Metaverse experiences startup MELON raises $5m from backers together with Crush Music’s funding arm

Metaverse startup MELON introduced the $5 million seed spherical right now. 

MELON’s seed funding comes from backers together with Crush Ventures, Gaingels, Comcast Spectacor, and an SPV led by Matt Finick, previously CFO at Roblox and Marvel Leisure. 

Notably, Crush Ventures, the funding arm of Crush Music, has a administration roster spanning the likes of Miley Cyrus, Sia, Inexperienced Day, Panic! on the Disco, and Weezer, amongst others. 

Angel buyers in MELON’s seed spherical embody: healthcare investor Paul Yook; Deborah Dugan, CEO of Past Sort 1 and previously CEO of Product (RED) and The Recording Academy of Music; Spencer Baim, CBO at Kinship and former CCO of VICE Media; Jason Ve, Head of BD/Model Partnerships at 88rising; and Gene Salomon, associate on the regulation agency Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman.

Upon saying their seed funding spherical, MELON co-founder and co-CEO Josh Neuman mentioned: “We’re extraordinarily lucky to have such a powerful collective of early strategic buyers in MELON.

“The Metaverse and platforms inside it are ripe for disruption and we’re trying ahead to evolving our creativity and storytelling in collaboration with our companions, in addition to by way of our authentic IP.”

Neuman’s earlier expertise in media, branding, and expertise has helped set up MELON’s repute in throwing digital occasions on platforms like Roblox. He has co-founded and/or served in government positions at 88rising, Recreation Worldwide, Management Administration, and Crush Music. 

Neuman’s associate at MELON, Devon Thorne, is targeted on the sport growth facet of the enterprise. He first made a reputation for himself by creating Minecraft experiences earlier than directing his consideration to Roblox, which is the place most of MELON’s experiences are primarily based. 

Coupling the co-CEO’s distinctive abilities, MELON is well-positioned to create metaverse experiences with their company companions such because the NFL and Chipotle, in addition to with music artists. 

Matt Finick, who’s working the SPV aligned with MELON, acknowledged that the corporate is “completely positioned to construct a few of the most impactful experiences throughout music, movie and TV, trend, and sports activities” within the metaverse. 

Tucker Roberts, President of Comcast Spectacor Gaming, added: “At Comcast Spectacor, we’re all the time searching for new methods to have interaction followers with nice occasions and memorable experiences, and that’s what this funding is all about. 

“MELON is on the reducing fringe of bringing experiences on to the place Gen Z lives – their telephones – and we’re trying ahead to the continued improvements that Josh and his unimaginable staff will make at MELON.”

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MELON was based in 2017 as a growth studio for the metaverse.

The corporate creates authentic video games and IP referring to sports activities, music, movie and tv, trend, and way of life manufacturers. MELON additionally creates metaverse experiences for company companions.

In totality, their merchandise have attracted a whole lot of thousands and thousands of visits by distinctive customers within the metaverse. Music Enterprise Worldwide