The Present Group
The Present Group is an Oakland-based arts think-tank and creative studio operating web hosting services that fund a community-voted artist grant program, alongside open-source publishing tools including The People's E-book and Art Micro Patronage for digital arts audiences.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersOakland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What The Present Group does
The Present Group is a privately held arts-based think-tank and creative studio founded in 2006 by Eleanor and Oliver Wise in Oakland, California. The company's core technology is a Linux/PHP5/MySQL web hosting platform offering 1GB disk space and 50GB transfer per account at $84/year, with free installation of WordPress or Indexhibit CMS. Over 25% of each hosting fee is allocated to The Present Prize, a community-nominated and publicly voted artist grant program (past prize amounts have ranged from $1,100 to $1,289 per round). The company also develops open-source publishing and content tools, including The People's E-book (a free e-book creation tool funded by 970 Kickstarter backers in 2013), Art Micro Patronage (an experimental online exhibition space for digital art with micro-donation features), Gifotrope (a jQuery library for animated GIF frame control), jGifTools, LibLib, and Streambooks (a Tumblr-to-epub converter).
The Present Group's business model blends recurring hosting subscriptions, one-time CMS licensing ($33 for Indexhibit v2), and a $25 transaction-based prize buy-in for non-hosting participants to nominate up to three artists. Historical revenue included a quarterly subscription art project (2006-2012) that channeled over $20,000 to artists across its first three years and supplied subscribers with limited edition artwork, audio/video artist interviews, and professional critiques. Go-to-market is community-led within the Bay Area arts ecosystem, relying on word-of-mouth, the company's blog/journal, social media, podcast interviews, newsletter, conference appearances (Institute for Network Cultures Rotterdam, DEAF festival), and workshops at ProArts Oakland.
The company has historically operated with a very small team (two co-founders, no disclosed headcount) and serves a niche customer base of artists, arts organizations, and select commissioned clients (Kadist Art Foundation, Campari America, Jansport, Ambient Weather, University of Berkeley Center for Middle East Studies). The Present Group is independently owned with no venture capital or institutional investment disclosed beyond the 2013 Kickstarter campaign for The People's E-book.
The Present Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Present Group
- Legal name
- The Present Group
- Website
- https://thepresentgroup.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Present Group is an Oakland-based arts think-tank and creative studio operating web hosting services that fund a community-voted artist grant program, alongside open-source publishing tools including The People's E-book and Art Micro Patronage for digital arts audiences.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Present Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Arts Web Hosting & Creative Services
- NAICS
- Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Software Publishers (5132), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fan Communities & Subscription Content Platforms (Membership/Patronage) (BPAMAJAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Community Hosting & Membership Platforms (MPACAJAF), Subscription Fan Membership Platforms (Paid Communities) (MPACAFAA), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)
Keywords
Where The Present Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oakland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Present Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Web Hosting Subscription: Annual web hosting service at $84/year with over 25% of fees directed to The Present Prize artist grant fund. Customers receive 1GB disk space, 50GB transfer, free WordPress/Indexhibit installation, and community voting rights on grant recipients.
- Indexhibit License: One-time license fee of $33 for Indexhibit v2 CMS platform, offered as optional add-on to web hosting service
- Prize Buy-In: For $25, non-hosting participants can nominate up to three artists for prize consideration and vote in prize rounds, with 100% of proceeds going directly to grant winners after transaction costs
- Subscription Art Project (2006-2012): Quarterly art subscription service where subscribers funded contemporary artists and received limited edition artwork, audio interviews, and professional critiques. Channeled over $20,000 toward artist projects in first three years.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Web Hosting with Artist Grant Contribution |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Indexhibit v2 License (Optional Add-on) |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Prize Buy-In (Non-Hostee Participation) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Present Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Present Group is an arts-based think-tank and creative studio that primarily provides artist-focused web hosting subscriptions ($84/year), with 25%+ of hosting revenue redirected to artist grants via The Present Prize. It also builds open-source digital tools (The People's E-book, Art Micro Patronage, Compensation Foundation) and delivers custom creative/web projects for enterprise clients such as Campari, Jansport, and UC Berkeley.
Product overview
The Present Group is an arts-based think-tank and creative studio focused on leveraging new technologies to support artists. The company operates a portfolio of interconnected products: a web hosting service (core revenue driver funding artist grants), a subscription art project (2006-2012 quarterly limited edition artwork distribution), The People's E-book (free e-book creation tool with open-source epub generator), Art Micro Patronage (online exhibition platform for digital art with micro-donation features), The Present Prize (democratic artist grant program), and several smaller tools including Gifotrope, jGifTools, LibLib, and Streambooks for content creation and manipulation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Present Prize: A democratic arts prize targeting underfunded areas of the creative landscape, funded by web hosting fees.
- The People's E-book
- Art Micro Patronage
- Compensation Foundation
Products and services
- Artist Web Hosting
- Subscription Art Project
- The People's E-book
- Art Micro Patronage
- The Present Prize
- Compensation Foundation
- Creative Studio Projects
Quantifiable outcome
- Over $20,000 channeled to artists in first three years through subscription project
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Present Group
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Present Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
The Present Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- DEAF (Dutch Electronic Arts Festival)minorParticipated in the TV Lunch Program at Het Nieuwe Instituut as part of the biennial DEAF festival. Engaged in casual conversation about their practice with other participants.
