Think Media and Entertainment is boring and everything’s been done before?
Think again.
If you’re in the Media and Entertainment industry or are interested in starting a company in this space, this article dives into 73 of the hottest fast-growing Media and Entertainment startups.
73 Media and Entertainment Startups 1) Universal Music Group Universal Music Group is a global music publishing, recording, and merchandising company.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Santa Monica Started in: 1934 Founders: David Gould Number of employees: 10001+ Funding amount: $45,368,869,030 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 3 You can find their website here .
2) Patreon Patreon is a website that connects musicians and other artists with their supporters.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: San Francisco Started in: 2013 Founders: Jack Conte, Sam Yam Number of employees: 501-1000 Funding amount: $413,300,000 Number of funding rounds: 8 Number of investors: 34 You can find their website here .
3) AXIOS Axios is a media organization that publishes important and reliable news and commentary.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Arlington Started in: 2016 Founders: Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, Roy Schwartz Number of employees: 101-250 Funding amount: $57,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 11 You can find their website here .
4) Genies Genies is an avatar technology firm that creates avatars for individuals and groups.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Venice Started in: 2017 Founders: Akash Nigam, Evan Rosenbaum, Jake Adams, Matt Geiger Number of employees: 51-100 Funding amount: $116,964,358 Number of funding rounds: 10 Number of investors: 57 You can find their website here .
5) Splice Splice is a music-creation technology platform that automates the process of making and sharing music.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: New York Started in: 2013 Founders: Matt Aimonetti, Steve Martocci Number of employees: 101-250 Funding amount: $159,749,998 Number of funding rounds: 6 Number of investors: 22 You can find their website here .
6) Substack Substack is a platform allowing freelance writers to create newsletters based on subscriptions.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: San Francisco Started in: 2017 Founders: Christopher Best, Hamish McKenzie, Jairaj Sethi Number of employees: 51-100 Funding amount: $82,420,000 Number of funding rounds: 4 Number of investors: 15 You can find their website here .
7) Viberate We want to map and standardize the whole global music ecosystem as the world's greatest source of accurate information on all things music.
Details of the startup:
Country: Slovenia City: Ljubljana Started in: 2015 Founders: Dejan Roljic, Matej Gregorčič, Uroš Umek, Vasja Veber Number of employees: 101-250 Funding amount: $12,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 2 You can find their website here .
8) NTWRK NTWRK is the first and only live streaming video commerce platform designed for Generation Z and Millennials.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Los Angeles Started in: 2018 Number of employees: 51-100 Funding amount: $10,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 6 You can find their website here .
9) Fanatiz Fanatiz is a sports streaming platform providing live and on-demand sports channels.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Miami Started in: 2017 Founders: Matias Rivera Larrain Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $17,022,158 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 1 You can find their website here .
10) Pluto TV Pluto TV is the most popular free streaming television provider in the United States.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Los Angeles Started in: 2013 Founders: Ilya Pozin, Tom Ryan Number of employees: 251-500 Funding amount: $51,800,000 Number of funding rounds: 6 Number of investors: 17 You can find their website here .
11) WinZO WinZO is a mobile e-sports social game platform that rewards participants with cash and prizes.
Details of the startup:
Country: India City: New Delhi Started in: 2018 Founders: Chanchal Kurele, Paavan Nanda, Saumya Singh Rathore Number of employees: 51-100 Funding amount: $45,500,000 Number of funding rounds: 5 Number of investors: 12 You can find their website here .
12) Snapchat In industrialized nations such as North America and Europe, Snapchat is one of the most popular social networking apps.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Pacific Palisades Started in: 2011 Number of employees: 1001-5000 Funding amount: $59,999,934 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 1 You can find their website here .
13) Pepper Content Pepper Content is a content-mediation platform that links writers with content-hungry businesses.
Details of the startup:
Country: India City: Mumbai Started in: 2017 Founders: Anirudh Singla, Rishabh Shekhar Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $4,506,066 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 19 You can find their website here .
14) Bungie From a spooky one-bedroom apartment with two males to a fully-loaded game studio with free food, there's something for everyone.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Bellevue Started in: 1991 Founders: Alexander Seropian, Jason Jones Number of employees: 501-1000 Funding amount: $100,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 1 Number of investors: 1 You can find their website here .
