Australia's ECAL Expands Overseas, Opens Office in New York

Melbourne, Australia and New York, NY —January 27, 2015— Australian technology platform ECAL has launched its US headquarters in New York, signalling the first major step in its plans to expand the business globally.

ECAL is the world’s leading right-time, event-driven communications platform; the company recently re-signed lead client Major League Soccer (MLS) on a multi-year deal, complementing a growing US-based client roster that includes NFL teams the New England Patriots, Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins, NBA’s Boston Celtics, and Duke University athletics, as well as local entities in the AFL, NRL, Football Federation Australia, Cricket Australia, Australian Rugby Union and Formula One Australian Grand Prix.

ECAL, which recently closed a $2 million ‘Series A’ funding round from Melbourne-based Oxygen Ventures, also announced the appointment of John Lambrides as the Vice President of ECAL Americas.

Lambrides is an experienced business development executive with a track record for delivering revenues and establishing relationships with top-flight companies.  He will be the point person for ECAL in the US, overseeing the company’s push into new markets such as financial services, retail and media.

Rich Event Content

ECAL delivers rich event content from sporting events to concerts to business appointments directly into any personal calendar on mobile, desktop or social. Over half a million people rely on ECAL-based communication to stay connected to the teams, people, brands and organizations they care about.

According to Patrick Barrett, founder and CEO of ECAL, the personal electronic calendar is “the last untapped marketing channel” available to brands. “Marketers are getting shut out as consumers choose to bypass them on email, advertising and even social media,” said Barrett. “We’ve found a way to reach them on new ground—their calendars -- and it’s become valuable marketing real estate."

“We work with well-recognised US-based sports and entertainment brands including most of the major sporting leagues; they’re using ECAL to communicate with their fans and customers in ways they never imagined. By opening an office in New York, we’re at the epicentre of companies willing to innovate, including media publishers, sports leagues and the financial industry,” said Barrett.

The ECAL New York office is located at 335 Madison Avenue, an address enjoyed by the likes of Facebook prior. The company plans to hire and expand the sales and account teams at this location.

About ECAL

ECALis the first right-time, event-driven communications platform that forges closer, more influential relationships between consumers and event-driven organizations.

Over 250 publishers rely on ECAL to increase revenue streams and develop deeper engagement and higher levels of trust with high value customers.  This results in greater brand equity and exposure. Over 500,000 people rely on ECAL-based communication to stay connected to the teams, people, brands and organizations they care about. Flagship customers include The New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins, Boston Celtics, Major League Soccer, USA Volleyball, Ladies Professional Golf Association, UCONN and Duke University athletics. 

ECAL’s management team has played key roles in prestigious organizations, including The British Horseracing Board (UK), Carlton Football Club (Aust), SecurePay (Aust), Real Estate Group, and iSelect. ECAL Directors include Patrick Barrett (Founder & CEO), Larry Kestelman who founded Dodo Internet (sold $220M), Matt McCann (former Director / CEO at iSelect, Shazam, and Allens Arthur Robinson lawyers) and Ilya Frolov, Founding Partner at Oxygen Ventures (ECAL’s lead investor). ECAL Advisors include Chris Bernard of Microsoft, David Riemer formerly of Yahoo and J. Walter Thompson and Simon Raik-Allen, current CTO at MYOB.

ECAL was founded in 2010 by Patrick Barrett with the platform built and launched in 2012. ECAL is globally headquartered in Melbourne, Australia with its US base in New York, New York.