In today’s digital music landscape, artists often find themselves disconnected from their most valuable asset – their fans – with relationships filtered through multiple platforms that offer little control or ownership. The streaming era has left musicians struggling to build sustainable careers, with revenue models heavily favoring platforms rather than creators. Sesh empowers artists to build, own, and grow their fan communities directly. Through features like Member Cards, which fans can download to their phone’s wallet for direct updates, and smart campaigns that enable targeted engagement, the platform creates a direct line between artists and fans without intermediaries. Already serving over 250 artists including Anitta, Mau y Ricky, and Nathy Peluso, Sesh combines community building, direct communication, data ownership, and AI-powered audience insights in one ecosystem that puts artists back in control of their careers.
LA TechWatch sat down with Sesh CEO and Founder Pepe Del Río to learn more about the business, its future plans, and how they’re building a more artist-owned fan economy.
Who were your investors and how much did you raise?
We’ve raised a total of $7M across our Pre-Seed and Seed rounds. Our most recent round was led by Miura Global, with participation from a group of strategic angels and operators from the music, tech, and creator economy worlds.
Tell us about your product or service.
Sesh is a platform for artists to build, own, and grow their fan communities. We help them connect directly, monetize smarter, and unlock real audience data—no middlemen, no gatekeeping, no BS.
What inspired the start of Sesh?
Sesh started in Spain with my cofounder Iñigo Bunzl and me. We were working closely with artists and kept running into the same problem: their connection to fans was getting filtered through too many platforms. So we built the first version of Sesh to help artists take that relationship back. That early traction brought us to Miami, where we met MJ—who was at Interscope Records and immediately saw the vision. The three of us teamed up to build Sesh into a platform that helps artists own their careers and collaborate more effectively with labels and agencies. It’s about giving artists the control they deserve, without cutting out the partners who can help them scale.
How is it different?
What makes us different is that we build with artists, not just for them. Word of mouth from our artist community is our biggest growth driver—and our biggest validator. We’re not trying to replace social platforms; we’re giving artists a direct line to their fans that they truly own. We’re also the only platform using AGI to bring together community building, direct communication, data ownership, and audience insights—all in one place—to help artists build stronger, longer-lasting careers.
What market are you targeting and how big is it?
We’re focused on independent and major-label artists globally—musicians who want more control over their careers. There are tens of millions of active music creators worldwide, and that number keeps growing as barriers to entry fall and artist independence rises. It’s a massively underserved and rapidly expanding market.
What’s your business model?
We’re SaaS-based—artists pay a monthly subscription to manage their communities on Sesh. Our model is simple and aligned: artists own the relationship and keep the bigger piece of the pie.
How are you preparing for a potential economic slowdown?
Artists are already operating in a tight economy, and we’re building with that mindset from day one. Our platform helps them generate income directly from fans, which is often more stable than brand deals or platform payouts. We’re focused on sustainable, long-term growth, not just chasing trends.
What was the funding process like?
We already had deep relationships with artists and their teams, so we weren’t guessing about demand—we’d seen it firsthand. We’d helped hundreds of artists build stronger fan connections, so by the time we started raising, the product had real traction. That credibility—plus a good amount of luck—helped shift the conversation away from pitching potential and toward showing what was already working.
What are the biggest challenges that you faced while raising capital?
Honestly, the biggest challenge was me. I don’t enjoy fundraising—I’d much rather be building product. The hardest part was learning to handle rejection, over and over, and still believe in the vision we’re shaping. Instead of letting it wear me down, I had to learn how to turn that into fuel—to get even more fired up.
What factors about your business led your investors to write the check?
We had a real product solving a real pain point, and a team that lives and breathes this space. We’re not coming in from the outside trying to reinvent the wheel. We’re building side-by-side with artists, and we’re committed to constantly evolving the product as their needs shift. The version of Sesh you see today won’t be the last because we’re focused on solving problems, not protecting a specific feature set.
What are the milestones you plan to achieve in the next six months?
We’re focused on scaling the ecosystem—onboarding more artists, rolling out new monetization tools, and expanding our footprint in the U.S. Leveraging AGI for community building is the biggest lever we’re pulling right now.
What advice can you offer companies in Los Angeles that do not have a fresh injection of capital in the bank?
I’m not sure I’m in a position to give advice—I fail every day and try to learn something from it. But if there’s one thing I’ve figured out, it’s this: don’t get attached to what you’ve already built. Be married to the vision, not the version. Stay flexible, evolve fast. If we’re good at anything, it’s changing everything.
Where do you see the company going now over the near term?
We’re growing fast, but staying focused. Our near-term goal is to become the go-to fan community ecosystem for artists. We’re building for longevity—not just virality.
With a plethora of commuting options, how do you typically get to work each day?
Most days, I walk. It’s a rare moment to clear my head, listen to music, and reconnect with why we’re building this in the first place.
