Everfest

Everfest was established in Austin in the summer of 2014 by Jay Manickam, Paul Cross, and Brad Dixon. The founders aimed to organize the fragmented festival landscape through a digital platform serving both audiences and event producers. For attendees, the service combined a searchable directory with social and planning functions: users could discover festivals, connect with friends, build calendars, share festival-related material, and receive recommendations shaped by their interests, location, and previous attendance or preferences. For organizers, Everfest offered tools for maintaining an event presence online, reaching potential attendees, promoting festivals, and distributing benefits such as discounts or free items. Rather than limiting itself to one event genre, Everfest grouped festivals into twelve broad categories: art, book, civic, cultural, faith, food, film, historical, music, performance, seasonal, and unique. This categorization reflected an effort to treat festivals as a wide cultural and community market rather than simply as concerts. Its recommendation system was intended to add personalization to the directory, helping people find relevant events among festivals distributed across different locations and categories. The company gained visibility in Austin's startup ecosystem during 2015. Built In Austin selected Everfest as one of 50 startups to watch, and the Austin Chamber of Commerce later included it in its A-List of hot startups. Everfest was one of the recognized companies in the Emerging category, selected from a larger group of nominees. In April of that year, it closed an angel round totaling $1.5 million. The investors included Bob Kagle, associated with Benchmark Capital, and a group connected with ATX Seed Ventures. Everfest also appeared on Product Hunt on April 5, 2015, where it received enough community support to finish the day as the second-most-upvoted product. Recognition continued in 2016 when Fast Company included Everfest in its list of Most Innovative Companies. In September, Everfest expanded through the acquisition of Fest300, a competitor operating in festival discovery. The deal brought additional industry knowledge into the business, including Chip Conley as a part-time chief strategy officer. Conley's background included Burning Man, Airbnb, and Joie de Vivre Hotels, giving the company an executive associated with hospitality, travel, and festival culture. Everfest raised a $3.6 million Series A financing round in June 2017. Live Nation Entertainment and ATX Seed Ventures co-led the round. Charlie Walker of C3 Presents and Chris Shonk of ATX Seed Ventures joined the board as part of the financing. The participation of Live Nation connected Everfest with a major live-entertainment company, while the financing supported the platform's broader role in festival discovery and organizer services. In February 2020, Qcue acquired Everfest. Qcue was an Austin company specializing in dynamic pricing software for live entertainment events. The acquisition terms were not publicly disclosed in the available reference material. A later reference identifies June 1, 2020 as the last recorded Everfest Instagram post as of July 9, 2024. There is not enough information in the supplied material to determine whether Qcue continued the Everfest service, integrated its technology, retained the brand, or discontinued public operations. The company is therefore documented as having an uncertain current status rather than being labeled definitively active or defunct.

• 2020

  Acquired by Qcue

  [1]Everfesten.wikipedia.org

  Qcue acquired Everfest in February; transaction terms were not disclosed.

• 2017

  Series A financing

  [1]Everfesten.wikipedia.org

  Everfest raised a $3.6 million Series A co-led by Live Nation Entertainment and ATX Seed Ventures.

• 2016

  Fest300 acquisition

  [1]Everfesten.wikipedia.org

  Everfest acquired competing festival-discovery service Fest300 and added Chip Conley as a part-time chief strategy officer.

• 2015

  Early startup recognition

  [1]Everfesten.wikipedia.org

  Everfest was named one of Built In Austin's 50 startups to watch and later appeared on the Austin Chamber of Commerce's A-List of hot startups.

• 2015

  Angel financing and Product Hunt launch

  [1]Everfesten.wikipedia.org

  The company closed a $1.5 million angel round and appeared on Product Hunt, where it ended the day as the second-most-upvoted product.

• 2014

  Company founded

  [1]Everfesten.wikipedia.org

  Jay Manickam, Paul Cross, and Brad Dixon founded Everfest in Austin during the summer of 2014.

A discovery, community, and marketing platform for festivals across music, arts, culture, food, film, civic, seasonal, and other event categories.

• Digital event discovery · 2014

  Everfest festival discovery platform

  The core Everfest service was an online directory and discovery platform for festivals around the world. It covered twelve categories, including music, art, food, film, cultural, civic, faith, seasonal, historical, performance, book, and unique festivals. Users could search events, connect with friends, maintain calendars, share experiences, and receive algorithmic recommendations based on interests, location, and prior activity.

• Event marketing and management · 2014

  Everfest organizer tools

  Everfest provided festival organizers with tools for managing an online presence and marketing events to prospective attendees. The organizer proposition extended beyond directory placement: event producers could use the platform to communicate with audiences and provide attendee perks, including discounts or free items, as part of the festival experience.

• Personalization

  Everfest recommendation system

  The platform used an algorithm to recommend festivals according to users' stated likes, locations, preferences, and previous attendance. This personalization layer was intended to help users move from general festival browsing to relevant event planning and discovery.

• 2015Product Hunt launch

  United States · Online

  Everfest was submitted to Product Hunt on April 5, 2015 and attracted strong community engagement, finishing the day as the second-most-upvoted product.

  Outcome. The launch increased visibility among technology and startup audiences.

  Source
• 2015Austin Startup Games participation

  Austin, United States

  Everfest competed in the 2015 Austin Startup Games as part of the ATX Seed Ventures team.

  Outcome. The team earned a $1,000 donation for The Bunker in Austin.

  Source

• 2020

  Acquisition by QcueM&A

  Background

  Qcue, an Austin provider of dynamic pricing software for live entertainment events, acquired Everfest.

  Action taken

  Qcue purchased Everfest in February 2020; the terms were not disclosed.

  Aftermath

  The available material does not establish whether Everfest continued as a public-facing platform, was integrated into Qcue, or was discontinued.

  Source

• 2017

  Raise Series A with live-entertainment investorsStrategy

  Background

  Everfest sought additional capital and strategic support as it developed its consumer discovery and festival-organizer platform.

  Action taken

  The company closed a $3.6 million Series A co-led by Live Nation Entertainment and ATX Seed Ventures, with Charlie Walker and Chris Shonk joining its board.

  Aftermath

  The financing strengthened Everfest's connection to major live-entertainment and startup-investment networks.

  Series A financing. $3.6 million raised (June 2017)

  Source

• 2016

  Acquire Fest300M&A

  Background

  Everfest operated in the same festival-discovery space as Fest300 and pursued expansion of its event catalog and competitive position.

  Action taken

  Everfest acquired Fest300 in September 2016 and brought Chip Conley into a part-time chief strategy role.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition added a competing festival-discovery service and associated industry expertise to Everfest.

  Source

1. 1Everfesten.wikipedia.org