EVA, an event booking platform, raises $2M for city expansion

EVA, a cutting-edge event booking platform, has secured $2 million in funding to support its expansion into additional cities. This investment will allow EVA to enhance its services, making it easier for users to discover and book entertainment events across new locations. With this growth, EVA aims to transform the live entertainment experience and increase accessibility for audiences in various regions.

EVA, a platform that links event organizers with local performers, has successfully raised $2 million in funding, coinciding with the resurgence of in-person events. The Nashville-based startup indicated that this round surpassed its target amount by more than double, valuing EVA at $15 million.

This funding comes at a crucial time as event planners report an increase in attendance at in-person B2B conferences. A study conducted by event management company Bizzabo revealed that 86.4% of planners invested more in live events in 2023.

With the newly acquired capital, EVA aims to broaden its services to new markets, starting with New York City in early December, followed closely by Los Angeles, California. Currently, the platform operates in seven markets: Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Chicago, Charlotte, Nashville, and New Orleans.

EVA allows event organizers to book a variety of performers for different occasions, such as corporate events, private parties, public gatherings, college events, festivals, and weddings. By creating an account, organizers gain access to a diverse selection of entertainers, including Santa Claus for holiday parties, motivational speakers, musicians, magicians, and even Taylor Swift impersonators.

The platform enables planners to create events by entering specific details like location, date, guest count, budget, duration, required equipment, attire, and more for performers to apply. Once the event is posted, EVA’s matching algorithm recommends suitable entertainers, allowing event planners to review their profiles before confirming bookings. The “Teams” hub facilitates collaboration among team members on various events and helps manage invoices.

EVA not only seeks to transform the event-hosting industry but also aims to provide performers access to larger events they may not have had the chance to participate in otherwise. Many artists on the platform are emerging talents who often struggle to sustain their careers, typically performing at smaller events like birthday parties or local bar gigs. EVA can offer these artists greater visibility, potentially providing a more reliable income source.

Local Nashville singer-songwriter Tabitha Meeks shared with TechCrunch, “EVA has allowed me to not only grow as an artist but also live in a way that I can start to build my future... I am able to not just scrape by as a ‘starving artist,’ but actually save money.”

The company reported that over the past four years, it has helped artists earn a collective total of $6 million. The minimum booking fee for events is set at $400, while the average transaction falls between $600 and $7,500.

Event organizers must pay 50% of the deposit to the entertainer before the event, with the remaining balance due at least a week prior. All performers are required to submit a professional video for platform acceptance.

The company also provides both entertainers and organizers with performance contracts and event insurance.

“We maintain a blanket general liability and professional liability insurance policy for our entertainers and corporate clients,” co-founder Makenzie Stokel stated. “That was a significant barrier for companies trying to book entertainers individually since these performers typically don’t carry $5 million in insurance. It’s unreasonable for them to be responsible for that, so we handle it for every event we manage.”

The idea for EVA originated in 2015 from the personal frustrations of co-founders Stokel and Channing Moreland while they were trying to organize events during their studies at Belmont College. Both have backgrounds in music and noticed the exploitation of many artist friends.

“At our core, we believed artists and creators deserve fair compensation for their work, which inspired our journey,” Moreland explained. “We began by developing an events discovery platform to help promote our college friends. This evolved into producing and promoting our own events and festivals, leading us to understand the significant challenges in booking and the lack of transparency in the process.”

In 2019, EVA began offering its services to corporations. Renowned companies like Amazon, BMW, Dell, ESPN, and LinkedIn have chosen EVA as their event planning partner, utilizing the platform to connect with entertainers and add interactive elements to their events.

Currently, there are over 2,500 entertainers available on EVA.

Investors in this funding round include the founders of Songfinch—John Williamson, Josh Kaplan, Scott Kitun, and Robert Lindquist—alongside Justin Kalifowitz of Downtown Music Holdings, Cascade Seed Fund, Stout Street Capital, and others.

EVA did not disclose its current revenue run rate but noted that it charges a 20% service fee on all booked events.

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Source: techcrunch‍