AEI Music - the company behind Drum&BassArena, UKF and NCS - has formally launched AEI Ventures, which it describes as "a dedicated investment arm to support the next generation of founders in the music and hospitality industries".
The plan is to mainly invest in businesses founded by people not yet established in the music or hospitality sectors, and especially people from historically excluded or marginalised backgrounds. The companies that are backed by AEI Ventures will also get access to "a collaborative network of innovators", with mentoring and peer support provided alongside any funding.
Through these investments, AEI Music hopes to ally with a new generation of music entrepreneurs. In the same way the company originally expanded from the Drum&BassArena website and online community that was launched by co-founder James Cotterill via partnerships with the likes of UKF founder Luke Hood and NCS founder Billy Woodford.
Says AEI Music's other co-founder and CEO Diluk Dias: “We’ve always found the most success when working with those that come from outside of the traditional sectors we operate in, whether that’s founders or even our internal staff”.
“With the launch of AEI Ventures”, he adds, “we’re expanding this approach beyond the niche dance music industries we’ve traditionally operated in, to bring more outsiders inside across music and hospitality".
The firm's COO Sarah Cole says: “The launch of AEI Ventures is a crucial next step in our mission to transform the culture of the music industry. For too long, the access needed to get a foot in the door or investment to reach the next level has been limited for many communities. We are excited to play a part in changing this".