Bebe Fahngon is helping entrepreneurs ‘plug in’ with her latest start-up, Circuit
She is also the founder of Kaifa Events, which has coordinated key entrepreneurial programming across the state of Tennessee.
Networking events are a regular occurrence in the realm of economic development. Attend. Shake hands. Make some relationships. And eventually, conduct business… hopefully, right?
It worked that seamlessly for Besiah “Bebe” Fahngon, who got her first client from her first-ever networking event.
And now, she wants to make it easier for other entrepreneurs, innovators, and small business owners to do the same thing. It all starts with being plugged in.
Getting to know Bebe
Born and raised in Johnson City, Bebe is a 2023 graduate of East Tennessee State University. Since obtaining her degree just two years ago, she has already made a name for herself across the state of Tennessee.
She founded two companies, Kaifa Events and Circuit, which both center around helping people connect through events.
Bebe went into college to pursue a career in public health. But her interests started to shift once she got plugged in with the National African Student Association, an Atlanta-area nonprofit serving African students relocating to the United States.
“They had me start planning events for them remotely, and then COVID happened, and that just kind of exacerbated the whole thing,” she said. “Virtual events started to take off, and that ended up being a good thing to bring people together during the pandemic.”
One thing led to another, and Bebe was introduced to a couple of other organizations also needing help with planning.
“I joined the planning Zoom call and realized that people were being paid to help plan events. That opened my eyes to the fact that this could be a career path for me. And, I think it was that same month, I started researching how to start a business,” she said.
She registered Kaifa Events as an LLC that same year and got her first client at her first networking event. The opportunities have continued to flow ever since.
Bebe is continually taking on bigger and bigger events – she has coordinated events for ETSU, Tiebreakers in Johnson City, SyncSpace, the Tri-Cities Twende program, and more.
“It’s been a blur. Since opening the business in 2023, it’s all been a blur. Somehow it’s already 2025!” she exclaimed.
Most recently, Kaifa Events was also awarded a $320,000+ grant from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to expand Digital Skills Workshops/Events in Northeast Tennessee, as well as a competitive Placemakers Grant to launch a few more cohorts of Twende programming and a Co-Starters program. (Read Teknovation story here).
The launch of Circuit
In the midst of the blur, Bebe saw a gap in the event programming space–one that she feels confident she can fill.
Eventbrite is the most popular event listing platform for business, non-profit, and community events. However, it can be expensive for the event planner, and visibility is somewhat limited.
“People really only see the events if someone sends them the link directly, or if they subscribe to the right newsletter,” Bebe said. “So, how are new entrepreneurs and early career professionals supposed to get plugged in?”
So, she designed Circuit to solve that problem. It’s a new digital platform designed to simplify the connection between organizers and attendees across Tennessee’s growing event ecosystem.
Circuit will soon offer a centralized calendar with categorized listings, built-in communication tools, and analytics for organizers. Attendees can manage bookings, save events, and purchase tickets directly through the site.
Bebe said the platform would include a standard 5% fee structure for organizers, making it both accessible and sustainable. Comparatively, Eventbrite charges a 3.7% fee plus $1.79 per ticket.
Despite the complexity of building out a customizable event calendar, early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
“People know that something like this is needed,” Bebe said. “It’ll help my business and other businesses get connected.”
Her sister, Star Fahngon, who is studying business information systems, serves as co-founder of Circuit. She focuses on the technology side of the company, so Bebe can focus on sales and marketing.
Together, they’re hoping the Circut platform solves logistical challenges and opens doors for more inclusive participation in Tennessee’s innovation economy.
“I want to create systems that make it easier for people to connect, learn, and grow,” Bebe said. “That’s what drives me.”
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