Startup Stage11 Raises A €5M Seed Round To Reimagine Music For The Metaverse

Immersive music experience startup Stage11 today announces it has raised a 5 million euro seed round led by Otium Capital, a European venture capital fund, backed up by founder and CEO, Jonathan Belolo. Belolo is a music industry veteran and the co-owner of Scorpio Music with a track record of 45 years of continuous success from The Village People to ‘Mi Gente’ by J Balvin & Beyonce. Stage11 has begun its journey to reimagine music for the metaverse by using the funds to onboard strategic hires, sign key artist and brand partnerships and build its technology platform.

“As a gamer and sci-fi nerd, It feels like I’ve been dreaming about the metaverse my entire life. Now that as a society we’re on the cusp of making it real, I find myself blessed to be part of an incredible team setting out to explore the new frontier. Building immersive music events and experiences is just the first step. We are on a journey together to reimagine the way artists and brands connect, even co-create, with their fans and audiences. We are combining genres, realities and cultures to build something bold, thrilling and timeless — yet accessible and fun.” says Jonathan Belolo, founder and CEO.

Stage11 is setting out to redefine the interactive music experience by combining gaming, mixed reality, and digital collectibles. They will do this by building a new creative canvas for artists, allowing them to invite fans to live, play, and create inside their performances and musical worlds.

These worlds combine immersive gameplay sequences, lifelike performances, cinematic narratives, and exclusive digital collectibles. Fans can not only discover and collect but actually use these interactive NFTs to create and share unique personalized content and even perform with their favorite artists.

This forms the core of a music metaverse that gives artists, brands, influencers, and fans the tools to co-create unique digital experiences, collectibles, and content unlocking new revenue streams for all by tapping into today’s fastest-growing markets – gaming, AR/VR, virtual events, and digital goods.

“I’m super excited to partner up with Stage11 and work on amazing virtual experiences together. We’re currently working on my first virtual show with Stage11 and I can’t wait to share more about this very soon!’’ says DJ Martin Garrix.

Stage11 can be accessed on desktop and mobile, playing to the strengths of both platforms. While desktop offers a more interactive high-definition experience, mobile focuses on mixed reality experiences and content creation as well as social interaction. Both platforms merge into one seamless user experience.

Stage11 is also today announcing partnerships with world-famous artists Martin Garrix, David Guetta, Snoop Dogg, Ne-Yo, Akon, French viral street dance artist Salif Gueye and a key strategic fashion partnership with the Institut Français de la Mode.

“Every day, we see that technology is influencing the entire fashion value chain and is having an impact on all processes. The development of metaverses is an additional step that is opening up a new field of expression for brands. The students of the Institut Français de la Mode, the future players in the industry, must be at the heart of this revolution. That’s why we have decided to make our fashion design students work in partnership with Stage 11 on virtual accessories, by using their approach of a digital metaverse, which will be presented during the fashion show at Paris Fashion Week next March.” says Xavier Romatet, dean of the Institut Français de la Mode.

To realize his vision, Belolo is joined by three co-founders; Jean-Philippe Braud and Gregory Dhonner, the co-founder and director of business development for Profirst, a leading luxury event agency for the most prestigious brands in fashion, beauty, and art (Armani, Chanel, Kering, L’Oréal, LVMH) and Mani Nordine, the president of American Artists Company specializing in managing A-list artists & celebrities bookings (Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Nas & Lady Gaga), who together bring decades of global business experience in music and fashion along with their invaluable networks to Stage11.

They are supported by a best-in-class team of experts in gaming, technology, entertainment and business that have previously worked on global success stories including AAA games Assassin’s Creed, Marvel Avengers, Star Wars: Battlefront, animated hit Happy Feet, and leading technologies and brands Facebook Oculus, Microsoft Kinect, Warner Music, Ferrari, Nike, and Virgin.

“At Otium Capital, we are entrepreneurs before we are investors. As entertainment, digital and gaming are part of our expertise, Stage 11 is an obvious choice for us. The founders of Stage 11 are recognized experts in their respective fields (Music, Fashion, Luxury, Lifestyle). This track record has enabled them to build a high-quality team between Europe and Silicon Valley in record time.” says Pierre-Edouard Stérin, founder of Otium Capital.

Stage11’s first music experience is set to debut in 2022.