Madverse Music Group Raises Growth Capital Led By Kobalt Founder Willard Ahdritz

Madverse Music Group, an AI-powered music technology company focused on distribution, publishing, marketing and fan engagement, has closed its first institutional funding round, marking a significant milestone in its growth journey.

The round is led by Ahdritz Capital, the investment vehicle of entrepreneur Willard Ahdritz, founder and chairman of Kobalt Music Group. The funding will support Madverse's expansion across AI-driven technology, rights management, distribution and artist services globally.

Founded in 2023 by Rohan Nesho Jain, Madverse was created to address gaps in infrastructure and services available to India's independent music ecosystem. Since its launch, the company has built a community of more than 200,000 independent artists and labels across 45 countries. Artists on the platform grew by 25% in the past month alone, while collectively generating over 3 billion streams across global digital streaming platforms.

The platform currently works with artists including Nucleya, Neeti Mohan, Rishabh Rikhiram, Sukriti-Prakriti, Karan Kanchan, Phenom and Arpit Bala, positioning itself as a creator-first infrastructure partner for independent artists and rights holders seeking to retain ownership and control of their work.

In addition to Ahdritz Capital, the funding round saw participation from Mohnish Sani and Suraj Sani of SumoSan Ventures (USA), Ashish Jain and Sidharth Kohli of 10X Global (India), and Vijay Sajjanhar of Marigold Capital (Dubai).

Commenting on the development, Rohan Nesho Jain, Founder and CEO of Madverse, said, "Madverse was born with one purpose: to build the most powerful, most accessible independent music ecosystem in the world, starting from India. Willard joining this journey is a defining moment for Madverse and a statement to the entire industry. He fundamentally changed what independence in music could mean for an artist. The next independent wave will be led from India, and Madverse will be at the centre of it."

Ahdritz, widely regarded as one of the architects of the modern independent music industry, transformed music rights management through Kobalt's technology-led model and helped establish music rights as a recognised asset class through Kobalt Capital.

Speaking about the investment, Ahdritz said, "The next generation of music companies will establish our industry's new global hubs. Rohan and the Madverse team are proving this with an incredible, comprehensive technology platform serving a growing creator class in India and beyond. Madverse allows artists to maintain independence, without sacrificing autonomy or control over their work and brand. I'm thrilled to back them as they look to expand globally."

As part of the agreement, Ahdritz Capital has entered into a binding investment arrangement to lead Madverse's Series Seed financing. Upon completion of customary closing conditions, Willard Ahdritz will join the company's Board of Directors.

The funding round and proposed board appointment signal the beginning of Madverse's next phase of growth as the company continues building creator-first infrastructure for the global independent music ecosystem.