Illo Agency

What Illo Agency does

Illo Agency is a global illustration representation agency operating as a trading style of Astound US Inc., a privately held Delaware corporation. The agency's primary contracted entity, Astound US Inc., sits in Minneapolis, with operational offices in London (Astound UK Ltd., formerly Illo Agency Ltd.) and New York. Its core function is to represent a curated, globally distributed roster of independent illustrators — explicitly organized around identity categories including LGBTQIA+, transgender, nonbinary, Black, Asian, disabled, and neurodiverse artists — and to license their work to commercial clients across publishing, advertising, editorial, media/entertainment, consumer brands, healthcare, transportation, and nonprofit verticals. The agency handles end-to-end commercial representation: contract negotiation, licensing (exclusive and non-exclusive), royalty collection, and credit terms on behalf of artists.

The platform is a web-based discovery and portfolio tool with artist browse, category navigation, themed digital lookbooks (Licensing, Portrait, Sports, STEM, Love, Awareness Calendar, Christmas), a moderated artist submission pipeline operated through a partnership with ITSme, and user-account functionality with Google OAuth. No proprietary technology or AI/ML capability is disclosed; the stack is standard web infrastructure. Distribution is community-led: the agency proactively pitches work to progressive brands, publishes curated lookbooks, and relies on the ITSme mentorship-program partnership as its primary inbound talent funnel.

Revenue is generated through a licensing-and-royalties commission model: Astound US Inc. acts as the exclusive agent for represented artists, granting licenses to clients and collecting royalty payments calculated as a percentage of net wholesale or retail price of licensed goods. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per project. The customer base is broad by industry but undisclosed by revenue contribution — named enterprise clients include Penguin Random House, Bloomsbury, Hachette, HBO, Reddit, Lush, Ariana Grande (Luxe Brands), Intel, Bumble, AMVBBDO, Johnson & Johnson, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Lyft, Disney, Apple, HarperCollins, National Geographic, and multiple nonprofit organizations. The agency is privately held with no venture or growth-equity capital disclosed, and operates without subsidiaries under the Astound US Inc. parent structure.

Name

Illo Agency

Legal name

Astound US Inc.

Website

https://illo.agency

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Illo Agency is a global illustration representation agency (trading style of Astound US Inc.) that connects a curated roster of diverse independent illustrators worldwide with commercial clients across publishing, advertising, editorial, and consumer-brand markets via a licensing and royalty commission model, with offices in Minneapolis, London, and New York.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Illustration Representation Services

NAICS

Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (71141)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Talent Agency & Representation Services (HSACAHAK)

Keywords

• Illustration representation agency
• Artist licensing services
• Commercial illustration licensing
• Diverse illustrator talent
• Editorial and book illustration

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Illustration Licensing and Royalties: Astound US Inc. acts as the exclusive agent for artists, licensing artwork to clients. Fees and royalties are paid by customers for the use of artwork. The Agency grants non-exclusive or exclusive licenses to reproduce artwork for specified purposes, territories, and periods. Royalty payments are calculated as a percentage of Net Wholesale or Retail Price of Licensed Goods sold.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Illo Agency is a global illustration representation agency that acts as the exclusive agent for a curated roster of diverse illustrators, licensing artwork to commercial clients in publishing, advertising, editorial, packaging, and entertainment. The agency negotiates licensing terms, collects royalties, and matches artists with brands and projects aligned with diversity and inclusion values, earning commissions and royalty percentages on artwork licensed.

Product overview

Illo Agency is a global illustration agency operating as a platform that represents a roster of independent, diverse illustrators worldwide. The core platform enables commercial clients to discover and commission illustrators across diverse categories including Editorial, Motion, Picture Books, Packaging, and more. The agency provides artist representation services, curated lookbooks organized by theme (Licensing, Portrait, Sports, STEM, Christmas), and manages artist submissions through their ITSme partnership. The platform includes user account management with Google SSO authentication and a moderated artist portfolio system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Illo Agency Artist Representation & Licensing Platform A global illustration agency platform that represents independent artists and licenses their artwork to commercial clients across publishing, advertising, editorial, packaging, and motion graphics. The platform enables clients to browse artist portfolios, lookbooks, and commission illustration work.
• Curated Lookbooks Curated digital collections of illustration work organized by theme and season, used by clients to discover artists for specific commercial needs.

Named customers28 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered key, core and flagship.

