Former Music Exec Cristina Pimentel Launches Startup Platform Duets Network

Former Universal Music Group digital innovation executive Cristina Pimentel has launched Duets Network in collaboration with VC veteran Caitlin Glazebrook.

What it does:

• Billed as a “one-stop shop for founders,” Duets helps startups in sport, entertainment and the creator economy find the people, support and funding they need to grow.

• It brings investor connections, expert guidance and business resources together on a single online platform, with an intelligence layer providing business feedback and tech stack recommendations.

• The platform connects pre-seed and seed-stage startups with thesis-aligned investors while offering discounted perks and tools to help founders scale.

• Pimentel and Glazebrook also offer tailored, hands-on advice through Duets’ consulting business.

• Duets offers universities and nonprofits a free Ideator tier to help aspiring entrepreneurs explore ideas and plan how to build a business.

• Startups can join without giving up equity or committing to a fixed accelerator program.

The founders:

• Pimentel was a member of UMG’s Digital Innovation team, and the company’s first dedicated innovation hire.

• She helped develop UMG’s early music tech frameworks and strategies, global startup ecosystem, and Accelerator Network.

• In addition, she developed UMG’s proprietary startup database, contributed to early licensing frameworks, and created UMG Connect, its first internal incubation program.

• She also designed Music Biz’s Women In Music program and startup programming, as well as helping to shape music entrepreneurship curricula for Berklee College of Music and the Roc Nation School.

• Glazebrook brings more than a decade of experience connecting startups, investors and global innovation communities.

• Most recently, she spent three years as a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, working with early-stage companies.

What they said:

• Cristina Pimentel, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Duets: “At Universal Music Group, I kept meeting founders with promising businesses who didn’t know where to turn for help. Finding someone who understands your industry and the problem you’re trying to solve, early on, can make a real difference. Caitlin and I are building Duets with this community to make those connections easier than ever.”