Smeetz, a provider of smart all-in-one ticketing software for leisure and cultural attractions, has announced a successful funding round which will enable development and growth.
The firm has confirmed the first closing of its Series A financing for $4.1M. Smeetz says that the cash injection will be used to scale its human resources function and R&D investments to further fulfil the industry’s demand for innovation. The company currently has forty employees, working with international clients including museums, theme parks, music venues and theatres.
Co-founder and CTO of Smeetz, Morgan Siffert, says: “We know the future of the attraction industry lies in data and artificial intelligence. AI-powered sales optimisation has been our focus since day one and we will keep pushing in that direction by extending our engineering team with the brightest and most agile profiles.”
“Continuous dedication”
The round was co-led by Swiss firms Privilège Ventures and NewOak, backed by the involvement of Akiden Ventures and DAA Capital Partners.
Privilège Ventures founding general partner Jacqueline Ruedin Rüsch, says: “Co-leading the round with our friends at NewOak was a smooth and efficient process. I am really excited to start this new venture together with Alexandre and his team and we are flattered by the opportunity to be part of Smeetz.”
NewOak CEO Gregory Armstrong adds: “We have followed Smeetz since its first days and were impressed by the milestones achieved by the company. We are honoured to have been chosen as a co-lead alongside Privilege Ventures with whom we share common values about early-stage investing. Being part of this Series A shows our continuous dedication to helping the Swiss start-ups to expand. We wish Alexandre and the Smeetz family a lot more success in a field that they are disrupting with class.”
Across the Atlantic
Smeetz has ambitious plans to capitalise on the US market, which shows great potential for the firm.
CEO and co-founder Alexandre Martin explains: “The US leisure and entertainment industry is already thriving in 2022 with fourteen percent market growth compared to the 2019 pre-pandemic peak. In a market that is more advanced and prone to dynamic pricing, we are extremely confident of the product-market fit of our AI-powered unified commerce SaaS.”
A second closing will follow later in the year, to which Zürcher Kantonalbank, Switzerland’s fourth-largest bank, has already shown commitment.
Smeetz has also recently announced immediate plans to expand its offering in Europe, with the appointment of Jean-Marc Tille as manager for France and Belgium.
