Smart capital to further professionalize and internationalize online ticketing

Out of a passion for software and the event sector, EventSquare was founded in 2014. An all-in-one solution for professional ticketing, Belgian, user-friendly and very accessible. Organizations use EventSquare to sell tickets for their event, carefree and, above all, very professionally.

Challenge:

Things are going fast for the online ticketing platform. EventSquare is local, very accessible and a reliable partner for many organizations. Even after a few challenging coronavirus years, the company remains profitable and also wants to scale internationally. Because turnover is rising, founder Willem Staels comes to The Harbour. He knows where he wants to go with EventSquare, but, as a creative entrepreneur, lacks financial expertise and deal preparation experience.

Approach:

The Harbour's finance experts will work on a very detailed valuation, correct and realistic. Based on the forecasts and a well-founded financial plan, an attractive investor teaser will be prepared for interested investors. Calculations quickly make it clear that there is no need for additional external funding. EventSquare is primarily looking for smart capital, investors who have already earned their stripes and can help the ticketing platform and business grow with their expertise.

Suitable investors are selected from The Harbour's network. The Harbour schedules the discussions and guides you through the entire process. After a lot of negotiations, the perfect mix is found, a hearty cocktail of experienced investors. Pure entrepreneurs, with global experience in fintech and the event sector, and with knowledge of internationalization. They form an advisory board, provide the founder with resonance and feedback, and bring in new leads from their network.

A total of 550,000 euros will be raised, in a split over capital raising and taking over shares. This provides an extra buffer, even if the company is sufficiently profitable.

Result:

The plans that were already in place are gradually gaining momentum. Everything is ready to go international. A multilingual team is being developed and a soft launch in neighboring countries is not far off. Geographic scaling ensures a multiplication of the product. But the ticketing platform itself is also being expanded and will no longer only focus on ticketing, but also on marketing and total solutions for each organizer. EventSquare also hopes to be able to offer cashless payment systems via the ticketing platform. The future looks bright! Thanks to the investors' know-how, the ambitious plans for the future are taking concrete shape.

“I'm a hard worker with creative ideas, but not a financial expert. It's amazing what The Harbour's guidance has meant to me. I now have a strong team of experienced investors around me that I can call on the spot. That saves me so much time and headaches.”

Willem Staels
CEO — EventSquare

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