Engage, a Los Angeles based startup with a mission to democratize the talent booking industry, announced today that it has received an investment from the University of Southern California (USC) Marshall Venture Fund in its pre-seed fundraising round. Engage’s proprietary web-based platform digitizes the process of booking events & experiences.
USC seniors Jake Olson and his roommate-turned-manager Daniel Hennes founded Engage to help modernize an antiquated process. The process of booking talent currently includes paper contracts, faxes, mailing checks for payments, and various other outdated methodologies. Engage replaces the old system with digital contracts, live chat communication within the platform, email notifications, credit card or ACH payment, and much more.
“We are extremely excited to have an investor and partner such as USC backing Engage,” said Olson. “USC has always supported me, and I’m honored and humbled to be able to continue to work with them on Engage. Having a strategic institution such as USC Marshall behind Engage is one additional step towards ensuring Engage will be able to become the world-class platform that is needed to serve talent and consumers in a digital world.”
The USC Marshall Fund invests and receives equity in ventures led by USC students, alumni, faculty, and staff. The mission of the Fund is to integrate USC in the startup and venture ecosystem to offer an unparalleled academic opportunity for students, catalyze entrepreneurship at USC, generate financial returns for the University, and contribute to the economy of Southern California.
“Engage combines many of the elements we aim to bring together through the USC Marshall Venture Fund,” said Managing Director Michael Rivera. “Thoughtful and entrepreneurial Trojans in Jake and Daniel, solving a 21st-century business challenge in a way that feels unique to the Los Angeles tech and entertainment landscape. That is exactly the kind of creative thinking the Fund intends to support.”
To learn more about the platform, view the open beta, and sign up, visit www.letsengage.com.
To learn more about the USC Marshall School of Business Venture Fund, visit https://www.marshall.usc.edu/departments/lloyd-greif-center-entrepreneurial-studies/major-initiatives/usc-marshall-venture-fund.
Engage is a proprietary platform for booking talent and events. Engage allows consumers, event planners, and businesses to find and book talent in less than ten minutes. To learn more, visit www.LetsEngage.com.For media inquiries, contact Press@LetsEngage.com
SOURCE: Engage, LLC
