Prohibited sponsors and industries
An official list of companies and industries that TEDx licensees may not contact for sponsorship.
Prohibited sponsors
Under no conditions may a licensed TEDx organizer approach the following companies, who are current TED partners:
- BCG
- PWC
- Northwestern Mutual
- Adobe
- Visit Philadelphia
- Intel
Prohibited industries
Companies whose primary business are the following are not able to sponsor TEDx events
- Adult-oriented products/services
- Tobacco/cigarettes
- Weapons, ammunitions and defense
TEDx Talks are educational content, often used in classrooms and seminars for young audiences around the world. As a result, alcohol brands are not permitted to have representation on video material (e.g. sponsor slides pre-roll) for any TEDx Talk. Youth events cannot have alcohol sponsors.
Next steps
If a prospective sponsor and their industry are not listed in either of these lists, then they may be contacted without prior approval from TED.
Still unsure if your sponsors fall in either of these categories? Please email TEDx@ted.com.