Sesame Summit 2026 – application open

10 Music Startups to Watch in 2023

Get Moments

Get Moments, finalists of Music Tectonics, is a platform bridging the gap between music and sports events and their global fan communities. It generates personalized video highlights of events, allowing fans to share custom video clips worldwide. This enhances user-generated content (UGC) and transforms it into powerful promotional material that generates revenue.

Aux

Aux, winner of MusicAlly Connect 2022 Startups Showcase Award, is poised to revolutionize the way artists connect with the music industry. They aim to empower the next wave of a million music creators in their journey towards successful careers. The platform provides informative pieces covering music careers and production, how-to guides, and editorial reflections on the ever-evolving music industry landscape.

White music mixing dials
Photo by Alexey Ruban / Unsplash

AlphaBeats

AlphaBeats specializes in stress management through music technology. The company raised $2.2M in total from investors such as LUMO labs and DeepTechXL. Their portable EEG headset provides real-time neurofeedback influenced by a user-curated soundtrack, thanks to their intelligent patented algorithm. It dynamically adjusts selected music to guide and influence brain activity.

Hoopr.ai

Hoopr.ai is India’s pioneering music licensing platform, addressing the challenge faced by content creators and businesses—finding and licensing the perfect music for videos. They aim to monetize music for musicians while offering intelligent music recommendations, streamlining the search and discovery process. Hoopr raised a total of $1.5M in funding over 2 rounds.

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Photo by Kelly Sikkema / Unsplash

Soundful

Soundful is a standout in the AI music space, known for its high-quality and customizable compositions. The company raised $3.8M in the Seed round in 2021. Using advanced algorithms, it creates unique AI-generated music tailored to user preferences and styles, making music creation accessible to everyone.

Un:hurd

Founded in 2019 in London, Un:hurd empowers artists with marketing support and growth opportunities while allowing them to retain ownership of their music and content. The company secured around €250K in 4 funding rounds. Using AI and proprietary technology, Un:hurd transforms music data into powerful promotional campaigns, achieving significant traction with minimal marketing efforts.

Sing your Heart out!
Photo by israel palacio / Unsplash

SYNKii

SYNKii, raising €100k investment at Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) & Antler Startup Competitionin 2022, positions itself as ‘the professional alternative to Zoom for online music lessons.’ Their platform simplifies communication between students and teachers, making online music education more accessible and efficient.

ANote Music

ANote Music, securing $2.2M in 6 rounds, allows artists generating revenue to list their music catalogs, enabling retail investors to benefit from passive income and revenue. It bridges the gap between music and finance, democratizing music investment. Stakeholders receive a ‘VIP treatment,’ including exclusive rewards and opportunities.

Contact Festival | Marshmello | BC Place, Vancouver, Canada | 2017
Photo by Aditya Chinchure / Unsplash

Songclip

Songclip is an all-in-one music licensing and integration app solution for consumer applications aiming to increase user retention rates. It streamlines the complex music licensing process, empowering rights holders to collect royalties from short-form content efficiently. Songclip secured a total of $22.9M in funding over 6 rounds with the most recent investment from iHeartMedia and Raised In Space Enterprises.

Beatoven.ai

Beatoven.ai, one of India’s first AI-powered web-based music composition platforms, democratizes music creation. The company raised $1M during the seed round with investment from Redstart Labs in 2022. It seamlessly blends advanced AI algorithms with creative imagination, empowering individuals, regardless of their musical background, to compose unique, royalty-free music for their content.


If you’re reshaping the music tech landscape like these 10 startups, join the music tech revolution at MIDƐM+ 2024!

Apply by October 8 to the Start-up Battles to win pitch time and network with industry leaders:

  • Rishti Das (Founder, Hivewire)
  • Bruce Hamilton (General Partner, Everybody Ventures)
  • Jean Bourcereau (Managing Partner, Ventech)
  • Lorrain de Silva (Managing Director, Best Nights VC)
  • Robin Wauters (Founder, Tech.eu)
  • and more, to be announced shortly!

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Fundraising 9 hours ago

Sequoia unveils €874M across two Europe venture funds, with partner Luciana Lixandru declaring Europe's founder pool "never been stronger" amid AI boom.

Fundraising 10 hours ago

The European media technology sector is witnessing a remarkable transformation as traditional entertainment boundaries blur with digital innovation. In this evolving landscape, Steven.com has secured €46 million in funding, marking one of the most significant media tech investments in the UK this year. The round, led by Slow Ventures and Apeiron Investment Group, positions the company at the intersection of content creation and technology platforms. This substantial investment reflects growing confidence in European media tech ventures that can bridge traditional entertainment with digital-first approaches, particularly those with proven track records in the competitive UK market. Media tech funding reaches new heights with strategic investor backing Slow Ventures, known for their investments in Twitter, Slack, and Robinhood, brings Silicon Valley expertise to this European venture, whilst Apeiron Investment Group adds deep media industry connections. This investor combination signals a strategic bet on the convergence of technology and entertainment sectors. “We’re seeing unprecedented opportunities where content creation meets scalable technology platforms,” noted a spokesperson from Slow Ventures. “Steven.com represents exactly the kind of European innovation that can compete globally whilst maintaining strong local roots.” The dual-lead structure is particularly noteworthy in the current European funding environment, where cross-Atlantic partnerships are becoming increasingly important for scaling media technology ventures beyond fragmented European markets. Building the Disney of digital-first entertainment Steven.com’s platform approach addresses a critical gap in the European media landscape—the lack of integrated content creation and distribution ecosystems. Unlike purely American platforms, the company’s model acknowledges European market fragmentation whilst building for global scale. The funding will accelerate product development and international expansion, with particular focus on European markets where regulatory frameworks like the Digital Services Act create opportunities for compliant, privacy-first platforms. Steven Bartlett, the company’s founder and former Dragons’ Den investor, brings unique credibility to the venture. “Our vision extends beyond traditional media boundaries—we’re building infrastructure that empowers creators whilst respecting European values around data privacy and content responsibility,” Bartlett explained. The company’s timing appears strategic, capitalising on the European Union’s increasing focus on digital sovereignty and supporting homegrown technology champions that can compete with American platforms whilst adhering to European regulatory standards. This funding round exemplifies the maturation of European media tech, where ventures are increasingly attracting international capital whilst maintaining their European identity and regulatory compliance advantages.

