The Future of Performing Arts is Digital – Artelize is Leading the Change
The global live events and performing arts industry faces an estimated annual loss of over $60 billion due to fragmented infrastructure, lack of digital integration, and data disconnect between audiences, artists, and institutions. A Danish startup, Artelize, has emerged with a platform aiming to address these persistent structural issues bringing the cultural sector into the digital era through a solution designed specifically for its unique challenges.
Artelize provides a comprehensive Audience Acquisition Platform built for performers, ensembles, and all-sized event organizers. The platform offers features such as real-time event indexing, self-updating artist and event pages, audience analytics, and CRM-like functionality enabling users to not only promote their events but also understand and grow their audience through data-driven tools.
“Imagine if the live events industry had its own IMDb,” says Jan Pilgaard Carlsen, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer. “We’ve built a platform that is intuitive, scalable, and deeply rooted in the needs of cultural professionals.”
To date, over 300,000 events have been indexed on Artelize. The startup is steadily approaching product-market fit, having gained traction among performing arts institutions and cultural leaders across Europe and North America.
Artelize was co-founded by Sune Hjerrild, Paola Cacciatori, Jan Pilgaard Carlsen, and Vlad Poliakov—all with professional roots in music and live performance. The idea for the company arose from a shared frustration with the lack of digital infrastructure in the arts.
Artelize now operates with a team of 20 professionals across product, engineering, data, and strategy, enabling rapid development and rollout of its platform across markets.
Adoption by Cultural Institutions
Organizations such as Fort Worth Opera, Bay Philharmonic, and others have not only implemented Artelize into their operations but have also become active supporters of the platform’s capabilities.
“Artelize had already sold more tickets for us than the cost of the subscription, so it was a no-brainer,” said Matthew E. Graber, CMO of San Diego Opera.
Leaders in the cultural management space have also spoken to its ability to consolidate and visualize performance data.
“Imagine all your most important audience and donor metrics in one place. Artelize has made that pretty real easy,” remarked Aubrey Bergauer, CEO of Changing the Narrative.
This level of integration has been particularly attractive to institutions that lack large-scale marketing or tech teams but need agile, scalable digital solutions.
Positioned for Sector-Wide Impact
Backed by investors associated with Scanmarket and Human Act, Artelize represents a growing trend of purpose-driven technology tailored for the cultural sector. The platform’s development has been guided by direct input from industry professionals, ensuring that the tools provided align with real-world workflows and needs.
As the performing arts world continues to adapt to post-pandemic realities and an increasingly digital public sphere, Artelize is positioning itself not as a disruptor, but as an enabler for a company working with and for the sector to ensure long-term resilience, visibility, and growth.
For more information, visit https://artelize.com.
As more U.S. cultural organizations seek smart, scalable solutions, Artelize stands out as a platform built by and for the performing arts. Learn more at Artelize.com or explore how other innovative startups in the U.S. are shaping the future.
