YPlan

YPlan was a digital event-discovery and ticket-booking service founded in London in 2012 by Viktoras Jucikas and Rytis Vitkauskas. The co-founders had met while studying at Jacobs University Bremen in Germany and developed the company around a focused alternative to broad event listings. Rather than presenting users with an exhaustive catalogue, YPlan selected a relatively small number of events taking place over the following days and allowed customers to book tickets through its app and related platform. The service combined editorial curation with personalization technology. Its proposition was based on reducing the friction caused by excessive choice: users could quickly find something to do that evening or in the near future without searching through hundreds of listings. YPlan’s model also addressed a supply-side problem in the London entertainment market. The company was associated with estimates that substantial numbers of theatre and other event seats remained unsold, particularly close to the performance date, creating an opportunity for a mobile service focused on last-minute discovery and purchasing. YPlan initially concentrated on London and subsequently pursued international expansion, including an effort to enter New York City. Its event inventory covered entertainment and nightlife categories such as theatre, live music, comedy, clubs, food and drink experiences, and other activities available through partner venues and event organizers. The platform’s emphasis was on immediacy, selection, and convenience rather than on operating venues or producing the events itself. The startup attracted considerable attention in the technology and startup press. It was identified as a company to watch by Business Insider and Mashable in 2013, and it later appeared in recognition lists associated with Forbes, WIRED, and The Sunday Times Tech Track. The company reported rapid early user growth: coverage stated that it had passed 500,000 users roughly a year after launch, while the app had exceeded one million downloads by the end of 2014. YPlan raised approximately $38 million in disclosed funding. A $12 million Series A round supported the company’s development and plans for expansion, while a further funding round reported in 2014 brought total capital raised to just under $38 million. Despite the scale of its financing and ambitions to become a large international technology company, later accounts reported significant accumulated losses. Accounts for 2015 were reported as showing losses of approximately $20.8 million, illustrating the difficulty of converting rapid user growth and event-market demand into a sustainable business. On 21 October 2016, YPlan was acquired by Time Out Group for £1.6 million. The transaction placed the service within a media and city-guide company whose business included editorial recommendations, events, and ticketing. YPlan did not remain an independent operating brand for long after the acquisition. The service was shut down in 2017, ending its operation as a standalone digital event-discovery and booking platform.

YPlan was established in London in 2012 by Viktoras Jucikas and Rytis Vitkauskas, who had met at Jacobs University Bremen in Germany. The founders built the business around a simple proposition: people seeking entertainment often benefit from a short, confident selection rather than an enormous catalogue of possibilities. YPlan therefore focused on events taking place soon, especially in the next few days, and combined human curation with personalization algorithms. The platform served as both a discovery layer and a booking channel. Users could browse selected recommendations and purchase tickets through YPlan or through participating venues and partners. Its initial market was London, where the company saw an opportunity in the large volume of unsold theatre and entertainment inventory, particularly seats that became available close to showtime. By making these opportunities easier to find on a mobile device, YPlan sought to connect consumers with events while helping organizers monetize otherwise unused capacity. The startup expanded its ambitions beyond London. A $12 million Series A round was associated with plans to enter New York City, and a further financing round reported in 2014 brought total funding to slightly less than $38 million. The company’s growth attracted prominent startup coverage. In 2013, Business Insider and Mashable included YPlan in startup-watch lists. Later recognition included Forbes’ 2013 global startup coverage, WIRED’s 2014 list of European hot startups, and The Sunday Times Tech Track 100’s 2014 Ones to Watch selection. Reported user growth was strong: YPlan was said to have surpassed 500,000 users around a year after launch, and its application had more than one million downloads by the end of 2014. The business nevertheless faced the typical economics of a heavily funded consumer technology startup operating in a competitive marketplace. Growth and market expansion required substantial investment in product development, marketing, partnerships, and operations. Reports on the company’s 2015 accounts indicated accumulated losses of approximately $20.8 million. Those figures contrasted with the much larger long-term ambitions publicly associated with the company and demonstrated that audience growth had not yet produced a comparable level of financial sustainability. Time Out Group acquired YPlan on 21 October 2016 for a reported £1.6 million. The acquisition connected YPlan’s technology and event-booking proposition with Time Out’s established editorial, city-guide, and event businesses. The transaction occurred after YPlan had raised approximately $38 million, making the reported purchase price a substantial reduction from the capital invested in the company. YPlan was subsequently shut down in 2017 and did not continue as an independent consumer service. Its short history illustrates both the appeal of curated mobile event commerce and the challenges of scaling a city-focused marketplace with high customer-acquisition and operating costs.

