MTE Academy launches 2024 startups acceleration programme

Open Call fro the 2nd round of acceleration

Music Tech Europe Academy is one of the initiatives in Europe designed to help music startups get momentum. Today it is opening the call for applications for its 2024 programme, for which Music Ally (disclosure!) is one of the partners.

10 startups will be chosen for the EU-co-funded programme, with topics including AI music, music licensing, PR and communications, budgeting, sales and ESG (environmental, social and governance) issues. It was announced at the New Visions conference in Berlin.

Alongside Music Ally, other partners for the 28-week programme include UMG, Hemi, Lift99, Innovathens and Orfium. It’s aimed at startups hailing from within the European Union, with the deadline for applications closing on 13 October. Full details are here.

Co-ordinating the programme are Music Innovation Hub, the Italian social enterprise that leads the MTEA consortium, Media Deals (Germany), Technoport (Luxemburg), Meso Events (Greece) and Barcelona Music Tech Hub (Spain) – “but startups from all over Europe can apply,” said Anna Zò, of the Music Innovation Hub.

“The application process is pretty tough,” Zò said, “not to disincentivise the applicants, but to have a clear understanding at the very beginning of how can we help that company or project and what sort of companies they are looking for.”

(British readers will be unsurprised to learn that Brexit excludes them from this programme – unless their startup has an EU-based office and EU focus.)

“We felt what was missing was a pan-European programme… our our objectives are not to have all our startups close billions of investment.” said Zò. “We want to connect startups with the traditional music ecosystem… and for them to understand their role in that ecosystem.”

Zò said that the EU’s reason for funding the project is to “create a competitive and vibrant music tech sector” across Europe.

Aside from stretching the programme centres to southern Europe – out of the traditional startup cities – representation and gender balance is an important factor too.

“In the music tech sector, we really struggle to find non-male participants – also in the mentor space. So we try to engage mentors and experts that are committed, and that really want to make a difference around diversity – geographical, gender, and background,” said Zò.