Melbourne Accelerator Program joins UMG’s global start-up network

The Melbourne Accelerator Program (MAP), the five-month Start-up Accelerator that has generated over $100 million in revenue, has partnered with Universal Music Group.

As the eighth member to join UMG’s global Accelerator Network – and the inaugural member in Australia – MAP joins UMG’s Accelerator Engagement Network to develop digital music start-ups.

The announcement was made by MAP Director Campbell Walshe at the Accelerator’s 2018 Demo-Day.

“We’re very proud to have been selected as Universal Music Group’s partner of choice in Australia,” said Walshe. “The opportunity to access the expertise, mentorship, industry insights and networks of a global entertainment-leader like UMG will be invaluable for any music-related start-ups looking to accelerate their growth, and we’re confident this will help us attract the very best start-up talent within this space.”

Since its launch in 2012 as an affiliate of Melbourne University, MAP has supported over 100 start-ups that have raised more than $70 million in funding, generated over $100 million in revenue, and created over 1000 new jobs.

Team MAP

The UMG Accelerator Network has helped 28 digital music start-ups including, Axel Springer and Porsche (Berlin), NYC MediaLab (New York), Sparklabs (Seoul and Taipei), LeanSquare (Belgium), China Accelerator (Shanghai), LINCC (Paris) and The Music Den (Toronto).

Stephen Hunt, Universal Music Australia’s Managing Director of Emerging Technology and Media, said:

“UMG Australia is delighted to work with MAP as the first Australian member of the UMG Accelerator Network and we are looking forward to engaging with both the Melbourne and larger Australian start-up ecosystem to foster the next generation of music-related start-ups.”

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.