Walking into an investor’s broom closet
It all began when…
I started making music in my dorm room. I was new to Toronto and had just started building new relationships, so with my free time, music was a fun hobby to pick up. I eventually started playing a few shows and meeting other creators. As I got more serious with my music and started meeting more musicians, I noticed my music producer friends in particular, telling stories about how they were effectively getting scammed out of mixing/mastering/collaboration projects, either by not getting the credit they deserve, or in most cases, not getting the compensation they deserved for their work.
ftr. (external link) came from wanting to help creators formalize the agreements they made with their collaborators/clients. After speaking with more creators, I decided to apply for the DMZ Sandbox Student Grant Program because I felt that there was a problem I could solve. By creating a marketplace, creators had a space to offer their services through a software that could help guarantee compensation for the service provider (escrow, digital contracts etc.) and satisfaction for the client. Through this, ftr. was born.
The biggest challenge I faced during my journey was…
Mostly self doubt. When you're putting something new out into the world, it feels uncomfortable. Especially when mistakes are made, bugs occur and whatever other follies happen along the way.
Watching progress being made was inspiring, and being able to contribute was fulfilling. That alone gave me the confidence to try for my own project.
I had been granted access to the Transmedia Zone after I had completed the DMZ Sandbox Student Grant Program, which to be honest, was a bit of a pleasant surprise to me. It was great to be in a physical space around people doing cool things - that was certainly inspiring. The best part of my Zone experience was the help and insight I received from mentors like Ryan Wilock. Particularly during the beginning of the pandemic, there weren't as many live events or in-person experiences in the Zones, so most of the support I received was through one-on-one virtual mentorship sessions and networking. The support from my community and mentor proved invaluable. Thank you Ryan.
The best way I found access to innovation was by learning from those who were already building cool things or who had prior success in doing so. One of my best experiences at TMU was through the Startup Certified program, where I got the opportunity to work with DMZ startup Robin Media (external link) . Through this experience, I spent a year walking into what was essentially an investor’s broom closet, to learn from 3 incredible individuals about what it meant to build a startup. Watching progress being made was inspiring, and being able to contribute was fulfilling. That alone gave me the confidence to try for my own project.
Connect with Alexandre Martin on LinkedIn (external link) or Instagram (external link)
In August 2022, I ultimately decided to sell ftr. to Creativ.ai (external link) , and now I’m thinking of the next project to build! Currently, I’m selling software and touring the northeast with my boy band, ETA (external link) (hahaha…I know right). We’re building our audience, making cool music and having fun.
The best piece of advice I received was…
Make one or two important decisions for the business per day. This way everyday you make incremental progress and no matter what externalities happen, you can forge ahead.
One piece of advice I would give to aspiring entrepreneurs would be…
To start early, fail fast, and ask for help. I had old friends, new friends, mentors, employers and more offer their assistance, advice and insight throughout the process and without that, this would not have happened.