Everfest

Everfest operated as a market network and online community for the festival ecosystem, founded in 2014 by Jay Manickam, Paul Cross, and Brad Dixon in Austin, Texas. Manickam, a serial entrepreneur with a background in finance and accounting, co-founded uShip and brought extensive experience from the tech world. His entrepreneurial journey began in his youth and solidified after pivoting from a pre-med track to business, driven by a desire to build companies. This venture into the festival world was reportedly inspired during a trip to Burning Man.

The company's platform served as a global directory, listing thousands of festivals across various categories including music, film, food, and culture. It catered to festival-goers by providing a discovery tool with personalized recommendations, while also allowing organizers to manage their online presence and market their events. A key feature for consumers was a rewards system offering perks and discounts. For business clients, primarily festival organizers and brands, Everfest provided a channel to reach a targeted audience of festival attendees. The business model included creating revenue streams by involving major brands in festival sponsorships and potentially leveraging user data for travel operators. The company maintained and distributed a large repository of festival data and developed technology for ticketing and rewards applicable to any live event.

Everfest achieved several milestones, including securing $1.5 million in angel funding in 2015 and a $3.6 million Series A round in 2017, co-led by Live Nation Entertainment and ATX Seed Ventures. In 2016, the company expanded its reach by acquiring competitor Fest300. In a strategic move in February 2020, Everfest was acquired by Qcue, a fellow Austin-based company specializing in dynamic pricing software for the live entertainment industry. This merger was intended to expand Qcue's footprint from sports into the festival market. Following the acquisition, most of the Everfest team transitioned to Qcue, though co-founder Jay Manickam moved to another venture. The Everfest platform ceased updates in mid-2020.

Keywords: festival discovery, live events, festival marketing, event technology, festival directory, online event community, festival data, event ticketing, Jay Manickam, Qcue, Fest300, festival sponsorship, live entertainment, event rewards, fan engagement, Austin startup, ATX Seed Ventures, Live Nation, event management platform, festival guide