Protégé, which is somewhat like Cameo meets “American Idol” and “Shark Tank,” needed seed money to deliver its mission to democratize access to artists’ dream careers. With the belief that every person deserves a shot at proving themselves, they help artists across the country get discovered by a diverse group of industry experts.

This funding round launched Protégé into the mainstream, allowing the company to expand its mission to democratize access to dream careers. Today more aspiring artists are using the platform to be seen by industry leaders and open doors that would traditionally be closed to them.