Sesame Summit 2026 – application open

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Ben Bowler

Tech-Music Fusion

Ben Bowler’s blend of music and technology led him to the founding of Aux. A jazz and funk drummer by training and a tech enthusiast by passion, Ben leveraged his unique skill set to create innovative platforms for artists and the music industry. “I started out as a musician…at the same time, I’ve always been interested in computers,” Ben shared. This dual interest laid the groundwork for his entrepreneurial ventures, starting with Chew.tv, a live streaming platform for DJs.

From ChewTV to Streamon

Ben’s first company, ChewTV, tapped into the burgeoning live streaming market, coinciding with the rise of Twitch and YouTube Live. Despite facing challenges with music licensing fees, the company gained significant traction with half a million users and was ultimately acquired by BandLab in 2015. His second venture, Streamon, addressed the economics of live streaming more sustainably, leading to a seven-figure acquisition by Wistia.

The Aux Philosophy

With Aux, Ben Bowler is delving into a deeper commitment rather than seeking a quick fix or a straightforward solution. He is earnestly tackling the multifaceted challenges that artists frequently encounter in music production and collaboration. “I embraced complexity…I wasn’t aiming for the typical startup approach,” Ben openly declared. By honing in on the detailed and intricate needs of musicians, Aux aspires to offer comprehensive tools that not only meet but also rival those found in other creative sectors.

Direct to Fan Model

Aux’s sister brand, Direct.app, emerged from the realization that artists need more robust revenue streams. By acquiring a merchandise company and integrating it with Aux’s services, Ben is driving not just business revenue but also empowering artists to maximize their earnings through direct fan engagement. “Merchandise is fantastically profitable for artists,” Ben noted, illustrating the financial advantages of direct-to-fan sales.

LoopLM: AI in Music

Aux is set to launch a groundbreaking AI-powered sample library, demonstrating the untapped potential of generative AI in music. “It’s trained off a data set of samples generated by human producers…as an artist, you can type the sound you want,” Ben explained. This innovation could revolutionize music production by providing unique, high-quality samples, fostering creativity among artists.

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Last week, I spent three days at Bits and Pretzels in Munich — a startup-focused event with a distinctly Bavarian flavor. Think Oktoberfest meets startup conference, complete with dirndls, lederhosen, and more beer than you might expect. As someone building an AI-powered event platform, I went in with a specific mission: Observe how startups actually market themselves at events. Here’s what I discovered: GoodBytz: The power of good demos What they did: Robotics startup GoodBytz set up a booth where its robots prepared kaiserschmarrn (a traditional German dessert) all day long. Why it worked: Nothing beats seeing a product in action. While other booths had brochures and demos, GoodBytz’s robots were actually cooking. The smell, the movement and the end result stirred together an experience that people will remember and talk about. The lesson: If you have a physical product, show it in action. The old writing adage generalizes well: Show, don’t tell.  Let people see, hear and touch the product. WeRoad: The bathroom hack What they did: Posted “Missing Investor” flyers in bathroom stalls with QR codes pointing to their website. Why it worked: Pure genius. Every startup at the event was looking for investors, but the “Missing Investor” headline, while a bit on the nose, proved irresistible. Plus, bathroom stalls are one of the few places where people have 30 seconds to actually read something. The lesson: Think about where your target audience’s attention will remain undivided. Sometimes, the most effective marketing leverages the most unexpected places. Emqopter: Visual impact matters What they did: Designed a bright orange booth that displayed their drone prominently. Why it worked: In a sea of grey, white, beige and brown, Emqopter’s bright orange booth was impossible to overlook. The drone was real, too, and proved a real conversation starter. The lesson: Your booth is competing with hundreds of others. Make it visually distinctive and ensure your product is the hero. Quests: Community building using the product What they did: Created a busy, branded booth with accessories (toy car, traffic cones, a bulletin board) and used their anti-loneliness app to build communities among founders at the event. Why it worked: Quests used their product to solve a real problem right at the event, and the busy booth design generated energy and curiosity. The lesson: Use your product to solve a problem at the event — if it’s possible, of course. Demonstrate your value in real time. Dyno: Event-themed marketing What they did: Distributed branded electrolyte packs with the tagline “Your hangover ends. Your pension lasts – with Dyno.” Why it worked: Dyno aligned its messaging perfectly with the Oktoberfest theme. Every attendee was thinking about beer and hangovers, so Dyno’s goodies were quite relevant. The tagline was clever, memorable, and directly addressed a pain point most people at the event might have to deal with later. The lesson: Tailor your marketing to the event’s theme and culture. The more you tie your messaging and product to the context, the more memorable you become. So, what did I learn? Event marketing is about more than just showing up and setting up a booth; you have to understand your audience and create experiences that people will remember. Here’s what really struck me: most startups and even big companies don’t know how to leverage events properly. They book the booth, show up and hope for the best; maybe they bring some branded pens and a pop-up banner. Then they’ll go back home and wonder why they spent €5,000 in exchange for 50 business cards that never convert. The startups that stood out at Bits and Pretzels understand something fundamental: event ROI isn’t about booth size or location; it’s about strategy, creativity and planning. None of the startups above improvised on-site, or planned something the night before the event in their hotel rooms. They laid everything out 4-6 weeks before the event. A solid pre-event strategy is what separates successful event marketing from expensive booth rental.  But what matters most for early-stage startups is that you don’t need a massive budget to stand out. WeRoad’s bathroom stall hack probably cost €50 to print the flyers. A standard booth package at Bits and Pretzels would go for €3,000 to €5,500. The ROI difference is staggering when you compare the cost per meaningful conversation. That’s the difference between simply spending money and investing smartly. Building Sesamers has taught me that helping startups find the right events is only half the equation. The other half is helping them understand how to maximize ROI once they’re there. Good props aren’t a marketing expense; they’re opportunities to meet customers, investors and partners, and strike up engaging conversations.

Events + 1
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