Live Nation Women has announced an investment from the Live Nation Women Fund into Gritty In Pink, a start-up building the InPink marketplace with the aim of equality.
The InPink marketplace is a new platform that connects the music industry to a diverse community of female creators and professionals.
The Live Nation Women Fund is an early-stage fund set up by live entertainment company Live Nation, with the goal of improving equality across the industry by investing in female-founded live music businesses.
Live Nation’s fund aims to provide capital and resources for underrepresented female entrepreneurs across the live music industry. The strategic deal will contribute to Gritty In Pink’s upcoming $1m (£864k/€998k) pre-seed round.
Gritty In pink is also partnering with Live Nation Women on a residency at The Echo LA for their All GRL Jam series, which features over 50 female or non-binary musicians.
The event series has celebrated Pride and featured a 90s throwback edition, and has garnered over two million impressions. The next event will be a holiday special in early December and is free to enter with a login to InPink.
Gritty In Pink’s founder Shira Yevin has continued to challenge the male-dominated landscape of music, and it all began when Yevin crashed the Vans Warped Tour with her all-girl band Shiragirl and pink RV in 2005.
Noticing a lack of female musicians on the tour, they created a space for women with the Shiragirl Stage, which featured over 300 female artists including Joan Jett and band Paramore.
Live Nation Women’s chief strategy officer and president Ali Harnell said: “We are thrilled to support Gritty In Pink through the Live Nation Women Fund with an investment to advance gender equity through their new InPink platform.
“The Live Nation Women Fund is intended to support female entrepreneurs like Shira and her business that is full of passion, purpose, and tenacity and work together to create access and opportunity for women in live music.”
The business is also backed by strategic advisor Melissa Etheridge. She said: “My partnership with Gritty In Pink has been so special to me, and I am so excited to share the news that Live Nation has now joined us. It’s been amazing to see the InPink marketplace grow and provide much-needed opportunities for female creators. Adding Live Nation to the mix will only broaden the marketplace. Let’s get Gritty.”
Since 2020, Gritty In Pink has hosted more than 75 live and virtual events, and worked with over 20 brands and charities such as ACLU, Mackie, Johnnie Walker and more. Gritty In Pink has also featured over 250 artists including the likes of Joan Jett and her label Blackheart Records. Jett and the company used the InPink platform to hire an illustrator to design her next tour poster.
Yevin added: “It’s been the ride of my dreams so far, watching Gritty grow from a little event series in January 2020 to a livestream show, online network, launching a marketplace, teaming up with legendary names like Melissa Etheridge, Joan Jett, and now Live Nation. And to think, we’re just getting started. The future of music is female.”