Channing Moreland

Update Sept. 8, 2016 10:21a: Evamore announced it has completed a Series A round of undisclosed amount, and a spokeswoman for the firm said the lead investor in the company is now Emergent, an Angel fund in Birmingham, which, according to Alabama state records, was itself chartered in March this year and is led by President Steve Hines, whose LinkedIn indicates he has interest in a sports-apparel company and was previously a mortgage banker with Aliant and others. Evamore co-founders just confirmed they still have control. Hines did not respond to an interview request. Our original June 2015 story appears below. - Ed.

EVAmore, the music-entertainment events platform startup, is pursuing its capital raise, while focusing this summer on customers, industry partners and pressure-testing its technology.

Co-Founder and CEO Channing Moreland, a 20-year-old rising senior at Belmont University along with COO and Co-Founder Makenzie Stokel, 21, said she has found that sticking with their undergrad studies helps them build relationships with their priority target customers: campus Greeks and other student groups that regularly seek talent and other support for campus events.

Also this summer, the EVAmore founders plan to seek $100K in outside investment. They've mounted a full-court press on both early-adopters and platform development, anticipating return to school in late August.

COO Makenzie Stokel

By the time school convenes, Moreland said they expect to have 10 or more campus customers and at least 75 participating performing artists, as well as a network of about 65 campus representatives in-place.

The EVAmore platform will soon go live, said Moreland, who added that she and her team had recently returned from New York City, where they called on SONY Global, SONY Red and Google.

Little rest now: Having made a sortie into Alabama a few days ago, this weekend they'll head to Kentucky and Indiana, visiting Western Kentucky, University of Kentucky, Indiana University, Purdue and the University of Louisville, said Moreland.

The core EVAmore team is now Moreland and Stokel, plus CTO Wesley Blumenthal, a Vanderbilt Engineering-spawned software engineer; and Creative Director Michael Dukes, a keen-eared Nashville-based message strategist, with a shingle that reads Brand Recharging.

Asked about partnering with other members of her Project Music class, Moreland said PM Director Heather McBee has pointed-out numerous potential synergies between EVAmore and most, if not all its PM classmates. McBee subsequently confirmed that counsel for VNC. Moreland cited Jammber and OnTheList as among the most obvious likely partners from that group.

Advisors? They got 'em: Nashville-based entrepreneur, mentor and advisor Shawn Glinter and New York-based Damian Manning of DEV are among them.

By the time they'd completed the Project Music accelerator this spring, they had also gained BMI Artist Relations VP Jody Williams; and, former Sony Electronics executive and now tech-partnerships advisor Kerri Fox-Metoyer. Dukes began in an advisory role, but the good fit led to him coming aboard the company, said Moreland.

Its legal work is handled by Chris Sloan of Baker Donelson and Tara Aaron of Aaron & (Rick) Sanders. Its PR is handled by Liz Motley.

In addition, said Moreland, Sparknet Communications founder and President Gary Wall is helping guide strategy; and, Greer Allison, a state employee who is also a mentor to entrepreneurs, is of help with project management and related matters. EVAmore banks with Avenue Bank.

Moreland told VNC in May that the company, having changed from LLC to C-corp, is between attorneys and welcomes accountants' approaches.

Once the cornerstone "create-your-own-event" venue/talent-booking platform well established, Moreland said they expect to broaden their portfolio to include providing help with sound-production, lighting, catering and numerous other functions.

During each school year since they conceived EVAmore (formerly narrowly focused on talent discovery-oriented and known as What's Hubbin'), Moreland told VNC the pair have essentially traded entrepreneurship for typical college social lives.

As a result, the co-founders expect to walk out of Belmont University with degrees in music business/entrepreneurship and a new business with traction, in 2016. Related story on Belmont entrepreneurial offerings, here.

As previously reported, Moreland confirmed their confidence is bolstered by their Project Music experience at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, and by that fact that during 18 months they grossed $45K booking talent, declaring a $25K profit.

Entering the inaugural class of Project Music brought the founders $30K in Seed capital, in exchange for a total 10% of equity, split among the nonprofit Entrepreneur Center's affiliated group of independent investors and designated EC-PM advisors. Thus far, EVAmore has raised no other capital. VNC