Event-staffing tech firm Pop Bookings opens seed round at $250K
June 8, 2015 | Bobby Burch
Kansas City-based Pop Bookings is scoring local love from angel investors as it hopes to bolster its seed round to further develop its online event-staffing platform.
Pop Bookings CEO Erika Klotz
A recent graduate of business accelerator SparkLabKC, Pop Bookings opened its round in April at $250,000, with lead investments from Kansas City-area angel investors. Pop Bookings CEO Erika Klotz said that SparkLab’s demo day in early April garnered it attention from the investors, and that more in the area are starting to line up as a result.
“It’s good news for the Kansas City startup scene to know real investors that are interested in seed funding are coming up to these demo days,” Klotz said. “They really believe in our product.”
Pop Bookings created an online platform on which staffing agencies can hire and manage temporary labor for specific events. The platform also allows temporary workers to find opportunities with various agencies. For example, if Red Bull wanted to find talent to hand out its beverages at a NASCAR event, Pop Bookings connects agencies with the talent to fill the need.
“What we’re doing is taking that process and making it specific to what they do and it’s been a crazy success,” Klotz said. “It’s an industry not many people know exists, therefore technology hasn’t touched it. We come in and say, ‘We know what you do and make your life easier,’ and it’s been an easy sell all things considered.”
Founded in 2014, Pop Bookings now has six full-time staff members and clients across the country. The company plans to use its new funding to develop a mobile application to better connect talent with staffing agencies.
Pop Bookings COO and co-founder Scott Hanson said that the area’s support has been vital to his company’s early success.
“The startup community in Kansas City has made a night and day difference for us,” Hanson said. “There are other companies and people to bounce ideas off of and there’s a sense of community. That’s really important when you’re feeling down about your company… someone else seeing success can help pull you back up. We’re all in the struggle together.”
Featured Business
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
‘Happy we don’t have to leave’ Little Hoots’ $450K raise will keep KC home
Once on the verge of departing its hometown, Kansas City-based Little Hoots recently raised funds to boost development of its app, allowing the startup to remain in the City of Fountains. Led by CEO Lacey Ellis, Little Hoots’ memory-keeping app struggled to find traction with Kansas City area investors, which nearly forced the company to…
Funding roundtable: ‘You can’t fake it’ and more funding advice from KC founders
Your company is steadily growing, but it looks like you’re nearing a plateau. Perhaps your startup is doing just fine, but a well-heeled competitor just entered your market and slapped a target on your customers. Or maybe you’ve got a solid idea but little dough to get it off the ground. Regardless of the case,…
Techstars firms to spread local roots via Brad Feld’s Kansas City home
More graduates of the Techstars-led Sprint Mobile Accelerator may be calling Kansas City home thanks to venture capitalist Brad Feld. Feld, co-founder of the international accelerator program Techstars, is making his Kansas City, Kan. home available to graduates of the local Techstars program rent free. “I’m very happy with how things have gone to date,”…
Subjective language is making your elevator pitch completely forgettable
Your elevator pitch is the single most important communication of you or your business and why you are relevant. Last month I wrote about how you can use your elevator pitch — or 20-second summary of your business — as a litmus test to determine if you are creating your own market or if you…