Oxynade, the startup which recently launched events database Happenr, has raised a €1 million first-round investment as it gets going. The site crawls other websites, RSS feeds and XML files, parses the info then makes it available in a searchable web database and iPhone app. The focus is strictly on Europe and, unlike the likes of Yahoo’s Upcoming, which have been operating for years, users can’t add new events to the site. The internet is crying out for a universal calendaring and events standard, but Happenr, based in Ghent, Belgium, isn’t it…

What it does have is ambitions to bolt a retail stream on to its nascent listings model in the new year, inviting users to buy tickets for listed events through both partnerships with e-ticketing vendors and its own proprietary ticketing platform. The funds, led by Arkafund and joined by Vinnof, will be used to add events (Oxynade is even employing editorial staff to input data), to develop that ticketing platform and to seek partnerships with travel, media culture companies around Europe - one such deal will see Happenr supply events listings to the Nieuwsblad.be newspaper site.