Entry Ninja

What Entry Ninja does

Entry Ninja is a South African online event registration and entry-management platform that connects sports event organizers with participants across road running, trail running, cycling, obstacle course racing, multisport, and swimming events. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Pretoria, the company operates a web-based two-sided marketplace where 1,705+ organizers list events and millions of participants discover, register, and pay for entries; ancillary modules include a peer-to-peer Marketplace for entry resale, a Referral Links affiliate program, Managed Accounts for family/minor oversight, and Merchandise Add-ons. The platform integrates with multiple payment providers (Ecentric Payment Systems, PayU, and First National Bank for EFT) and supports instant and manual EFT settlement, credit card processing with TLS 1.3 encryption, Google OAuth single sign-on, and event-specific features such as waiting lists, team registration, substitutions, and custom domain hosting for organizers.

The company monetizes primarily through a 5% organizer commission plus 15% VAT on total event revenue, with a R6.00 minimum fee that effectively makes small-ticket fun runs marginally profitable. Secondary revenue is generated via marketplace transaction fees (R49 Entry Ninja Wallet, R99 EFT refund, 5% credit/instant EFT), R50–R100 substitution and refund admin fees, and Entry Ninja Wallet top-ups. The go-to-market motion is hybrid: a self-serve consumer-facing website drives organic discovery and participant sign-ups, while a sales-led motion targets mid-market and enterprise organizers with dedicated account managers, reporting tools, and call center support (weekdays 9:00–15:00). The platform has cumulatively sold 2.479 million entries across 10,120 events and tracks 266 million kilometers of cumulative participant distance, establishing it as the largest dedicated participation-sports entry system in South Africa by a meaningful margin.

Entry Ninja is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity in the available data. Geographic reach is single-country (South Africa only), and the product is web-only with no native mobile app. Notable named organizer customers include Dryland Event Management (operator of Attakwas Extreme, Cape Pioneer, Tankwa Trek, Garden Route Giro, and The 36ONE), West Coast Athletic Club, SANDF WP Athletics Club, and individual event brands such as the Intercare Blouberg Marathon and Meiringspoort 21. The competitive moat is built on two-sided network effects, a deeply localized event database, and switching costs tied to organizer configuration and participant profiles, but the company has not yet articulated an AI/ML roadmap or a multi-country expansion strategy.

Name

Entry Ninja

Legal name

Entry Ninja

Website

https://entryninja.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Entry Ninja is a South African web-based event registration platform connecting 1,705+ sports event organizers with participants, processing 2.479 million cumulative entries across running, cycling, and multisport events, and monetizing via a 5% organizer take rate plus marketplace and substitution fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Registration and Ticketing Software

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Obstacle Course & Adventure Races (OCR, Mud Runs, Adventure Racing) (MPAKAIAE)

Keywords

• Event registration platform
• Online entry management
• Sports event ticketing
• Event marketplace
• Participant registration software

Headquarters

HQ city

Pretoria

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Organizer Commission: Entry Ninja charges organizers a 5% fee plus 15% VAT on total revenue for using the platform. A minimum fee of R6.00 (including VAT) applies to small orders. This is the primary revenue stream.
2. Marketplace Fees: Entry Ninja charges fees for facilitating the buying and selling of event entries through the marketplace. Buyer payment method fees include R49 for Entry Ninja Wallet, R99 for EFT refunds, and 5% fee for credit card/instant EFT.
3. Substitution Fees: R100 admin fee is charged for the substitution process when transferring entries between participants. Additional fees may apply per event.
4. Entry Fees: Minimum R50 admin fee charged on all refunds to cover banking fees (except for system errors). R50 fee for substitutions or adding members after registration finalization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Entry Ninja is a South African online event registration and entry management platform that enables event organizers to list and manage sporting, outdoor, and fitness events, while allowing participants to discover, register, and pay for entries. The platform processes transactions via integrated payment gateways and includes a peer-to-peer marketplace where users can buy and sell event entries.

