Zola

What Zola does

Zola, Inc. is a New York-based, privately held wedding technology company founded in 2013 that operates a unified consumer web and mobile platform for engaged couples. The platform integrates wedding websites, a universal registry of 50,000+ products with zero-fee cash funds and group gifting, a curated vendor marketplace across 12+ categories (venues, photographers, florists, caterers, planners, bands/DJs, officiants, and more), stationery and paper products, a guest list manager with RSVP and meal tracking, a budget tool benchmarked against millions of real US weddings, and a drag-and-drop seating chart builder. Zola also offers Team-Z Advisors for human expert support and has extended into adjacent life-stage verticals via Zola Baby and Zola Home sub-brands. The platform serves over 2 million couples and has generated over 4 million leads for wedding vendors.

The underlying technology stack is a multi-feature consumer web application plus native iOS app, with AI-driven landing page optimization for personalization and a vendor recommendation engine. Operational efficiency is notable: a two-person accounts payable team processes approximately 600,000 invoices annually through Tipalti automation, which the company estimates would otherwise require roughly 10 AP staff. The company employs 101-250 people, is led by CEO and co-founder Shan-Lyn Ma with co-founders Felix Lung (CTO) and Nobu Nakaguchi (CDO), Kevin Ryan as founder and chairman, Rachel Jarrett as president and COO, and Briana Severson as CMO.

Zola monetizes via a freemium model in which all core planning tools (websites, guest list, RSVP, budget, seating, registry builder) are free, with revenue generated from physical gift e-commerce sales, approximately 2.5% transaction fees on cash funds, stationery and paper product sales, vendor marketplace lead generation, and a 20% post-wedding newlywed discount that drives repeat purchases. The company has raised approximately $240M+ across eight disclosed funding rounds, with significant backing from Comcast Ventures, Goldman Sachs Investment Partners, NBCUniversal, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Thrive Capital, and others, and remains privately held with no public listing or ticker.

Name

Zola

Legal name

Zola, Inc.

Website

https://zola.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Zola is a New York-based wedding planning platform founded in 2013 that serves over 2 million engaged couples with free websites, universal registries, vendor marketplace matching, stationery, and guest management tools, monetizing through e-commerce, cash fund transaction fees, and vendor lead generation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wedding Planning and Registry Services

NAICS

Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (45942), Jewelry, Luggage, and Leather Goods Retailers (4583), Office Supplies and Stationery Retailers (459410)

SIC

Retail-Misc General Merchandise Stores (5399), Retail-Variety Stores (5331), Retail-Jewelry Stores (5944)

akta.pro primary industry

Wedding Registry & Gift Management (HSACABAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Flowers, Gifts & Specialty Occasion Marketplaces (CRAFABAN), Baby, Kids & Maternity Online Retailers (CRAFADAI), Dollar Party, Seasonal & Celebrations Stores (CRAEAAAJ)

Keywords

• Wedding planning platform
• Wedding registry
• Wedding vendor marketplace
• Wedding stationery
• Guest list management

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Physical Gift Sales: Zola operates as an e-commerce retailer selling physical gifts including kitchenware (Le Creuset, KitchenAid), home goods, electronics (Sonos), bedding (Brooklinen), and more. Revenue generated from product sales with standard retail margins.
2. Cash Fund Transaction Fees: Zola charges approximately 2.5% processing fee on cash funds (honeymoon funds, house funds, etc.). This is a transaction-based revenue stream from the percentage of cash contributions made by wedding guests.
3. Wedding Stationery and Paper Products: E-commerce sales of wedding invitations, save-the-dates, programs, thank you cards, menus, place cards, table numbers, napkins, and signage. Products range from $0.99 for save-the-dates to $1.99+ for premium invitations.
4. Wedding Vendor Marketplace: Zola generates leads and bookings for wedding vendors (venues, photographers, florists, caterers, etc.) through its vendor marketplace. The platform facilitates connections between couples and vendors, potentially generating referral or lead generation fees.
5. Post-Wedding Discounts: 20% discount on remaining registry items for newlyweds valid for six months post-wedding. Drives additional purchases and customer retention.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Zola operates an integrated wedding planning platform that combines free wedding websites, a universal gift registry with 50,000+ products and zero-fee cash funds, a curated wedding vendor marketplace, wedding stationery (save-the-dates, invitations, and paper goods), and supporting tools including guest list management, a budget calculator, and a seating chart builder. The company monetizes primarily through e-commerce product sales, printed stationery, and approximately 2.5% transaction fees on cash funds, while extending the registry concept to baby and home registries through its Zola Baby and Zola Home sub-brands.

