Seattle Online Broadcasters Association

Name

Seattle Online Broadcasters Association

Legal name

Seattle Online Broadcasters Association

Website

https://seattleoba.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: Support for SOBA's programs comes from membership contributions.
2. Sponsored content and partnerships: The organization generates revenue through endemic brand partnerships and sponsored content opportunities with game developers and companies.
3. Program support and grants: Support from various programs, including government and community organizations, provides funding for social impact initiatives.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SOBA is a non-profit community and trade association that provides resources for collaboration, education, and mutual support to online broadcasters and content creators in the Seattle area. It organizes monthly in-person MeetUps at GameWorks, runs free BroadcasterU educational workshops, hosts Broadcaster Roundtable discussions, and coordinates Raid Train and Virtual MeetUp community activities.

Product overview

The Seattle Online Broadcasters Association (SOBA) is a non-profit community and trade association for online broadcasters in the Seattle area. Rather than a traditional tech product, SOBA offers a portfolio of community programs including the monthly Seattle Community MeetUp (held at GameWorks and streamed on Twitch), the Broadcaster Roundtable discussion forum, and BroadcasterU educational workshops. The organization also runs Raid Train community activities and Virtual MeetUps for online participation. These programs work together to provide collaboration, education, and mutual support for content creators, game developers, and streaming community members in the Pacific Northwest.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Seattle Community MeetUp Monthly flagship event held at GameWorks in Seattle where the broadcasting community gathers to socialize, network, play arcade games, participate in broadcaster tournaments, and learn about the community. Features live-streaming on Twitch with interviews and showcases.
• Broadcaster Roundtable Guided discussion forum providing an organized environment for moderated conversations about topics relevant to the broadcasting community. Supported by VREAL and Gawkbox.
• BroadcasterU Educational classroom-style workshops featuring expert instruction in online broadcasting. Courses are taught sporadically and are free to the public. Videos of prior courses available on Twitch.
• Raid Train Monthly community activity where broadcasters are featured for a block of time and raid the next participating broadcaster, often combined with charitable fundraising components to encourage collaboration and social responsibility.
• Virtual MeetUp Online-only format meetup events that transitioned from in-person gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing community members to participate from home while continuing to elevate local broadcasters, non-profit organizations, and independent game developers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Organizes monthly Seattle Community MeetUps that have been running for 10+ years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• TwitchflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2016Twitch is the primary sponsor and partner of SOBA's Seattle Community MeetUp events. Twitch provides direct support including time on the Twitch Front Page, direct financial support for production costs, and works with SOBA's community meetup and creator social impact teams. The monthly meetup is branded 'Powered by Twitch'.
• GameWorkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGameWorks in downtown Seattle serves as the venue for monthly Seattle Community MeetUp events. The venue hosts over 130 attendees monthly for networking, arcade gaming, and broadcaster tournaments.
• Seattle IndiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOBA has a partnership with Seattle Indies, a local non-profit supporting independent game developers. As part of this partnership, SOBA showcases video games made by Seattle indie developers at events and provides support for the Seattle Indies Expo.
• VREALminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVREAL provides support for the Broadcaster Roundtable events, a guided discussion forum for community members.
• GawkboxminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGawkbox supports the Broadcaster Roundtable events, helping facilitate community discussions.
• BlerpminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBlerp is listed as a sponsor of SOBA, providing support for the organization's events and activities.
• Anti-Defamation League (Pacific Northwest)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerADL Pacific Northwest chapter collaborated with SOBA on proposed legislation increasing penalties for swatting. SOBA provided support by bringing awareness to the community, working with broadcasters to contact elected representatives, and testified at the Washington State Legislature.
• Rosco LaboratoriesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRosco Laboratories attended SOBA meetups and provided production equipment including Silk LED lights for event live-streams. Representatives gave demos of their DMG Lumiere MINI MIX lighting product.
• Hunt a KillerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHunt a Killer attended SOBA meetups and gave demos of their murder mystery subscription box product, including appearances on event live-streams.
• MackieminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a local sponsor on Twitch Seattle meetup page.
• AverMediaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a local sponsor on Twitch Seattle meetup page.
• BeacnminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a local sponsor on Twitch Seattle meetup page.
• VOshiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a local sponsor on Twitch Seattle meetup page.
• Sakura-ConminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a local sponsor on Twitch Seattle meetup page.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• StreamElements: StreamElements is a streaming creator tools and monetization platform serving the same broadcaster community SOBA organizes. Comparable audience and ecosystem play but operates a SaaS/tools business model rather than a non-profit association model.

Broad incumbents

• VidCon: VidCon is the leading conference and community event for online video creators, fans, and industry professionals. Comparable to SOBA as it operates in the creator-community event space; broader incumbent in scale but lower on the advocacy and trade-association axis.
• National Association of Broadcasters (NAB): NAB is the largest U.S. trade association for radio and television broadcasters, providing advocacy, member services, and the annual NAB Show. Comparable to SOBA as a broadcaster trade association model — broader in scope and traditional in medium, but operating the same association/advocacy structure SOBA aspires to.
• Online News Association: ONA is a non-profit membership organization supporting digital journalism and online news creators through training, networking, and awards. Directly comparable to SOBA's association model applied to a different creator segment (journalism vs. live streaming), making it a useful analog.
• Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA): RTDNA is the world's largest professional organization devoted exclusively to electronic journalism. Comparable to SOBA as a membership trade association serving broadcasters/journalists with training, advocacy, and ethics standards — a more traditional-broadcast analog.

Direct peers

• Internet Creators Guild: The Internet Creators Guild (ICG) is a non-profit trade association representing digital content creators on policy, copyright, and platform issues. Directly comparable to SOBA as a creator-focused trade/community organization pursuing industry advocacy and member services.
• The Podcast Academy: The Podcast Academy is a non-profit membership organization for podcast creators, administering the Ambies awards and providing community resources. Highly comparable to SOBA — peer non-profit membership model applied to adjacent audio creator community.
• Seattle Indies: Seattle Indies is a Pacific Northwest non-profit supporting independent game developers through events and showcases. Directly comparable to SOBA — same geography, same non-profit association model, same community-event-driven GTM; in fact an active SOBA partner.

Others

• Twitch (Amazon): Twitch is the dominant live-streaming platform and SOBA's flagship sponsor and ecosystem anchor. Comparable as the platform whose community SOBA organizes; not a peer in business model but is the central counterparty in SOBA's value chain.

Regional players

• PAX (Penny Arcade): PAX is a major gaming convention series rooted in the Seattle/Pacific Northwest gaming community. Comparable as a regional community-anchored event and content-creator touchpoint, though operating as a commercial ReedPop/IGN property rather than a non-profit.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SeattleOBA
• Facebookfacebook.com/SeattleOBA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/seattleoba

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Seattle Online Broadcasters Association