Product overview

Entry Ninja is a South African online event registration and ticketing platform operating as a single integrated ecosystem. The core offering consists of the Event Registration Platform (event discovery, entry management, and participant administration) paired with the Marketplace (peer-to-peer entry resale and transfer). Supporting modules include Referral Links for affiliate marketing, Managed Accounts for family/parental oversight, and Merchandise Add-ons for bundled purchases. Event organizers access a dedicated platform with participant management, reporting tools, and custom branding. A Help Center provides self-service support resources. The platform specializes in outdoor, fitness, and sporting events with 10,120+ events serviced and 2.479 million entries sold.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Event Registration Platform Web-based event registration and entry management system enabling participants to browse, register, and pay for outdoor, fitness, and sporting events in South Africa. Supports road running, trail running, cycling, obstacle courses, multisport, and swimming events. For participants seeking to enter events across multiple activity types.
• Marketplace Peer-to-peer platform for buying and selling event entries, enabling participants who can no longer attend to transfer their entries to others. Features secure payment processing, automated ownership transfer, and substitution workflow, and provides access to sold-out events.
• Organiser Platform Event management system for organizers including participant management, detailed statistics, comprehensive reporting tools, and custom domain hosting. Supports sport events (complete entry management) and ticket events (ticketing system). Charges 5% + 15% VAT fee on total revenue with R6.00 minimum.
• Referral Links Referral marketing tool allowing participants to earn commission by sharing unique links to events. Supports percentage-based or fixed-value referral calculations with first-time entrant multipliers, with payouts transferred to the Entry Ninja Wallet after event completion.
• Entry Ninja Help Center Self-service knowledge base and support portal organized into categories including Entering for events, Changing your entry, General Event Info, Accounts, and Payments. Includes how-to guides and troubleshooting articles for users and organizers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2.479 million entries sold
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Ecentric Payment SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationPreferred payment gateway for Standard Bank of South Africa. Processes credit card transactions for Entry Ninja using TLS 1.3 encryption. No credit card details are stored on Entry Ninja's website.
• PayU Payment ServicescoreTechnology or IntegrationOne of South Africa's largest payment providers. Processes credit card and instant EFT transactions for Entry Ninja. Uses TLS 1.3 encryption for secure transactions.
• First National Bank (FNB)coreTechnology or IntegrationBanking partner for EFT payments. Account Name: Entry Ninja, Account Number: 62536594478, Branch: Hatfield. Supports both instant EFT (immediate reflection) and manual EFT (2-3 working days).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Athlinks: Endurance athlete database and race results platform with registration features. Comparable for participant-side value (history, results) and organizer-side registration tools in endurance events.
• RunSignup: US-based race registration and timing platform serving thousands of endurance events. Direct functional comparable: online entry management, payment processing, results, and add-ons for running, cycling, and multisport events.
• Race Roster: North American race registration platform serving endurance events with payment processing, transfer/marketplace features, and organizer tools — same core use case and customer base as Entry Ninja.
• Let's Do This: UK-headquartered endurance event marketplace aggregating race registrations globally. Direct marketplace comparable for participants discovering and entering participation sports events.
• Webscorer: Race timing and registration platform used globally for endurance events. Comparable as a registration + timing solution for the same organizer and participant personas.
• Quicket: South African event ticketing and registration platform. Direct local competitor targeting events in the same South African market, though broader beyond just participation sports.

Broad incumbents

• Eventbrite: Global self-service event ticketing and registration platform. Competes for the same organizer wallet but at much broader scope; represents a strategic threat if it localizes payment and language support into SA.

Emerging players

• Haku: Event registration platform with participant CRM and fundraising features. Comparable to Entry Ninja's organizer-side functionality (registration, payment, participant management) with similar target customer.

Regional players

• Computicket: One of South Africa's largest ticketing platforms, primarily for entertainment events but with sports event coverage. Regional comparable in event ticketing infrastructure and payment integration.
• Ticketpro: Long-standing South African ticketing platform for sports and entertainment events. Comparable as a regional events ticketing alternative, though broader in scope than participation sports.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/EntryNinjaSA
• Instagraminstagram.com/entryninja
• Xx.com/entryninja
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/entry-ninja

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Entry Ninja