What do the winning startups receive?

• Feature in a press release about the competition

• Founder interviews on the Music Tectonics Podcast after the event

• Free badge for the 2023 conference

Winning the 2022 competition does not come with a monetary prize or investment, but winners benefit from recognition and the warm embrace of the Music Tectonics community.  The winner of the first “Swimming with Narwhals” competition in 2020, Jacquelle Amankonah Horton, sees the experience as a springboard for her startup Fave, a platform for fans to unite and support their favorite artists with passion and creativity. “Winning the Music Tectonics startup competition completely catapulted my company,” Horton recalls. “It was the first time I spoke publicly about my vision outside of moonlighting on the project, and the direct support I received from the judges, industry leads who saw or heard of me from this stage, and the amazing fellow attendee community is what led to me closing a $2.2M seed round from top industry companies just a few months later. So grateful and feel indebted to the MT family for this kickoff.”

 

Why should I attend the conference if I am not selected as a finalist?

So many reasons!

 

• Networking: Even before you get to Santa Monica, we’re designing an online Semi-Final Pitch event for all competition applicants and badgeholders. Network with your cohort and get advice from our panel of judges at a Q&A. MT online events are fun, fast-paced, and dynamic- a far cry from the usual webinar. 

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• Visibility: The first day of the conference features a Startup Carousel - a ring of startup demo tables at Santa Monica’s historic Merry-go-round. The first 15 competition applicants have top priority to join the finalists and present their demos.

 

• Getting Business Done: Conference attendees tell us every year that they meet new partners, clients, and investors at Music Tectonics. Music Tectonics makes space for meeting and building relationships outside panels and keynotes with breaks on the schedule and a third conference day for your meetings.

 

• Planning for the future: Innovation in the Music Tech space thrives on conversation and connection across industry boundaries. Get ideas and actionable insights for your startup by taking part in deep conversations about the future of music and tech.

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I have a great startup, but I’m bootstrapping and I can’t afford the cost of a conference badge. What should I do?

Apply for a badge scholarship! Music Tectonics is offering three badge scholarships to startup pitch competition applicants. Email Shayli by July 22 to apply, explaining briefly what this support means to your company. 

 

Preference for badge scholarships will be given to founders who are from groups that are underrepresented in tech and music industry leadership.

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Why Narwhals?

Sometimes called the “unicorn whale,” the mascot represents the spirit and goals of the competition. Invoking the real one-horned animal gently pokes fun at the cultural obsession with billion-dollar unicorn startups, keeping the focus on real-world innovators who are poised to make waves in the music industry. And while shark tanks pit founders against each other and antagonistic judges, the Music Tectonics competition is designed to be welcoming and mutually supportive.

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​What's the story behind this competition?

See the 2021 competition page to find out who competed and who won!

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