Nowadays: AI-Powered Event Planning Startup Raises $2M in Seed Funding
Revolutionizing Event Planning with AI
In an era where AI’s potential often feels abstract, Y Combinator alum Nowadays is proving its transformative power in a surprisingly practical domain: large-scale event planning. Founded in 2023 by sisters Anna Sun (CEO) and Amy Yan (COO), the startup has secured $2 million in seed funding to automate the tedious process of organizing high-budget events.
How Nowadays Works
Nowadays leverages large language models (LLMs) combined with its proprietary database of 400,000 global venues to streamline event planning. Here’s how it works:
- Automated Outreach: The platform contacts venues, caterers, and vendors to gather bids—even following up via phone calls if emails go unanswered.
- AI-Powered Curation: It organizes responses and presents optimized options to planners, who can then make decisions and sign contracts.
- Multi-Model AI: The system integrates OpenAI, Anthropic, and custom-built algorithms for precision.
Since launch, Nowadays has facilitated over $4 million in event bookings, serving clients like Google, Amazon, Notion, and Supabase.
The Founders’ Story
The sisters’ journey began with firsthand frustration. As class presidents at MIT (Anna) and Johns Hopkins (Amy), they spent countless hours manually coordinating events—from calling ice cream trucks for quotes to personally retrieving 2,000 McDonald’s McNuggets due to logistical gaps.
“We knew there had to be a better way,” says Sun. After graduating, she convinced her sister to leave her job at Google when Nowadays was accepted into Y Combinator’s Summer 2023 cohort. “Amy put in her two weeks’ notice the day after we got our YC acceptance letter,” Sun recalls.
Target Market and Pricing
Nowadays caters to high-budget events ($20,000+) with two pricing models:
- 5% fee of sourced event costs.
- Annual subscription for frequent planners.
While primarily used for corporate events, the platform has also planned weddings and milestone celebrations.
Growth and Funding
The startup’s early traction came through word-of-mouth referrals from corporate planners. One such user introduced Nowadays to a VC, sparking a $300,000 investment—followed by a check from the client themselves.
The recent $2 million seed round included backing from:
- Y Combinator
- Basis Set Ventures
- Hike VC
- Underdog Labs
- Decacorn Capital
Competitive Landscape
Nowadays enters a bustling market where incumbents like Cvent and Eventbrite are integrating AI tools, and newcomers like Partiful (Google’s 2024 App of the Year) are gaining traction. Yet, its focus on high-touch, large-scale events and proprietary AI curation sets it apart.
The Future of Event Planning
With fresh funding and a proven use case, Nowadays is poised to redefine how enterprises and individuals plan events—turning chaos into a seamless, AI-driven experience.
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