Event-staffing tech firm Pop Bookings opens seed round at $250K

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.”