- Kadist Art FoundationcoreCollaborated on multiple projects including The People's E-book initiative and various online exhibitions such as 'Once Upon a Time, Movement', 'Incidents of Travel', 'One Sentence Exhibition', 'The Reader', and 'La Nube Oscura'. Also partnered on the 'Pacific Limn' e-book project with YOUNG-HAE CHANG HEAVY INDUSTRIES.
- Hol Art BooksminorPartnered with Greg from Hol Art Books to develop The People's E-book project. Greg conceived the e-book builder idea and TPG built the technical implementation. The collaboration stemmed from a conference panel discussion on creative thinking in museum digital strategy.
- YOUNG-HAE CHANG HEAVY INDUSTRIESminorCollaborated with Kadist Art Foundation to produce 'Pacific Limn', a free e-book for iPads that exists as both an original artist book and exhibition catalogue. The Present Group provided digital publishing expertise.
- Institute for Network Cultures / Digital Publishing ToolkitminorInvited to Rotterdam to speak about The People's E-book at a conference bringing together academics, students, artists, and practitioners focused on e-book production in the arts.
- Southern ExposureminorCollaborated to teach a class on portfolio website creation for artists. Southern Exposure is a Bay Area arts organization providing artist resources and alternative exposure opportunities.
- The Collective FoundationcoreCo-sponsored the first Present Prize ($1,000 travel grant) with The Present Group. The partnership addressed Bay Area artist mobility and retention through travel funding. Founded by Joseph del Pesco, the foundation shared TPG's mission of supporting artists through unconventional funding models.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
The Present Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ko-fi: Platform enabling creators to receive tips, memberships, and one-time support from their audience. Closely comparable to TPG's Art Micro Patronage product where visitors associate small monetary contributions with works they appreciate.
- United States Artists: Organization that awards unrestricted fellowships to U.S.-based artists. Comparable as a direct grantmaking entity targeting underfunded areas of creative practice, similar in spirit to TPG's targeted prize themes (travel, family matters, research practice).
- Creative Capital: Nonprofit that provides direct grants to innovative artists working in all media. Comparable to The Present Prize's democratic grantmaking model, though Creative Capital uses application/jury selection rather than community voting.
- Joan Mitchell Foundation: Foundation providing grants and fellowships to visual artists, with a focus on career development. Comparable to The Present Prize as a grantmaking institution supporting visual artists at various career stages.
- Pressbooks: Open-source book and e-book creation platform enabling anyone to produce professional-quality digital publications. Directly comparable to The People's E-book tool in functionality and open ethos.
- Patreon: Subscription-based creator patronage platform that lets fans fund creators with recurring payments. Most directly comparable to TPG's community-led patronage model where paying customers (hostees) become stakeholders in funding artists.
- Buy Me a Coffee: Platform enabling creators to receive small donations and memberships from supporters. Comparable to TPG's micro-patronage model where everyday contributors support creators through small, recurring transactions.
Others
- Kickstarter: Crowdfunding platform that TPG used to fund The People's E-book with 970 backers. Not a direct competitor but an enabling platform and adjacent funding model relevant to TPG's project economics.
Broad incumbents
- DreamHost: Large-scale web hosting provider offering shared hosting, VPS, and managed WordPress services. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the web hosting category that TPG competes in at the niche/artist-focused tier.
Emerging players
- Substack: Subscription platform enabling writers and creators to monetize content via paid newsletters. Comparable as a subscription-based creator monetization model, though focused on written content rather than visual arts patronage.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Present Group social profiles
Digital presenceThe Present Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Present Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Present Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Present Group 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 The Present Group
What does The Present Group do?
The Present Group is an arts-based think-tank and creative studio that primarily provides artist-focused web hosting subscriptions ($84/year), with 25%+ of hosting revenue redirected to artist grants via The Present Prize. It also builds open-source digital tools (The People's E-book, Art Micro Patronage, Compensation Foundation) and delivers custom creative/web projects for enterprise clients such as Campari, Jansport, and UC Berkeley.
Is The Present Group a public or private company?
The Present Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Present Group founded?
The Present Group was founded in 2006. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Present Group based?
The Present Group is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Present Group make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Web Hosting Subscription is the primary driver. The others are indexhibit License, prize Buy-In and subscription Art Project (2006-2012).
Who are The Present Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ko-fi, United States Artists, Creative Capital, Joan Mitchell Foundation, Pressbooks, Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee. Kickstarter is listed as an others. DreamHost is listed as a broad incumbent. Substack is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Present Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Present Group.
What industry is The Present Group in?
The Present Group's product category is Arts Web Hosting & Creative Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAJAO, Fan Communities & Subscription Content Platforms (Membership/Patronage), with a secondary code of MPACAJAF, Community Hosting & Membership Platforms. Its NAICS code is 813219 and its SIC code is 8600.