• Campbell Books (Pan Macmillan)keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025FIFA Adoglo illustrated 'Little Superstars: Simone' for Campbell Books - an interactive children's book about Simone Biles featuring push-and-pull interactive elements.
• Boxer Books (Union Square & Co)keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024Boxer Books published Sandie Sonke's 'Life's Little Lessons' series - a 6-book picture book series suitable for ages 3-6, released March 2024. Boxer Books is part of Union Square & Co.
• LyftkeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Maria Contreras created driver portrait illustrations for Lyft's Rev newsroom and food illustrations for articles about Portland restaurants. Ongoing creative partnership for visual content.
• ITSmecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorITSme is Illo Agency's partner for artist submissions. Artists interested in representation submit portfolios through ITSme, which works directly with Illo agents to select and sign illustrators. ITSme also runs an Illustration Mentorship Program through which Illo agents identify and recruit talent.
• LushflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing continued collaboration with Lush Cosmetics. Sophie Kathleen created murals and window displays for The Body Shop campaigns.
• The Body ShopkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerSophie Kathleen created murals and window displays for The Body Shop campaigns, working on large textile pieces for stores.
• Ariana Grande (Luxe Brands)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPackaging and animation project with Ariana Grande brand under Luxe Brands, representing a flagship collaboration.
• Sir Lenny HenrykeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerBook series collaboration with Sir Lenny Henry, representing a meaningful diverse and groundbreaking project.
• Tate PublishingkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublishing partner for book illustration projects.
• BloomsburykeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor publishing partner for illustration projects.
• HarperCollinskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerKoustubha Jagadeesh illustrated 'Madhu and Marcel' for HarperCollins.
• National GeographickeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerWanjira Kinuya created illustrations for the African American Encyclopedia of History and Culture in partnership with Nat Geo.
• HOKA CanadakeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoanna Farmer collaborated with HOKA Canada.
• AudiblekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerSophie Kathleen created content for Audible campaigns.
• VanskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerSophie Kathleen collaborated with Vans for campaigns.
• Not a PhasekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerSophie Kathleen created content for Not a Phase campaigns.
• Our Streets NowkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerSophie Kathleen created content for Our Streets Now campaigns.
• DisneykeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerSian Bowman illustrated Disney Stitch's latest adventure.
• ApplekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrisha Srivastava conducted workshops with Apple in Dubai.
• BuzzFeedkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonique Steele collaborated with BuzzFeed on reimagined Ariel illustrations based on evolutionary science.
• GreenpeacekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerYasmin Ayumi created illustrations celebrating the Amazon for Greenpeace campaigns.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bloom Illustration: US-based illustration agency representing a curated roster to advertising, publishing, and editorial clients. Direct competitor in commercial illustration representation and licensing.
• The Artworks: Illustration agency with a global roster placing artists into publishing, advertising, and editorial work. Closely aligned business model with Illo's licensing-and-representation approach.
• The Illustration Room: Illustration representation agency connecting illustrators with publishers, advertising agencies, and brands. Direct competitor in the artist-representation space, with overlapping customer segments in publishing and editorial.
• Handsome Frank: London-based illustration agency representing a curated roster of illustrators to commercial clients across publishing, advertising, and editorial. Highly comparable to Illo Agency in business model, with a similarly curated, design-forward roster and direct licensing/commission economics.
• Folio Art: UK illustration agency with a global roster of artists working in editorial, advertising, publishing, and design. Closely comparable business model, customer set, and commission/licensing economics to Illo Agency.
• Central Illustration Agency (CIA): Long-established London illustration agency representing artists to editorial, publishing, advertising, and design clients. Direct peer in talent representation, commercial art licensing, and roster-based artist discovery.
• Bernstein & Andriulli: US-based creative representation firm representing illustrators, photographers, and designers to advertising, editorial, and publishing clients. Directly comparable in licensing/commission model and target customer base.
• Jacky Winter Group: Illustration and creative agency representing a curated roster of artists globally. Comparable business model and customer base, with strong editorial and advertising client overlap.
• Phosphor Art: Illustration agency representing artists to editorial, publishing, and advertising clients. Direct peer in commission/licensing economics and curated roster model.

Broad incumbents

• Wieden+Kennedy: Large global creative advertising agency that frequently commissions illustrators directly and competes for the same advertising and brand-illustration budgets as Illo's roster. Functions as a broad incumbent customer/competitor in the brand illustration space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/illoagency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Illo Agency