15) GoNoodle GoNoodle encourages children to be their smartest, strongest, bravest, silliest, and best selves by getting them moving.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Nashville Started in: 2010 Founders: John Herbold, Scott McQuigg Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $10,900,000 Number of funding rounds: 4 Number of investors: 4 You can find their website here .
16) Red Ventures A collection of well-known businesses, digital platforms, and strategic alliances that assist individuals in making life's most significant decisions.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Fort Mill Started in: 2000 Founders: Dan Feldstein, Mark Brodsky, Ric Elias Number of employees: 1001-5000 Funding amount: $250,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 4 You can find their website here .
17) Play Shifu PlayShifu is an EdTech company that provides teaching and learning tools for kids aged 4 to 12.
Details of the startup:
Country: India City: Bengaluru Started in: 2016 Founders: Dinesh Advani, Vivek Goyal Number of employees: 51-100 Funding amount: $28,438,340 Number of funding rounds: 5 Number of investors: 10 You can find their website here .
18) Epidemic Sound Epidemic Sound is a music studio that specializes on creating music for online creators.
Details of the startup:
Country: Sweden City: Stockholm Started in: 2009 Founders: David Stenmarck, Hjalmar Winbladh, Jan Zachrisson, Oscar Höglund, Peer Åström Number of employees: 251-500 Funding amount: $508,861,893 Number of funding rounds: 5 Number of investors: 10 You can find their website here .
19) NetEase Cloud Music NetEase Cloud Music is an online music portal with streaming capabilities.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Beijing Started in: 2013 Founders: William Lei Ding Number of employees: 251-500 Funding amount: $1,408,826,860 Number of funding rounds: 4 Number of investors: 10 You can find their website here .
20) BookMyShow BookMyShow is an online ticketing service for movies, theaters, and sporting events in India.
Details of the startup:
Country: India City: Mumbai Started in: 1999 Founders: Ashish Hemrajani, Parikshit Dar, Rajesh Balpande Number of employees: 501-1000 Funding amount: $224,500,000 Number of funding rounds: 6 Number of investors: 6 You can find their website here .
21) FTX FTX is a mobile game developer who works online.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Shenzhen Started in: 2008 Founders: Zheng Tang Number of employees: 251-500 Funding amount: CN¥13,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 5 You can find their website here .
22) Memories A safe location to keep and cherish your most precious memories
Details of the startup:
Country: Australia City: Melbourne Started in: 2014 Founders: Andrew Mackinnon, Andrew Ranger, John Bongiorno Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $13,006,627 Number of funding rounds: 4 You can find their website here .
23) Specular Theory, Inc. Award-winning virtual reality, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence (VR/AR/AI) training applications for the defense and commercial sectors. A Phase III SBIR firm. The company is based in Los Angeles, California.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Venice Started in: 2013 Founders: Morris May, Ryan Pulliam Number of employees: 1-10 Funding amount: $5,700,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 1 You can find their website here .
24) unlu unlu is a celebrity interaction platform that enables consumers and brands to receive endorsements from well-known figures.
Details of the startup:
Country: India City: Gurgaon Started in: 2020 Founders: Akshay Pruthi, Anurag Dalia, Himanshu Periwal, Vipul Agrawal Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $1,284,058 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 4 You can find their website here .
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25) Topgolf Entertainment Group Topgolf Entertainment Group is a technology-enabled sports and entertainment community with a global reach.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Dallas Started in: 2000 Founders: Dave Jolliffe, Steve Jolliffe Number of employees: 5001-10000 Funding amount: $301,360,257 Number of funding rounds: 4 Number of investors: 1 You can find their website here .
26) Kumu Holdings Kumu is a social entertainment platform with the goal of fostering Filipino creativity, community, and commerce.
Details of the startup:
Country: Philippines City: Manila Started in: 2017 Founders: Rexy Josh Dorado, Roland Navarro de Ros Number of employees: 51-100 Funding amount: $21,550,000 Number of funding rounds: 5 Number of investors: 10 You can find their website here .
27) BitStar BitStar is a platform for individual influencers, such as YouTubers and TikTokers.
Details of the startup:
Country: Japan City: Tokyo Started in: 2014 Founders: Taku Watanabe Number of employees: 101-250 Funding amount: ¥2,699,909,306 Number of funding rounds: 8 Number of investors: 20 You can find their website here .
