Musical.ly
A video social network for creating, sharing, and discovering short videos.
Description
Founded in 2014, by creator Alex Zhu and longtime friend, Luyu Yang, musical.ly was a video social network for creating, sharing and discovering short videos. Every day, millions of teens use musical.ly as an outlet to express themselves through singing, dancing, comedy, and lip-syncing. The app celebrated creativity with videos recorded in 15seconds or less that were shared across the musical.ly community. More than half of U.S. teens were users of musical.ly. Since first being made available in October 2014, musical.ly hit #1 in the iOS App Store for free apps in 20 countries - including the United States. In 2017 Musical.ly was acquired by ByteDance subsidiary Toutiao, and in 2018 Musical.ly was merged into ByteDance subsidiary TikTok.
Legal Name
-
Former Legal Name(s)
-
Company Reputation
-
Entity Type
Private limited company
Ownership Status
-
Operational Status
Inactive
Founded Date
2014
Operational Duration
3 years
Shutdown Date
2017
Last Financing Round
Funding round
Total Raised
USD 150.35M
Last Financing Date
13 May 2016
No. of Funding Round(s)
5
No. of Investor(s)
2
No. of Employees
100 - 250
Total Revenue
-
Post-money Valuation
-
Market Capitalization
-
Stage of Development
Established
Transactional Model Type
B2C
Defensibility Moats
User networks,
City
Shanghai
State/Province
Shanghai
Country
China
Industry
Internet
Categories
Entertainment, Short Videos, Video, Music,
- Acquired
- ByteDance Ltd. acquired Musical.ly Inc. on November 9, 2017, and merged it into TikTok on August 2, 2018.
- After acquiring Musical.ly for a reported $1 billion, China’s Bytedance Technology is shutting down the service and starting the process of migrating all users to its own TikTok video app
Acquired by Bytedance.
Note: Direct competitors are defined by similarity score of more than 40%, while similar companies are defined by similarity score of less than 40%
| No. | Image | Name | Similarity score | Description | Industry | Categories | Location | Ownership status | Entity type | Stage of development | Transactional model type | Defensibility moats | Last financing round | Total raised | Post-money valuation | Last financing date | No. of funding round(s) | No. of investors | Investors | Total revenue | Market capitalization | No. of investments | No. of acquisitions | No. of board seats taken | Competition | Management | No. of employees | Company reputation | Contact info | Operational status | Operational duration | Shutdown date | Founded date | Legal name | Former legal name(s) | Ticker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. |  | Guvera | 26.6% | A system that enabled free music downloads through engagement advertising. | Internet | Music, Advertising, Music Discovery | Australia | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 100-250 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2008 | - | - | - |
2. |  | Keek | 21.4% | Social platform for sharing short videos. | Internet | Social, Short Videos, Video, Sharing | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Inactive | - | - | - | - | - | - |
3. |  | HowDo | 18.6% | A sound and picture chapter to capture and share DIY skills. | Internet | Applications, Mobile, Entertainment | Germany | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2012 | - | - | - |
4. |  | Youtube Leanback | 18.6% | An optimized version of YouTube used for television web browsers and webview application wrappers. | Internet | Video Streaming, Video, Web Applications | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2010 | - | - | - |
5. |  | 12seconds | 17.2% | A video sharing web site enabled users to share twelve second long video moments from their life. | Internet | Social Media, Short Videos | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2008 | - | - | - |
6. |  | Scoreloop | 16.8% | A cross-platform social gaming network. | Internet | Entertainment, Gaming, Mobile, Social | Germany | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 50-100 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2008 | - | - | - |
7. |  | EyeSpot | 16.8% | A web-based editor that provided video editing and sharing software. | Internet | Video, Software | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10-50 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2005 | - | - | - |
8. |  | Haivl | 16.6% | An entertainment site. | Internet | Websites, Entertainment, Media & Entertainment, News | Vietnam | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2012 | - | - | - |
9. |  | Blab | 16.4% | A livestreaming app that enabled its users to communicate with the other users. | Internet | Media & Entertainment, Video Streaming, Video | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10-50 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2015 | - | - | - |
10. |  | Turntable.fm | 16.2% | A social media website that allowed users to interactively share music. | Internet | Digital Media, Music, Media & Entertainment, Social Media | United States | - | - | - | - | - | Early Stage | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2011 | - | - | - |
