PaperCall
PaperCall.io is a web-based SaaS platform that helps event organizers manage call-for-papers and speaker submissions globally, serving a long tail of tech conferences, meetups, and community events via freemium, $499-per-event Professional, and Custom/Enterprise tiers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What PaperCall does
PaperCall.io, operated by SharkJump LLC (a Wyoming LLC headquartered at 412 N Main St Suite 100, Buffalo), is a web-based SaaS platform that provides call-for-papers (CFP) and speaker submission management for event organizers. The platform is built on Google Cloud-hosted infrastructure, supports single sign-on via seven OAuth providers (Google, GitHub, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, GitLab, Office365), and exposes a Read-Only API and webhooks on the Professional tier. Core features include customizable event landing pages, automatic CFP open/close scheduling, optional anonymized submissions to reduce reviewer bias, organizer-to-speaker messaging, customizable rating workflows, and one-click speaker submissions, all of which replace fragmented Google Forms-based processes with a unified workflow.
The product is structured as a horizontal, community-led SaaS with three organizer pricing tiers: a free Community tier (up to 5 organizers and 200 submissions), a Professional tier at $499 per event with API access and Google Analytics integration, and a Custom/Enterprise tier with unlimited organizers, custom domains, dedicated Slack/phone support, and hands-on consulting. A second product, Speaker Pro (priced at $69/year for early adopters, $99/year at general availability), extends monetization to the supply side by giving speakers event discovery, CFP notifications, and a public speaking profile. The free WeeklyCFP newsletter aggregates open CFPs from the platform and serves as the primary top-of-funnel acquisition channel.
The customer base is a long tail of small-to-mid-sized tech conferences, community meetups, and nonprofit developer events globally, with named users including Twilio SIGNAL 2018, RubyConf Africa, OWASP New Zealand Day, and Stripe's London developer meetup. The company is privately held, founder-controlled, bootstrapped (no external funding disclosed), and operates with 1-10 employees, distributing primarily through self-serve web sign-up and the WeeklyCFP ecosystem, with a marketing sponsorship from Microsoft Azure.
PaperCall firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PaperCall
- Legal name
- SharkJump LLC
- Website
- https://papercall.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- PaperCall.io is a web-based SaaS platform that helps event organizers manage call-for-papers and speaker submissions globally, serving a long tail of tech conferences, meetups, and community events via freemium, $499-per-event Professional, and Custom/Enterprise tiers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PaperCall industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Event Management Software
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Speaker, Program & Abstract Management Services (THAHACAI)
Keywords
Where PaperCall is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
PaperCall business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- Professional Tier Subscription: Professional tier priced at $499 per event, providing unlimited submissions, up to 20 organizers, custom boolean questions, API access, bulk tagging, and priority support.
- Community Free Tier: Free community tier with up to 5 organizers and 200 submissions, providing exposure to PaperCall speaker database. Generates user acquisition and community growth.
- Custom/Enterprise Tier: Custom pricing for unlimited organizers, unlimited custom questions, custom domains, dedicated Slack support, phone/hangouts support, and 1:1 consulting on CFP best practices.
- Speaker Pro Subscription: Premium subscription for speakers at $69/year (early adopter price, increasing to $99) providing discovery, notifications, event following, and public speaking profile visibility.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Free | Community - Free tier for small events and meetups |
| Subscription | Per event | Professional - $499 per event for mid-size conferences |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Custom - Contact sales for enterprise needs |
| Subscription | Annual | Speaker Pro - Premium speaker subscription |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
PaperCall product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PaperCall.io is a web-based SaaS platform that enables event organizers to create, manage, and run call-for-papers (CFP) processes for conferences and meetups. It provides customizable event landing pages, automatic CFP open/close scheduling, optional anonymous submissions, organizer-to-speaker messaging, a rating/review system, and exposure to a centralized speaker database. A free WeeklyCFP newsletter aggregates open CFPs globally, and a paid Speaker Pro subscription serves individual speakers seeking speaking opportunities.
Product overview
PaperCall.io is an event and speaker management platform that operates as a centralized hub connecting event organizers with speakers. The core product is the PaperCall.io platform itself, which provides call for papers (CFP) management functionality. The platform offers three pricing tiers: Community (free for up to 200 submissions), Professional ($499/event with API/webhooks access), and Custom/Enterprise. Additional offerings include Speaker Pro, a premium subscription for speakers at $69/year early adopter pricing that provides event discovery and notifications, and the free WeeklyCFP newsletter that aggregates CFPs from the platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Speaker Pro: A premium subscription service for speakers to discover events, get notified about CFP openings, follow events, and create public speaking profiles. Priced at $69/year for early adopters ($99 after).
