To clap or cringe? Watch Jukedeck cofounder rap his way to winning LeWeb startup competition

Talk about risk.

As one of three finalists in the LeWeb 2014 startup competition, Jukedeck decided there was only one way to demonstrate the power of its computer-generated music service. And that was to have cofounder Ed Rex rap along with a tune as it was being created on stage by Jukedeck.

[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":1625183,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"business,entrepreneur,","session":"B"}']

“This notes you hear were never written by a hand, they were never penned by woman or man,” he rapped.

Cue tentative audience clapping.

The idea behind London-based Jukedeck is that people need tons of audio to go with their videos. But either everyone ends up using the same free audio, or they run into rights problems by using copyrighted songs.

So, Jukedeck’s software generates music based on some of the basic settings you choose, such as mood and tempo.

The rap apparently put the company over the top, because it beat the other two finalists: Sweden’s NaturalCycles, a company that makes a fertility test, and Denmark’s Easysize, which helps people purchase clothes online that fit better.

The award doesn’t come with any money. Just a trophy, the acclaim, and the chance to be seen by investors on the panel and in the audience. Check out the full pitch below.

 

[aditude-amp id="medium1" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":1625183,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"business,entrepreneur,","session":"B"}']