Rallyhood raises $1.3M for easy event organization

The mobile and Web app makes social productivity easy and seamless

My friend is getting married next month and I’m one of her bridesmaids, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned after taking part in the organization of an engagement party, bridal shower, and bachelorette party, it’s that I’m a shitty bridesmaid.  I’m the last person to respond to mass emails on where we’re going to get the petit fours and I never remember to hit Reply All, so my emails then have to be forwarded again, making more work for everyone else.

So to help more organized people deal with people like me, there’s Rallyhood, a Web and mobile app that allows people to organize events via one site.  And the company announced Monday that it has raised $1.3 million in a Series A round led by Tom Meredith, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Meritage Capital, with help from Calendars.com, Herb Simon, Jeff Serra, Bill Stapleton, and Marc Winkleman.  The Series A capital follows the $750,000 in angel funding the company previously raised to develop the app.

Rallyhood combines the functionality of Google Apps with the social fluidity of Facebook to create a seamless site where friends, family members, volunteers, and more can collaborate on a project or event, whether it’s a party or a community activity.  The site has become a big hit with larger players with a lot of volunteers to coordinate, like the Girl Scouts of America, Habitat for Humanity, Komen, and YMCA.  Since Rallyhood started its beta testing, it has drawn over 7,500 users across 2,000 Rally-Sites (the individual sites users create for their events).

Users can sign up to create a free Rally-Site that comes with a suite of tools to keep everyone on the same page, including interactive calendars, file sharing, messages, photos, sign-ups, and money collection.  It really beats mass emails and excel spreadsheets.

"Ironically, the productivity marketplace is a mess. The existing social offerings separate personal and work groups, which adds noise and complexity to our daily lives," said Tom Meredith, in a statement. “Rallyhood’s holistic approach mirrors how we live our lives and does something no other social platform does—it saves us time."

Rallyhood plans to use the new capital to hire for seven positions in marketing, operations, and product development.  Additionally, the company will be moving into an incubator space hosted by Kevin Embree, Founder of Online Persona, Inc. and past Senior Executive from HomeAway and eBay.