Our origin story

Building a hub for global event discovery.

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The inspiration for Pique Interests came to me when I realized I was limiting myself to NYC-based sake events through my Instagram project, Kura Cal NYC. While that work connected me with an incredible community, it also highlighted a bigger opportunity: a single place where people and community organizers could curate and explore events on any topic, anywhere in the world.

That idea crystallized in April 2025, during a conversation over sake on my last day of a trip to Japan. A friend told me he had the same problem I did in New York: in order to know what’s going on, you have to follow hundreds of social media accounts, monitor countless websites, and rely on word-of-mouth — and even then, you’ll still miss things. I left that conversation knowing Pique Interests had to happen.

My background is in IT, but I’ve always had side projects that let me support communities I care about. Years ago, I ran Graff Cal, a calendar for graffiti art openings in NYC. Later, I created Kura Cal NYC, a sake event calendar that made it easy for New Yorkers to discover tastings, dinners, and festivals.

Through Kura Cal, I learned that a well-curated, easy-to-use event list could fill a real need without requiring massive resources — and that it could also build meaningful connections. My involvement in the sake community has been deeply rewarding, leading to lifelong friendships and collaborations. I want to create that same experience for people across all kinds of interests.

-Jowy