Max Fergus (BBA ’18) still has the screenshot of the text conversation in which he pitched the idea of a startup to his friends. He didn’t know at the time that that text conversation marked the beginning of a journey—and a year consumed by the launch and success of his own company. He did know, however, that he didn’t want to spend his senior year of college leisurely sliding to the end; he wanted to sprint to the finish line.
A finance and investment banking major, Fergus had a job lined up at a major New York bank that he was excited to start after graduation. That job didn’t quite satisfy Fergus’ long-held passion for entrepreneurship, however. Seeing his final semester as the last chance to do something with that passion, he mobilized his friends and fellow students—many of whom he grew up with in Stoughton, Wisconsin—and LÜM was born.
LÜM (pronounced “loom”) is a music streaming app that aims to do what mainstream services do not: give lesser-known artists a voice and a platform in the age of social media consumed by millennials. Users can listen to and download music while connecting with local artists in real time, allowing the process of music discovery to bridge digital and physical spaces.
The app is free to both consumers and creators—anyone can share, interact, or upload music. Fans can be directly involved in the lives of the musicians they follow, and the musicians in turn can use the buzz generated to expand their networks and reach bigger labels.
Read the full article at: https://pubs.wsb.wisc.edu/alumni-and-friends/update-magazine/2019-spring/in-tune-with-innovation.html