Product overview

Zola is a comprehensive wedding planning platform offering an integrated suite of tools for couples. The core platform centers on four main products: Wedding Websites (free customizable website builder with RSVP management), Wedding Registry (universal registry with 50,000+ products, zero-fee cash funds, and group gifting), Wedding Venues & Vendors Marketplace (curated vendor directory across 12+ categories), and Invitations & Paper (stationery suite with free digital options and matching designs). Supporting products include Guest List Manager, Budget Tool, and Seating Chart Builder. Zola also extends its registry expertise into adjacent markets through Zola Baby and Zola Home sub-brands. The platform serves over 2 million couples and has generated over 4 million leads for vendors. The company monetizes through product sales and stationery while offering core planning tools free to users.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zola Baby: Baby registry platform operated as a sub-brand of Zola for baby-related registries
• Zola Home

Products and services

• Wedding Registry

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves over 2 million couples on its platform
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TipalticoreTechnology or Integration · 8 April 2026Zola uses Tipalti's accounts payable automation platform to process approximately 600,000 invoices annually with just a two-person AP team. The automation enables Zola to handle high transaction volumes efficiently, with Zola's finance leader suggesting they would have needed approximately 10 AP staff without the automation. This is a critical operational efficiency partnership for Zola's back-office operations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Knot Worldwide: The Knot Worldwide (combining The Knot and WeddingWire) is the largest direct competitor in wedding planning, offering websites, registries, vendor marketplaces, and planning tools. Operates under the same freemium model and serves the same U.S. engaged-couple segment.
• Minted: Minted is a publicly-traded design marketplace specializing in wedding invitations, stationery, and gifts with an independent artist community. Direct overlap on Zola's invitations/paper and registry categories, with comparable premium positioning.
• With Joy: With Joy (formerly known as Joy) is a wedding planning platform offering free websites, RSVPs, registries, and planning tools. Competes head-to-head in the SMB/couple segment with a similar all-in-one product ethos.
• Honeyfund: Honeyfund is a wedding cash fund registry platform (honeymoon funds, house funds) with a marketplace of experiential gifts. Direct overlap with Zola's cash-fund offering; smaller scale but pure-play focus on this niche.

Broad incumbents

• Amazon Registry: Amazon's universal wedding registry competes on breadth of assortment (millions of SKUs), completion discount, and Prime shipping. Larger and broader but lacks Zola's integrated planning-tools-and-registry positioning.
• Williams-Sonoma: Williams-Sonoma operates bridal and wedding registries across its brands (Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, West Elm). A traditional brick-and-mortar incumbent that overlaps in physical gift registry but lacks Zola's planning tools and digital-first UX.
• Crate & Barrel: Crate & Barrel runs a wedding registry business focused on home and kitchen goods with a 10% completion discount. Overlaps with Zola's physical gift registry assortment but operates as a traditional retailer rather than a planning platform.
• Etsy: Etsy is a broad handmade/vintage marketplace where many couples build customized wedding registries and purchase invitations. Adjacent rather than head-to-head, but a frequent substitute for Zola's stationery and gift categories.

Regional players

• WeddingWire (India / international): WeddingWire operates wedding vendor marketplaces globally, including India and other markets where Zola does not operate. Useful comparator for international wedding marketplace dynamics and a potential partnership vector if Zola considers expansion.

Emerging players

• Babylist: Babylist is a baby registry platform with a universal-registry model directly parallel to Zola's wedding registry, plus an expansion into Zola's adjacent category (baby). A natural competitor to Zola Baby and a leading indicator of how registry platforms extend beyond their original category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/zola
• Facebookfacebook.com/zola
• Instagraminstagram.com/zola
• Pinterestpinterest.com/zola
• TikToktiktok.com/@zola
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zola-com

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors18 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zola