Farah Allen, founder of Atlanta startup The Labz, didn’t realize she pivoted her company until she was well underway with a new business model.
The Labz, originally a platform to help artists with multimedia content, transformed into an interactive virtual event platform because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Allen said The Labz started doing virtual events as a project on the platform, but interest in the feature soared, so she ran with it.
"It’s about creating entertainment-based events — or events that are just more entertaining — by offering customization and making content stand out better,” Allen said.
Now, The Labz has a partnership with Level Forward, a production company that develops, produces and finances entertainment. Level Forward also led a $1.3 million investment, Allen said. With that partnership and capital, The Labz plans to continue developing its virtual events platform and hire three more people to its eight-person team to help with events and production planning.
Allen said the beta version of the platform launched in September, and the company has hosted 150 events since then without any official advertising. The Labz is also booked for the next two months.
“It is really hot right now to have a platform like ours, especially one that allows you to take it to the next level,” Allen said. “If you’re Zoomed out and you want to do something different, someone may have told you about us.”
Allen said the partnership with Level Forward, which is led by CEO Adrienne Becker and chair Abigail Disney, has also helped the startup gain valuable connections with artists looking to do events.
The interactive event platform allows for a more complete event experience than a video conference or live stream, which is why it’s popular for artistic events such as independent film releases, Allen said.
Allen said attendees enter into a virtual lounge, where there may be a countdown to a live stream and addition content. Then, the live stream starts with a chat function for attendees, and the event may conclude with a question-and-answer session, though these features could vary.
“The entertainment value of the event is through storytelling and the super brand-able platform,” Allen said.
