MyPlots seeks $10 million to expand teen party empire to New York

MyPlots, a party promotion and ticketing platform that has become a dominant force in the Los Angeles nightlife scene, is seeking $10 million in angel investment. The capital is intended to establish a permanent office, hire a sales team to book talent, and organise a 10,000-person festival on Santa Monica beach next summer. The company, which launched its app in January 2025, currently takes a 20 per cent commission on ticket sales for events ranging from "after-prom" ragers to high-end festivals.

Founder and CEO Jack Schwartz, 21, is on hiatus from his economics degree at UCLA to focus on the business. He and his partner, Zane Harwin, 19, built the platform after hosting informal high school parties in Los Angeles starting when Schwartz was 14. The app now boasts more than one million users and has expanded its demographic to include older, of-age attendees. The company recently hosted an after-party for rapper Don Toliver at HK Hall in Manhattan, where table fees reached $27,500.

While the platform targets young demographics, it faces scrutiny over liability, insurance validity for minors, and the safety of events involving underage attendees. Although the app technically requires users to be 18, Schwartz acknowledges that "people find ways around that." The payment processor, Stripe, allows users as young as 13 to transact if a parent is enrolled on the account. Industry experts note that insurers are generally reluctant to cover events involving minors and alcohol, citing issues with contract validity and risk exposure.

Schwartz has expressed long-term ambitions to sell the company and pivot towards a new venture in artificial intelligence. He cites billionaire Mark Cuban as a role model and views the current business as a stepping stone. Harwin, who handles marketing for MyPlots, stated that the long-term goal is to "make as much money as I possibly can—as soon as I can," with aspirations to eventually organise events larger than Coachella.

The business model relies heavily on social media marketing to create a sense of exclusivity and fear of missing out. Schwartz built a following of 1.6 million on TikTok and secured a deal with Snap’s Spotlight monetisation program. The platform differentiates itself from competitors like Partiful through its focus on a "cool young crowd" and exclusive, luxury events, rather than just the technology itself.

Despite the rapid growth, the company has faced incidents of disorder at its events. In 2024, Schwartz appeared in an FX documentary series that depicted a chaotic birthday party, though he has since disputed his involvement in that specific event. He maintains that MyPlots is merely a facilitator for ticket sales and that he bears no legal responsibility for the majority of the parties listed on the platform.