Event planning platform Delegate raises US$1m in pre-Series A round

SINGAPORE online event planning platform Delegate has closed a US$1 million pre-series A funding round. The round was led by a Singapore-based family office and the ex-pioneer team of Zopim, a Singapore-based live chat customer support software that was acquired by San Francisco's Zendesk. Strategic investors from previous funding rounds also participated in the round.

Delegate is a digital platform that allows users to browse event inspirations, compare event vendors and packages, and book event services instantly.

The startup plans to use the proceeds to expand into other markets, starting with key cities in the US and Australia. The capital raised will also go towards new product features and the development of blockchain technology to create international standards that can be adopted industry-wide.

Delegate also plans to introduce payment plans and to scale its B2B (business-to-business) offering which targets users that plan events for work.

Yang Bin Kwok, co-founder and ex-chief technology officer of Zopim, said: "Delegate has created a unique and compelling ecosystem for the events industry by connecting its many disparate segments. The industry is ripe with potential and we are confident that they will be able to transform the current event planning experience with their suite of business management software tools and dynamic marketplace."

Founded in 2015, Delegate has presence in both Singapore and Hong Kong, with a combined total of more than 1,700 vendors and 70,000 users.