NEW YORK, Nov. 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — New York-based Thuzio, the leading live & virtual event company for business entertainment, today announced the completion of its acquisition of Toronto-based Robin, the corporate entertainment platform for premium tickets and experiences. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Thuzio is led by former New York Giant turned entrepreneur, Tiki Barber, and former Seamless/Grubhub executive, Jared Augustine. Investors for the combined company include Techstars, RSE, Gary Vaynerchuk, David Falk, and Right Side Capital. Thuzio events offer access to sports, entertainment, business and culinary icons for large sales organizations and business development professionals. Thuzio events recently featured guests such as 6-time NBA All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire, Iron Chef Jose Garces, NFL legend Steve Young, and Shark Tank‘s Kevin O’Leary. Robin (of Techstars’ 2017 class) is the corporate entertainment platform of choice for large to mid-size companies, providing access to coveted tickets and luxury suites. The combined company serves sales organizations from 300+ corporate clients, including 8 of the top 10 banks, 7 of the top 10 software companies, and 6 of the top 10 consulting firms.
“Due to the explosive demand of the virtual event business we launched in the wake of the pandemic, Thuzio’s has doubled in size in 2020,” said Jared Augustine, co-founder & CEO of Thuzio. “To accelerate this growth, we’re excited to invest in our tech capabilities through this strategic acquisition of Robin. We also look forward to offering Robin’s best-in-class ticket ordering solution in anticipation of live entertaining returning.”
“Integrating our technology into Thuzio’s ecosystem of exceptional content, events and virtual experiences will allow us to build the market-leading platform for corporate entertainment and drive growth across North America,” said Adam McIsaac, co-founder & CEO of Robin. “We’re excited to work with Thuzio’s stellar team to take our collective vision to the next level.”
Thuzio’s acquisition of Robin will enable Thuzio to scale in 3 key areas: acquisition & sales, as Robin boasts digital acquisition and lead generation & marketing expertise; user experience, as Robin offers seamless bookings & RSVPs, productized account management, and admin tools for partner events; and data, as Robin has advanced engagement & revenue tracking and sponsor targeting, along with a diversified event offering.
The virtual events industry is expected to 10x by 2030 to more than $750B, according to Trends Exchange. “With a ‘new normal,’ businesses must think differently about how to win client attention and secure new business,” said Tiki Barber, co-founder of Thuzio. “Our virtual ‘Thuzio Originals’ owned events, bespoke Custom Events, and sponsored Partner Events are immersive, easily accessible and unforgettable, while boasting legendary A-list talent. We aim to capitalize on this virtual entertainment industry upswing by enhancing our platform with Robin.”
About Thuzio
Thuzio is a business entertainment platform company. Thuzio events offer access to sports, entertainment, business and culinary icons for large sales organizations and business development professionals. Based in New York, NY, Thuzio was founded in 2012 by Tiki Barber (New York Giants), Mark Gerson (GLG), and Jared Augustine (Seamless/Grubhub). For more information, visit www.thuzio.com.
About Robin
Robin is a leading corporate entertainment platform, helping companies and their employees source the best options for live events & premium client entertainment. Robin is based in Toronto, Canada. For more information, visit www.robin.live.
SOURCE Thuzio
