College Startup Disrupts the Future of Online Event Planning

The idea for trueRSVP was based on our frustration with friends flaking out on the events we planned for our student organizations. So, we wanted to do something about it. Fast-forward a year later and we have grown to a team of six and are launching our venture with the help of Organic Startup – Los Angeles angel investor, Scott Sangster’s incubator.

Best Success Story:

We launched trueRSVP in the Fall of 2011 at the DEMO conference, a platform for showcasing innovative emerging technology, in Silicon Valley. We won the DEMOgod award, placing first for the Alpha Pitch companies.

Fei, my co-founder, ran on stage in a wedding dress for our pitch complaining how the groom flaked out on her even though he responded “yes” on her Evite — it was amazing. Everyone in the audience actually woke up and laughed.

Biggest Startup Challenge:

Starting a company is the hardest thing you can do. Instead of recruiting for corporate jobs like the rest of our peers in school, we are trying to forge our own path. It’s a lot of long nights, self-doubt, and wrong turns. However, it is the most exciting and challenging journey.

It’s a challenge to do something innovative in the event planning industry while trying to show how traditional response models are inaccurate. We plan on pushing forward and to keep making our product better with customer feedback.

#1 Tip for Entrepreneurs:

Just do it. My favorite quote says it best: “We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action (Frank Tibolt).”

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