Whaddayaknow? Free Pub Trivia

What Whaddayaknow? Free Pub Trivia does

Whaddayaknow? Free Pub Trivia is a Chicago-based entertainment company founded in 2008 by Daniel Burns that operates interactive live game experiences—primarily pub trivia, Video Music Bingo, and karaoke—across a network of more than 100 partner venues concentrated in Chicagoland, with an emerging presence in Colorado. The company also delivers live-streamed virtual trivia through a proprietary subscription platform (freebartrivia.com) and books customized entertainment for corporate, nonprofit, and senior living clients. Its biannual Tournament of Champions, established in 2011, draws nearly 200 teams and over 1,000 players and is the flagship competitive event of the brand.

The core product surface comprises weekly in-person pub trivia (the primary B2B offering), a subscription-based virtual trivia product at $25 per team per month for access to 8–10 games per month (Tuesday and Thursday, 7:00 PM CDT), Video Music Bingo (a proprietary format combining traditional bingo with iconic music videos, movie clips, and TV moments), karaoke, and themed trivia nights (e.g., Taylor Swift, Harry Potter, Friends). The underlying technology is a web-based streaming and scoring platform accessible without a native mobile app and with no public API or developer-facing integrations; remote team participation supports up to eight players per team. No AI/ML capabilities, patents, or proprietary data assets are referenced.

The revenue model rests on three streams: (1) B2B venue hosting fees paid by bars and restaurants under no-contract, first-week-free terms; (2) recurring consumer micro-Subscriptions ($25/team/month) to virtual games; and (3) quote-based private events for enterprises, nonprofits, fundraisers, and senior living communities. Marketing runs through Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Yelp, monthly newsletters, and event sponsorships, with a recent sponsorship stack anchored by Boston Beer's Sun Cruiser and supported by Riot Fest, Field Museum, and Goodman Theatre partnerships. The business is privately held, bootstrapped, and founder-operated from Chicago with no external funding, parent entity, or subsidiaries disclosed.

Name

Whaddayaknow? Free Pub Trivia

Legal name

Whaddayaknow? Free Pub Trivia

Website

https://freepubtrivia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Whaddayaknow? Free Pub Trivia is a Chicago-based, privately-held entertainment company founded in 2008 that operates weekly pub trivia, Video Music Bingo, karaoke, and live-streamed virtual trivia across 100+ Chicagoland venues, serving bars, players, corporate clients, nonprofits, and senior living communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Entertainment Services

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Social/Free-to-Play Bingo Lounges (In-Venue) (MPAEAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bingo Promotions & Loyalty Programs (In-Hall) (MPAEAGAH), Bars & Pubs (Non-Music) (MPAGAIAC)

Keywords

• Pub trivia services
• Live entertainment hosting
• Team trivia events
• Bar entertainment programming
• Virtual trivia games

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Venue Hosting Services: Bars and restaurants pay for hosting weekly trivia nights. Whaddayaknow? provides hosts, content, and entertainment. Venues benefit from increased foot traffic and revenue on slow nights. No contracts required; first week free.
2. Virtual Trivia Subscription: Monthly subscription at $25/team provides access to all virtual games (8-10 per month). Teams of up to 8 players share one subscription, bringing per-player cost to approximately $2/game. Cancellation anytime.
3. Private Events: Corporate events, fundraisers, birthday parties, and community events. Customized trivia or music bingo experiences. Quote-based pricing depending on event requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Whaddayaknow? Free Pub Trivia operates weekly live trivia, Video Music Bingo, and karaoke events at 100+ bars and restaurants in the Chicagoland area. The company also runs a subscription-based virtual trivia platform streamed live on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, hosts the biannual Tournament of Champions (nation's largest pub trivia gathering with 1000+ players), and provides customized trivia entertainment for private corporate events, fundraisers, and senior living communities.

Product overview

Whaddayaknow? Free Pub Trivia is a Chicago-based entertainment company operating multiple interactive game formats. The core offering consists of weekly pub trivia at over 100 Chicagoland venues, supplemented by Video Music Bingo (combining music videos and bingo), and Karaoke. All games are available for private events and corporate functions. The company streams live virtual trivia every Tuesday and Thursday through its proprietary platform, and hosts the biannual Tournament of Champions—the nation's largest pub trivia competition. Recently expanded into senior living communities with tailored content. The business model combines venue partnerships, direct-to-consumer game attendance, and subscription-based virtual access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Video Music Bingo: A music bingo experience combined with iconic music videos, movie clips, and TV moments.

