New York is an event-driven town, and now three startups are using tech to create exclusive events for art enthusiasts, foodies and music lovers.
Entrepreneurs are zeroing in on passion points of consumers to re-create unique experiences of yesteryear, from “salons” à la Gertrude Stein to dinner parties to living-room concerts by undiscovered bands.
Gertrude.co, a startup named after Stein (who famously held salons in her home for the likes of Picasso and Matisse), officially launched in New York City last week to host salons, or gatherings for art lovers, collectors and artists.
Gertrude’s “curators,” connected to the artist community, select emerging artists for salons.
Artists have the opportunity to display a maximum of 10 pieces of their work, which are on sale at the event.
The one-hour salons are limited to 40 people to provide an intimate forum for intelligent conversation.
Salon locations are revealed to guests only 24 hours in advance.
Analysts believe Gertrude.com has the potential to successfully monetize itself — eventually.
The site has already attracted an undisclosed amount of financial backing from angel investors including Henrik Werdelin from Prehype, Martin Mignot from Index Ventures and Emma Fiszman from DDF Ventures.
“They could choose a business model that revolves around partnerships with bigger galleries to help them market up-and-coming artists.” says Adriana S. de Lozada, a senior analyst at PrivCo, a financial-research firm specializing in private companies.
What’s good for art is also good for music. UK-based Sofar Sounds seeks to create music events. An estimated 30,000 people globally have taken part in this crusade. Unlike concerts where one struggles to listen to music over the chatter of others, Sofar (“Songs From a Room”) is a self-described “movement” that unites music enthusiasts, oftentimes in a living room.
The company has received $200,000 in funding from angel investors and has partnerships with businesses in the industry, including Shazam, Soundhalo and Spotify.
As far as artist discovery goes, Sofar’s New York business has sparked the interest of major record companies. Though she declined to specify which, Sofar’s New York director, Jodie Belman said a “very, very big” label came to her recently asking about her 10 most popular but unrecorded artists.
Foodies, too, can participate in this new trend.
Dinner Lab, a membership-based “pop-up” dinner club, brings together strangers united in their love of food. Members, who pay $100 to $175 annually, must purchase a ticket ($70 to $75) to attend an event. The events are held twice a week.
Events are also held at surprise locations, revealed one day prior to the event, and rising culinary stars get to share their food in an intimate dinner-party setting.