Todd Tate
Mentor Catalyst
I have a passion for both music and technology. When collaborating on projects this serves my clients, partners, and/or employers well. On the technology side, I’ve run product, operations, business development, marketing, artist outreach and community for various music tech businesses. I got my feet wet in music technology as the Internet emerged as a musical force with AngryCoffee.com, the first publicly-available web-based interface to Napster and Napster-like networks.
More recently, I worked in a product and business development capacity and led artist outreach for both Live365’s mobile music platform, Avenue Live, as well as for ChatWithTheBand, a video chat solution for bands and celebrities. I’ve helped foster various business opportunities and countless connections as the Community Architect for the SF Music Tech Summit and as a 6-year advisory board member to SXSW.
Right now, I co-own and operate Viva Data with Lucas Gonze. We make software that helps music companies manage music metadata at scale. We work with The Orchard.
On the music side, I studied music at San Jose State University and have served as a guitarist, various stringed instruments, keyboardist and singer for various bands. My most current project is “Sayla Dobro”. I also co-owned and operated San Francisco’s Blue Room Studios where we hosted the recording of Train’s first triple platinum album, served as an audio engineer for countless CD’s including a Grammy-nominated Latin jazz release and hosted Randy Jackson on multiple occasions recording local bands for Sony A&R. I get the artist side, as I am an artist myself.
Expertise
Skills: Business Development, Product Development, Operations Management, Sales Leadership, Fund Raising
Industry: Music Technology, Early-Stage Anything
Stage: Super Early Stage, Seed
Mentorship Programs: SXSW Accelerator
Do you want more startup expertise on your team?
Whether you are outside one of the startup epicenters or right in the heart of one, we invite you to consider working with Mentor Bureau to complement your existing team and accelerate your startup’s growth.
Since we are more of an accelerant instead of an Accelerator, we don’t have a standard schedule or calendar to follow. Instead, we offer the right advice for right where you are and right where you want to go. As a new startup ourselves, we follow our own advice, and will only be taking on eight (8) startups to join our first Startup Circle.
To get started, we offer a free assessment to qualifying startups. Should we both determine that Mentor Bureau has the right experience and the right talents for your specific needs, we will determine our planned areas of focus and begin working together.
AFFORDABLE, TRUSTED MENTORS
- Objective advisors help identify options and seize opportunity
- Experienced coaches optimize individual and team performance
- Mentors that appreciate you, not just your business
- Support for the design efficient processes and systems
- Wise counsel to help you (gain investment, etc.)
- Approaches that help you scale without giving away the farm
- A community of seasoned peers and mentors who understand