Like so many entrepreneurs before him, Logan Kleier's latest startup began with the declaration: Someone should build this.
In his case, he was lamenting how much time and effort it took for him — a live music enthusiast — to find tickets to shows he wanted to see at prices he wanted to pay. He noted that for ticket resellers the price of tickets can be dynamic and there can be large swings in price.
“I love seeing concerts. I go to 12 to 15 a year. I was getting tired of getting ripped off by ticketing apps,” he said. “I saw prices changing on shows I wanted to see and had to check three to four apps to find the best price for shows at like the Roseland Theater and Crystal Ballroom. I didn’t have time to keep checking.”
Once he decided that he should be the person to solve his own problem, he started looking to see if it could even be done. He began his research into the potential product mid-pandemic when shows and venues were shuttered.
“It was a good time to do the research and figure out, can we build this?” he said. “The answer was yes. And (soon after) concerts started coming back.”
Kleier's first show back post pandemic was Pvris (pronounced Paris) at Wonder Ballroom in 2021.
The app is live for iOS devices. An Android version is in the works. The team is marketing the app in Portland and will head to Austin in the spring, said Kleier.
The product: TicketJam is a mobile app designed to be sort of like a Kayak for concert tickets. The app compares ticket prices across multiple ticket providers and shows the lowest prices to users. It pulls ticket data from venues/venue operating groups and from reseller sites.
How it makes money: The app has a free trial and then weekly, monthly and annual subscriptions. As part of the free trial, users can access all the tickets, price history of each ticket and set price alerts to be notified when prices hit a certain level.
Competition: Ticket reseller sites like StubHub, SeatGeek and TickPick
Competitive advantage: App users can buy tickets for 20% to 50% cheaper than using the big resellers like StubHub and SeatGeek. TicketJam shows tickets across resellers and the original venues, which sometimes have tickets still available cheaper than resellers. Typical reseller sites just show their own tickets. Price alerts and price history let people learn about the best time to buy and then notify them when prices hit their threshold.
Business it could disrupt: The ticket resale industry. Existing companies rely on fans not having the time or patience to comparison shop. They also rely on brand loyalty to one app. “We think the best business is to show our fans the cheapest tickets regardless of where it comes from,” said Kleier said.
Managers and their background: Kleier has spent 10 years in product management at companies like Oracle and SecondSight Data Analytics. Joakim Sternberg has built multiple consumer apps including for Target and startups WineTrack and Commandeur.
Investors: None, self-funded so far. The team may go out for investors later this year once the app is firmly established in Portland and Austin. Funds would be for expanding to other major markets.
Ideal exit: A partnership with a similarly minded company that helps fans find the lowest prices for the products and services they want. “We admire companies like Scott’s Cheap Flights and Kayak for putting its users and fans first; always trying to find them the best deal,” said Kleier.
Closer Look
Company: TicketJam
Headquarters: Portland
Year founded: 2022
CEO: Logan Kleier
Employees: 4
Web: ticketjam.io
The Business Journal doesn’t endorse companies featured in The Pitch, nor is this an invitation to invest.
