Hometown Ticketing and Schoolfundr Join Forces to Empower Schools and Drive Student Success Beyond the Classroom

The combined business, Hometown, will power the extracurricular programs for 17,000 schools, colleges, and community organizations with a suite of event management, ticketing, fundraising, and communication tools.

COLUMBUS, Ohio and ST. PAUL, Minn., Dec. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Hometown Ticketing, a Nexa Equity portfolio company, and Schoolfundr announced today that the two companies merged to create a unified platform of complementary event management, ticketing, fundraising and communication tools purpose-built for schools. The companies will unite as Hometown (www.hometown.com) with the mission of empowering their customers with resources to support extracurricular programs, build stronger connections with their communities, and generate the funds needed to create lasting impact for students. Hometown will serve over 17,000 schools, colleges, associations, and community organizations, impacting more than 50 million students and supporters nationwide while driving over $1.3 billion of impact for schools and local communities.

"Our shared passion is to amplify the impact we have on the schools and communities our customers call home," said Hometown's CEO Nick Mirisis. "At Hometown, our goal is to help schools achieve three objectives: promote events effectively, increase revenue, and foster community engagement. Unlike one-size-fits-all platforms, we offer schools the flexibility to choose the tools that work best for them. By combining Hometown Ticketing's event management expertise with Schoolfundr's fee-free best-in-class fundraising platform, we're enabling schools to raise awareness, generate revenue, and create memorable experiences for students—on their own terms."

Innovating Ticketing and Event Management for Schools

Since its launch in 2016, Hometown Ticketing has become a trusted leader in digital ticketing and event management for schools. Designed specifically for educational communities, Hometown Ticketing's seamless, paperless platform empowers schools to promote events, streamline ticket sales, and manage gate entry with efficiency and transparency. Thousands of schools rely on Hometown's customizable tools, including real-time reporting, mobile-friendly solutions, and personalized event pages, to maximize revenue and create exceptional event experiences. By simplifying event operations, Hometown Ticketing helps schools strengthen community engagement and deliver memorable moments for students, families, and supporters.

Revolutionizing School Fundraising

Since its launch in 2022, Schoolfundr has rapidly become the fastest growing K-12 fundraising company. Its fee-free, purpose-built platform has disrupted traditional fundraising models by allowing schools to raise more and keep what they raise. In the past year alone, nearly 2,000 schools have adopted Schoolfundr's tool to enable district administrators, athletic directors, and coaches to manage, approve, track and run fundraisers with ease and transparency. By generating revenue exclusively through optional donor tips and passing on only standard credit card processing fees, Schoolfundr ensures schools retain all the funds they raise, unlike competitors who often take up to 20% of donations.

"Schoolfundr was founded with a commitment to transparency and simplicity in fundraising," said Dennis Levene, founder of Schoolfundr. "Joining forces with Hometown Ticketing allows us to expand that mission while integrating our fee-free model into a broader platform that serves thousands of school communities." "Together, we'll help schools raise more than ever while keeping everything they raise, providing them with the resources they need to focus on what matters most: creating engaging and memorable extracurricular experiences for students."

Introducing Hometown Engage

Hometown also unveiled plans to launch Hometown Engage, a new website and communication hub set to debut in early 2025. While not required to access Hometown's event management, ticketing or fundraising platforms, Hometown Engage provides schools with tools to manage their websites and communications while integrating seamlessly with ticketing and fundraising as well as adding links to the streaming service of their choice. This creates additional opportunities to raise awareness, deepen community connections, and manage online presence—all at no additional cost to schools or districts.

"It's no secret that resources for schools are stretched thin, threatening the sustainability of athletics, performing arts, and other essential programs," Mirisis said. "As financial pressure on schools increases, fee-free online fundraising and website tools built specifically for the education sector, and easy to use event management and ticketing solutions, will only become more essential to supporting students in their extracurricular pursuits."

Uniting Around a Shared Vision

The newly formed Hometown will be led by a combination of leaders from Hometown Ticketing and Schoolfundr, bringing together their collective expertise to deliver innovative, education-focused solutions. Together, they aim to redefine how schools connect with their communities, creating impactful and lasting experiences for students, educators, and supporters.

About Hometown

Hometown, a Nexa Equity portfolio company, powers the extracurricular programs for 17,000 schools, colleges, and community organizations with event management, ticketing, fundraising, and communication tools. Formed through the merger of Hometown Ticketing and Schoolfundr, the platform combines best-in-class event management and ticketing tools with a fee-free fundraising platform and website management and communication tools to empower its customers to promote events, engage their communities, and raise the funds they need—on their terms. To date, Hometown has driven more than $1.3 billion in impact for schools and local communities. Learn more at www.hometown.com.

ABOUT NEXA EQUITY

Nexa Equity is a San Francisco, California-based private equity firm that partners with founder-led, rapidly scaling SaaS companies that address markets underserved by technology to create enduring value for the benefit of its investors and portfolio companies. The firm has more than $400 million in private equity capital under management. The Nexa Equity team brings substantial investing and operational experience to the table and helps management teams professionalize and scale their businesses while driving long-term sustainable growth. For more information, please visit www.nexaequity.com.

Media Contact:
Debora Lima
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SOURCE Hometown