28) AnyMind Group AnyMind Group is a brand enablement platform that includes software for everything from brand development to manufacturing and e-commerce to marketing and logistics.
Details of the startup:
Country: Singapore City: Singapore Started in: 2016 Founders: Kosuke Sogo, Otohiko Kozutsumi Number of employees: 501-1000 Funding amount: $76,540,454 Number of funding rounds: 7 Number of investors: 11 You can find their website here .
29) Myelin Foundry Myelin Foundry creates Artificial Intelligence algorithms for edge devices based on video, audio, and sensor data.
Details of the startup:
Country: India City: Bengaluru Started in: 2019 Founders: Aditi Olemann, Ganesh Suryanarayanan, Gopichand Katragadda Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $2,001,796 Number of funding rounds: 4 Number of investors: 5 You can find their website here .
30) TVF TVF Play is an Indian premium entertainment portal aimed at teenagers.
Details of the startup:
Country: India City: Mumbai Started in: 2015 Founders: Dhawal Gusain Number of employees: 101-250 Funding amount: $20,970,000 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 1 You can find their website here .
31) STARZ PLAY In collaboration with the United States, STARZ PLAY offers children's films, Hollywood programs, and documentaries, as well as Arabic programming.
Details of the startup:
Country: United Arab Emirates City: Dubai Started in: 2014 Founders: Danny Bates, Maaz Sheikh, Saleem Bhatti Number of employees: 101-250 Funding amount: $150,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 5 You can find their website here .
32) Hungama The largest aggregator, developer, publisher, and distributor of Bollywood and South Asian content is Hungama Digital Media Entertainment.
Details of the startup:
Country: India City: Mumbai Started in: 1999 Founders: Neeraj Roy Number of employees: 501-1000 Funding amount: $165,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 4 You can find their website here .
33) Kuaikan Manhua Kuaikan Manhua is an internet store where customers may purchase e-comic books.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Beijing Started in: 2014 Founders: Anni Chen, Runchao Li, Ye Mingxiang Number of employees: 51-100 Funding amount: $354,219,925 Number of funding rounds: 5 Number of investors: 10 You can find their website here .
34) ONE Championship ONE Championship is a sports media firm that specializes in mixed martial arts.
Details of the startup:
Country: Singapore City: Singapore Started in: 2011 Founders: Chatri Sityodtong Number of employees: 251-500 Funding amount: $336,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 6 You can find their website here .
35) Tiqets Tiqets is a ticketing platform that allows people to search for, purchase, and use museum and attraction tickets.
Details of the startup:
Country: The Netherlands City: Amsterdam Started in: 2013 Founders: Christiaan Solcer, Luuc Elzinga, Maarten Raaijmakers, Marijn Speelman, Robert Westers Number of employees: 101-250 Funding amount: $105,450,000 Number of funding rounds: 7 Number of investors: 4 You can find their website here .
36) Mega Games Mega Games is a real-money online gaming site.
Details of the startup:
Country: India City: Bengaluru Started in: 2018 Number of employees: 1-10 Funding amount: ₹141,300,000 Number of funding rounds: 1 Number of investors: 1 You can find their website here .
37) memmo.me Memmo.me is a website that allows actors, sportsmen, artists, and other celebrities to send personalised video messages to their fans.
Details of the startup:
Country: Sweden City: Stockholm Started in: 2019 Founders: Gustav Lundberg Toresson, Tobias Bengtsdahl Number of employees: 51-100 Funding amount: $12,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 23 You can find their website here .
38) Memu Play Memu Play is a company that makes game-assist tools.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Xuhui Started in: 2014 Founders: Xiaowei Yang Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: CN¥13,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 3 You can find their website here .
39) 17LIVE 17LIVE is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering artists and entertaining the world.
Details of the startup:
Country: Taiwan City: Taipei Started in: 2017 Number of employees: 251-500 Funding amount: $51,500,000 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 8 You can find their website here .
40) CHILI CHILI is a multi-platform entertainment marketplace for movie and television enthusiasts.
Details of the startup:
Country: Italy City: Milano Started in: 2012 Founders: Giorgio Tacchia, Stefano Flamia, Stefano Parisi Number of employees: 101-250 Funding amount: € 26,400,000 Number of funding rounds: 8 Number of investors: 5 You can find their website here .
