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Global events marketing platform raises $2 million in The Big Pitch funding – StartupSmart

ECAL, a global events marketing platform, has raised $2 million from investor and former Dodo Internet founder Larry Kestelman’s Oxygen Ventures, after winning The Big Pitch.

 

Oxygen Ventures offered up to $5million worth of funding to startups who won its Big Pitch competition, the final of which was held in Melbourne in June.

 

Joint winner WeTeachMe is still in negotiations with Oxygen Ventures, as is People’s Choice winner Black Delta and finalist etaskr.

 

ECAL, founded by Patrick Barrett in 2012, delivers on-time marketing information into consumers’ calendars, driving increased awareness, engagement and sales.

 

It serves more than 6 million calendar activities each day, a figure growing month on month.

 

ECAL has over 100 major clients across the US, Europe and the Asia pacific. Its initial focus was major sports and has big name American clients like the NFL’s New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins and the NBA’S Boston Celtics.

 

The $2 million will drive new product development outside of major sports, the launch of a Software-as-Service version of the platform and expand the sales in North America.

 

“The capital will enable us to expand our geographic footprint, to service new markets, and to develop our product further,” he says.

 

“By having someone with Larry’s experience involved in the next phase of growth, we will be the beneficiary of far more than the $2 million on investment Oxygen brings to the business.”

 

Kestelman says he’s thrilled to be involved in the company.

 

“ECAL is such a terrific idea, brilliant in its simplicity, and we see great potential for its use beyond sport and entertainment,” he says.

 

“At Oxygen, we back great teams, big ideas and bold plans, and we are very much looking forward to our partnership in ECAL.”

 

Joining Barrett and Kestelman on the E-DIARY Pty Ltd Board is former is iSelect CEO Matt McCann and Oxygen Investment Director Ilya Frolov. The company has also recruited an advisory board that includes Microsoft’s Chris Bernard and David Riemer, formerly of Yahoo, in addition to current MYOB CTO Simon Raik-Allen.

 

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