As more companies opt for hybrid or remote models after the Covid-19 pandemic, Atlanta startup Zinnia is helping them plan offsite events.
“Teams are becoming more hybrid and most people are getting rid of their office space, but they know that coming together in person is important,” said CEO and co-founder Lauren Marturano. “How do you come together when you're distributed across the world? It's company retreats and offsites, which are painful to plan. So why not try to make them easier?”
Growth opportunity
The startup automates the process for businesses to plan their offsite meetings, such as training sessions or multiple-day summits, by connecting them to locations and venues that align with their goals and budget.
As offsite events become more valuable for improving productivity and company culture, the U.S. corporate event market is expected to grow in value from $95 billion to $510 billion by 2030, according to research firm Allied Market Research.
For example, Atlanta unicorn Calendly scrapped its office space in favor of an all-remote workforce. Instead, the startup was going to leave it to individual teams to have meetings and host periodic company-wide meetings, a process with which Zinnia could help.
Other startups and corporations have downsized their offices or opted for hybrid schedules, where company-wide meetups could still be helpful to build culture.
Zinnia has 10 customers on its beta platform and a wait list of over 100 companies, said Marturano. The platform will take on more customers as it understands its bandwidth and how many it can serve to provide optimal service.
Within its first six months, the startup has gotten almost $600,000 in letter of intent sales, according to the company. It also has a pre-seed investment from Atlanta Ventures. Financial details were not disclosed.
The startup’s software is in its beta phase that charges a percentage fee based on a company’s overall budget. Once it fully launches, it will charge per employee using the platform.
Marturano has a team of interns and a head of events. Following the recent raise, the company looks to bring on staff for event planning, account management and customer service roles through the end of the year.
Building community for businesses
Prior to launching Zinnia, Marturano had a career centered on technology and community. She founded clean water nonprofit Drink Local Think Global, sat on the board of Women at Microsoft, was the CEO of Miami-based businesses management company Ternary Developments Inc. and founded the Salesforce Women's Network in North Carolina.
The inspiration for her newest endeavor came from her passion for community building and seeing the increase in the remote and hybrid models. She aimed to create a company that could help preserve a positive work environment. She named the company after one of the most resilient and fastest-growing flowers in the world due to how it cross-pollinates.