11. |  | Audiogalaxy | 16.0% | A music streaming service. | Internet | Music, Video Streaming | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 1999 | - | - | - |
12. |  | 8tracks Radio | 15.9% | An internet radio and streaming platform that focused on crafted playlists. | Internet | Internet Radio, Media & Entertainment, Music, Social Network | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10-50 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2008 | - | - | - |
13. |  | Songza | 15.9% | A music streaming and recommendation service offering curated playlists based on the time of day or a user's mood or activity. | Internet | Music, Media & Entertainment, Independent Music | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10-50 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2007 | - | - | - |
14. |  | JamLegend | 15.5% | An online, browser-based music video game. | Internet | Gaming, Online Games, Music, Video | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2008 | - | - | - |
15. |  | Vlix | 15.4% | A video app with video effects, text and personal video feeds. | Internet | Mobile, Applications, Video | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2005 | - | - | - |
16. |  | Flyte | 15.3% | An online digital music store. | Internet | Music | India | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2012 | - | - | - |
17. |  | PluggedIn | 14.8% | A family entertainment website that provided information and commentary on movies, music, television, video games, and culture. | Internet | Media & Entertainment, Music, Video | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2006 | - | - | - |
18. |  | CakeTunes | 14.5% | An online marketplace where music producers could sell beats to musicians and video firms. | Internet | Music, Marketplace, Music Discovery, Video | Nigeria | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2017 | - | - | - |
19. |  | Headliner | 14.4% | An online booking platform for entertainers and musicians. | Internet | Events, Music, Entertainment | United Kingdom | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10-50 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2014 | - | - | - |
20. |  | Switchcam | 13.9% | Video creation platform. | Internet | Events, Photography, Video | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2011 | - | - | - |
21. |  | Eyegroove | 13.8% | A platform that let users make videos for songs they like. | Internet | Social Network, Music, Creativity, Entertainment | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2013 | - | - | - |
22. |  | Mobuzz | 13.5% | An online vlog (video blog) entertainment startup. | Internet | Media & Entertainment, Video | Spain | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2005 | - | - | - |
23. |  | Asaii | 13.4% | An automated machine learning A&R and music management platform. | Internet | Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data, Music, Media & Entertainment | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2016 | - | - | - |
24. |  | Vitoto | 13.4% | Allowed users to create collaborative videos on smartphones. | Internet | Video, Digital Media, Collaboration, Social Media | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2012 | - | - | - |
25. |  | SellaBand | 13.4% | A crowdfunding website for musicians. | Internet | Music, Social Media, Crowdfunding, Social Music | Germany | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2006 | - | - | - |
26. |  | Sharkius | 13.1% | A social games company. | Internet | Gaming, Entertainment, Social | United Kingdom | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2008 | - | - | - |
27. |  | Frankly.me | 12.7% | A video sharing platform that allowed conversations. | Internet | Applications, Video, Software | India | - | - | - | - | - | Seed | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 50-100 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2014 | - | - | - |
28. |  | Groovy | 12.3% | A music streaming app. | Internet | Music, Applications, Entertainment, Streaming, Social Music | Japan | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2013 | - | - | - |
29. |  | Stereomood | 12.2% | A music platform that provided various mood-based song listings. | Internet | Internet Radio, Media & Entertainment, Digital Entertainment, Music, Independent Music | Italy | - | - | - | - | - | Seed | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10-50 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2009 | - | - | - |
30. |  | LeSports | 11.9% | An eco-sports platform designed to provide content and communications. | Internet | Sports, Video, Software, Digital Media, Information Services | China | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10-50 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2014 | - | - | - |
31. |  | VidPays | 11.7% | An incentive-based advertising platform. | Internet | Marketing, Video, Advertising, SEO | Malaysia | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2008 | - | - | - |
32. |  | PlayCafe | 11.2% | An online game show network. | Internet | Entertainment, Online Games, Gaming | United States | - | - | - | - | - | Early Stage | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2006 | - | - | - |
