PassPass, a Nashville-based platform that lets artists build scavenger hunts tied to music releases, tickets, merch drops, and more, has closed a “seven-figure” seed round at a $15 million pre-money valuation.
Atlanta-based real estate fund Roots led the round, alongside a group of strategic backers and angel investors.
The company launched commercially in the summer of 2025, offering entertainment, rewards, and commerce in a single platform. Players can compete in games for a chance to win real prizes and giveaway entries, according to the company’s website. PassPass launched a new artist discovery initiative, PassPass for Artists, in March.
The Bitcoin Conference, rapper BIGXTHAPLUG and country artist Chris Young have used the platform to run activations. Artists can set up challenges across cities where fans can show up and participate.
Since its launch, PassPass says it has grown to over 170,000 registered users across more than 20 cities. The company says its growth has been largely organic, driven by fan sharing and participation.
PassPass also reported $1 million in annual recurring revenue in its first year post-launch and claims over 1 billion views across its social media channels, with roughly 2 million followers across its city-based network.
“We’re planning more than investment; we’re looking forward to using PassPass ourselves to engage our community across the country this year.”
Daniel Dorfman, Invest With Roots
The business model runs on a mix of subscriptions, paid media partnerships, and advertising, touting itself as an alternative to traditional digital advertising, which continues to face declining engagement.
Daniel Dorfman, CEO of Invest With Roots, said: “PassPass is one of the strongest cross pollinations of fintech, playful gaming, community spirit, and consumer rewards we’ve seen.”
“Their win-win approach to attention, promotion, and entertainment really resonates with Roots. We’re planning more than investment; we’re looking forward to using PassPass ourselves to engage our community across the country this year.”
Edgel Groves Jr., co-founder and CEO of PassPass, added: “PassPass is shifting how consumers engage with entertainment and commerce by making fintech fun.”
“We’ve built a platform where attention and participation are rewarded, discovery is gamified, and brands can connect with audiences in ways those audiences enjoy. This capital will let us get even more innovative in how we continue growing and fostering our highly engaged community.”
“We’ve built a platform where attention and participation are rewarded, discovery is gamified, and brands can connect with audiences in ways those audiences enjoy.”
Edgel Groves Jr., PassPass
PassPass will use the latest investment to expand into additional US markets, build out AI-driven personalization for challenges and rewards, and grow its “fanbase.”
The investment comes amid the growing appeal of superfans as revenue drivers. The music industry is shifting its focus from passive listeners to superfans or users who are willing to pay a premium for deeper engagement with artists and exclusive experiences.
SoundCloud recently launched a superfan feature that lets artists release music exclusively to followers before a wider release. The feature, called ‘Follower Exclusive Releases,’ is available to Artist Pro subscribers and allows creators to gate tracks behind a follow either temporarily or permanently.
In January, Universal Music Group acquired a minority stake in superfan platform Stationhead following the latter’s merger with online music event platform Mellomanic. The UMG-Stationhead deal arrived two years after UMG invested in another prominent superfan platform, HYBE’s Weverse.
In March, during UMG’s most recent earnings call, Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge outlined superfans as a key priority for UMG and noted the company’s focus on “fostering a deeper relationship between artists and fans”. He characterized the segment as “massively under-monetized.”
Goldman Sachs, in its Music in the Air report, put the addressable superfan opportunity at $4.3 billion annually based on 2026 projections.
According to Luminate‘s 2025 Year-End report, 20% of US music listeners now qualify as superfans.
Thom Skarzynski, founder of New York-based music marketing firm Happiness, told MBW in March: “Every superfan started as a casual listener. If we design experiences that invite fans deeper into the culture of the music, those relationships grow naturally and they spread. Once someone becomes a superfan, they bring others with them.”
Music Business Worldwide
