Executive Summary

Event planners, couples, and small venue vendors face a two-sided cold-start: there are roughly 10 million events annually worldwide averaging $20,000 spend (a $200B market) but new marketplaces struggle to present enough credible vendors and compelling listings to convert early demand, while individual vendors lack the time or skill to create high-quality portfolios and often waste limited marketing budgets. This fragmentation means many vendors underinvest in discovery channels and platforms fail to achieve the supply-demand density required for repeatable bookings. You could build an AI-driven seeding layer for event-vendor marketplaces that automates high-quality vendor onboarding at scale: AI-generated portfolio augmentation (image enhancement, staged sample galleries, short video reels), optimized listing copy, and conversion-focused profiles, combined with an acquisition engine that economically purchases guaranteed leads and syndicates them to seeded vendors. The product would emphasize fidelity and consent—using vendor-supplied assets where possible, synthetic augmentation when permitted, and clear provenance labels—while tying seeding costs to performance so marketplace economics remain disciplined. Now is a favorable time: digital discovery is replacing referrals, AI tooling dramatically lowers content production costs, and performance-based acquisition models make it practical to buy initial demand and attribute ROI; together these trends reduce the capital needed to reach marketplace liquidity in a $200B addressable market. However, success requires rigorous authenticity controls, legal clarity around synthetic content, and enough upfront capital to fund lead purchase and verification—challenges that are solvable but non-trivial. To stand out, focus on measurable conversion uplift and risk-sharing: guarantee leads or pay-per-booking, offer verified badges through simple on-site checks, and specialize initially in high-value verticals like weddings and corporate events where average spend and repeatability justify higher CAC. Strengths include a clear lever to break the cold-start and strong unit economics if you can keep CAC < 10% of average event spend, while challenges include building trust in AI-augmented profiles, defending against commoditized content from competitors, and operationalizing verification at scale.

Market Opportunity

Solve two-sided cold-start for event-vendor marketplaces with AI seeding targets a $200B = 10M annual events worldwide x $20K average event spend (weddings, corporate, private events) total addressable market with medium saturation and a year-over-year growth rate of 6% CAGR (event & wedding discovery moving online).

Key trends driving demand: Digital discovery -- couples and event planners increasingly search and book vendors online rather than via referrals, increasing addressable demand for marketplaces.; AI-generated content & profiles -- AI enables rapid, convincing vendor profiles, video/photo enhancement and listing copy, lowering onboarding friction.; Performance-based acquisition -- platforms can economically buy demand via guaranteed-lead models and affiliate syndication to seed two-sided marketplaces.; Micro-influencer & social commerce -- short-form video and local influencer discovery channels are driving vendor discovery beyond traditional directories..

Key competitors include The Knot Worldwide (The Knot, WeddingWire), Thumbtack, GigSalad, Facebook Groups / Google My Business (adjacent workaround).

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Solve two-sided cold-start for event-vendor marketplaces with AI seeding

Executive Summary

Market Validation

Market Opportunity

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