YPlan is a company.
YPlan has raised $38.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Key people at YPlan.
YPlan has raised $38.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
YPlan was a mobile app for discovering and booking last-minute events in cities like London, curating top shortlisted events with seamless online ticketing. It targeted urban dwellers seeking spontaneous nightlife, concerts, and activities, solving the problem of fragmented event discovery by offering a simple, location-based platform for impulse bookings.[1][2][3] Founded in 2012, it raised $37.7 million from prominent investors including Ashton Kutcher, Stephen Fry, and VCs like General Catalyst and Wellington Partners, but struggled with losses (£6.2 million pre-tax in 2015), layoffs, and scaled-back US operations, leading to its acquisition by Time Out Group in 2016 for £1.6 million in stock—a fraction of its funding.[1][2]
YPlan was founded in February 2012 by Rytis Vitkauskas and Viktoras Jucikas, launching publicly in November 2012.[1][4] The Lithuanian duo identified a gap in mobile-first event discovery amid rising smartphone use, creating an app that surfaced curated, high-quality events in users' cities with one-tap booking—initially focused on the UK.[3][4] Early traction came from London buzz, attracting celebrity backers like Ashton Kutcher and high-profile launches (e.g., Pharrell Williams at its NYC party), fueling rapid funding rounds totaling £31 million.[1][2] Pivotal moments included workforce cuts (a third laid off) and a US pivot reversal by 2016, amid mounting losses that forced a sale.[1][2]
YPlan rode the 2010s wave of mobile event discovery and sharing economy apps, capitalizing on smartphone proliferation and demand for experiential leisure in dense cities like London and New York. Timing aligned with post-recession urban nightlife booms and VC enthusiasm for consumer tech, but market forces—intense competition from Eventbrite, Fever, and giants like Ticketmaster—eroded its edge, alongside high customer acquisition costs.[1][2] Its 2016 Time Out acquisition amplified Time Out's 137 million monthly users with YPlan's booking tech, influencing e-commerce in media by merging curated content with transactions and boosting city guides' monetization.[1][2] YPlan exemplified early "firesale" exits in overhyped consumer startups, highlighting risks in scaling event platforms amid economic pressures.
Post-acquisition, YPlan's tech persists within Time Out, enhancing global event booking for millions, though as a standalone entity it ceased in 2016. Future trends like AI-driven personalization and AR event previews could evolve its legacy, with Time Out leveraging it for post-IPO growth in live experiences. As urban recovery post-pandemic accelerates demand for hybrid virtual/in-person events, YPlan's impulse-booking DNA positions Time Out to capture market share—tying back to its original mission of making cities more discoverable and bookable.
Key people at YPlan.
YPlan has raised $38.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
YPlan's investors include Astanor Ventures, Balderton Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Connect Ventures, Cubit Investments Ltd, General Catalyst, Lightbank, LocalGlobe, O.G. Tech Partners, Scott Tannen, American Express Ventures, IVP.
YPlan has raised $38.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $24.0M Series B in November 2014.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 1, 2014 | $24.0M Series B | Astanor Ventures, Balderton Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Connect Ventures, Cubit Investments Ltd, General Catalyst, Lightbank, LocalGlobe, O.G. Tech Partners, Scott Tannen | |
| Jun 1, 2013 | $12.0M Series A | American Express Ventures, Astanor Ventures, Balderton Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Connect Ventures, Cubit Investments Ltd, General Catalyst, IVP, Lightbank, LocalGlobe, M33 Growth, NewView Capital, O.G. Tech Partners, Slow Ventures, Scott Tannen | |
| Jun 1, 2012 | $2.0M Seed | Angelic Ventures, Astanor Ventures, Balderton Capital, Connect Ventures, Eight Roads Ventures, Firstminute Capital, General Catalyst, GV, LocalGlobe, Nauta Capital, Partech Ventures, Spark Capital, Alexander Ljung, Andreas Ehn, Azeem Azhar, Eric Quidenus-Wahlforss, Jonathan Goodwin, Klaus Nyengaard, Scott Tannen |
