Participated · Series B · Mar 2021

Maestro is a Los Angeles-based startup offering a suite of interactive commerce, community and engagement tools for livestreams. It began in the gaming community with in-stream interactive features and expanded to serve entertainers, brands, businesses and streaming platforms. The company slashed prices to about $500 per month and has worked with clients including the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Cowboys, The Wave, and artists such as Billie Eilish, Katy Perry and Post Malone. Since launching monetization tools in May of last year, Maestro says it has paid out at least $5 million to entertainers. The team of about 55 employees plans to build a developer ecosystem so third-party software designers can build and sell tools through the platform, and it is adding membership, community management and ticketing features. Maestro does not offer discovery or search services, focusing instead on helping creators monetize and control their audience relationships. Maestro provides brands a toolkit for capturing data, analytics, and viewer engagement within live streams, enabling companies to create branded streaming destinations. Its tools include polling, micro-games, and other communication features, and importantly, fan data remains with the brand rather than platform owners. The company initially focused on gaming and esports and has created branded destinations for partners including Sony PlayStation, Microsoft, Pokemon, Warner Bros. Games, Electronic Arts, Capcom, Wargaming, ESL, Dreamhack, and ELEAGUE. Maestro has also signed non-gaming partners such as The Grammys and Coachella and positions its product as applicable to any live stream. The company plans to use new funding to boost sales and marketing and to target new industries. Ari Evans is founder and CEO.