33. |  | YouCastr | 10.7% | A video monetization platform that allowed content creators to charge for their video online. | Internet | Video, Sports, Video Streaming, Broadcasting | United States | - | - | - | - | - | Seed | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2007 | - | - | - |
34. |  | Bloom.fm | 10.7% | A mobile music app that featured free radio and tiered access music rental subscriptions. | Internet | Mobile, Software, Music | United Kingdom | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10-50 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2011 | - | - | - |
35. |  | Vine | 10.6% | An online platform that enabled users to create short looping video clips. | Internet | Short Videos, Social Media, Mobile, Applications, Entertainment | United States | - | - | - | - | - | M&A | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 50-100 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2012 | - | - | - |
36. |  | Tunaspot | 10.5% | A location-based music platform. | Internet | Location Based Services, Music, Music Discovery | Sweden | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2011 | - | - | - |
37. |  | Gogoyoko | 10.3% | An online music store and social networking website. | Internet | Social, Music, Social Music | Iceland | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10-50 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2007 | - | - | - |
38. |  | Vreal | 10.3% | Gaming unlocked; watch immersive content from top creators wherever you want while inside the game. | Internet | Gaming, VR, Entertainment | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10-50 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2015 | - | - | - |
39. |  | Lasso | 10.2% | A short-video sharing app by Facebook. | Internet | Short Videos, Social, Applications, Mobile | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2018 | - | - | - |
40. |  | The 3DO | 10.2% | Developed and published CD-based entertainment software for personal computers and advanced game system consoles. | Internet | Video, Computer Games, Software | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 1991 | - | - | - |
41. |  | Zeemi.tv | 9.5% | Live video streaming platform. | Internet | Media & Entertainment, Video, Video Streaming | Indonesia | - | - | - | - | - | Seed | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10-50 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2014 | - | - | - |
42. |  | Kazaa | 9.4% | A P2P file sharing app and music subscription service. | Internet | P2P, File Sharing, Music, Subscription | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10-50 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2002 | - | - | - |
43. |  | Cymbal | 9.3% | A music sharing platform that enabled its users to listen to music, create playlists, and share them with other users. | Internet | Music, Applications | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2015 | - | - | - |
44. |  | Dopetracks | 9.0% | An online music collaboration and promotion platform for hip hop Emcees and Producers. | Internet | Music, Collaboration, Online Portals | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2006 | - | - | - |
45. |  | Jumpcut, Inc | 8.9% | An online video editing company. | Internet | Video, Video Streaming | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-11 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2006 | - | - | - |
46. |  | What.cd | 8.9% | An invite-only music torrent website. | Internet | Music, Websites, Music Sharing, Software | France | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2007 | - | - | - |
47. |  | Evntlive | 8.6% | Concert-streaming platform. | Internet | Digital Entertainment, Music, Entertainment | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2012 | - | - | - |
48. |  | SMSnoodle | 8.2% | An SMS based entertainment channel targeting the Singapore region. | Internet | SMS based services, Entertainment, Applications | Singapore | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2008 | - | - | - |
49. |  | Lisn | 7.8% | An app that would let users listen to music with a friend and chat about it within the app. | Internet | Music, Digital Media, Social Music | India | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2016 | - | - | - |
50. |  | SnagFilms | 7.4% | An online film distribution company . | Internet | Video Streaming, Digital Entertainment, Entertainment, Digital Media, Film | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10-50 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2008 | - | - | - |
51. |  | Dhingana | 7.4% | Music streaming startup. | Internet | Music, Streaming, On-Demand Service, Music Discovery, Applications | India | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10-50 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2007 | - | - | - |
52. |  | LimeWire | 6.9% | Developed peer-to-peer software and solutions for the file sharing industry. | Internet | Software, Media & Entertainment, Music, File Sharing | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 50-100 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2000 | - | - | - |
