Real-time audio platform tech startup Mixhalo raises $24M Series B to deliver an immersive experience for live events

Mixhalo, a San Francisco-based tech startup that delivers high-quality audio in real-time to attendees at live events, has closed $24 million Series B funding led by led by funds managed by affiliates of Fortress Investment Group LLC (“Fortress”), with participation from other entertainment visionaries including L-Acoustics.

Fortress is known in the entertainment space for the TSX Broadway project, a $2.5 billion immersive branding, retail, hospitality, and entertainment project in the heart of Times Square NYC, where Mixhalo will be providing the live audio experience when it opens in 2022.  Mixhalo will use the fresh capital infusion to scale up its business and grow its engineering and marketing teams.

Founded in 2016 by Incubus guitarist and songwriter Mike Einziger and internationally-acclaimed violinist, Ann Marie Simpson-Einziger, Mixhalo is a real-time audio platform that delivers a high-quality, immersive experience for live events including concerts, conferences, festivals, sporting events, and anywhere people gather to hear content.

Mixhalo also enables live event organizers to give audiences exactly what they came for, with real-time audio delivered directly to attendees’ own phones (via a free app) and headphones. At a Mixhalo-powered event, fans use their phone, headphones, and the free Mixhalo mobile app to unlock crystal-clear, real-time audio coming straight from the soundboard. As a result, everyone in the audience has access to better, more immersive audio, transforming the live event experience.

Already putting its new capital to work, Mixhalo has made a series of key engineering hires and appointed veteran tech lawyer Dana Jewell as its General Counsel. With more than 20 years of legal experience in startups to Fortune 100 companies, including Dell and eBay, she recently built and led the legal team at Edtech leader Chegg during a period of explosive growth and international expansion. At Mixhalo, Jewell will work closely with the commercial team to shape and close new deals, drive Mixhalo’s intellectual property strategy, build-out compliance infrastructure, and mitigate risk as the company continues to grow.

“It’s been a tough couple of years for the entertainment industry, but we’ve persevered by staying focused on improving our product while securing key partnerships along the way,” said John Vars, CEO of Mixhalo. “Now that live sports and entertainment have returned, and we have a fresh $24 million in the bank, we can reinforce our ranks with incredible talents like Dana who will help us unlock the magic of Mixhalo and delight fans everywhere.”

L-Acoustics, the industry leader in premium sound reinforcement and immersive technologies for live events, enters as another new major investor and exclusive professional audio partner. Mixhalo’s Series A investors also contributed to the round, including Foundry Group, Sapphire Sport, Founders Fund, Defy Partners, and Another Planet Entertainment.

Mixhalo was recently selected to provide the live audio experience for TSX Entertainment, a first-of-its-kind entertainment company creating an integrated, interactive, and immersive model that empowers artists to redefine the entertainment experience of the future.

Founded by Fortress and music industry innovator/disruptor Nick Holmsten, TSX Entertainment will use Mixhalo technology to power a next-generation live concert experience at its venues. The company is expected to debut Mixhalo technology at TSX Broadway, a $2.5 billion purpose-built, entire-building, immersive branding, retail, hospitality, and entertainment project boasting the only permanent stage in the heart of New York’s Times Square — the most heavily pedestrian trafficked location in the world.

“We believe that Mixhalo will fundamentally transform the future of live events, and we’re excited to invest in them to make this future a reality,” said Ivan Yee, Managing Director of Fortress Investment Group and Co-CEO of TSX Entertainment. “Personalized, immersive, premium experiences are what fans want at live events. Mixhalo delivers on that.”

“Investing in Mixhalo as a strategic partner was a no-brainer for us; not only do we believe in the product, but we share the same vision of elevating the listener experience,” said Laurent Vaissié, CEO of L-Acoustics. “With endless opportunities to collaborate and co-develop hybrid solutions together, from sports venues to immersive concert experiences, we look forward to shaping the future of live sound with Mixhalo.”

Despite challenges the live entertainment industry faced in the pandemic, Mixhalo demonstrated incredible momentum over the past 18 months. In addition to launching a set of new product advancements in June, the technology has been adopted by prominent music venues and artists, including Colorado’s famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Sting for his “My Songs” residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, as well as top major league sports teams, including Los Angeles Football Club (MLS), The Sacramento Kings (NBA), and The Buffalo Sabres (NHL).

Mixhalo clients and partners also include Aerosmith, Charlie Puth, Incubus, Metallica, TechCrunch Disrupt, Sting, STAPLES Center (soon-to-be Crypto.com Arena), and multiple venues housing NBA and NHL teams. The company is backed by investors including Foundry Group, Sapphire Sport, Founders Fund, Defy Partners, Cowboy Ventures, Red Light Management, and others in technology, sports, and entertainment.