The Web’s First “LinkedIn For Entertainers” Awarded by Microsoft

Stagee.com, currently in invitation-only closed alpha, was designed to help talent get discovered, find professional opportunities and reach new audiences.

“We are honored to have received this recognition from BizSpark. We applaud Microsoft for reaching out to so many promising startups around the world,” said Lior, Co-Founder and CEO of Stagee.

The Israeli-founded company raised $330,000 in seed, shortly after the idea was formulated, and has officially announced its intention to run a ‘Round A’ Financing following today’s win, looking to secure a couple of million dollars.

Stagee talent profiles provide a visually rich showcasing environment where users can upload videos, show reels, tour schedules, tracks, photo spreads, and blog posts. Users can create and maintain a buzz with social tools and build their audience while earning points for views, votes and ratings.

“We designed Stagee specifically to serve the needs of actors, comedians, musicians, models, dancers and photographers who are working hard to gain and maintain exposure on a global scale,” said Maimon. “Besides hard work, the two things you need to succeed in this business are a strong fan base and good contacts. This is where Stagee comes in.”

“Stagee was launched to fill a void in the social Web where no social networking platforms have existed exclusively for the specific career needs of entertainers,” adds Jonathan Schenker, who has recently joined the company as a Partner and CMO. “A&R executives, casting directors, and producers are using the filter-enabled platform as a comprehensive tool and by doing so increase their likelihood of finding ‘the next big talent’ through the internet,” he summarizes.

“Every technology decision was made with intense thought and focus into making sure that Stagee will be a friendly and comfortable nest for talent,” said Ofer Zelig, CTO of Stagee. “We are confident that entertainers will see Stagee as a strong social tool for self promotion that is customized for their industry.”

Links
Microsoft’s Announcement:
http://blogs.technet.com/b/bizspark_featured_startups/archive/2012/04/17/featured-bizspark-startup-on-azure-stagee.aspx
Stagee’s Announcement:
http://blog.stagee.com/2012/04/stagee-selected-as-microsoft-bizspark.html
Stagee’s Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAfHmLOesSE