Startup Spotlight: BattleMe

Can you introduce your start-up? What is it, and how did it come about?

Eminem once said: “I didn’t have nothin’ going for me… until I found something I loved and that changed everything”.

There are millions of people in the world that struggle to be heard, and music gives them a voice. That’s why we created Battle Me. It’s a fun introduction to music where you can record tracks and compete with other users. The whole community votes and crowns its victors.

We’ve built the music champions league on mobile.

Where are you in your startup journey?

Originally we are from Belarus. Belarus is a small, hi-tech country in the middle of Europe. Last year we were endorsed by Tech City UK to come to London and take BattleMe to the next level.

To date, what has been the biggest triumph for your business?

My co-founder (and brother!) Dan and I have already successfully taken our first startup to exit. To date, the BattleMe app has reached 1 million downloads with a marketing budget of only £5,000.

Are you a co-founder? If so, how have you found it? And do you have any advice for partners working alongside each other on how to make that business relationship work?

There are three co-founders. I am Alena, the CEO of BattleMe. My co-founder and brother Dan is a talented user interface designer. Dmitry, our third co-founder, is a certified Amazon web services solutions architect. He is our CTO responsible for server-side development.

First and foremost, we want to make a difference in the music industry and give talented young people the opportunity to get their voices heard. Passion for music and understanding the market help us find the best business solutions.

We are trying to run strategic meetings every month to stay on the same page and keep our company vision consistent. It’s good to have three people with the power to make decisions. We resolve disputes through direct voting.

How do you manage to balance growing a start-up with having a personal life?

I’m still figuring that out!

How do you cope with the pressures that come with building a business?

I pamper my self with delicious food from time to time 🙂 I also walk at least 1 hour a day. It helps release stress and helps me think about new ideas.

Did you pursue investment? If so what advice would you give on pitching? What was your secret weapon?

We did and it’s a tricky one. What I’ve discovered: even if you are very excited about your business, hold yourself moderately. Even though they claim that founders should be passionate about what they are building, they value self-possession in the first place.

If you could name one thing that you wish you knew when you started, what would it be?

Pick 2-3 key metrics and check them at least once every 2 days. Pick 50 key metrics for your business and check them every month.

To date, what has been your most important lesson?

You need to run customer development interviews regularly.
Speak to team members regularly.
Fire bad developers, don’t tolerate sloppy work.

Do you have any tips or advice for anyone thinking about starting up their own business, or who have just started their journey?

Attend networking events, you can meet great people there!

Prioritise and create to-do lists every day. There can be very few items, but make sure you end your day with a good feeling of accomplishment.

What has been the most challenging part of your start-up journey so far?

Public speaking. I finally learned to speak in public and not get nervous. It took me 2 years!

What’s next for your business?

The timing is perfect for our music app BattleMe

• Eight of the top ten most popular artists came from the hip-hop/R&B genre.
• musical.ly app was recently acquired for $800,000

BattleMe is the Music Champions league on mobile. We’d like to build a platform where you can discover the next big talent.