Meet Andrew Mason, co-founder of DC start-up, EventStir

1. What is EventStir?

EventStir is the Kickstarter of events. Our site is simple – users post an event idea and then invite their friends to contribute. If enough people pledge their support (and money) the event happens. If not, the event does not take place and the prospective attendees are not charged.

2. At the end of the month EventStir is hosting a launch party on the Potomac, are we invited?

Of course, it is on March 31st and open to everyone, the more people celebrating DC entrepreneurship the better! We’re renting a yacht for a three hour cruise right in the heart of the cherry blossom festival. There will be live music, an open-bar, fantastic catering and two entrepreneurial celebrity speakers.

And we’re doing it all through EventStir. Anyone who attends the event will be given access to our private-alpha. Signup here

3. How did you come up with this idea?

It was selfish really 1) I wanted an easy way to find quality events among the clutter of random happy hours and invitations from club promoters. 2) I’ve always wanted to have a party on a boat.

EventStir solves both of these problems by only funding events with enough interest and allowing people to get creative and plan things they could never pull off on their own.

4. Why DC?

Well I went to school here and loved it, so I decided not to leave. I’ve been doing entrepreneurial things ever since. EventStir was a side project that I wasn’t committing that much time to. Then I learned about Startup Weekend DC – a 54-hour event that brings local developers together.

At Startup Weekend I pitched the idea and had an awesome team crank out a prototype in a weekend! My incredible co-founder, Sajad Ghanizada, quit his job after the event and joined me full time. We lead the business locally, but have an international team developing the product out of the UK and Venezuela. Our biggest thanks goes out to the local DC entrepreneurial community for continuing to support and mentor us.

5. What’s next?

After this launch party we’ll leave the event planning to everyone else for a while and help support all of the individuals and organizations that want to use our product. Signup for our newsletter here and follow us on twitter @eventstir