Products and services

• Weekly Pub Trivia In-person general knowledge trivia games hosted weekly at bars and restaurants across Chicagoland. Features competitive team gameplay with prizes for top-performing teams and is the company's flagship service offering.
• Virtual Trivia Subscription Live-streamed online trivia games available every Tuesday and Thursday at 7:00 PM CDT. Teams access games through freebartrivia.com with monthly subscription at $25 per team (up to 8 players).
• Video Music Bingo Interactive bingo game combining music videos, movie clips, and TV moments with traditional bingo gameplay. Available at venues throughout Chicagoland and Colorado with themed rounds.
• Tournament of Champions (TOC) Biannual championship trivia tournament held since June 25, 2011, featuring qualifying rounds at all Chicagoland locations over 10 weeks. One of the nation's largest trivia events with 190+ teams and $2,000 grand prize for the winning team.
• Private Events Custom trivia and entertainment for corporate events, fundraisers, birthday parties, and community gatherings. Available in in-person, virtual, or hybrid formats with quote-based pricing.
• Senior Living Community Trivia Program Specialized trivia programming for retirement communities and senior living facilities featuring era-appropriate content, music nostalgia, and cognitive engagement activities. Includes monthly trivia nights, music bingo, themed games, and ongoing competitions like the Porter Cup.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tournament of Champions attracts nearly 200 teams
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• The Goodman Theatre / David Byrne's Theater of the MindminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 April 2026Partnership provides $5 discount promo codes for Theater of the Mind tickets available at Whaddayaknow events. Extended through July 12, 2026.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan ChicagominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 July 2025Whaddayaknow hosted special trivia night at Fatpour Wicker Park to support Big Brothers Big Sisters fundraising efforts.
• Field MuseumminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 February 2025Monthly trivia nights sponsored by Field Museum at partner venues. Field Museum provides prizes including memberships and coupons. Partnership runs February to July 2025.
• Sun CruiserflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial sponsor for 2026. Sun Cruiser (hard iced tea + vodka brand by Boston Beer Company) sponsors TOC XXVIII and provides prizes including golf bags. Co-presenting sponsor for tournament events. Whaddayaknow promotes Sun Cruiser at events with exclusive promo codes.
• ALIVE RescuecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-presenting sponsor with Bernese Builder for Best in Rescue 2026 event. Raised over $15,000 for animal rescue efforts. Whaddayaknow hosts trivia at charity events.
• Bernese BuilderminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-presenting sponsor with Whaddayaknow for Best in Rescue 2026 animal rescue event.
• Boston Beer Company's Sun CruiserflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for TOC XXVII. Provided sponsorship for Wrigleyville host venues (Stolen Saddle, Merkle's Bar & Grill, Tin Roof, Home Away From Home).
• 826CHIminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWhaddayaknow supports Trivia for Cheaters fundraiser for 826CHI nonprofit writing programs. Eunji Kim hosts the cheating-themed trivia event.
• Parlay - Lincoln ParkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partner for weekly trivia nights. Co-hosted Kentucky Derby event with 20% off tabs and free table reservations. Wrigleyville trivia venue.
• Riot FestcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual partnership giving away Riot Fest 3-day passes at Video Music Bingo locations throughout July-August. Multiple participating venues across Chicagoland.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sporcle: Major trivia entertainment brand offering online trivia games, themed quizzes, and SporcleCon events — overlapping with Whaddayaknow?'s virtual trivia subscription and live event business.
• Stump Trivia: US-based pub trivia hosting company operating weekly trivia nights at bars across multiple states with a similar venue-hosting model and themed events.
• Brainstormer Entertainment: Multi-format live entertainment company offering trivia, bingo, karaoke, and game shows to bars and corporate clients — overlaps with Whaddayaknow?'s diversified venue entertainment portfolio.
• Geeks Who Drink: Denver-based pub trivia company operating across multiple US cities with a comparable model of hosting live trivia nights at bars for venue hosting fees, plus themed events and tournaments.
• SpeedQuizzing: UK-based interactive pub quiz platform using mobile devices; competes in the same live team trivia category with a tech-enabled delivery model similar to Whaddayaknow?'s virtual offering.
• TriviaMaker: Provides trivia hosting tools and content for bars, breweries, and events — competes with Whaddayaknow?'s venue hosting business from the technology/content side.
• Quiz Quiz Bang Bang: US pub trivia host operating weekly live trivia nights at bars, with themed rounds and tournaments — directly comparable to Whaddayaknow?'s core in-venue trivia offering.

Broad incumbents

• NTN Buzztime: Long-established trivia and interactive entertainment provider serving bars and restaurants nationwide; broader portfolio including sports content, but directly competitive in the bar trivia space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/freepubtrivia
• Instagraminstagram.com/freepubtrivia
• TikToktiktok.com/freepubtrivia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/whaddayaknow-free-pub-trivia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Whaddayaknow? Free Pub Trivia