Exhibitly Raises $1.5M for AI B2B Event Personalization

Jan de Vries · 2026-05-19

Exhibitly, a Ghent-based EventTech startup, just raised $1.5 million in a pre-Seed round. The company uses AI to personalize B2B events, and the money will go toward expanding the team, developing the product, and speeding up international growth. ### The Funding Details The round was led by New School VC. Other investors include 100IN, Allusion Ventures, and a group of private backers like Louis Jonckheere, Jeroen De Wit, Pieter Vanermen, and Tanguy Serraes. ### Why This Matters You know how most event websites feel the same? A Fortune 500 CEO and an intern see identical content, even though their needs are totally different. That's the problem Exhibitly wants to solve. "An event website is an organizer's most important marketing asset, yet it delivers the same generic experience to every visitor," said Hendrik Franck, co-founder and CEO of Exhibitly. "If visitors can't quickly see why the event matters to them, they leave." The founders, Hendrik Franck and Brent Coppens, launched Exhibitly in 2025. They had previously built ReadyEvent, a project management tool for event planners, under the Start it @KBC program. But after a year with little traction, they shut it down. After two quick pivots, they landed on Exhibitly. "You only learn what a market actually needs by building the wrong product first," Franck said. ### How It Works Exhibitly helps B2B event organizers boost attendance through AI-driven hyper-personalization. Here's the gist: - Visitors enter their job title and company on the event website. - Within 10 seconds, they get a personalized mini-website showing the most relevant sessions, speakers, and exhibitors. - The platform creates "why attend" reports tailored to each visitor. For organizers, it's a simple, scalable way to convert undecided leads into attendees. No technical integrations needed—the AI analyzes the full event website and enhances the content automatically. The company reports that 30% of visitors who use the platform click through to the registration page. That's 10 to 20 times higher than a standard event website. ### Real-World Impact Trade show budgets keep growing, but conversion rates are dropping. Why? Attending a trade show isn't an impulsive decision. Visitors have to factor in costs like flights, hotels, and time. They need to confirm the event's relevance before committing. Most event websites fail to deliver that, so potential attendees drop off. Exhibitly addresses this by adding an AI layer over existing event websites. In nine months, the startup signed 114 events from leading organizers, including global market leader Informa, Easyfairs, Hyve Group, and the Dubai World Trade Centre. From Ghent, Exhibitly now serves clients in the UK, US, Middle East, Africa, and Asia. The startup has been cashflow positive from day one. ### What's Next With the new funding, Exhibitly plans to grow its team from three to seven people and accelerate both product development and commercial expansion. Alongside its existing solution, the company is building a second product for exhibiting companies. While the current offering targets event organizers, this new product aims at the 4.5 million companies that exhibit each year. "By the end of 2027, we aim to support more than 1,000 events worldwide and establish Exhibitly as the global reference in B2B event intelligence," Franck said. This is a startup with a clear vision and real traction. If you're in the B2B event space, keep an eye on them.