LifeScore, a London-based AI music technology company, announced that it has secured £11M (approx €13M) in Series A round of funding led by Octopus Ventures, with participation from Warner Music Group, IDEO and 4 Good Ventures.
Existing investor Metaplanet Holdings OÜ also participated in the round. The Series A round brings the total funding raised by the company to £12M (approx €14.5M).
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Fund utilisation
LifeScore says it will use the funds to expand its operation globally, and strengthen its technical team and proprietary adaptive music technology.
Philip Sheppard, co-founder and CEO of LifeScore, says, “Music isn’t just a luxury, it’s an essential part of life. Whether for sleep, mental wellbeing, exercise, or a much-needed adrenalin rush, music is there to soundtrack our lives. LifeScore wants to bring the composer into the action, using Augmented Intelligence to surprise and delight, rendering music reactive and dynamic in real-time. We are thrilled to have found such supportive partners in this investment round, and believe that this will enable us to bring an entirely new music platform to fruition whilst creating many opportunities for musicians.”
LifeScore: What you need to know
LifeScore was founded by Philip Sheppard, a film and video game composer; Tom Gruber, co-inventor of Siri and world-renowned AI expert; Ian Drew (a serial technology entrepreneur; and Chris Walch, a former attorney at Latham & Watkins.
LifeScore is an adaptive music startup whose algorithms compose music on the fly, responding to people’s movements and other data. The company works with musicians and composers to record and compose musical building blocks.
Through its patented AI technology called Cellular Composition, the musical raw material is processed to create adaptive music that is algorithmically tailored to the context and needs of the listener.
Due to its adaptability in real-time, LifeScore can offer the benefits of music to entertain, inspire, relax, energise, and evoke emotion – and keep adapting as conditions change.
The company’s technology has applications across AR and other simulated environments, live streaming, gaming, automotive, sleep, fitness, health, and wellness.
The UK company has recently signed a ground-breaking licensing agreement with Audi.
Tara Tan of IDEO says, “LifeScore is creating music for the Metaverse, and is building the future of creative collaboration bridging man and machine.”
Investors
Based out of London, Octopus is a multi-stage venture capital investor specialising in health, money, deep tech, and consumer.
Akriti Dokania, Investor at Octopus Ventures, says, “LifeScore has made truly pioneering advances with its music technology. Music is central to our way of living and mood and by creating adaptive music on demand, the technology is algorithmically tailored to the context and needs of the listener. Philip Sheppard and the team have a huge vision for the future of music and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be supporting them on this journey”
Oana Ruxandra, Chief Digital Officer & EVP, Business Development, Warner Music Group, says, “Interactivity is at the core of the music ecosystem’s evolution and adaptive music will be a key driver of this interactivity. Fundamental to the investment is the importance that LifeScore places on the artist. Adaptive AI, held at the fingertips of our artists, will provide powerful opportunities to tailor and personalise experiences for fans. We’re excited to get started.”
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