DealMaker and Dolphin Partner to Unlock Community Capital for Celebrity and Influencer Brands

Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN) and DealMaker announced a strategic partnership on February 18, 2026 to expand access to growth capital for celebrity, influencer, and entertainment-led consumer and lifestyle brands.

Rhea-AI Summary

Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN) and DealMaker announced a strategic partnership on February 18, 2026 to expand access to growth capital for celebrity, influencer, and entertainment-led consumer and lifestyle brands. The alliance combines DealMaker's equity crowdfunding platform with Dolphin's marketing, talent network, and creator-economy relationships to help founders raise capital while building audiences and community.

The collaboration will source opportunities from Dolphin's roster and network, supporting raises across growth-stage consumer products and established businesses pursuing scale, and aims to convert investors into engaged users and long-term stakeholders.

Argus Feb 18 session

-2.72% close to close Open Argus

Details

News Market Reaction – DLPN

On Feb 18, the day this news came out, DLPN closed 2.72% below the previous close.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus for the Feb 18 session.

Market Context

This announcement outlines a strategic partnership between Dolphin and DealMaker, combining entertai...

Analysis

This announcement outlines a strategic partnership between Dolphin and DealMaker, combining entertainment marketing with an online capital-raising platform for celebrity and influencer-led brands. It comes alongside improving fundamentals, such as Q3 2025 revenue of $14,796,309 and reduced net loss of $365,494. Recent Form 4 filings show ongoing open‑market share purchases by the CEO at prices around $1.47–$1.68. Investors may watch execution on deal flow and how this collaboration converts into revenue growth.

Key Figures

Q3 2025 revenue: $14,796,309 Income from operations: $308,296 Q3 2025 net loss: $365,494 +5 more

Q3 2025 revenue

$14,796,309

Quarterly revenue vs $12,682,437 a year ago

Income from operations

$308,296

Q3 2025 operating income vs prior-year loss

Q3 2025 net loss

$365,494

Quarterly net loss vs $8,692,389 prior year

9M 2025 revenue

$41,053,549

First nine months of 2025

9M 2025 net loss

$4,108,474

First nine months of 2025

Cash and equivalents

$7,832,402

Balance as of Sept 30, 2025

Total debt

$25,400,978

Debt level as of Sept 30, 2025

Equity purchase agreement

$15,000,000

Common stock purchase agreement with Lincoln Park

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Feb 10

5 events

1. Feb 10

   Super Bowl activations

   24h Move

   -1.9%

   Subsidiaries led multiple Super Bowl LX brand and media activations.

2. Feb 03

   GRAMMY client wins

   24h Move

   -2.5%

   Subsidiaries’ clients presented, performed, and won at 2026 GRAMMY Awards.

3. Jan 28

   Harbor Forum move

   24h Move

   +1.8%

   Client Harbor Fund named Sundance Mountain Resort new forum home.

4. Jan 26

   Oscar nominations

   24h Move

   -5.0%

   42West clients earned six nominations at the 98th Academy Awards.

5. Jan 20

   Sundance festival slate

   24h Move

   -2.5%

   42West brought nine projects to the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.

24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.

Key Terms

equity crowdfunding, capital raising platform, convertible notes, common stock purchase agreement

4 terms

equity crowdfunding financial

"Strategic Partnership Pairs the Market Leader in Equity Crowdfunding..."

Equity crowdfunding is a method where many individual investors each contribute small amounts of money through an online platform in exchange for ownership shares in a private company. It matters to investors because it opens access to early-stage companies and potential high returns, like buying a small piece of a local startup, but it also brings higher risk, less information and limited ability to sell compared with public stocks.

capital raising platform financial

"DealMaker, the leading online capital raising platform, and Dolphin..."

A capital raising platform is a service or marketplace that helps companies obtain money from investors by listing funding opportunities, handling paperwork and compliance, and facilitating transactions between issuers and buyers. Think of it like a farmers’ market for financing: it brings together people offering financial stakes and those looking to invest, making deals easier to find, compare and complete. For investors this matters because the platform affects what deals are available, how transparent the terms are, and how quickly capital or shares can change hands.

convertible notes financial

"Total debt increased... including higher convertible notes."

Convertible notes are a type of short-term loan that a company receives from investors, which can later be turned into company shares instead of being paid back in cash. They matter to investors because they offer a way to support a company early on while giving the potential to own a stake in its success if the company grows and later raises more funding.

common stock purchase agreement financial

"The company entered a $15,000,000 common stock purchase agreement..."

A common stock purchase agreement is a legal contract that spells out the deal when someone buys ordinary shares in a company, specifying how many shares, the price, payment method, and any conditions for the sale. For investors it matters because it defines ownership rights, timing and protections—like a receipt plus rules for a big purchase—so it determines how and when an investor actually acquires voting power and potential returns.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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Strategic Partnership Pairs the Market Leader in Equity Crowdfunding With Entertainment Industry's Premier Marketing Consortium

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / February 18, 2026 / DealMaker, the leading online capital raising platform, and Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN), the premier entertainment marketing and content development company, today announced a strategic partnership designed to expand access to growth capital for celebrity, influencer, and entertainment-led consumer product and lifestyle companies.

