ROLI, the East London-based music technology company, has raised yet more money for its spongy keyboard quirkiness, with another $27 million from venture capitalists.
The latest round of fundraising will help ROLI scale to meet growing demand, expand in new markets, and intensively build out its product, engineering, and marketing teams in North America and Europe.
Astonishingly, it is the third time the company has convinced investors to put money into the project, with a $12.8m investment in May 2014 and a further injection of $3.7m in October of that year.
Roland Lamb, founder and CEO of ROLI, said: “Music is a source of joy, and we want to make music creation more connected and accessible for everyone. The success of the Seaboard has shown that people want musical devices that are elegant, advanced, and open to all-and as easy to use as a smartphone or tablet. We’re thrilled to be partnering with some of the world’s most experienced investors as we revolutionise how people express themselves through music. And as we continue this journey, we are looking for everyone-from coders and makers to composers and musicians-to join the ROLI team as we change the shape of music.”
The Seaboard RISE, launched in September 2015, remodels the piano keyboard as a soft, smooth, touch-responsive surface that lets music-makers shape sound through five dimensions of touch.
In December 2015 ROLI launched NOISE, a free iOS app that turns iPhones and iPads into delightfully expressive musical instruments. The app, which the Apple Store features on demonstration units of its iPhones, has set the standard in applying Apple’s 3D Touch technology to music creation.
Foundry Group, the Boulder-based venture capital firm, led the round in its first investment outside the US. Ryan McIntyre, partner at Foundry Group, said: “We’ve had the opportunity to partner with companies at the forefront of Connected Health, Connected Play, and other areas where the intersection of physical and digital technologies is transforming the way we live. We’re tremendously excited to be working with Roland and the ROLI team to transform and connect how people make music. The Seaboard is a truly expressive new instrument, and we believe this is just the first step in a breakthrough roadmap for Connected Music.”
London-based BGF Ventures and San Francisco-based Founders Fund joined the round alongside all the investors who participated in ROLI’s $12.8m Series A: Balderton Capital, FirstMark Capital, Index Ventures, Horizons Ventures, and Universal Music Group.
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