41) Mangatoon Mangatoon is a mobile application for reading comics and manga.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Changning Started in: 2014 Number of employees: 10001+ Funding amount: $10,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 3 You can find their website here .
42) Mys Tyler Mys Tyler is a mobile fashion app that connects women of similar size, shape, and style to each other.
Details of the startup:
Country: Australia City: Sydney Started in: 2020 Founders: David Vandenberg, Jessica Yung, Sarah Neill Number of employees: 1-10 Funding amount: A$755,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 1 You can find their website here .
43) Tier IV Tier IV creates open source software for self-driving cars.
Details of the startup:
Country: Japan City: Tokyo Started in: 2015 Founders: Shinpei Kato Number of employees: 101-250 Funding amount: $1,252,485,095 Number of funding rounds: 5 Number of investors: 11 You can find their website here .
44) Mango TV Mango TV is a Chinese television broadcasting company.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Changshan Started in: 2006 Founders: Ruobo Zhang Number of employees: 251-500 Funding amount: CN¥2,500,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 You can find their website here .
45) Hupu Hupu is a forum for sports comments and news.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Shanghai Started in: 2004 Founders: Shawn Cheng Number of employees: 501-1000 Funding amount: $337,927,040 Number of funding rounds: 5 Number of investors: 5 You can find their website here .
46) Ichikara Ichikara is a corporation that uses technology to transform entertainment.
Details of the startup:
Country: Japan City: Tokyo Started in: 2017 Founders: Tazumi Riku Number of employees: 101-250 Funding amount: ¥2,600,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 7 You can find their website here .
47) Rivergame Rivergame is an online game developer based in China.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Beijing Started in: 2018 Number of employees: 1-10 Funding amount: CN¥3,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 1 Number of investors: 1 You can find their website here .
48) Collab Asia Collab Asia works to improve the creation, distribution, and consumption of content.
Details of the startup:
Country: Singapore City: Singapore Started in: 2017 Founders: Allen Lee, Eugene Choi Number of employees: 101-250 Funding amount: $10,500,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 4 You can find their website here .
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49) Musixmatch Musixmatch is a music AI startup that creates algorithms and tools for music discovery, recommendation, and search based on lyrics.
Details of the startup:
Country: Italy City: Bologna Started in: 2010 Founders: Francesco Delfino, Gianluca delli Carri, Giuseppe Costantino, Massimo Ciociola, Valerio Paolini Number of employees: 101-250 Funding amount: $19,335,379 Number of funding rounds: 6 Number of investors: 7 You can find their website here .
50) Azerion Azerion is a media and technology company with a local presence that produces safe, dependable, and valuable content on a European scale.
Details of the startup:
Country: The Netherlands City: Schiphol Started in: 2018 Number of employees: 1001-5000 Funding amount: € 12,500,000 Number of funding rounds: 1 You can find their website here .
51) Freeda Media Freeda's purpose is to inspire good change by sharing genuine women's stories.
Details of the startup:
Country: Italy City: Milan Started in: 2016 Founders: Andrea Scotti Calderini, Gianluigi Casole Number of employees: 101-250 Funding amount: $30,300,000 Number of funding rounds: 4 Number of investors: 9 You can find their website here .
52) Bauer Media Bauer Media is a magazine publisher that publishes a variety of media.
Details of the startup:
Country: Germany City: Hamburg Started in: 1875 Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: £1,800,000 Number of funding rounds: 1 You can find their website here .
53) Contents First The creators of Tappytoon, the world's leading digital-first comics site and daily destination for more than 4 million people. English/French/German
Details of the startup:
Country: South Korea City: Seoul Started in: 2013 Founders: Ernest Woo, Sun Bang Number of employees: 51-100 Funding amount: ₩39,500,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 6 Number of investors: 9 You can find their website here .
54) TT Yuyin TT Yuyin is a mobile gaming social platform.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Guangzhou Started in: 2014 Founders: Ke Song Number of employees: 251-500 Funding amount: $100,485,860 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 4 You can find their website here .
55) Gen.G Esports Gen.G is the premier esports organization that connects the United States and Asia.
Details of the startup:
Country: South Korea City: Seoul Started in: 2017 Founders: Kent Wakeford, Kevin Chou, Mike Li, Phillip Hyun Number of employees: 51-100 Funding amount: $46,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 4 Number of investors: 14 You can find their website here .
