How Tagvenue Built a Six-Country Marketplace Without a Single Funding Round
Tagvenue, the London-born venue-hire marketplace founded in March 2015 by Lancaster University friends Artur Stepaniak and Maksim Kondratjuks, grew into a platform spanning six countries, 22,000+ venues and a million monthly visitors — without ever raising a funding round. This is the story of how a business built on commissions, word-of-mouth demand and disciplined hiring reached global scale on its own revenue instead of venture capital.
People
On the Tagvenue team
Artur Stepaniak
Artur Stepaniak is the co-founder and CEO of Tagvenue, a London-based online marketplace for booking event venues. He and university friend Maksim Kondratjuks started the company in March 2015 after struggling to find spaces for events, and grew it - largely by word of mouth - into one of the world's leading venue-hire platforms, now covering six countries and used by more than a million event planners each month. Before startups, Stepaniak spent his early career as a derivatives and proprietary trader.
Maksim Kondratjuks
Maksim Kondratjuks is the co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Tagvenue, an online marketplace for booking event venues that he started in London in 2015 with Artur Stepaniak. The idea grew out of his own frustration finding conference and wedding spaces while working in equity capital markets at the London Stock Exchange. What began as a UK venue search engine now spans six countries with more than 20,000 verified venues and around 700,000 monthly event organizers.
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Company historyMaksims Kondratjuks and Artur Stepaniak launch the venue marketplace in March 2015 after their own venue-hunting frustrations.
The platform's first-ever booking is a children's birthday party with a professional entertainer, achieved with no advertising.
Tagvenue starts extending beyond the UK, eventually reaching Ireland, Australia, Singapore, Canada and the US.
Founders publish a letter marking 30,000+ annual events, ~11,000 venues, 300,000 monthly visitors and a team over 80.
The company releases an AI-powered venue management platform with LeadHub analytics for venue managers.
Tagvenue reports 20,000+ verified venues, 1M+ monthly visitors and around 92 employees across six countries.
Product History
What shipped, and whenTagvenue Marketplace
Free-to-use venue search and booking marketplace with 20,000+ verified venues across 40+ venue types; users send a single enquiry to multiple venues and compare upfront, data-based pricing.
Supervenue Programme
A badge and ranking programme that rewards venues for fast responses and strong booking performance, surfacing the most reliable spaces to planners.
Tagvenue Pro
AI-powered venue management software / CRM with LeadHub analytics that helps venue managers handle enquiries, track leads and grow bookings.
FAQs
Frequently askedIs Tagvenue free to use?
Yes. It is completely free for event planners and bookers - there are no booking, admin or membership fees. Venues pay a commission only when a booking is confirmed.
Who founded Tagvenue and when?
It was founded in London in March 2015 by Maksims Kondratjuks and Artur Stepaniak, two friends who met at Lancaster University.
Which countries does Tagvenue operate in?
The UK, the US, Canada, Australia, Singapore and Ireland, with more than 20,000 verified venues listed.
What is Tagvenue Pro?
Launched in 2025, Tagvenue Pro is AI-powered venue management software with LeadHub analytics that helps venue managers handle enquiries and grow bookings.
How does Tagvenue make money?
It charges venues a commission (roughly 10-15%, depending on event type and country) on confirmed bookings, plus newer subscription revenue from Tagvenue Pro.