GoKawiilA Vinyl Bar in Shibuya raises $5.5M pre-seed for music interaction apps
A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya, a startup founded by former Spotify innovation head Máuhan M Zonoozy, has closed a $5.5 million pre-seed round from investors including Mantis VC, SV Angel, Boxgroup, and Dawn Ostroff. The company builds a series of small apps and web tools, like Speed Surfer and Stacks, that let users manipulate and remix sound and vocals rather than generate music via AI prompts.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
While much of the current music-tech boom centers on generative AI creating songs from text prompts, this startup bets on interactive, playful tools that treat music like a creative toy rather than an automated output. Backing from a former top Spotify executive signals investor interest in reshaping how listeners engage with music beyond passive streaming.
- A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya raised $5.5M in pre-seed funding for music interaction apps.
- Founder Máuhan M Zonoozy previously led innovation at Spotify and founded Bubbl, acquired by Cricket Media.
- The startup avoids AI-generated music, instead offering tools like Speed Surfer and Stacks for remixing sound.
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Published there as: “A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya is a startup offering fun music apps without any AI prompting”
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