Brella Raises $10M Series A to Enhance Hybrid Events Platform

Brella Secures $10 Million in Series A Funding

Brella, a hybrid event platform, has successfully closed a $10 million Series A funding round. This investment was spearheaded by Connected Capital.

From Networking App to Virtual Event Platform

Initially designed as an application to facilitate networking at in-person events, Brella rapidly adapted its focus when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the events industry. The company quickly transitioned to providing a virtual event platform.

Currently, Brella serves a diverse clientele including prominent organizations such as Informa, Marcus Evans, Questex, and IQPC.

Focus on Immersive Hybrid Experiences

Markus Kauppinen, CEO and founder of Brella, articulated the company’s strategic direction. He stated that Brella is concentrating on developing “immersive hybrid events that contain both live and virtual components” as the world recovers from the pandemic’s impact.

Kauppinen emphasized that Brella differentiates itself from competitors by prioritizing the replication of the core elements of live business events within a digital environment.

A Lean and User-Focused Platform

“We aren’t focused on providing event organizers with extensive, yet unnecessary, feature sets,” Kauppinen explained. “Instead, our aim is to deliver a streamlined, aesthetically pleasing platform that significantly enhances the attendee experience through exceptional UX and AI-powered networking capabilities.”

Key Features of the New Brella Product

The latest iteration of Brella centers around fostering community, organizing attendees into relevant groups, and providing consolidated analytics for both virtual and in-person participants.

Connected Capital's Perspective

Mathijs Robbens, co-founder and managing partner at Connected Capital, shared his perspective on the investment. He noted that Brella’s approach to addressing challenges within the event sector has been remarkably innovative, particularly during the recent period of uncertainty.

Robbens continued, “The company’s growth, its adaptability, and its capacity to transform significant obstacles into opportunities are truly impressive. We are excited to support them as they work to help the event industry fully integrate technology for the future.”