Growing the marketplace & securing funding
vendors onboarded in 3 months
onboarding completion
reply rate to match request
PROBLEM
From vague inquiries to unclear client needs, vendors faced early friction that stalled momentum and slowed conversions
To understand the booking journey from a vendor’s perspective, I interviewed 15 event professionals and analyzed competitor platforms. While vendors turned to pay-to-play platforms for visibility, they still struggled to assess lead quality, clarify client needs, and create aligned proposals.
This insight defined where we could deliver the most value.
strategy
Solving early friction to unlock supply-led growth
After uncovering the early friction vendors faced, I led the strategy process with our founders and engineering lead. Together, we defined three focus areas to help vendors succeed while laying the groundwork for marketplace growth:
With a clear strategy in place, I translated each focus area into product experiences tailored for vendors.
Solution
Turning sign-up into a moment of recognition
Sign-up is the first step in onboarding - so I made it fast, welcoming, and motivating to get vendors excited and moving forward.
Vendors start by selecting their business from our 1,500+ vendor database. Once selected, the photo updates to showcase their own work, creating a personal moment of recognition and belonging. From there, account creation is quick and simple, keeping momentum going.
Helping vendors set up quickly for high-quality matches
High-quality matches depend on the right vendor details — services, pricing, and style. I created an onboarding flow that stayed simple and motivating while adapting to different vendor types. This approach kept momentum high, resulting in a 90% completion rate.
Auto-filled basics and social accounts let vendors dive right in without friction.
Vendor Love invited vendors to endorse past collaborators, building trust and stronger networks from the start.
A growth-guiding Vendor Portal
Vendors needed clarity on how to improve their profile and get booked. I surfaced engagement signals to show what resonated with clients and introduced a a match-ready checklist to guide vendors step by step toward becoming bookable.
Engagement insights highlighted most-loved photos, visits, and favorites, boosting vendor confidence and nudging them to upload more work.
The match-ready checklist drove action one step at a time, achieving an 85% completion rate.
A conversion-driven path from match to booking
Once vendors were match-ready, our platform paired them with client requests. The long-term vision was a full workspace, but for MVP I shipped a lightweight inquiry email that delivered key details and drove quick replies.
The vision: a centralized workspace bringing event details, client needs, and proposals together in one place.
What shipped: a lightweight inquiry email that retained core value — driving a 100% reply rate to match requests.
The launch
From offline-first launch to funding
We kicked off our go-to-market with in-person onboarding events in San Francisco. I designed the pop-up space to welcome vendors, bring our brand to life, and gather live feedback — and it proved wildly successful.
The result
Onboarding at scale
400+ vendors onboarded in 3 months
90% completed onboarding
Vendors deeply engaged
85% completed match-ready checklists
100% replied to match requests within 48 hours
High-quality matches
The real win was match quality: vendors and clients truly connected.
"The match I received was perfect, their vision and budget lined up with how I work, and we genuinely connected. I’m so glad we got to work together."
— Claire, Event Planner @clairecoordinateevents
Takeaways
This launch reinforced lessons I’ll carry into every 0→1 product: balance speed, focus, and leadership to turn vision into traction.
Owning product leadership. With no PM in place, I stepped into the role—setting direction, aligning priorities, and keeping a small team moving fast under pressure.
Designing for proof, not polish. We leaned into lightweight launches to show adoption quickly, which built the investor confidence we needed to secure funding.
Activation starts at launch. I designed every flow with post-launch engagement in mind, so vendors didn’t just sign up—they became active participants driving marketplace traction.
