Matthew Kayser
Image Credit: Flite
In an era where social media stardom has replaced record deals and content is the new currency, creators are reaching millions but struggling to scale that influence offline. That’s where Flite comes in.
Flite is led by co-founders Suvir Wadhwa (CEO) and Rahul Surana (COO), alongside Gabriel Mayants (CRO). Together, they’re building the infrastructure for creators to move beyond content and operate full-fledged real-world businesses. Their shared vision and complementary skill sets have transformed what started as a handful of manual event ops into a powerful operating system used by creators in over 38 cities and counting.
From Manual Hustle to Full-Stack Platform
Before building Flite, Wadhwa, Surana, and Mayants were managing creators the hard way: spreadsheets, late-night texts, and duct-taped workflows. Whether it was reconciling ticket sales, organizing payouts, or troubleshooting marketing, they found themselves acting as full-time operators for creators with growing audiences and no infrastructure to scale.
“We had no choice but to build,” says Wadhwa. “Creators were relying on us, and the manual model was breaking. We needed to turn our playbook into software.”
Now, Flite automates the heavy lifting for creators running events. Vendor management, dynamic pricing, CRM, payouts, and marketing flows are handled by the platform’s backend systems.
“Our goal is to make creators feel like they have a full team behind them without needing to hire one,” says Surana.
The result? A 98% month-over-month retention rate among Flite’s top creators.
Creators in Control
From nightlife organizers and TikTok DJs to emerging influencers and fitness creators, Flite powers a broad range of creator-led experiences. The platform has supported events for acts like Sean Kingston, G-Eazy, Bryson Tiller, Jay Sean, Twinsick, Ed Westwick, and Lil Tjay. Equally important are local organizers like Sway in New Haven, run by creators Abud, Alex, and TJ.
Wadhwa says, “People go to these events because they’re run by creators they trust, not some faceless promoter.”
Surana emphasizes the company’s dedication to helping creators succeed long-term: “It’s about sustainability. When creators win, everyone wins.”
Scaling With Substance
Flite now operates across 33 U.S. cities and has expanded into London, Dubai, Canada, and India. With over 200,000 users and more than $7 million in total transactions, the team is focused on scaling without sacrificing quality.
What sets Flite apart is its emphasis on backend infrastructure. It’s not just about selling tickets—it’s about building businesses. “This is a machine creators can grow on,” says Wadhwa.
The market opportunity is massive. Analysts estimate the global creator economy will surpass $500 billion by 2027, with real-world monetization playing a major role. While most platforms focus on digital content, Flite is carving out a niche in offline experiences, where creators can monetize more deeply, build stronger communities, and deliver more meaningful impact.
Building Smarter With AI
The next evolution of Flite is AI: creator-personalized agents that run operations on their behalf.
“The best creators don’t want to learn operations. They want to scale their vibe,” says Wadhwa. “Flite helps them do that with no learning curve.”
“Raise prices, text top fans, automate payouts, launch ads—it’s all doable in a single sentence,” adds Surana. “These agents learn over time and act as digital COOs.”
The roadmap includes modular AI agents focused on financials, audience engagement, marketing, and brand deals—all designed to free creators from busywork and let them focus on what makes them unique.
A Vision Backed by Builders
Flite’s growth caught the attention of Jason Calacanis, early backer of Uber, Robinhood, and Calm, who invested through LAUNCH.
“It’s kinda like Airbnb,” Calacanis said on This Week in Startups. “It helps people build this platform.”
He likened Flite to a new category of tools: vertical SaaS built deeply for a specific user—in this case, creators.
What’s Next
With creators across TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and beyond looking for better ways to bring their audiences together in real life, Flite’s infrastructure is well positioned to support the next generation of community builders.
Suvir Wadhwa, Rahul Surana, and Gabriel Mayants aren’t just building a product—they’re building the rails for a new kind of creator economy. And the future looks real, live, and connected.
If you’re a creator ready to scale your community offline—or a fan who’s tired of cookie-cutter events—Flite wants to hear from you.
Visit flite.city to learn more or get in touch.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.