Branded Entertainment Executives Anthony Damianakis, Pete Fergusson Launch Dubai-Based Startup IPX to Connect Brands With Content (EXCLUSIVE)

Anthony Damianakis and Pete Fergusson launched Dubai-based IPX, a data-driven global marketplace to connect brands with creators, producers, broadcasters and streamers to develop premium content and ownable IP. The startup launched Feb. 16, 2026 with early backing from industry figures and offices in Dubai, London and Sydney.

Branded entertainment executives Anthony Damianakis and Pete Fergusson have launched Dubai-based startup IPX, a platform they describe as the world's first global marketplace for branded entertainment. Announced Feb. 16, 2026, IPX is headquartered in the UAE with additional offices in London and Sydney and aims to connect brands with creators, producers, broadcasters, streamers and other content platforms to jointly develop premium content and ownable IP.

Direct quote

"Branded entertainment is a $100 billion industry with no real infrastructure," said Anthony Damianakis in a statement announcing the venture. "Deals happen through personal networks, opportunities are invisible unless you're in the room, and there's no efficient way for the right brands to find the right creators. We are building the global marketplace this industry has needed for years using behavioural science and data insights instead of gut feel and relationships."

Context and details

IPX is launching with backing from prominent branded-industry figures including Toby Hack, formerly a top executive at Omnicom’s PHD Worldwide, and Juliette Otterburn-Hall, founder and managing partner of U.K. consulting firm Value Squared. The company says it has a live pipeline of projects that are being kept under wraps and has secured unspecified early agreements from premium IP owners and major international agencies.

Founders Damianakis and Fergusson bring industry and regional experience to the venture. Damianakis previously served as commercial content director at Australia’s Boomtown Pictures and as chief growth officer at The Saudi Agency Network. Fergusson is CEO and founder of The Saudi Agency Network and earlier founded U.K.-based video agency Nemorin Film & Video, whose clients included NBCUniversal, Nat Geo, Hugo Boss, McDonald's, Amazon and American Express.

The startup intends to operate globally but has a strategic focus on the Middle East, "capitalising on regional production incentives and the region’s growing momentum as a global content and entertainment hub," the founders said. The firm also noted it has "deep inroads into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the Saudi Agency Network."

  • Headquarters: UAE (Dubai)
  • Additional offices: London, Sydney
  • Founders: Anthony Damianakis, Pete Fergusson
  • Early backers named: Toby Hack, Juliette Otterburn-Hall
  • Industry scope: Brands, creators, producers, broadcasters, streamers

Outlook

IPX positions itself as a data-driven alternative to the relationship-driven deals that currently dominate branded entertainment. Fergusson emphasized the region's advantages, saying, "The Middle East uniquely combines attractive production incentives, ambitious distribution, a can‑do culture, and growing brand investment." With its Feb. 16 launch, the company is betting that a structured marketplace and analytics-led matchmaking will make previously invisible opportunities discoverable and monetisable for brands and content owners across the globe.