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
Ad
On Deck is where top talent comes to accelerate their ideas and build companies, surrounded by a world-class community.
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
The All-In-One Newsletter for Startup Founders
Every week, I’ll send you Failory’s latest interviews and articles and 3 curated resources for founders. Join +25,000 other startup founders!
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
