Humans, by nature, are social. Whether it’s at home or at work, we form the strongest connections though memorable collective experiences. Companies are no different ー they rely on events to connect with customers, drive opportunities for sales and marketing, form internal team bonds, and bring their brand to life. As we settled into our remote reality in March and watched our social experiences become virtual, two things became clear: first, the world will become more remote and distributed forever, and second, this new world needs breathtaking high quality virtual events and experiences to keep us connected.
Co-founders Roberto, Jerry and Tiger had built an events company in their past and knew what it takes to produce incredible events. At the start of the pandemic, they pivoted their new startup from building small business software to productizing what it takes to build a breathtaking event. And it’s working. We were blown away when we saw the demo of Welcome and knew we had to invest.
What made us even more excited about this team is their mission. Roberto grew up in North Philly and watched his mom struggle raising him and his four siblings. If he hadn’t made his way out to Silicon Valley and made the right connections, his opportunities wouldn’t be what they are. Welcome is built to create opportunity through connections and give rise to the next generation of leaders, no matter where they live. No plane ticket. No expensive hotel. Just an Internet and incredible events to connect with others.
The Welcome platform speaks for itself (they’d love to show it to you) and countless brands have signed-on as customers after just one experience with the platform. While Welcome has grown quickly by word of mouth and gained traction with companies of all shapes and sizes, the co-founders are living their mission and giving away their platform to groups that are reaching the next generation of diverse leaders, like All Raise.
We’re excited to lead Welcome’s Series A and partner with the team on their mission to provide access to those who wouldn’t otherwise have it.
ー ilya