Peatix

Peatix operates a self-service event and community platform that connects event organizers with attendees. Organizers use it to create, publish and manage events, handling ticketing, registration, attendee management and check-in, with support staff available to assist. Attendees use the web platform and the Peatix mobile app to discover events in their city and complete the full flow from discovery to purchase and check-in. The platform supports events of many sizes and genres, ranging from small gatherings and workshops to large festivals and conferences, held online or offline.

The service launched in May 2011 in Tokyo and has grown into one of Japan's largest event and community platforms while also serving communities internationally. The group operates through several legal entities: Peatix Inc. in New York, Peatix Japan K.K. in Tokyo, Peatix Asia Pte. Ltd. in Singapore and Peatix Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. in Selangor.

Founding story

The company was founded in Japan in 2007 as Orinoco Inc. by a group of colleagues who had worked together at Amazon Japan; co-founder Taku Harada had previously worked at Sony Music and Apple, where he was involved in launching iTunes in Japan, and was head of music at Amazon Japan. Co-founder Emi Takemura Miller had worked at Monitor Group, McKinsey & Company, Amazon Japan and Disney Japan before helping start the predecessor company to Peatix. The Peatix service itself launched in May 2011, shortly after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, at a time when people were seeking ways to reconnect and support one another; the platform was intended to make organizing and joining community projects and events more accessible. Because the launch coincided with a period when gathering socially was discouraged, the founders' initial focus on independent music artists did not gain traction as expected.

Business model

Peatix provides self-service software to event organizers for creating and publishing events, selling tickets, managing registrations and attendees, and running check-ins, alongside a consumer-facing discovery app and website for attendees. Support staff are offered to organizers to assist with sales and attendee management.

Traction

The company reports 5.6 million people participating in events on Peatix each year, more than 25,000 online and offline events listed at any given time, availability in 22 countries and more than 1,000 new organizers joining monthly. At the time of an earlier interview the company had about thirty-plus staff across Tokyo, Singapore and New York.

Latest developments

Peatix's about pages present the platform as operating across 22 countries with continued emphasis on community and event tools, and publish Peatix Community Guidelines governing participant conduct on the platform.