ConferenceEdge, a graduate of Acceleprise's first class in November 2012, has hired two new designers, is beefing up its D.C. presence and is planning a Series A funding round. The company, which provides online and real-time event management services, is currently based in Denver.
Cofounder Trevor Barlow says that ConferenceEdge's D.C. office will soon become the sales and marketing hub of the operation. Ryan Smith, Barlow's cofounder and ConferenceEdge's main developer, will remain in Denver to helm the company's development and support center.
"We already work out of the Acceleprise space," Barlow explains. "Now we're going to commit to that space. Being in Dupont and in D.C. puts us within walking or [Metro] distance of our target market." That target market includes the District's vast number of professional associations.
ConferenceEdge provides end to end event management services, including the production of webinars and e-learning opportunities. The
Texas Bankers Association (TBA) recently hired ConferenceEdge to produce 30 to 40 virtual education events per month. "The events will be pushed out to different states," Barlow says. "We have a great relationship with them."
Getting the contract with the TBA and another large client and closing a seed round with investors following their stint at Acceleprise gave Barlow and Smith the opportunity to scale in a relatively short amount of time. "It's been a whirlwind three or four months," Barlow laughs. "We've gone from 5 people on our team to 14, 7 full-time and 7 part-time."
Barlow is also planning to launch a Series A funding round in September. Though he won't disclose investor names, Barlow says that all of ConferenceEdge's seed round funding came from "Acceleprise financial supporters. They validated us and helped us scale."
Barlow is planning to physically relocate his family to the Greater Washington area. "[ConferenceEdge] want[s] to become a serious player in the market."