The partnership brings together DealMaker's power and experience as the clear market leader in online capital raising with Dolphin's extensive marketing capabilities and deep relationships across the Creator economy, traditional Hollywood, and the broader entertainment industry. Together, the companies aim to help founders not only raise capital, but also expand audiences, grow customer bases, and build engaged communities - transforming investors into passionate users and users into long-term stakeholders-while building the awareness, credibility, and cultural relevance required to scale successful consumer-facing businesses.

Under the partnership, Dolphin and DealMaker will source opportunities both within Dolphin's own roster as well as across Dolphin's expansive network of talent, creators, managers, agents, ambassadors, and entertainment entrepreneurs. The collaboration is designed to support capital raises across a range of asset types, including consumer products and lifestyle brands, primarily at growth and expansion stages, as well as established businesses pursuing their next phase of scale.

Bill O'Dowd, CEO of Dolphin, said, "Celebrity and influencer-led businesses have been creating successful consumer brands for decades. What's fundamentally different today is that modern capital formation tools allow companies to directly align capital, customers, and community in a single, integrated model. This partnership brings together two leaders in their respective fields to help entertainment-driven companies raise capital while building brands with real cultural and commercial momentum."

Rebecca Kacaba, CEO of DealMaker, added, "We're thrilled to partner with Dolphin Entertainment to support the next generation of celebrity-backed consumer brands. Dolphin's ability to turn cultural relevance into market impact makes them an ideal partner as we expand access to capital for entertainment- and celebrity-led companies."

DealMaker is the dominant force in this category. Its platform streamlines the entire capital-raising lifecycle, including automated compliance, investor onboarding, payments, and ongoing investor engagement.

Dolphin, which was named #1 on the 2025 Observer Power List, is an award-winning entertainment venture studio surrounded by a collection of best in class PR and marketing agencies. Collectively, the Dolphin team brings decades of experience developing and marketing the launch, scaling, and sustaining of culture-defining brands across film, television, music, influencers, food, hospitality, fashion, sports, consumer products and lifestyle brands. Its integrated marketing platform spans earned media, influencer marketing, live events, experiential, and digital storytelling, helping transform creative ideas into category leaders.

About DealMaker
Headquartered in New York City, DealMaker is the future of capital raising. With more than $2.4 billion raised, DealMaker's platform enables companies to own their end-to-end capital raising lifecycle-from investor acquisition and conversion to compliance, payments, and engagement. Its white-label approach allows companies to retain ownership of their data and investor relationships while building lasting investor communities around their brands. For more information, visit dealmaker.tech.

About Dolphin
Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN) is where cultural creation meets marketing execution. Founded in 1996 by Bill O'Dowd, Dolphin operates as both a venture studio-developing and investing in content, products, and experiences-and a marketing consortium featuring leading agencies across every communications discipline.

Dolphin's collective includes 42West, The Door, Shore Fire Media, Elle Communications, Special Projects, and The Digital Dept., delivering expertise across film, television, music, influencers, sports, hospitality, fashion, consumer brands, and purpose-driven initiatives. Dolphin marketing has received numerous industry honors, including being named the #1 Agency of the Year by the Observer, as well as inclusion on the PR Net 100 and the PR News Elite 120.

Media contacts:
Dolphin - Lois@dolphinentertainment.com

DealMaker - press@dealmaker.tech

Investor contact for Dolphin:
James Carbonara - james@haydenir.com

SOURCE: Dolphin Entertainment

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What does Dolphin (DLPN) and DealMaker's February 18, 2026 partnership mean for celebrity-led brands?

It creates integrated access to capital and marketing support for celebrity-led brands. According to Dolphin, the partnership pairs DealMaker's capital-raising platform with Dolphin's talent network and marketing capabilities to help founders fund growth while building audience engagement and brand credibility.

How will DealMaker and Dolphin source fundraising opportunities for DLPN-related deals?

They will source deals from Dolphin's roster and broader entertainment network. According to DealMaker, sourcing includes talent, creators, managers, agents, and entertainment entrepreneurs to identify consumer and lifestyle brands suited for growth-stage capital raises.

Which types of companies will the Dolphin and DealMaker partnership target for capital raises (DLPN)?

The partnership targets consumer products and lifestyle brands at growth and expansion stages and established businesses seeking scale. According to Dolphin, asset types focus on entertainment- and celebrity-led consumer businesses using capital to expand audiences and commercial reach.

How does DealMaker's platform support fundraising under the DLPN partnership?

DealMaker provides end-to-end capital-raising infrastructure and investor engagement tools. According to DealMaker, the platform automates compliance, investor onboarding, payments, and ongoing engagement to streamline equity crowdfunding for entertainment-driven issuers.

Will the Dolphin and DealMaker alliance affect DLPN's business model or go-to-market strategy?

The alliance expands Dolphin's go-to-market by integrating capital-formation with marketing and talent access. According to Dolphin, the collaboration aims to convert customers into stakeholders and accelerate scaling of celebrity-backed consumer brands via combined fundraising and promotional capabilities.

When did Dolphin (DLPN) announce the partnership with DealMaker and where can investors find more details?

Dolphin announced the partnership on February 18, 2026. For additional corporate details, investors should consult Dolphin's investor relations communications and public disclosures for official terms, timelines, and any future transaction announcements.