Kapow
Kapow is a Chicago-based event technology platform that connected corporate event planners with venues for booking group dining experiences and corporate events in real-time. The company was acquired by Bizly from Hello! Destination Management in January 2025.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Kapow does
Kapow was an event technology platform founded in 2012 and headquartered in Chicago that connected companies with venues for booking unique client events online in real-time. The platform specialized in group dining and corporate event management, enabling corporate event planners to discover, book, and manage venues for group dining experiences and corporate events. Kapow operated with 51-100 employees and raised approximately $22.2 million in disclosed funding across four rounds from 2012 to 2017, with notable investors including Drive Capital (which led a $14M round in 2016), Chicago Ventures, FireStarter Fund, and INCISENT Labs. The company was owned by Hello! Destination Management prior to its January 2025 acquisition by Bizly, an AI-powered event planning platform. The acquisition was part of broader consolidation in the event tech sector during early 2025, as established players sought to expand capabilities in group dining, virtual events, and accommodation management. Following the acquisition, Kapow operates as a subsidiary within Bizly's portfolio, contributing its group dining and corporate events capabilities to the acquirer's broader enterprise event platform.
Kapow firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kapow
- Legal name
- Kapow
- Website
- https://kapow.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Kapow is a Chicago-based event technology platform that connected corporate event planners with venues for booking group dining experiences and corporate events in real-time. The company was acquired by Bizly from Hello! Destination Management in January 2025.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kapow industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Event Management Software
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management (THAHACAM)
Keywords
Where Kapow is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Kapow business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Kapow product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kapow is an event technology platform that connects companies with venues to book unique client events online in real-time. The platform specializes in group dining and corporate event management, enabling event planners to discover and book venues for group dining experiences and corporate events. It was acquired by Bizly from Hello! Destination Management in January 2025.
Product overview
Kapow was an event technology platform that specialized in group dining and corporate event management. The platform was acquired by Bizly from Hello! Destination Management in early 2025 as part of Bizly's strategy to consolidate capabilities in group dining and corporate events. The product enabled event planners to discover and book venues for group dining experiences and corporate events.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Kapow (Group Dining Platform) An event technology platform that enables corporate event planners to discover and book venues for group dining experiences and corporate events in real-time. It connects companies seeking event venues with venue providers, facilitating online booking of unique client events.
Companies that use Kapow
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Kapow technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Kapow partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Hello! Destination ManagementminorHello! Destination Management divested Kapow to Bizly in early 2025 as part of the event tech sector consolidation trend. This acquisition represents a strategic exit by Hello! Destination Management and brings Kapow under Bizly's ownership to strengthen their group dining and corporate events capabilities.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Kapow competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bizly: AI-powered in-person event planning platform that acquired Kapow in 2025 to add group dining and venue booking capabilities. Direct corporate events peer serving similar enterprise planner customers.
- Aventri: Event management software for corporate meetings, conferences, and events with venue sourcing and registration capabilities. Directly comparable in mid-market and enterprise corporate event workflows.
- Tripleseat: Sales and event management platform for restaurants, hotels, and unique venues to manage group bookings and private events. Highly comparable on the venue-side marketplace that Kapow aggregates for corporate group dining.
Broad incumbents
- Cvent: Largest enterprise event management platform covering venue sourcing, registration, and meetings. Operates a 'Cvent Supplier Network' that overlaps directly with Kapow's venue booking marketplace for corporate planners.
- Bizzabo: Enterprise event experience platform offering registration, agenda, and engagement tools for corporate events and conferences. Comparable in serving corporate event planners with overlapping use cases.
- Eventbrite: Large consumer and small-business event ticketing and registration marketplace. Overlaps with Kapow on event discovery and booking mechanics but skews to public ticketed events rather than corporate group dining.
Emerging players
- Planning Pod: Event planning management software for venues, corporate event planners, and meeting organizers with booking, proposal, and CRM features. Comparable on the corporate planner and venue workflow overlap with Kapow.
- EventMobi: Event apps and engagement platform for corporate meetings and conferences. Comparable as a corporate event technology vendor targeting enterprise planners, though more focused on attendee experience than venue sourcing.
- Groupize: Group hotel booking and meetings platform for corporate event planners and travel managers. Directly comparable on the group booking marketplace mechanic that Kapow extends into dining venues.
Others
- Hello! Destination Management: Former parent of Kapow and destination management company providing corporate events and group experiences. Comparable as a corporate event services peer and former owner that divested Kapow to Bizly in 2025.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Kapow social profiles
Digital presenceKapow financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kapow leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Kapow funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kapow M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kapow
What does Kapow do?
Kapow is an event technology platform that connects companies with venues to book unique client events online in real-time. The platform specializes in group dining and corporate event management, enabling event planners to discover and book venues for group dining experiences and corporate events. It was acquired by Bizly from Hello! Destination Management in January 2025.
Is Kapow a public or private company?
Kapow is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Kapow founded?
Kapow was founded in 2012. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Kapow based?
Kapow is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Kapow's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bizly, Aventri and Tripleseat. Broad incumbents are Cvent, Bizzabo and Eventbrite. Emerging players are Planning Pod, EventMobi and Groupize. Hello! Destination Management is listed as an others.
Does Kapow have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kapow.
What industry is Kapow in?
Kapow's product category is Event Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHACAM, Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management. Its NAICS code is 561920.