There are opportunities almost everywhere and it takes a bit of ingenuity to spot a gap in the market that can be fulfilled. Something similar happened when the founders of the Dutch startup ‘Close’ came up with their project, which blossomed into a full-blown business.
The company developed a mobile marketing platform that connects event organisers with visitors. It basically enables users to feel and experience something more than simply buying a ticket for the event and being done with it. Close has now secured an investment of €3 million to grow further. Here’s why you should keep an eye on the rapidly growing startup and some more things you didn’t know about it.
What is Close?
While we did describe the app in brief, we shall explain a bit on it so that you get a gist of the idea because of which the startup exists and is now thriving. Did you ever purchase tickets for a show, event or a concert? If yes, then you probably remember that nothing really exciting happened between the time you bought the tickets and the event actually taking place. Do you see a big gap that can be filled with opportunities? Well, founders of Close, Kiliaan Toorenaar, Wiebe Weikamp and Chris Gruijters surely did.
Founded in 2017, the startup Close enables organisers in the event industry to connect with the attendees as soon as they buy their tickets. Not only this, but they can also stay in touch with them during and after an event has concluded. Organisers can leverage this connection to deliver exclusive information to their customers like the event schedule or a peek preview to it and personal messages. Additionally, they will gain access to pertinent customer data, which can help them cater better to clients and create more opportunities for business in the long run.
“With data you can create more and more personalised experiences, but their application is still insufficiently used in the live event industry. With Close we offer brands and organizers the technology with which they have their own channel to build that relationship with visitors. To make the experience before, during and after events better and more beautiful,” says the company’s founder, Kiliaan Toorenaa.
Funding details
In its first investment round led by Disruptive Technology Ventures, the startup Close has raised €3 million. The amount of money raised by the startup in its first round is commendable. The company says it will invest the funds in growing its current team of 18 people and aims at adding new talent to the organisation to increase the headcount to 35. Additionally, it intends to go international in May with UK being the first expansion destination on the list.
Close is disruptive in an industry in which the cards have long been shuffled. Enriching the visit to a theater piece or sports competition through technology has a lot of potential. Kiliaan has a lot of experience in the online world and the good conversations with him and Stage Entertainment convinced me to invest,” said Ad Scheepbouwer of Disruptive Technology Ventures.
Transforming transactions to relationships
While a business is usually strictly business, who says it can’t have a bit of heart as well? Closed is based on the idea of fostering tight-knit relations between event organisers and the attendees. When one buys tickets for an event, they will not only be able to find all relevant information about it in the app itself, but also easily distribute tickets among their friends and family without the need of sending everyone a PDF of the ticket. Not only does the visitor is treated with a better experience, but the organiser also gets access to more relevant customer data.
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