Ghost List + Pizza Fund
Refundable RSVP deposits for free tech events; no-shows fund the pizza; opt-in show-up record across organisers; DevRel sponsors pay per verified check-in
Ticket Fairy's Freefund already runs refundable-deposit RSVPs for community and sponsored events.
Refundable RSVP deposits for free tech events; no-shows fund the pizza; opt-in show-up record across organisers; DevRel sponsors pay per verified check-in
Empty seats waste organisers' food budgets and keep real attendees off the list. DevRel sponsors also pay for events without knowing who actually came.
Ghost List + Pizza Fund takes a refundable RSVP deposit, uses forfeited deposits to pay for food, and lets sponsors pay only for verified check-ins.
- 1RSVP for a free event with a small refundable deposit.
- 2Check in on arrival to get your deposit back.
- 3No-shows forfeit their deposit, which pays for the pizza.
Why it failed
Check 3 · Already existsTicket Fairy's Freefund (launched 1 Sep 2026) already does the core job: free RSVPs backed by a refundable deposit, refunded on scan, kept if no-show, aimed at community and sponsored events. The idea's differentiators (cross-organiser show-up record, sponsors paying per verified check-in) aren't offered by these products, but the idea doesn't yet explain how it would build them.
What already exists
5 products checked- 01
Interview ten organisers on whether they want a cross-organiser show-up record.
- 02
Specify how the opt-in show-up record gets built and who owns it.
- 03
Find one DevRel sponsor willing to pay per verified check-in before building.
- Ticket Fairy deposits (Sep 2026), 37signals $100 deposit test, TokyoDev pays per attendee
Ticket Fairy deposits (Sep 2026), 37signals $100 deposit test, TokyoDev pays per attendee