Brella

Overview

Brella is a Finnish event-technology company focused on networking for conferences, exhibitions, and other business events. Its platform combines attendee matchmaking, meeting scheduling, event content, and organizer tools for physical, virtual, and hybrid formats.

The company is known primarily for using algorithmic matching to help attendees identify relevant contacts and arrange meetings. It serves professional event organizers and has been used by organizations including Slush, Samsung, Microsoft, TechCrunch, Google, EY, and Informa.

History

Brella was founded in Finland in 2016 by Markus Kauppinen, Ville Vanhala, Jyrki Fagerström, and Mikko Matikka; the service originated from the founders’ frustration with ineffective networking at business events. The company was initially developed as a spin-off from the design agency MEOM. In 2017, Brella raised €1.2 million from investors including Vendep Capital to expand internationally, particularly in the United States. It later expanded from in-person event networking into virtual and hybrid events, with offices in Finland, the United States, and Sri Lanka.

Product Lines

Manufacturing

Brella is a software company rather than a physical-product manufacturer. Its event platform is developed and operated through distributed teams associated with offices in Finland, the United States, and Sri Lanka.

Notable Products

• Matchmaking - AI-assisted attendee matchmaking that recommends relevant professional connections based on profiles, interests, and objectives.
• Meeting Booking - Scheduling and management for one-to-one attendee, sponsor, and exhibitor meetings during events.
• Event App - Event application and web experience combining agendas, content, attendee profiles, and networking.
• Virtual and Hybrid Events - Tools for delivering networking and engagement at online and mixed-format events.
• Exhibitor and Sponsor Tools - Organizer and exhibitor features for sponsor exposure, lead capture, analytics, and measurable event engagement.

Reputation

Brella is generally recognized by event professionals for its focused networking workflow, polished interface, agenda personalization, and matchmaking capabilities. Reviewers value its ability to support attendee connections and sponsor engagement across event formats. Criticisms include limited public pricing, relatively high cost for smaller events, lack of a broadly available trial, and reports from some users of slow performance, login problems, or unreliable notifications during busy events.