As people prepare to return to in-person events post-Covid, a new Chicago startup want to make finding culture-specific meet-ups, festivals and celebrations much simpler.
Ethnic Events, which launched at the end of last year, is a marketplace for listing and finding local events that celebrate different cultures. The startup works with individual organizers, as well as groups like the Chicago Cultural Alliance, to source events to list on the website, and features cultures from around the world, including from Japan, Korea, Spain and Italy.
“The goal of Ethnic Events is to make it easy for anybody to find events by specific cultures,” said founder Nitha Fiona Nagubadi. “The goal is to make culture more accessible.”
As an Indian-American who immigrated to the U.S. as a child from the United Kingdom, Nagubadi said she grew up with a unique world view that’s made her value different customs and cultures.
“I grew up with a multicultural upbringing,” Nagubadi said. “In the house was India and outside of the house was America.”
To help launch Ethnic Events and develop a business plan, Nagubadi said she recently participated in two startup programs at 1871, a Chicago tech and startup hub. Nagubadi completed WiSTEM, an accelerator for female entrepreneurs, and PYROS, a business training program for budding entrepreneurs.
Since the startup launched during the pandemic, every event listed on Ethnic Events so far has been virtual, being hosted on Zoom and other video platforms. Events have included cooking tutorials, informational sessions on particular cultures, as well as celebratory events for specific cultural holidays.
Ethnic Events lists free and ticketed events. The startup takes a 1.8% fee on every ticket transition on its website, Nagubadi said. The startup also offers an enterprise membership that gives organizations and their members access to all events listed on Ethnic Events.
As more people get Covid-19 vaccinations and slowly return to socializing at in-person events, Nagubadi said she expects Ethnic Events to grow. Right now, Ethnic Events mainly lists events in the Chicago area but plans to expand to other cities this year, such as the Bay Area.
“The overall mission is exploration, fun and inclusion,” Nagubadi said.
