Max Ciociola
About Max Ciociola
Max Ciociola is the founder and CEO of Musixmatch and is based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. His Crunchbase bio describes a 20+ year career building mobile and media businesses, with experience across product, business and content development. Crunchbase lists his role at Musixmatch as starting in January 2010. Dealroom says Musixmatch was founded in 2010 and has raised €16.6m.
Musixmatch describes itself as the world's largest lyrics catalog and a music AI company, with more than 70 million users. It uses deep learning and AI techniques to supply lyrics and language data to most digital music streaming companies.
His earlier career began in early 1998 with Wireless Solutions, a multimedia mobile gateway platform. It delivered content in more than 100 countries over 300 mobile carriers. He sold the company to Dada, an Italian media company, and spent 7 years there. He was first CEO of Dada Iberia and Latam, then EVP Mobile Services. In that role he led a team of more than 100 people and more than 80 million in yearly turnover. He is also a co-founder of AI Labs, an R&D lab in Italy focused on AI technology transfer. Crunchbase lists a past role there as Partner.
Crunchbase records 3 investments and 3 portfolio companies for Max, with no lead investments. NFX Signal lists the same three deals and labels his current investing position as Angel.
The three recorded deals are Young Platform (Series A, May 2021), Dance (February 2023) and Jet HR (pre-seed, June 2023). In Young Platform and Jet HR he appears alongside other angels and funds. On Jet HR, NFX names co-investors from Picus Capital, Base10 and Frontline Ventures. On Dance, it names co-investors including people at HV Capital, Offline Ventures and WndrCo.
Crunchbase counts 1 exit and 2 founded companies for him. The exit is consistent with the sale of Wireless Solutions to Dada, though Crunchbase does not name it. His public record as an investor is short, and no public write-ups of his investment approach turned up.
None of the three recorded angel investments is labeled as AI by the sources reviewed, and no AI-specific angel deals by Max are public. His AI work is operating and research work. At Musixmatch he runs a company that applies deep learning to lyrics and language data. He also co-founded AI Labs, which works on transferring AI technology from research into industry in Italy.
Founders building AI products for music, media, language or content may find that experience relevant. He has not said publicly that he invests in those areas.
NFX Signal gives an investment range of $5K to $50K, with a sweet spot of $25K. This is a third-party profile, and Max has not stated these figures in any public source found. NFX ranks him in Web3/Blockchain (pre-seed and seed), Web3/Crypto (pre-seed and seed) and FinTech (pre-seed and seed), which reflects his recorded deals rather than a stated thesis.
The recorded rounds range from pre-seed to Series A. He is based in Italy, and Crunchbase classes his region as the EU and EMEA. His co-investors in the recorded deals are mostly European angels and funds. Max has not published a thesis, and the sources give no information on whether he leads rounds, takes board seats or follows a set process.
- Jet HR: pre-seed round in June 2023, listed by NFX Signal with co-investors from Picus Capital, Base10 and Frontline Ventures.
- Dance: round announced in February 2023, which Crunchbase lists as a venture round. NFX lists a $13M round size.
- Young Platform: Series A in May 2021. Crunchbase also lists him as an investor there since June 2021.
Investing activity
Max Ciociola has made 3 investments according to Crunchbase across 3 portfolio companies, and has seen 1 exit and founded 2 companies.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Max Ciociola
Does Max Ciociola invest in AI startups?
No AI-specific angel investments by him are public. He runs Musixmatch, a music AI company, and co-founded the Italian R&D lab AI Labs. His three recorded investments are Young Platform, Dance and Jet HR.
What check size does Max Ciociola write?
NFX Signal lists a range of $5K to $50K with a sweet spot of $25K. Max has not confirmed this publicly, so treat it as an estimate.
What stage does Max Ciociola invest in?
His recorded deals are a pre-seed (Jet HR, 2023), an undisclosed-stage round (Dance, 2023) and a Series A (Young Platform, 2021). NFX ranks him in pre-seed and seed.
Who is Max Ciociola?
He is the founder and CEO of Musixmatch, a lyrics and music data company. He previously founded Wireless Solutions and sold it to Dada, where he spent 7 years. He is based in Bologna, Italy.
Has Max Ciociola co-invested with other angels or funds?
Yes. NFX Signal lists co-investors on Jet HR, Dance and Young Platform. They include people at Picus Capital, Base10, Frontline Ventures, HV Capital, Offline Ventures and WndrCo, and the angel Luca Ascani.
Where is Max Ciociola based?
He is based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, where Musixmatch is led from according to his Crunchbase profile.
Is Max Ciociola an angel investor?
Yes. Max Ciociola invests personally as an angel and is Founder & CEO at Musixmatch. Crunchbase counts 3 investments and 1 exit.
How can founders reach Max Ciociola?
Founders on Lounge can see Max Ciociola's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Max Ciociola to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.