SpotOn.it Reinvents Add-to-Calendar As A Communication Channel, Raises $4.3 Million In Seed Funding And Rebrands As Stanza

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Stanza, formerly known as SpotOn.it, is giving new perspective to the age old Add-to-Calendar button. Compatible with any type of calendar client (Google, iCal, Outlook, Exchange, etc.), Stanza's Add-to-Calendar button has already synced over 56 million sporting events to users' personal calendars. Stanza is also announcing the close of $4.3 million in seed funding with participation from Metamorphic Ventures, Founder Collective, Tekton Ventures, Western Technology Investment and Stanford-StartX Fund, along with angel investors including ex-NFL players: Ronnie Lott & Harris Barton. The company has a professional sports client base with 300+ teams across the NFL, NBA, NHL & NCAA adopting the button.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150408/197463LOGO

The Add-to-Calendar button as we know it was built along with the internet - but it hasn't evolved since. It's static; once an event has been added to calendar, it's in a format that doesn't change when the actual event details do. Event organizers and publishers don't get data on engagement. Even adding the button to a website or app is too technical for the average person to implement.

Stanza's solution is simple. An Add-to-Calendar button that's as easy to use and implement as a Facebook or Twitter button. A button that can automatically pick up upcoming dates from a webpage and then sync with all types of existing online and native calendars. End-users don't need to download a new app - all updates and are pushed to their existing calendar client on desktop and mobile. The technology is OS and device agnostic. Publishers can push real-time updates and get real-time analytics on engagement with their events.

Stanza makes calendar smarter, by working at the event level - users see the right information at the right time and place. Stanza can:

• Connect information to a calendar event: score updates after a sporting game, recipes after a cooking class, change in studio for a workout class or notes after a seminar
• Connect services to a calendar event: buy tickets, upgrade seats at the event, take an Uber to the event and book reservations before or after an event
• Automate relevance: the platform automatically shows the right information to each calendar end-user, based on the users' time & location context

As David Pascual, Senior Director of Web Content Development at Sirius XM Radio, puts it, "At Sirius XM we are constantly looking for ways to help subscribers find the content they'll love on our service. By using Stanza, we've been able to effortlessly connect listeners to live sports, special events, and exclusive programming through the Add-to-Calendar button. Enabling calendars has been dead simple not only because of an intuitive user interface, but also because implementation requires just a few lines of JavaScript.  End-users don't need to install another app. As an entertainment service with regular late breaking programming changes, Stanza has allowed us to keep subscribers up to date easily and effectively."

Stanza is expanding beyond their professional sports background and opening up the product to communities of all sizes. Trying to manage dates, events, and attendance or engagement is a challenge for just about anyone, regardless of industry, and Stanza is solving that. Stanza's private beta list includes political campaign managers syncing key moments or events to supporters' calendars, PTA groups trying to stay on the same page, college social organizations, student groups, and studios offering class schedules.

For example, Tracey Downing, an elementary PTA leader, is an early Stanza user and uses the platform for field trips. "The teacher gave us all the field trips for the year and I added them to Stanza that night," said Downing. "All the trips were immediately in everybody's calendar, including the sign-up forms for parents. From that standpoint I knew this could help everyone stay updated and be organized."

Stanza is available for a limited pre-order from now until late summer 2015, and priced at $7/month for the first year. Pre-order customers will be on boarded immediately. After the limited pre-order, the pricing will go up to $15/month. Education discounts are available.

About Stanza
Founded by CEO Smita Saxena in 2012, Stanza, formerly known as SpotOn.it, makes calendar smarter, without creating yet another new app. Stanza's reinvented Add-to-Calendar button has already synced over 56 million sporting events to users' personal calendars. Stanza has closed $4.3 million in seed funding with participation from Metamorphic Ventures, Founder Collective, Tekton Ventures, Western Technology Investment and Stanford-StartX Fund, along with angel investors including ex-NFL players: Ronnie Lott & Harris Barton. The company has a professional sports client base with 300+ teams across the NFL, NBA, NHL and NCAA adopting the button. Stanza is now expanding beyond their professional sports background and opening up the product to communities of all sizes. Trying to manage dates, events, and attendance or engagement is a challenge for just about anyone, regardless of industry, and Stanza is solving that. Stanza is available now for a limited pre-order for a discounted price of $7/month (vs. $15/month retail) until late Summer 2015. To learn more about Stanza, go to https://stanza.co.

SOURCE Stanza