Dabble

What Dabble does

Dabble (legal entity Go Dabble Inc.) is a Chicago-based private marketplace platform founded in 2011 that connects local class teachers with adult learners seeking in-person classes, workshops, tours, and experiences. The platform operates across 100+ cities in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, and Australia, with additional Virtual class support. Its core technology is a two-sided web marketplace enabling self-serve event listing, city- and category-based discovery, ticketing, and payment processing.

Dabble monetizes through three primary streams: (1) a variable fee split on transactions where teachers self-select their level of marketing support and associated commission, (2) Dabble Enrich, a subscription product for corporate employee enrichment accounts priced at $10-$100 per employee per month, and (3) one-time Gift Certificate purchases. Add-on modules extend the platform into venue hosting (matching storefronts, galleries, restaurants, and coffee shops with event organizers), private event services for groups and team building, and gift cards. Marketing is conducted through the platform itself, email newsletters, and organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest), with the operating philosophy emphasizing community-driven discovery rather than paid acquisition.

The company employs 1-10 people, has raised approximately $2.527M in disclosed equity funding (most recently $375K in July 2017), and acquired Little Key in March 2016. Its customer base is a long tail of independent instructors and small operators, supplemented by corporate accounts via Dabble Enrich and venue owners via the hosting module. Strategic partnerships include integrations with Deskpass and Peerspace for venue discovery.

Name

Dabble

Legal name

Go Dabble Inc.

Website

https://dabble.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dabble (Go Dabble Inc.) is a Chicago-based two-sided marketplace connecting independent local teachers with adult learners across 100+ cities, monetizing via variable transaction commissions, a B2B enrichment subscription (Dabble Enrich), and gift certificates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Experience Marketplace

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Tutoring + Learning Content Platforms (Curriculum + Tutors) (EDANAGAL)

Keywords

• Local experience marketplace
• Community classes platform
• Experiential learning marketplace
• In-person workshops marketplace
• Event discovery platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Transaction Commission: Variable fee split model where teachers set how much marketing support they want, effectively controlling their commission rate. Teachers can choose to be featured/promoted (higher fee) or use Dabble as basic ticketing only (lower fee).
2. Dabble Enrich Corporate Accounts: Monthly or annual employee enrichment accounts priced at $10-$100 per employee per month. Dabble handles booking, payment processing, and spending reporting for corporate clients.
3. Gift Certificates: Digital gift cards sold on the platform for giving local experiences as gifts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Dabble operates a two-sided online marketplace where independent local teachers, artisans, wellness practitioners, and venues list in-person classes, workshops, tours, and experiences for community learners to discover, book, and pay for. Revenue is earned through a variable transaction fee split that teachers choose based on the marketing support they want, complemented by a corporate employee enrichment subscription product (Dabble Enrich) and gift certificate sales.

Product overview

Dabble operates as a marketplace platform for local experiential learning. The core product is the Dabble Platform, which connects users seeking to discover and book local classes, workshops, tours, and experiences with independent instructors and venues. The platform is augmented by several add-on modules: Dabble Gift Certificates for gifting experiences; Dabble Enrich, an employee engagement benefit program for corporate clients; Venue Hosting for venue owners to list their spaces; and Private Event Services for organizing team building and custom group experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dabble Platform Two-sided online marketplace where independent teachers and venues list local in-person classes, workshops, tours, and experiences that learners can browse by city and category, then book and pay for directly. Free and private events are supported.
• Dabble Enrich Employee enrichment and engagement benefit program for corporate clients. Companies set up accounts for team members to book local classes and experiences, with flexible monthly or annual spending limits from $10 to $100 per employee per month. Includes dedicated account management, booking, payment processing, and spending reporting for HR/People Ops teams.
• Dabble Gift Certificates Digital gift cards sold on the Dabble platform that can be redeemed by recipients for any local class or experience listed on the marketplace.
• Venue Hosting Service that lets venue owners (storefronts, galleries, boutiques, restaurants, coffee shops, and office spaces) list their spaces on Dabble for event hosting, and get matched with event organizers needing a location.
• Private Event Services Booking service that lets users request custom private group experiences and team-building events on the Dabble platform, connecting them with teachers who can run tailored sessions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5+ year partnerships with teachers

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• DeskpassminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partnership for space discovery and booking. Deskpass integration allows Dabble users to find and book workspace and event venues through the partnership.
• PeerspaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partnership for space discovery. Peerspace integration allows Dabble to connect event organizers with workspace and venue options.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Airbnb Experiences: Marketplace for bookable local experiences and classes hosted by individuals. Most direct overlap with Dabble's category breadth and in-person discovery model, and dwarfs it in scale and marketing budget.
• Eventbrite: Self-service ticketing and event-discovery platform that overlaps heavily with Dabble's workshops, classes, and community events, including self-serve listing, ticketing, and payment processing.
• CourseHorse: Marketplace for discovering and booking local in-person classes and workshops across categories similar to Dabble's, with city-based browsing and direct booking.
• Meetup: Community-driven platform for organizing and discovering local in-person gatherings, classes, and skill-sharing groups — directly comparable to Dabble's local learner/teacher discovery thesis.
• Peerspace: Marketplace for booking hourly event and meeting spaces. Dabble is already an integration partner, and Peerspace competes for the same venue supply that Dabble aggregates for class hosting.

Regional players

• Withlocals: Europe-based marketplace for local tours and experiences hosted by individuals — same in-person community-supply thesis as Dabble, but primarily serving European travelers.

Broad incumbents

• ClassPass: Subscription-based marketplace for fitness, wellness, and studio classes — overlapping with Dabble's Fitness & Wellness category and B2C discovery, but broader and far better capitalized.
• Viator: TripAdvisor-owned marketplace for tours, experiences, and classes worldwide. Overlaps with Dabble's experiences booking model with significantly larger supply, demand, and mobile infrastructure.

Emerging players

• Atlas Obscura: Discovery platform for unique experiences, classes, and events (online and in-person). Overlaps with Dabble's 'Unique Offerings' and experiential learning categories with a strong content-led brand.
• Goldstar: Discounted marketplace for local events, classes, and experiences. Competes for the same discretionary local-experiences demand as Dabble, with a similar self-serve discovery experience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DabbleHQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/dabblehq
• Instagraminstagram.com/dabble.co
• Pinterestpinterest.com/dabblehq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dabblehq

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors9 records

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Dabble