And the winners of the Antler Startup Competition are...
Back in spring, we asked startups and companies that innovate on the cutting edge of music and technology to enter with a visionary product, idea or service related to the music & entertainment industry. After numerous interviews and pitches with Antler's Investment Committee (IC), a handful of finalists were selected and prepped by Antler and ADE for the decisive final pitch in Felix Meritis on ADE Thursday.
Congratulations to Un:hurd and SYNKii!
The quality of the finalists was so tremendously high that the jury decided both the "in your pocket" music marketing solution Un:hurd and the all-in-one platform for teaching music online, SYNKii, deserve to raise a €100k investment from Antler. Both will get access to its global network of founders, investors and industry experts, as well as coaching by Antler's leadership and the possibility to receive further investment through to Series C.
“Their founders impressed us with their grit to solve a fundamental problem in the market with their exceptional expertise in the topics. Both companies were able to show traction and address a fast-growing music tech market by bringing in new innovative solutions.”
Un:hurd
London-based company Un:hurd launched in 2019, aiming to provide artists with marketing support and opportunities to help them grow and develop while maintaining ownership of their music and content. They use AI and proprietary tech to turn music data into promotional campaigns for artists. Founder Alex Brees proved the IC to be a forward-thinking 'hustler' (an energetic one at that), showing an openness to feedback and the expertise to overcome challenges. "Un:hurd has achieved significant traction with the minimal marketing effort", the IC stated. "We believe there is room to innovate and build a big business in the music marketing industry, even if that entices pivoting to a different customer segment. The current growth of the independent music industry makes it logical to start from there."
SYNKii
Dubbing themselves 'the professional alternative to Zoom for online music lessons' and founded in the early days of the pandemic, SYNKii's platform quickly became a game-changer for online music education. To Antler's investment committee, it already stands out as the best alternative and still has room to grow: 'The ease of communication between student and teacher is unmatched. The team has transitioned from teaching music in school to founding a startup and developing a highly sophisticated product showing their drive. They find themselves in a market with vast potential, and if they keep learning and iterating on both product and GTM, they will ultimately be able to address a huge global market.'
All of the finalists, next to Jury prize winner Moonai, are to become part of the startup community, which ADE will expand in its ADE Future program. Additionally, everyone who signs up for the Startup Competition (regardless of whether you become a finalist) will be granted access to the ADE Future program, so don’t hesitate and apply!
Back in spring, we asked startups and companies that innovate on the cutting edge of music and technology to enter with a visionary product, idea or service related to the music & entertainment industry. After numerous interviews and pitches with Antler's Investment Committee (IC), a handful of finalists were selected and prepped by Antler and ADE for the decisive final pitch in Felix Meritis on ADE Thursday.
Congratulations to Un:hurd and SYNKii!
The quality of the finalists was so tremendously high that the jury decided both the "in your pocket" music marketing solution Un:hurd and the all-in-one platform for teaching music online, SYNKii, deserve to raise a €100k investment from Antler. Both will get access to its global network of founders, investors and industry experts, as well as coaching by Antler's leadership and the possibility to receive further investment through to Series C.
“Their founders impressed us with their grit to solve a fundamental problem in the market with their exceptional expertise in the topics. Both companies were able to show traction and address a fast-growing music tech market by bringing in new innovative solutions.”
Un:hurd
London-based company Un:hurd launched in 2019, aiming to provide artists with marketing support and opportunities to help them grow and develop while maintaining ownership of their music and content. They use AI and proprietary tech to turn music data into promotional campaigns for artists. Founder Alex Brees proved the IC to be a forward-thinking 'hustler' (an energetic one at that), showing an openness to feedback and the expertise to overcome challenges. "Un:hurd has achieved significant traction with the minimal marketing effort", the IC stated. "We believe there is room to innovate and build a big business in the music marketing industry, even if that entices pivoting to a different customer segment. The current growth of the independent music industry makes it logical to start from there."
SYNKii
Dubbing themselves 'the professional alternative to Zoom for online music lessons' and founded in the early days of the pandemic, SYNKii's platform quickly became a game-changer for online music education. To Antler's investment committee, it already stands out as the best alternative and still has room to grow: 'The ease of communication between student and teacher is unmatched. The team has transitioned from teaching music in school to founding a startup and developing a highly sophisticated product showing their drive. They find themselves in a market with vast potential, and if they keep learning and iterating on both product and GTM, they will ultimately be able to address a huge global market.'
All of the finalists, next to Jury prize winner Moonai, are to become part of the startup community, which ADE will expand in its ADE Future program. Additionally, everyone who signs up for the Startup Competition (regardless of whether you become a finalist) will be granted access to the ADE Future program, so don’t hesitate and apply!