A new startup accelerator has come to the music world thanks to one of its most successful entrepreneurs and managers. Troy Carter, the man behind the scenes that has brought some of the biggest names in pop music to the masses, has launched SMASHD Labs, a program sponsored by his management and production company, Atom Factory, in the hopes of finding the best new companies and developing the talent and the ideas that a suffering industry needs.
Starting today, Carter and company are looking for startups that “demonstrate the ability to influence and shape entertainment and culture”, according to a release announcing the new accelerator. While there are sure to be hundreds of companies that apply, SMASHD is planning on accepting between five and seven firms, all of which will then go through a ten week “bootcamp”. During those ten weeks, the companies will work out of Atom Factory’s Culver City,
Those startups accepted into the SMASHD Labs program will not only have the benefit of guidance and mentorship from Carter, the Atom Factory team, and many other leaders in the industry, but the Factory will invest $50,000 in each of the lucky firms. The goal is to graduate those that went through the ten week program with better-honed skills and brand partnerships that will hopefully keep the momentum going long after the boot camp is over.
Carter has proven himself a savvy businessman, as well as one whose taste in up-and-coming talent can be trusted. He has invested in over seventy companies, including music-related firms like Spotify, as well as plenty of other disruptors that have little to do with the music industry, such as Uber, Dropbox, and Warby Parker. In addition to his many successful investments in the business world, Carter is perhaps best known for developing the career of Lady Gaga, who he managed from when she was playing small bars to only a few years ago. He has also managed the careers of big-name acts like Meghan Trainor, John Legend, and newcomer Charlie Puth.
SMASHD Labs follows in the wake of Project Music, a Nashville-based music startup accelerator. That program held its first ever bootcamp this past spring, which had a similar runtime and curriculum. Companies can apply for SMASHD Labs from now through August 5th, and the actual program begins in mid September and runs until mid November.
