Wedding frustrations inspire Manchester entrepreneur’s startup Envytations

Tech startup Envytations is looking to revolutionise the events world by taking its digital invitation platform global.

The Manchester-based company, which uses smart analytics to track guest responses and invite opens, said its aim is to help those planning parties and other events to cut costs without compromising on invite design or impact.

Envytations was launched by entrepreneur Emily Brocklehurst, who said: “More and more people are using paperless invites for events.

“It’s estimated that up to 10% of wedding invites are now sent online.”

She added: “When I was planning my own wedding I felt the frustration of not being in control and wanted to create something interactive that was also a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to paper.”

The Envytations website includes a chat feature that enables guests to discuss the event, which can range from children’s parties to events held at large venues.

Emily continued: “Digital invites offer significant savings over paper invites while also offering instant feedback and visibility which is so important in today’s real-time analytics-driven information society.

We have already had such a great response from individuals planning parties that we are moving into corporate events and are already talking to businesses about this.“

To support the development of her business, Emily joined Entrepreneurial Spark Powered by NatWest, which is based out of NatWest’s office on Hardman Boulevard in Manchester.

Dale Sidebottom, entrepreneur development manager with NatWest, commented: “Emily has created a great platform with Envytations which has the potential to make party-planning easier for a range of customers.

“She has embraced the enterprise spirit and we wish her every success for the future.”