Former Universal Music Group digital innovation executive Cristina Pimentel has joined forces with VC veteran Caitlin Glazebrook to launch Duets Network.
Billed as a "one-stop shop" for founders, the platform connects early-stage startups across music, sports, entertainment and the creator economy with investors and industry expertise.
US-headquartered Duets connects pre-seed and seed-stage startups with investors aligned with their business models, alongside discounted business tools, expert guidance and technology recommendations. Both founders and investors remain anonymous until an investor chooses to engage.
Duets also offers a free Ideator tier for universities and nonprofits looking to support aspiring entrepreneurs, while Pimentel and Glazebrook will offer tailored, hands-on advice through Duets’ consulting business.
The platform reviews startups before connecting them with resources and potential investors, with experts and service providers also vetted before joining the network.
Finding someone who understands your industry and the problem you’re trying to solve, early on, can make a real difference
Cristina Pimentel, Duets Network
Pimentel was a founding member of UMG’s Digital Innovation team and the company's first dedicated innovation hire. She helped develop UMG’s early music tech frameworks and strategies, global startup ecosystem and Accelerator Network. She also developed its proprietary startup database, contributed to early licensing frameworks and created UMG Connect, its first internal incubation programme.
In addition, Pimentel designed Music Biz's Women In Music programme and startup programming, and helped shape music entrepreneurship curricula for Berklee College Of Music and the Roc Nation School.
"At Universal Music Group, I kept meeting founders with promising businesses who didn’t know where to turn for help," said Pimentel, Duets' co-founder and CEO. "Finding someone who understands your industry and the problem you’re trying to solve, early on, can make a real difference. Caitlin and I are building Duets with this community to make those connections easier than ever.”
Glazebrook brings more than a decade of experience connecting startups, investors and global innovation communities. She spent three years as a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, having previously held a senior leadership role at 500 Global.
“When I was at Andreessen Horowitz, I spent a lot of time fielding pitches from startups that weren’t right for our fund," said Glazebrook. "Angels and emerging fund managers face the same challenge with far less bandwidth. We’re building Duets as an extension of their teams, helping them source and vet startups that fit their investment criteria. Investors have useful information in hand before the first conversation and decide when to connect, so both sides can focus on meetings that are the right fit.”
