Grip, which enables networking across virtual, hybrid, and live events, raises $13M Series A led by Kennet Partners, bringing its total raised to $14.5M
Context & Ripple Effects
Grip's raise lands in the middle of a dense funding run for event software: Welcome took a $12M Series A in November, and within the same weeks Touchcast raised a $55M Series A led by Accenture Ventures and Hubilo closed its own $23.5M Series A — all aimed at companies running virtual and hybrid events.
Against rivals stacking large war chests for full-stack hosting and analytics, Grip is positioning narrowly on the networking layer itself — matchmaking attendees across virtual, hybrid, and live formats — which makes its smaller $13M round from Kennet Partners a bet that connection quality, not broadcast production, is where event platforms differentiate.
First-order effects
- Grip gains $13M from Kennet Partners to scale its cross-format attendee-matching product while competitors it directly overlaps — Hubilo, Bevy, Welcome, Touchcast — hold far larger recent raises.
Second-order effects
- Better-funded rivals like Bevy ($40M at a $325M valuation) and Hubilo can bundle networking features into their hosting suites, forcing Grip to prove standalone matching wins deals or pushes buyers toward consolidation on one vendor.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, the event-tech stack consolidates around format-agnostic platforms spanning hosting, ticketing APIs like Vivenu's, and networking — squeezing single-feature vendors toward acquisition or specialization.
The trend: Corporate event software is absorbing pandemic-era virtual-event funding into hybrid-first platforms, with the networking layer emerging as the contested differentiator.