McGill Dobson Cup winner raises $4.7 million to expand operations in 2021
A McGill-born event platform startup has found a way to weather the COVID-19 pandemic and raise venture financing in hopes of returning to in-person events in 2021. Co-founded by Desautels alumnus Marc-Antoine Bonin (BCom’19) and Emeric Noël, Planned offers a unique tool for event planners to connect with a curated list of venues and suppliers in one place. This week, Planned announced that it had raised $4.7 million in venture financing led by Inovia Capital, with participation from Telegraph Hill Capital and N49P, bringing its total capital raised to $7 million.
After taking a significant financial hit during the pandemic, Planned unveiled its virtual marketplace to help planners find suppliers and hired additional staff in anticipation of a COVID-19 vaccine in 2021. Its new platform, planned to launch in 2021, will feature a marketplace for in-person, virtual, or hybrid events. Originally named ENTR, Planned won the Small & Medium Enterprise Track of the 2018 McGill Dobson Cup competition.