Karaoke Club

What Karaoke Club does

Karaoke Club is a founder community and seed-stage investment platform that serves ambitious startup founders, primarily in Europe. Founded in 2025 and operated by two hosts, Melinda Elmborg and Nino Subotic, the platform combines a peer community with €50-100k in funding per accepted founder. The community is positioned as a place where founders "drop the act and be themselves" and receive ongoing support from the hosts, who describe themselves as "backup singers, hype crew, door openers, product feedback machines and fundraising experts." The vehicle is backed by a network of founders who have previously scaled to millions in ARR and exited to major global acquirers, lending credibility to the platform's mentorship claims.

The single product is bundled community membership and equity-based funding, delivered without proprietary technology beyond standard digital touchpoints: a website at karaokeclub.io with a Typeform application, a Substack newsletter, and community events branded mashup.day. The hosts provide hands-on support through product feedback, fundraising preparation, and introductions to their network. Karaoke Club does not earn subscription or membership fees; the revenue model is to invest €50-100k per company in exchange for equity, generating returns only through future portfolio exits. No management fees, carry arrangements, or alternative revenue streams are disclosed.

The disclosed portfolio comprises at least four companies spanning Stockholm, Luxembourg, and London: Tonada (AI-generated sound for retail and hospitality, €2.6M pre-seed led by Antler), TerraSpark (space-based solar power, €5M+ pre-seed led by Daphni), Newly (AI-powered mobile app creation, $2M+ seed led by PSV Tech), and Taxnova (AI-automated R&D tax credit claims, $1M / £750k pre-seed led by a16z Speedrun). In each transaction Karaoke Club appears as a small participating co-investor alongside institutional VCs. Total deployed capital against rounds that collectively raised over €10M is approximately €200-400k, indicating a small-check, high-co-investor-dilution posture rather than lead-investor activity.

Name

Karaoke Club

Website

https://karaokeclub.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Karaoke Club is a founder community and seed-stage investment platform providing €50-100k in funding alongside mentorship to ambitious European startup founders. Led by Melinda Elmborg and Nino Subotic, it bundles community support with early-stage equity investments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns: Karaoke Club provides €50-100k in funding to portfolio companies in exchange for equity. Returns are generated through successful exits when portfolio companies get acquired or scale to significant revenue. The club is backed by founders who have previously exited to major companies, suggesting a track record of successful investments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Karaoke Club is a community and funding platform for early-stage startup founders, providing €50-100k in equity investment alongside membership in a curated community. The program is hosted by operators who have scaled companies to millions in ARR and achieved successful exits, and it invests in pre-seed startups across Europe.

Product overview

Karaoke Club is a single unified offering combining a founder community with €50-100k in funding. The platform connects ambitious founders with experienced mentors (Melinda and Nino) who provide product feedback, fundraising expertise, and operational support. The community is backed by successful founders who have scaled to millions in ARR and achieved notable exits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Karaoke Club Community & Funding Program A combined community membership and pre-seed funding program that provides €50-100k in equity capital to selected early-stage startup founders in Europe, paired with access to a network of successful operator-founders who host the program. The offering is designed for pre-seed stage founders seeking both capital and peer-driven mentorship, with a community-led go-to-market motion.

Quantifiable outcome

• Founders can access €50-100k in funding plus community support

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Global accelerator ecosystem combining mentorship-driven communities with seed funding for early-stage founders — broader and more institutionalized than Karaoke Club but functionally similar.
• Y Combinator: The largest and most established founder community with embedded accelerator funding — same model as Karaoke Club but operating at vastly greater scale and brand recognition.
• Atomico: European venture firm with a strong founder-network component (AngelList-style LP community) — broader incumbent operating in the same European early-stage space as Karaoke Club.

Direct peers

• Entrepreneur First: Founder-finding program that backs individuals before they form companies, pairing community formation with early funding — directly comparable to Karaoke Club's community-plus-capital model.
• PSV Tech: Lead investor in Newly's seed round alongside Karaoke Club — a Nordic-focused pre-seed/seed community investor with overlapping thesis and geography.
• Spintop Ventures: Nordic-focused early-stage investor that co-invested alongside Karaoke Club in Tonada's pre-seed round — directly comparable as a regional seed-stage co-investor.
• s16vc: Early-stage fund and founder community that co-invested with Karaoke Club in Taxnova — comparable model combining operator community with seed investing.
• Daphni: European seed fund that led TerraSpark's pre-seed round with Karaoke Club participating — comparable European early-stage investor with a thematic, founder-focused approach.
• Antler: Global founder community and pre-seed/seed investor running cohort-based programs with embedded capital — the closest functional analogue to Karaoke Club, and in fact a co-investor in Tonada.
• a16z Speedrun: Andreessen Horowitz's pre-seed accelerator and community program, co-investor with Karaoke Club in Taxnova. Operates the same combination of community, mentorship, and seed funding.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/karaokeclub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments4 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Karaoke Club