Nigerian-owned Zance launches AI platform to track ROI of events, targets Q1 funding

Zance, a startup by Nigerian-born innovator Ifeanyichukwu Ukwu, has launched an artificial intelligence-powered platform to help event planners track the return on investment (RoI) of in-person events. This was disclosed in a statement sent to Technext by the company.

Backed by the Mayor of London’s Amplify Ventures and Foundervine, the platform is designed to help organisers, sponsors, and attendees track the real return on in-person events. According to the statement, the platform replaces gut feel, headcounts, and post-event guesswork with actionable data that shows how events drive connections, leads, and business value.

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Speaking about the platform, Founder and CEO, Ifeanyichukwu Ukwu, pointed out that in-person event planners have always judged their success using the wrong metrics and fragmented tools, a reality his startup is set to change.

“For decades, success has been judged by how full a room looks. But a crowded room doesn’t guarantee a single meaningful connection. Organisers are relying on fragmented tools, ticketing for one thing, spreadsheets for another, while having zero visibility into what actually happens between two people shaking hands. We’re closing that value gap,” he said.

Zance is positioning itself as a digital concierge

Zance was founded by a team that has organised over 150 events. They include Ifeanyichukwu Ukwu (CEO), Isaac Oduh (CTO), and Enya Adesulure (Partnerships). The startup is a product of firsthand frustration experienced by the founders.

“We kept seeing great events fail to justify their value to sponsors. That’s the problem we set out to solve,” the CEO said.

As event costs continue to rise and “Zoom fatigue” drives renewed interest in physical gatherings, London-based Zance is challenging event organisers to abandon vanity metrics like attendance numbers. It is instead inviting them to measure what truly matters, which is outcomes.

To this end, the startup is positioning itself as a digital concierge for attendees, as well as a real-time analytics engine for organisers. Using an AI-powered personal assistant, the platform analyses participants’ professional goals to curate relevant connections. This replaces random networking with intentional introductions that capture intent, allowing conversations to be logged instantly as actionable follow-ups or leads.

This, in turn, delivers real-time analytics, including a proprietary “ZES Score” (Zance Event Success Score) that measures outcomes for sponsors, organisers, and attendees to ensure all stakeholder interests are accounted for.

Early pilot programmes show promising results. Events using Zance achieved up to 70% attendance rates, while doubling post-event business conversions, significantly reducing no-shows and unproductive interactions.

While large-scale conferences can afford custom-built apps, the platform is targeted at the underserved middle market, including corporate gatherings, professional communities, and high-value networking events that need accountability but lack enterprise budgets.

With backing from Amplify Ventures, the AI-powered events startup is scaling for broader rollout across the UK, with plans to expand into European markets. The company is targeting a pre-seed funding round by the end of Q1 2026 to deepen its AI capabilities and accelerate growth.

“The next era of events belongs to the accountable. If you can’t measure the outcome, you shouldn’t be holding the event,” Ifeanyichukwu said.

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