An innovation lab for the performing arts.
We help performing arts organizations grow their sources of income. We do this by attracting younger audiences, raising private capital and upskilling staff.
The landscape
The pressure
Donor and grant support is shrinking.
- 61%
- of US nonprofit theaters ran a deficit in 2023TCG, Theatre Facts 2023
- −29%
- ticket revenue compared with 2019TCG, Theatre Facts 2023
- 526
- NEA grants terminated in May 2025Arts Analytics
The opportunity
The value of creative work is growing.
- $32.54
- spent per hour on live experiences in the US, the highest of any media format (the average is $0.36)IPR.VC, The New Content Economy, 2026
- $500M+
- worldwide box office for Obsession, an original film made for $750K and bought by Focus Features for about $15MThe Hollywood Reporter, 2026
- $75M
- Disney’s reported price for the Hamilton film, a show that began at The Public TheaterDeadline, 2020
The precedent
Embedding for-profits in nonprofits already exists.
Nonprofits have set up for-profit arms whose earnings support the mission.
Manhattan Theatre Club
MTC Productions
A wholly owned for-profit subsidiary of the nonprofit theater.
Mozilla Foundation
Mozilla Corporation
A for-profit subsidiary that makes the Firefox browser. Its revenue supports the foundation’s mission.
National Geographic Society
National Geographic Partners
A for-profit media company formed with Disney. The Society co-owns it, and its earnings help fund the Society’s science and exploration grants.
Meet the people
Bringing research and development rigor, innovation practices and financial models from across industries into the arts.
Our people have decades of experience in innovation and the arts.
How it works
- 01
We start with your strengths.
What your organization already does well: commissions, festivals, education programs, an archive of artistically vetted works, a loyal audience.
- 02
We add a commercial layer that fits.
A festival with strong showcases might add an accelerator. A company that commissions new work might add IP commercialization. A service organization might add an R&D lab for its members.
- 03
We run it with your staff.
We bring the people, the legal setup and the capital partners, and train your team as we go so the skills stay in house.