The event tech world has been full of consolidations, mergers, and acquisitions over the past couple years, with the latest big announcement being the Aventri and MeetingPlay merger. However, as the demand for virtual and hybrid technology continues to evolve, we are also likely to see increased partnerships between smaller companies that aren’t big enough to acquire others or merge.
Case in point: event platform Brella and virtual networking platform Wonder have just announced a new partnership to offer more robust and unique networking experiences for virtual and hybrid events. They are attempting to solve what is still an issue at many online events, which is the challenge of meeting people and the lack of serendipity in networking.
Wonder was founded in early 2020, specifically to solve the problem of engagement at virtual events. The tool was designed to enable spontaneous interactions in a virtual environment, allowing users to move around and join and leave conversations as they wish. Event platform and app Brella has been around since 2016, focusing on facilitating attendee matchmaking and meetings. The company recently raised $10 million in its Series A funding round last summer.
Through this partnership, the two companies are aiming to in-person networking experiences to the virtual world — a feature touted by many but delivered by few. Their vision is for attendees to be able to jump in and out of calls and freely mingle and chat with others. Specifically, their goal is to facilitate one million new discussions by the end of the year.
“Despite our different areas of focus, we’re both making human connections as seamless and as meaningful as possible,” said Jani Lehtimäki, Co-founder and VP of Partnerships at Brella, in a statement. “Since 2016, we have brought attendees together for meaningful meetings that drive business and increase engagement. That’s why we are partnering with Wonder — to offer the best possible solution to help event organizers create genuine and meaningful connections at their virtual events.”
“Brella’s comprehensive event platform wowed us from the beginning," added Wonder CGO Pascal Steck. "It's incredibly user-friendly and design-oriented, making it the perfect partner for Wonder's virtual networking tool."