Virtual meeting platform GathR raises $2.7M pre-seed round

GathR, a Miami-based startup that develops immersive 3D meeting experiences, has just announced $2.7M of pre-seed funding. The round was led by billionaire banker Ken Moelis; Charles Fabrikant, former Executive Chairman & CEO of Seacor Holdings; Hope Taitz, an investment banker and CEO of Ely Capital; and Alberto Peisach, CEO and President of packaging company Grupo Phoenix.

We’re all familiar with traditional video conferencing platforms like Zoom and Google Meet. GathR ups the ante by enabling organizations to create digital spaces that mimic in-person events. For instance, companies can organize a large virtual event through GathR, complete with large ‘auditoriums’ and small ‘conference rooms.’ Users can log in through their computer – no special software needed.

The startup’s launch in 2020 was prompted by the gaps GathR’s founders saw in the B2B video communications market. “It was clear that business would be different even in a post-pandemic world but the technology had to be more engaging than 2-D and more flexible,” Kenneth Landau, co-founder and CEO, explained in a statement.

He continued, “[Co-founder and CTO] Jaime [Lopez] and I shared a vision to create an ecosystem that would bring people together and keep users engaged, and also be useful to businesses which are always looking for a better mousetrap and a way to improve productivity and cut costs.”

The GathR team plans to use this funding to hire an executive team and further develop the next generation of its platform. Landau said that the startup is scheduled to release the new version over the summer, calling it “a perfect hybrid for business going forward.”

This fall, GathR plans to raise a seed round in order to improve customer experience and expand the library of on-demand venues organizers can use for their virtual meetings.

Online meeting software is a big business. Allied Market Research estimates that this sub-sector globally will be worth $57 billion by 2027, up from less than $8 billion in 2019. 

Another South Florida startup, Delray Beach-based Premier Virtual, has also made waves in this space. The company, which has developed a platform for large-scale virtual job fairs and trade shows, has held thousands of events during its first two years of operations.

 

Riley Kaminer