Connect with us

Stories

 ROLI – A Startup Pushing The Boundaries Of Making Music

Published

5 years ago

on

ROLI,Startup Stories,Technology News 2020,Startup ROLI,Music Technology Innovation,ROLI Making Music,Music Startup ROLI,Music Tech Startup Roli,Music Technology Company ROLI,ROLI Founder,ROLI History,Roland Lamb,ROLI Latest News

Music is a very important part of people’s lives.  Different individuals have different tastes and different genres which they like.  However, everyone will agree music, as an art, uplifts emotions as well as the quality of life.  Music is constantly evolving by adapting to technologies prevalent in the current times, with a variety of new musical instruments like the hang drum, cajon and electric guitars, to name a few, coming out.

There is a startup reinventing and redefining the boundaries of what a piano can do—ROLI.  This startup combines the science of computers and music to come up with products which integrate technology and sound.

Beginnings

ROLI was founded in 2009 by pianist Roland Lamb while he was a graduate student at London’s famous Royal College of Art.  He was heavily influenced by saxophonists and guitarists as they modulate the sound any way they want by increasing or decreasing the pitch and tonality of a sound.  Roland Lamb decided the piano could not replicate the range of sounds a guitar could and started working on his first product called the ROLI Seaboard.

The Seaboard is a digital instrument.  Its design is based on the piano and is made up of an intuitive silicone structure.  It is meant to be played like a normal keyboard or piano, but with the addition of gestures meant to modulate the sound output.  Sliding a finger between the keys of the Seaboard changes the pitch, similar to a stringed instrument like an electric guitar.  Volume and vibrato notes can be modulated by using a controller which is integrated into the Seaboard. Utilities like these are what sets it apart from the traditional piano and similar instruments.  

Growth

Since the release of the first Seaboard in 2013, ROLI has launched Blocks and an app named Noise.  While the Seaboard is modelled based on the piano, launching it was a hassle as there was no other product out in the market which was similar to the Seaboard.  So, ROLI went ahead and created a community of their product users. This was the reason why it was modelled around the piano as it offered a familiarity for users to draw upon their past experiences of using the instrument.  ROLI relied on well known musicians to use their products to help with their growth. Artists and acclaimed music composers like Hans Zimmer, A.R. Rahman, Pharrell Williams and Stevie Wonder use ROLI products.

Musician Pharrell Williams invested in the startup and took up an executive position as the Chief Creative Officer at ROLI.

ROLI gained popularity over the years as more and more artists adopted its usage in creating music.  This unique startup, which has both music composers and software engineers working and collaborating side by side, aims to push the boundaries of creating music as far as it can.

Watch the Game of Thrones theme being performed on a Seaboard:

Read about how Gotham Greens is redefining farming: Gotham Greens; A Startup Using Urban Farming To Supply Fresh Produce

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Entrepreneur Stories

From Digital Wallet to Stock Market: MobiKwik Expands Its Horizons with New Brokerage Venture

Published

6 days ago

on

March 26, 2025

By

From Digital Wallet to Stock Market: MobiKwik Expands Its Horizons with New Brokerage Venture

MobiKwik is venturing into the stock broking sector with the launch of its subsidiary, MobiKwik Securities Broking Private Limited (MSBPL), following approval from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on March 3, 2025. This move aims to diversify MobiKwik’s offerings beyond its core digital payments services and compete with established players like Zerodha and Groww.

MSBPL will provide a range of brokerage services, including trading in shares, securities, commodities, and derivatives. The subsidiary has an initial capital of Rs 1 lakh, with plans for an additional Rs 2 crore investment to support its operations.

As MobiKwik enters this competitive market, it brings a substantial user base of 172 million and a merchant network of 5 million. Despite recent financial challenges, including a reported loss of Rs 55.2 crore in Q3 FY25, the company aims to leverage its existing infrastructure and user engagement to capture a share of the growing investment technology market, projected to reach $74 billion by 2030.

This strategic expansion aligns with MobiKwik’s broader goals of enhancing its financial service

Continue Reading

Entrepreneur Stories

Strategic Shift: Nazara Sells Entire Stake in Sports Unity Amid Financial Challenges

Published

7 days ago

on

March 26, 2025

By

Strategic Shift: Nazara Sells Entire Stake in Sports Unity Amid Financial Challenges

Nazara Technologies has sold its entire 71.54% stake in Sports Unity Private Limited, the company behind the multiplayer quiz game ‘Qunami’, for INR 7.15 lakh. This divestment, effective March 25, 2025, signifies a strategic shift for Nazara, which had previously acquired a controlling interest in Sports Unity in 2019 for INR 7.5 crore.

The decision to offload the stake comes as Sports Unity has faced financial difficulties, reporting no active business operations and a negative net worth of INR 0.45 crore at the end of FY24. This move aligns with Nazara’s broader strategy to streamline its operations and concentrate on more profitable ventures within the gaming sector.

This sale follows Nazara’s recent divestment of a 94.85% stake in another subsidiary, Open Play, to Moonshine Technologies for INR 104.33 crore. Despite reporting record quarterly revenue of INR 544.7 crore in Q3 FY25, Nazara experienced a 53.5% decline in net profit year-over-year.

Nazara continues to focus on enhancing its portfolio through strategic acquisitions and investments in high-potential gaming platforms while navigating the competitive landscape of the gaming industry.

Continue Reading

Inverstors Stories

Fractal Invests $20 Million in Asper.ai to Accelerate AI Solutions for Consumer Goods

Published

2 weeks ago

on

March 21, 2025

By

Fractal Invests $20 Million in Asper.ai to Accelerate AI Solutions for Consumer Goods

Fractal, a leading SaaS unicorn, has announced a strategic investment of $20 million in Asper.ai, an AI-driven platform focused on the consumer goods and manufacturing sectors. This funding, revealed on March 19, 2025, aims to accelerate Asper’s growth by enhancing product development and expanding its enterprise customer base.

Investment Highlights

Pranay Agrawal, Co-Founder and CEO of Fractal, expressed excitement about the partnership, noting Asper’s impressive growth over the past three years. He stated that this investment will unlock new opportunities for enterprise customers and drive further innovation within Asper.

Asper.ai’s Objectives

Mohit Agarwal, Co-Founder and CEO of Asper.ai, emphasized the need for consumer goods leaders to have a strategic ally that can adapt to their operations and transform data into actionable insights. The investment will support Asper in building its autonomous growth AI platform and attracting top talent.

Future Plans

Anuj Kaushik, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Asper.ai, highlighted the positive market response to their offerings. With Fractal’s investment, Asper.ai plans to enhance its AI capabilities across key areas like demand forecasting and revenue growth management.

Conclusion

Fractal’s $20 million investment marks a significant step in advancing AI solutions within the consumer goods sector. The collaboration between Fractal and Asper.ai is set to redefine how businesses leverage AI for growth and efficiency in a competitive landscape.

 

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Recent Posts

Advertisement