Last year, startups accelerator Techstars Music announced plans to run its 2021 program virtually, while promising that 50% of the startups’ CEOs would be diverse. It also revealed that Amazon Music had joined its ‘member companies’ from the music industry, supporting the accelerator including investment in its startups. Concord is also chipping in extra seed and follow-in investment as part of this year’s program.
Now we know which startups will be benefiting this year, with Techstars Music having announced the 11 companies taking part in its 2021 cohort. Among those that caught Music Ally’s eye are 555 Comic, which develops virtual characters for social media storytelling; Holotch, which captures volumetric 3D video for (among other uses) AR concerts; Volta Audio, which also focuses on immersive, mixed-reality live shows; and Westcott Multimedia (which is building automated marketing for back catalogues).
There’s also BlackOakTV (a subscription video streaming service focusing on Black creators); Creative Futures Collective (networking and mentoring for people from disenfranchised backgrounds trying to break into the creative industries); Fave (superfan gamification); HappsNow (white-labelled ticketing); Music Tech Works (licensing); Rares (trainer investing); and Remetrik (music royalties accounting).
According to TechCrunch, this year’s cohort has already raised more than $3m of funding, with a demo day scheduled for May to pitch their wares to music companies and investors. Techstars Music also has another new member company: music firm Quality Control.
Tools: platforms to help you reach new audiences
Tools :: Wyng
Through Music Ally’s internal marketing campaign tracking, we’ve recently discovered an interesting website by the…