Google has launched a new service called Fundo, which lets creators host paid and ticketed online events.

With Fundo, you can hang out with your favorite creators as they chat, cook, dance, and more.

What Is Fundo?

Fundo comes out of Area 120, Google's incubator that develops experimental projects. The project has been in beta for the last year with a couple of hundred testers, but now it's emerging for public use in the US and Canada.

Fundo is aimed at creators, like those who make videos on YouTube, to host events and connect with their community. The events include one-on-one chats, meet and greets, and workshops. Fundo is designed for intimate events, with up to 30 people on-screen simultaneously.

Fundo was originally created as a way for fans to chat briefly to their favorite creators and then pose for a photo with them---a way to replicate the meet and greet experience online. However, Fundo expanded during beta to support more events like cooking tutorials and exercise classes. No doubt helped by the new normal.

While Google is sure to want to attract many creators from its own YouTube platform, general manager John Gregg told Variety that Fundo is "not exclusive for YouTube creators" and that the service "provides value to any kind of creator".

How Does Fundo Work?

You can browse for events and creators on the Fundo website. You can either sign in with your Google account, or create a new account with your phone number.

The creator charges a ticket price, or makes it free if they desire, with each event having a limited number of spaces. Google takes a 20 percent cut of all revenue.

Everything is handled on the Fundo website. You and the creator do not need apps or external programs. This includes the ticketing and video-chat systems.

Fundo is currently only available in the US and Canada, but it will expand to support more countries in the future.

Schedule Your Digital Events

While Fundo's development predates the coronavirus pandemic, it comes at the perfect time when many of us are stuck indoors and looking for entertainment. It's time to get filling that calendar up with digital events.