Another successful Canadian company is making headlines. This time it’s Toronto-based Uniiverse, which has dubbed itself as a the social marketplace for real life experiences. The company is also known as the “eBay for activities”, having created a ticketing software that combines several promotional tools to maximize event exposure on any website.
Since launching in 2012, Uniiverse has received $2.5 million in funding. To forge ahead in the space, Uniiverse has acquired Universe.com and shifted its name and brand from Uniiverse (two “ii”s) to Universe. There was no indication of how much the domain cost, but it’s a solid move that will cause less confusion.
“Changing our name, website and logo to Universe with one ‘i’, will help communicate our vision and increase our brand recognition as we start our international expansion,” said co-founder & CEO Ben Raffi.
In addition to the new direction in strategy, Universe has also opened up an office in San Francisco. The Toronto office will remain open, but this move into the United States brings them closer to potential partners, strategic capital, and access to top talent.
In an email to BetaKit, Raffi noted that Universe grew 700% in 2014 and “more than doubled our workforce.” Universe now has 22 employees, 8 in San Francisco and 14 in Toronto.