53. |  | Airborne | 6.9% | A peer-to-peer (P2P) nano-patronage music platform. | Internet | Music | South Africa | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2011 | - | - | - |
54. |  | Gigger | 6.8% | Helped bands to get gigs, promoters to organize shows, and venues to host live music. | Internet | Video, Musicians, Event Organisers | Australia | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2015 | - | - | - |
55. |  | Seventymm | 6.3% | An online movie rental service. | Internet | Rental, Entertainment, Media & Entertainment, E-Commerce | India | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 250-500 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2005 | - | - | - |
56. |  | Crowdmix | 6.3% | A music streaming and sharing platform. | Internet | Applications, Social Media, Social Music, Music | United Kingdom | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 100-250 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2013 | - | - | - |
57. |  | JayCut | 6.2% | An internet based video editing software tool. | Internet | Enterprise Software, Short Videos, B2B | Sweden | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 1996 | - | - | - |
58. |  | This | 5.7% | The share-one-link-per-day platform. | Internet | Journalists, Web Applications, Entertainment | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2014 | - | - | - |
59. |  | Migme | 5.6% | A fan-based social entertainment platform that offers chat, content, and microblogging services. | Internet | Social, Entertainment, Social Network | Singapore | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 50-100 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2005 | - | - | - |
60. |  | Akimbo | 5.3% | A video on demand system that allowed subscribers to download television shows, movies, and other video to a set-top box on demand. | Internet | On-Demand Service, Video | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 50-100 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 1995 | - | - | - |
61. |  | 360voice | 4.5% | An online community for gamers. | Internet | Gaming, Communities, Entertainment, Technology | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1-10 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2006 | - | - | - |
62. |  | Qik | 4.5% | An online messenger that allowed its users to exchange video messages. | Internet | Messaging, Mobile, Video | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 50-100 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2006 | - | - | - |
63. |  | Maven Networks | 4.2% | an online video platform that provided end-to-end video syndication, content management and advertising solutions. | Internet | Online Portals, Video, Content | United States | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 50-100 | - | - | Inactive | - | - | 2002 | - | - | - |
| No. | Image | Name | Investor type | Description | Location | Preferred investment stage(s) | Stages invested in | Assets under management (AUM) | Investment range | Investment sweet spot | Preferred investment focus | Preferred investment geography | No. of investments | No. of lead investments | No. of follow-on investments | No. of co-investments | Portfolio companies | No. of exits | Total exit value | No. of failed investments | Loss on investments | No. of acquisitions | No. of board seats taken | No. of funds | Limited partners | Co-investors | No. of partners | Partners | No. of employees | Management | Board members | Founders | Investor reputation | Contact info | Entity type | Legal name | Former legal name(s) | Founded date | Ticker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. |  | Goodwater Capital | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
2. |  | SIG China (SIG Asia Investments) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| No. | Image | Name | Previous designation | Previous company | Previous biography | Previous profile type | Previous location | Experience | Education | Reputation | Current company | Current designation | Current biography | Current profile type | Current location | No. of investments | No. of exits | Total exit value | No. of board seats taken | Contact info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. |  | Alex Zhu | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
2. |  | Luyu Yang | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| No. | Financing date | Financing round | Total amount raised | Post-money valuation | Financial viability | Fundraising target amount | Remaining target amount | Financing type | No. of investors | Board seats | Lead investors | Entity type | Financing status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 13 May 2016 | Funding round | USD 133.5M | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | Completed | ||
2. | 6 May 2016 | Funding round | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - |
3. | 13 Oct 2015 | Funding round | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - |
4. | 27 Aug 2015 | Funding round | USD 16.6M | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | Completed | ||
5. | 30 Jan 2014 | Funding round | USD 250K | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | Completed |
