Brandlive
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Headquarters | , USA |
Key people | Sam Kolbert-Hyle (President & CEO) |
| Website | brandlive |
Brandlive, Inc. is an American software-as-a-service (SaaS) company based in Portland, Oregon, that develops virtual-event and video production software.
Products
Brandlive Platform includes tools to create templated sites designed to host video content including audience engagement & interaction features such as chat, reactions, polls, product catalogues, and Q&A.
Greenroom is a cloud-based video production tool that can stream to any destination supporting RTMP ingestion. Greenroom offers a variety of features, including the ability to record video, switch between pre-recorded and live video, and overlay graphic elements that stream to destinations on top of video. [1]
History
2010 — 2019
Brandlive was founded in 2010 by Ben McKinley and Fritz Brumder as a product of Cascade Web Development, as a way to incorporate live video into online shopping.[2] The idea for Brandlive came to Brumder when he was using Skype to see a friend's new retail store in New York City, and made a purchase as a result of the demonstration via live video. In 2012, Brandlive was established as its own separate entity.
In May 2013, the company received $1.6 million in Series A funding from Oregon Angel Fund,[3] Angel Oregon,[4] Portland Seed Fund,[5] among others.
In 2016, Stephen Marsh's Archivist Capital led Brandlive's $3.2 million funding round.[6]
Brandlive closed 2017 with revenue of $1.9M, and 2018 with $3.1M, and was featured as one of the top ten fastest growing Portland, OR companies.[7]
In July 2018, CEO Fritz Brumder moved into the role of COO, and Jeff Allen was announced as the new CEO.[8]
2020 — 2021
At the start of 2020, Archivist Capital finalized a transaction to buy most of the business and Sam Kolbert-Hyle, a partner at Archivist, stepped in as Brandlive's new CEO.[9] After analyzing the usage of the platform, Kolbert-Hyle invested in a new direction of product development: to reinvent large, internal corporate allhands and townhall meetings.
Brandlive launched Greenroom in May 2020, because of the COVID-19 Pandemic.[10]
Starting in May 2020, Brandlive did 230 events for Biden Campaign for President team, securing more than $30 million in donations. The largest fundraising event featured President Barack Obama and raised over in $11 million with more than 470,000 views. Brandlive also did celebrity reunion fundraisers including the casts of The Princess Bride, Parks and Rec, The West Wing, and more.[11]
2022 — Present
In April 2024 Brandlive acquired Notified's virtual event and webinar business. The acquisition quadrupled the size of Brandlive's business and added roughly 100 employees to the team.[12]
In January 2025, Brandlive acquired the software company, 6Connex.[13] In the same year, Brandlive acquired Media Platform,[14] with a focus on enterprise streaming and town halls, and Hubilo to expand its AI presence.[15]
In July 2025, Brandlive partnered with WNBA Portland to create behind-the-scenes content of the team's journey.[16]
Recognition
In September 2013, Brandlive was announced as a finalist for the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network Tom Holce Entrepreneurship Awards.[17]
In March 2021, Fast Company named Brandlive as 2021's #1 Most Innovative Company in the Live Events category.[18] Fast Company also named Brandlive on their “50 Most Innovative Companies of the Year” at #44 out of 400 global companies.[19]
References
- ^ Staff, Exhibit City News (2021-08-23). "Brandlive Launches Greenroom Partner Program » Exhibit City News". Exhibit City News. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
- ^ "Portland startup Your Brandlive infuses online retail with in-store interaction". Oregon Live. 12 February 2013.
- ^ "Brandlive Wins Angel Oregon Competition". Oregon Live. 18 April 2013.
- ^ "Angel Oregon winner Brandlive eyes next round". Portland Business Journal.
- ^ "Portland Seed Fund announces third class of startup". Oregon Live. 11 September 2012.
- ^ Spencer, Malia (April 10, 2016). "Brandlive lands $3.2M and a well-known Portland entrepreneur as an investor". www.bizjournals.com.
- ^ Meyer, Anna (2018-12-26). "The 10 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in Portland in 2018". Inc.com. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
- ^ Spencer, Malia (August 1, 2018). "Brandlive picks new CEO". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
- ^ "Forty Under 40 2021: Sam Kolbert-Hyle, Brandlive and Archivist Capital". Portland Business Journal. 2021-07-28. Retrieved 2025-11-26.
- ^ Spencer, Malia (December 30, 2020). "Brandlive's big 2020 includes huge growth and a key role in the Biden campaign". www.bizjournals.com. Archived from the original on 2020-12-30. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
- ^ Ifeanyi, K. C. (2020-12-22). "Meet Brandlive, the company that saved Joe Biden's digital campaign". Fast Company. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
- ^ "Brandlive buys Notified business unit, quadruples size of its business". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
- ^ Lingle, Brandon. "San Antonio software company 6Connex sold to Oregon online event firm". San Antonio Express-News. Archived from the original on 2025-07-26. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
- ^ Brandlive (2025-05-13). "Brandlive Acquires MediaPlatform with Focus on Enterprise Town Halls and Video Streaming". GlobeNewswire News Room. Retrieved 2026-01-07.
- ^ "M&A deals: Brandlive, DealerTrend, Innovaccer, Story Health, Ntracts, MCN Solutions". InfotechLead. 2025-09-18. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
- ^ "WNBA Portland Partners with Brandlive to Elevate Fan Experience Through Immersive Storytelling". www.wnba.com. Retrieved 2026-01-07.
- ^ "Meet the finalists for Oregon Entrepreneurs Network honors". www.bizjournals.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-12. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
- ^ Staff, Fast Company (2021-03-09). "The 10 most innovative live events companies of 2021". Fast Company. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
- ^ Parrish, Cayleigh (2021-03-09). "The World's Most Innovative Companies 2021". Fast Company. Retrieved 2021-05-25.