Products and services
- PaperCall.io Core Platform Web-based SaaS platform that lets event organizers launch a call for papers in minutes, with customizable event landing pages, automatic CFP open/close scheduling, optional anonymous submissions, organizer-speaker messaging, rating/review workflows, and a centralized speaker database. Designed for conference organizers, meetup coordinators, and event planners.
- PaperCall Speaker Pro Premium annual subscription ($69/year early adopter, $99/year after launch) for individual conference speakers that provides event discovery, notifications of new CFP openings, event following, and a public speaking profile to be matched with invited speaker and keynote slots.
- WeeklyCFP Newsletter Free weekly email newsletter that aggregates open CFPs from events worldwide listed on the PaperCall platform, notifying subscribers and providing exposure for events seeking speakers.
Companies that use PaperCall
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
PaperCall technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
Feature8 records
PaperCall partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Microsoft AzureminorMicrosoft Azure sponsors PaperCall's event directory, appearing as a featured sponsor on the platform. This appears to be a marketing partnership to reach developer audiences through the PaperCall event ecosystem. The sponsorship provides Azure visibility to tech conference organizers and speakers using the platform.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
PaperCall competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sched: Sched is a conference scheduling and program management platform widely used by tech conferences alongside or instead of CFP tools. It overlaps with PaperCall on the speaker program and agenda side of event management.
- Sessionboard: Sessionboard is a direct CFP and speaker management platform for conferences and associations, offering submission, review, and selection workflows. It is the closest head-to-head competitor to PaperCall's core organizer use case.
Emerging players
- EventMobi: EventMobi provides event apps and management tools for associations and corporate event teams. It overlaps with PaperCall on the conference organizer customer base and the program/agenda workflow.
- Socio: Socio is an all-in-one event management platform offering registration, networking, and content features for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events. It overlaps with PaperCall on the tech conference organizer target customer.
- Bevy: Bevy is a community-led events platform that helps organizations run virtual and in-person community events at scale. It overlaps with PaperCall's developer community and meetup organizer segment with a broader community-management value proposition.
- Conferences.io: Conferences.io is a focused CFP and conference management tool for academic and tech conferences. It is a direct niche competitor targeting the same call-for-papers workflow PaperCall pioneered.
Broad incumbents
- Bizzabo: Bizzabo is an enterprise event experience platform that includes event creation, registration, and engagement features. It competes for the same mid-market and enterprise conference organizer budget that PaperCall's Custom tier targets.
- Hopin: Hopin is a virtual and hybrid events platform with broad event management functionality. While it focuses more on attendee experience, it competes for the same organizer buyer and event tech budget as PaperCall.
- Cvent: Cvent is a large enterprise event management suite with deep adoption among corporate and association event teams. Its broader portfolio competes with PaperCall for organizer wallet share, particularly in the Custom/Enterprise tier.
- Eventbrite: Eventbrite is a broad event ticketing and management platform that increasingly bundles tools for organizers including registration and basic program management. It overlaps with PaperCall on the event organizer buyer, though it does not specialize in CFP workflows.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
PaperCall social profiles
Digital presencePaperCall financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PaperCall leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
PaperCall funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PaperCall 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 PaperCall
What does PaperCall do?
PaperCall.io is a web-based SaaS platform that enables event organizers to create, manage, and run call-for-papers (CFP) processes for conferences and meetups. It provides customizable event landing pages, automatic CFP open/close scheduling, optional anonymous submissions, organizer-to-speaker messaging, a rating/review system, and exposure to a centralized speaker database. A free WeeklyCFP newsletter aggregates open CFPs globally, and a paid Speaker Pro subscription serves individual speakers seeking speaking opportunities.
When was PaperCall founded?
PaperCall was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is PaperCall based?
PaperCall is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does PaperCall make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Professional Tier Subscription is the primary driver. The others are community Free Tier, custom/Enterprise Tier and speaker Pro Subscription.
Who are PaperCall's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sched and Sessionboard. Emerging players are EventMobi, Socio, Bevy and Conferences.io. Broad incumbents are Bizzabo, Hopin, Cvent and Eventbrite.
Does PaperCall have an API?
Yes. PaperCall offers Read-Only API Access and Webhooks for the Professional tier ($499/event). The API enables event organizers and developers to programmatically access submission data and integrate with external systems.
What industry is PaperCall in?
PaperCall's product category is Event Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHACAI, Speaker, Program & Abstract Management Services. Its NAICS code is 518 and its SIC code is 7372.