Music and experiences company Pollen raises $150 million in Series C round

Last year we told you Pollen was becoming a company to watch.

Founded in 2014 by brothers Callum & Liam Negus-Fancey, the London-headquartered music, travel and experiences company made two impressive UK hires in 2021, appointing Zeon Richards as Head of Hip Hop Partnerships and Christine Osazuwa as Strategy Director for Pollen Die Gifts.

Today (April 21) the company announced that it has raised a new one 150 million dollars in a Series C round after previously raising over $100 million in VC funding from investors including Kindred, Northzone, Sienna Capital, Backed and Draper Spirit.

Pollen operates two offerings: Pollen Presents, which curates experiences for clients in travel, music and more; and Pollen+, which works with promoters and music festivals to offer discounts at events to customers who book through its platforms.

The company says it uses data and customer insights to create experiences exclusive to its platform, and also works with “the biggest music festivals and brands in the world” to sell their experiences.

Pollen has created exclusive travel experiences with artists such as J Balvin, Justin Bieber and Duran Duran.

Formerly called Verve, Pollen says its Series C funding follows “significant momentum” for the company after seeing what it describes as “stellar growth despite the pandemic.”

Backers named in the recent funding announcement include Kindred, Lansdowne Partners, Northzone, Sienna Capital, Backed and Molton Ventures.

Pollen+ works with event organizer brands and music festivals including We Are FSTVL, Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, Electric Zoo, Live Nation and more.

The company says it has attracted “top talent” including ex-Instagram CMO Cliff Hopkins, ex-Pacha Group CMO Gaston Calabresi, ex-Deliveroo Head of Global Customer Services Cathy Doorenbosch and ex-Klarna VP of Design Kristofer ager mark.

“When people look back after 10 years and think of their top five memories, we want them to feel like Pollen was responsible for three of them.”

Callum Negus-Fancey, Pollen

Callum Negus-Fancey, Pollen Co-Founder and CEO, said: “People want personalized travel experiences based on their passions and Pollen is at the forefront of that demand; We use our proprietary data and customer insights to create unique travel experiences with the world’s greatest talent and brands in the best destinations.

“When people look back after 10 years and think of their top five memories, we want them to feel like Pollen was responsible for three of them.”music business worldwide