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Events 11 hours ago

Most startup founders treat events like they’re going travelling: count the days, block the calendar, done. But event tickets don’t come cheap, and the actual affair can eat into your budget in so many different ways, you’ll be left with a hole in your company wallet. You see, the problem here is a simple case of math: one can’t budget for unforeseen expenses. That’s why we’ve put together a simple formula that founders can tweak to suit their business needs. The 2:1 rule nobody talks about Here’s a simple rule: Every single day at an event requires two full days of preparation. This isn’t bureaucratic overhead, it’s the operational reality of doing events properly. Why does this ratio work? Because events operate on a timeline that’s fundamentally incompatible with how startups work. Most conferences lock speaker slots, booth spaces, and partnership opportunities months in advance. You can’t A/B test them or sprint your way in at the last minute. Scaleups and corporates have dedicated field marketing teams who start preparing months in advance for events. They’ve already mapped the venue, scheduled meetings, and briefed their booth staff. If you show up with two hours of prep, you’re invisible. But why should you set aside two days for every event day? You’ll fill them with research, targeting, outreach, scheduling, content, positioning, logistics operations, internal coordination, and post-event planning.  You can’t change your pitch deck the morning of your panel. Events punish improvisation because the stakes are live and all opportunity windows close fast. That’s why a 2:1 ratio is the minimum buffer you need to make showing up worthwhile. A three-day conference isn’t a three-day commitment; you’ll have to set aside at least six days before factoring in travel, team coordination, or what you’ll actually do at the event. Treat it as the baseline for local events that you’re only attending, too. And when you add distance, team members or booth logistics to the equation, that number explodes. The winning formula Here’s what no event organizer will tell you upfront: Total Time = (Event Days × 2) × Distance Factor × Team Factor × Activity Factor Distance multipliers Team size factors Activity type factors What does it look like in the real world? Let’s run an example scenario: Say you’re exhibiting at Web Summit with two co-founders. Calculation: (3 days × 2) × 1.5 (international) × 1.3 (team of three) × 1.5 (exhibiting) = 17.6 days That’s nearly four working weeks of founder time. Not calendar days — productive working days. An entire sprint. A fundraising cycle. A product release window. That’s before you account for the inevitable chaos: marketing materials might get delayed, or your booth might require a last-minute redesign, or one of your team might fall ill on day two. This matters more than you think Startups don’t fail because they attend too many events. They fail because they attended the wrong events and didn’t realize the true cost until it was too late. Most early-stage founders operate on razor-thin runways and even thinner margins. Losing 17 days to the wrong conference can mean missing a critical hiring window, pushing a launch back by a quarter, or running out of cash. The opportunity cost is immense. Three filters to help you decide Preparation is table stakes, but the real competitive advantage is selection. Before you commit to any event, run it through these three filters: 1. Are your top 10 target customers actually attending? Don’t settle for “the industry will be there,” or “it’s a great brand.” Will the specific people who can write cheques or sign contracts be in the venue? If you can’t name at least five confirmed attendees you want to meet, you’re engaging in speculation, and speculation is expensive. 2. Can you get time with decision makers? Networking is not the same as dealmaking. Conferences are full of people collecting business cards and having “great chats” that go nowhere. Look for pre-scheduled meetings, private roundtables, investor office hours, or curated dinners. If the event doesn’t facilitate structured access, you’re paying to work a room. 3. Does the timing align with your fundraising or launch cycle? Attending a major event two weeks before a funding deadline is fundraising malpractice. Exhibiting at a trade show when your product isn’t ready to demo is theatre, not business development. Timing isn’t everything, but mistimed events have the potential to burn capital and credibility in equal measure. The real decision Preparation is hard, but preparing brilliantly for the wrong event isn’t going to yield the results you’re looking for. The formula above isn’t meant to scare founders away from conferences. If you’re going to invest 17 days of founder time, you’d better know exactly what ROI you’re chasing and have a plan to capture it. Most founders wing it. The folks who don’t tend to be the ones still standing when funding dries up. At Sesamers, we’ve spent years inside the event ecosystem, watching startups burn time and capital on conferences that looked good on paper but delivered nothing. The startups that survive and thrive aren’t the ones who attended the most events; they simply skipped those that weren’t relevant, and attended the right events at the right time, with the right preparation. So before you book your next booth or confirm that speaking slot, do the math, and see if you can afford to go wrong.

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