Talked with these guys awhile back and was really impressed with their vision and even more with their execution. Better connecting companies that want to sponsor the appropriate events with the right opportunities helps out everyone, and it's currently almost entirely ad-hoc (or managed by in-house tools which are inefficient or wasted effort).
I'm looking forward to using them for some of our open source meetups.
Really nicely done. I think this is a huge market that extends beyond just conferences, but also the next generation of youtube stars, popular podcasts, bloggers, etc. The idea being that anyone out there with an avenue to market to their audience can quickly and easily seek out sponsors. I think it'd also be a great way to allow smaller companies that don't necessarily have the budget to afford highly sought ad slots to tap into the many lesser known media channels.
You nailed it. While we've started with events and conferences as they were the most obvious, and where we had past expertise, the bigger vision includes exactly what you just described. Glad we're not crazy in thinking that's the future!
Is any of this applicable to non-profits? For example, wouldn't donations be tax deductible, even if it's a donation of material goods for an event? Are there companies even interested in this sector, or is this really just aimed at big brands throwing swag at attendees at big conferences?
We've already worked with a few non-profits, many of which use events as a way to fundraise, and we're in talks with a few larger organizations to see how we can get brands interested in caused based donations in a few unique ways. Sorry to be vague, but it's still in the works.
As for your second question, this is definitely not just aimed at big brands. We've had dozens of small brands who are entering a market for the first time, and have no idea where to start, approach us about putting together a sponsorship campaign for them.
Great, thanks so much! In particular, I was thinking of ways to use this to help pay for some of our training events (e.g. "Lunch today is provided thanks to the generous assistance of sponsor Acme Inc!"). Depending on the size of the event, even buying water for all participants can really add up.
I'm looking forward to using them for some of our open source meetups.