Tix.Africa

Tix.Africa operates as a self-service ticketing platform, providing event creators in Africa with the necessary tools to manage both virtual and in-person events. Founded in Lagos, Nigeria, in 2019 by Folayemi Agusto and Nosa Oyegun, the company emerged from the founders' direct experiences with the challenges of organizing large-scale events. The duo, also behind the popular EatDrinkLagos food blog and festival, identified critical gaps in collating guest data, processing payments, and ticketing while running their festival and established Tix.Africa to address these issues.

Folayemi Agusto, the CEO, has a background in sociology and has worked in finance, telecommunications, and media with companies like Andela and Airtel Nigeria. Her co-founder, Nosa Oyegun, has experience in marketing, product development, and innovation at firms such as Stanbic IBTC and currently serves as VP of Product, Innovation & Strategy at Kuda Bank. Their combined expertise in events, technology, and marketing shaped the company's trajectory. The venture was born from their earlier company, Festival Coins, which aimed to solve similar event management problems.

The company's business model is straightforward: it's free to use for free events, and for paid events, Tix.Africa charges a percentage of ticket sales, typically around 5%, along with a small fee per ticket. This approach ensures they only generate revenue when their clients do. Initially, they offered a subscription service called Tix Pro, but this was discontinued in 2023 to provide all features to every user. The platform serves a wide range of clients, from organizers of parties and conferences to live podcasts and concerts.

The platform offers a comprehensive suite of features for event creators. Users can create customizable event pages, securely collect payments through integrations like Paystack, and manage admissions with QR code scanning via a mobile app. For virtual events, the platform integrates with Zoom. Additional functionalities include tools for creating recurring events, invite-only access, digital wallets for cashless payments with RFID wristbands, and a Box Office feature that allows creators to set up an online storefront for multiple events. Following a six-figure pre-seed funding round in July 2021 led by HoaQ, the company has focused on expanding its technology, growing its team, and scaling operations into other African markets like Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda.

Keywords: event ticketing, event management, African events, online ticketing platform, self-service ticketing, virtual events, event technology, cashless payments, event data, mobile ticketing