56) SMARTSTUDY SmartStudy is a multinational entertainment firm. Pinkfong and Monster Super League are two examples of our high-quality animation and gaming entertainment.
Details of the startup:
Country: South Korea City: Seoul Started in: 2010 Founders: Ryan Seungkyu Lee Number of employees: 101-250 Funding amount: $12,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 1 Number of investors: 3 You can find their website here .
57) Zlongame Zlongame is a company that focuses in game development.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Beijing Started in: 2015 Number of employees: 51-100 Funding amount: CN¥100,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 1 Number of investors: 3 You can find their website here .
58) Kambr Software, consulting, and content are all used to improve airline revenue performance.
Details of the startup:
Country: The Netherlands City: Amsterdam Started in: 2019 Founders: Chris Anthony, Jason Kelly, Martin Kaduc, Michael Peters Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $7,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 11 You can find their website here .
59) ADQ ADQ is a holding corporation that owns a number of large businesses.
Details of the startup:
Country: United Arab Emirates City: Abu Dhabi Started in: 2018 You can find their website here .
60) OverActive Media Group OverActive Media Group is a global esports and entertainment company that specializes in a variety of esports titles.
Details of the startup:
Country: Canada City: Toronto Started in: 2018 Founders: Adam Adamou, Babak Pedram Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $22,152,924 Number of funding rounds: 4 Number of investors: 6 You can find their website here .
61) GoPlay GoPlay is Indonesia's Gojek's video streaming service.
Details of the startup:
Country: Indonesia City: Jakarta Started in: 2019 Funding amount: $15,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 1 Number of investors: 5 You can find their website here .
62) NEXPLAY NEXPLAY is the only all-in-one gaming entertainment and esports ecosystem designed specifically for today's gamers.
Details of the startup:
Country: Singapore City: Singapore Started in: 2017 Founders: Gabriel Benito, Mayank Parekh Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $940,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 You can find their website here .
63) MediBang MediBang is an internet-based communication company that helps people communicate through art.
Details of the startup:
Country: Japan City: Tokyo Started in: 2014 Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: ¥540,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 1 You can find their website here .
64) Resemble AI Resemble Custom Voices are created by AI utilizing unique Deep Learning models capable of producing realistic Speech Synthesis.
Details of the startup:
Country: Canada City: Toronto Started in: 2018 Founders: Saqib Muhammad, Zohaib Ahmed Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $2,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 7 You can find their website here .
65) Yidian Zixun Yidian Zixun is a mobile news aggregator that caters to certain interests.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Beijing Started in: 2013 Founders: Jeff Zheng, Xuyang Ren Number of employees: 501-1000 Funding amount: $178,200,000 Number of funding rounds: 4 Number of investors: 2 You can find their website here .
66) Dadi Cinema Nan Hai Cinema is a Nan Hai Corp company that manages and operates movie theaters.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Guangzhou Started in: 2006 Number of employees: 5001-10000 Funding amount: CN¥1,000,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 1 Number of investors: 1 You can find their website here .
67) Nonolive Nonolive is a video live streaming app and a mobile game.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Guangzhou Started in: 2016 Number of employees: 101-250 Funding amount: $13,366,847 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 7 You can find their website here .
68) Legou Games Legou Games is a mobile game developer and publisher.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Chengdu Started in: 2017 Number of employees: 101-250 Funding amount: CN¥13,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 2 You can find their website here .
69) Xiaoming Taiji Xiaoming Taiji is a comics, animation, film, television, and gaming platform.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Wuhan Started in: 2016 Number of employees: 501-1000 Funding amount: CN¥150,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 2 You can find their website here .
70) Special Gamez Special Gamez is a firm that creates and publishes mobile games.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Chengdu Started in: 2016 Number of employees: 101-250 Funding amount: CN¥3,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 1 Number of investors: 1 You can find their website here .
71) SOOGIF SOOGIF is a startup that provides a platform for amusing visual content.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Xuhui Started in: 2015 Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: CN¥33,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 4 You can find their website here .
72) Zhiyin Manke Zhiyin Manke is a platform for sharing humorous content online.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Wuhan Started in: 2008 Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: CN¥567,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 1 Number of investors: 3 You can find their website here .
73) Midu Reader Midu Reader is a company that creates mobile reading platforms.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Shanghai Started in: 2018 Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $224,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 1 You can find their website here .