SPROCKIT Builds on $2 Billion Banner Year, Kicks Off 2021 with World Renowned Musician Branford Marsalis

SPROCKIT, the Global Innovation Marketplace, connecting the world's top market-proven startups and Fortune 500 companies in media, entertainment and technology, today announced three-time Grammy winner and former Tonight Show band leader, Branford Marsalis will lead the first of its monthly public Ask The Expert discussions. Marsalis will join the SPROCKIT community in a live event on January 26th to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on acoustic music and live performances, and the tech solutions that have followed.

SPROCKIT enters the first quarter bullish about the future as its startups prove instrumental in accelerating the transition to digital. In addition to its Ask the Expert series, SPROCKIT is hosting its first quarterly exclusive SPROCKIT Sync meeting of 2021 on February 18th. Media and entertainment corporations are invited to join corporate partners ComcastNBC/Universal, Google, SamsungNext, Verizon and others for engagement with SPROCKIT's curated tech startups. While SPROCKIT Sync is invite-only, all are invited to join the monthly expert panel discussions. Register for calls here.

SPROCKIT BEGINS 2021 ON A HIGH NOTE:

• SPROCKIT's next monthly "Ask the Expert'' public community discussion on January 26 at 12pm EST will focus on the impact of tech on the Arts and live performance. It will feature saxophonist Branford Marsalis, who's accompanied Sting and the Grateful Dead among others, along with SPROCKIT companies. Register to attend at https://tinyurl.com/SPROCKITBranford
• SPROCKIT will host its quarterly exclusive invitation-only virtual SPROCKIT Sync meeting on February 18, convening top Fortune 500 media and entertainment executives, industry thought leaders and startups from around the globe. Participants will collaborate to bring new products and services to market through partnerships, investments and acquisitions. To find out more, please email [email protected] or visit here. 

While challenging, 2020 was a banner year with SPROCKIT's startup community hitting a milestone, collectively raising more than $2 billion USD in funding, $1 billion after joining SPROCKIT, and three acquisitions. This success continued in early January 2021 with the acquisition of SPROCKIT company Moonlighting by CareerGig.

Notable acquisitions in the last year include:

• CareerGig acquired Moonlighting, strengthening their SaaS platform and expanding their matching capabilities, allowing businesses to hire talented professionals quickly and affordably.
• Credit bureau titan TransUnion acquired Tru Optik to bolster their cookieless data capabilities and help companies with identity-based marketing, targeting and measurement.
• Security solutions company Rapid7 acquired DivvyCloud for $145 million USD in cash and stock to become more fully ingrained in the cloud.
• Video streaming solution company Haivision acquired Teltoo to optimize complete edge-to-edge low latency video workflows.

"SPROCKIT is energized by the prospects lined up for 2021. We are particularly proud of SPROCKIT alum Moonlighting's achievements leading to their recent acquisition, and we expect more in the coming year," said Harry M. Glazer, founder and CEO, SPROCKIT. "We're all happy that 2020 is behind us and look forward to silver linings. We're poised to capitalize on the possibilities this new year will bring."

SPROCKIT is actively curating its 2021 cohort, identifying and vetting market-proven startups from around the world. New startups will be joining its initial highly selective cohort including: iDenTV, Living PopUps, MyBundleTV, Omnistream, Podcast Village, SafeGuard Privacy, Veep.io and Videomine. To find out more, please email [email protected].

SPROCKIT remains committed to further building its diverse and inclusive community, and last year announced a "diversity credit" for underrepresented founders, including women, minorities, members of the LGBTQ+ community and more. Interested parties should reach out to [email protected] for more information about the SPROCKIT startup program.

About SPROCKIT

SPROCKIT is the Global Innovation Marketplace that curates, connects and fosters collaboration among leading media, entertainment and technology companies and the world's top market-proven startups to bring innovative products, services and revenue models to market through partnerships, investments and acquisitions. Since its launch in 2013, more than 177 emerging companies have participated in SPROCKIT, raising more than $2 billion USD and resulting in hundreds of partnerships and 25 acquisitions. For more information, visit www.sprockit.com.