• 2017

  Platform discontinued

  [1]YPlanen.wikipedia.org

  YPlan was shut down after the Time Out Group acquisition.

• 2016

  Acquired by Time Out Group

  [1]YPlanen.wikipedia.org

  Time Out Group acquired YPlan on 21 October 2016 for a reported £1.6 million.

• 2014

  Funding reaches almost $38 million

  [1]YPlanen.wikipedia.org

  A reported $24 million financing round brought the company’s total disclosed funding to just under $38 million and supported expansion plans.

• 2014

  App passes one million downloads

  [1]YPlanen.wikipedia.org

  YPlan was reported to have exceeded one million app downloads by the end of 2014.

• 2013

  Early startup recognition and user growth

  [1]YPlanen.wikipedia.org

  YPlan appeared on startup-watch lists from Business Insider and Mashable, and reported usage exceeded 500,000 users approximately a year after launch.

• 2012

  YPlan founded in London

  [1]YPlanen.wikipedia.org

  Viktoras Jucikas and Rytis Vitkauskas founded YPlan as a digital service for discovering and booking curated near-term events.

A curated, mobile-first alternative to comprehensive event listings, designed to help users quickly discover and book selected entertainment and experiences while reducing choice overload.

• Event discovery and ticketing · 2012

  YPlan app and platform

  YPlan’s core product was a mobile-first service that presented users with a curated selection of events available in the near term. The service combined editorial selection and personalization technology, allowing customers to discover and book entertainment through YPlan or participating partners. Its inventory included theatre, live entertainment, nightlife, comedy, and other experiences, initially concentrated in London and later connected with international expansion plans.

• 2017

  Discontinuation of the YPlan serviceStrategy

  Background

  Following its acquisition by Time Out Group, YPlan no longer operated as a standalone event-discovery and booking service.

  Action taken

  The YPlan platform was shut down.

  Aftermath

  YPlan became a defunct brand and ceased serving customers as an independent product.

  Source

• 2016

  Sale to Time Out GroupM&A

  Background

  YPlan had achieved strong reported user and download growth but had also accumulated substantial losses and raised approximately $38 million in funding.

  Action taken

  Time Out Group acquired YPlan on 21 October 2016 for a reported £1.6 million.

  Aftermath

  The service was shut down in 2017 and did not continue as an independent operating platform.

  Acquisition price. £1.6 million (21 October 2016)

  Source

• 2017

  YPlan service shut down[1]YPlanen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  YPlan ceased operating as a standalone service after its acquisition by Time Out Group.

• 2016

  YPlan acquired by Time Out Group[1]YPlanen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Time Out Group acquired YPlan on 21 October 2016 for a reported £1.6 million.

• 2014

  YPlan raises a further funding round[1]YPlanen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  A reported $24 million financing round brought YPlan's total disclosed funding to just under $38 million and supported planned expansion into additional cities.

• 2013

  YPlan attracts startup recognition and rapid early usage[1]YPlanen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The company received early startup press attention, including appearances on lists published by Business Insider and Mashable, while reported usage passed 500,000 users approximately a year after launch.

• 2012

  YPlan founded as a curated digital event-booking service[1]YPlanen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Viktoras Jucikas and Rytis Vitkauskas founded YPlan in London to help users discover and book a limited selection of near-term events.

1. 1YPlanen.wikipedia.org