This might not seem like the best year to be in the live events business, given that conferences have gone online, concerts are being staged virtually, and sports are being played behind closed doors. But one startup is preparing for the return of public gatherings by offering venues the technology and data to help them emerge from lockdown and safely accommodate fans.

Realife Tech was originally founded in 2014 as LiveStyled, offering a white-label backend music and sports venues could integrate into their own mobile apps to deliver real-time tailored content or help fans find their way around, buy tickets, and preorder merchandise. Today the London-based company is rebranding and relaunching with $7.2 million in fresh funding and a Covid Safety Hub it hopes will help get people back inside public venues. As Realife Tech founder and CEO Adam Goodyer explains, the company wants to help “events around the world return to action” and “assist in kickstarting the economy.”

Data

The live music industry alone is a $28 billion market, and while watching bands perform from their living room holds a certain charm, the experience of seeing them live on stage alongside thousands of like-minded fans is hard to replicate. Realife Tech isn’t launching any major new technology, but it’s setting out to show how its existing technology, and a few new tools, can help venues maintain some degree of social distancing.

For example, venues can allocate entry slots so attendees will only be able to enter the grounds during a specific time frame. And contactless collection enables consumers to order food and drink through their mobile phone and receive an alert when it’s ready to pick up.