with educational content and member engagement programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/showcase/8253187
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qso-today-ham-expo

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 qso today academy