AI-powered live entertainment startup thumpN has secured more than $3.75 million in a pre-seed funding round, attracting investments from some of India’s biggest music and technology leaders. The funding round includes participation from Bollywood artists Arijit Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan, and Badshah, along with Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Madhur Deora, Shray Chandra, and VG Jairam.
The newly raised capital will be used to accelerate the development of thumpN’s AI-native live entertainment platform, strengthen its technology stack, and expand its presence across India’s growing live events ecosystem.
Building an AI-First Platform for Live Entertainment
Founded in 2025 by Varun Khare, Shreyas Srinivas, and Alaap Gosher, thumpN is reimagining how audiences discover and book live experiences by combining artificial intelligence with human-curated recommendations.
Unlike conventional ticketing platforms that rely primarily on keyword searches, thumpN integrates event discovery, ticket booking, and event management tools into a unified ecosystem designed for fans, artists, venues, promoters, and event organizers.
The startup aims to simplify the entire live entertainment journey while making recommendations more personalized and context-aware.
Shadow AI Brings Conversational Event Discovery
At the core of the platform is Shadow, thumpN’s proprietary conversational AI assistant.
Rather than asking users to search manually for concerts or events, Shadow enables natural conversations to understand user preferences, interests, location, and intent before recommending relevant live experiences.
The AI assistant analyzes events from multiple sources while maintaining conversational context, helping users discover experiences that closely match their tastes.
Human Curators Strengthen AI Recommendations
One of thumpN’s differentiators is its hybrid recommendation engine that combines artificial intelligence with insights from industry experts.
The platform works with a network of contributors that includes:
- Music artists
- Event promoters
- Venue specialists
- Genre experts
- Local cultural curators
These contributors continuously provide real-world insights that help refine Shadow’s recommendations, allowing the platform to blend AI-driven personalization with human expertise.
According to the company, this approach enables more relevant and culturally informed recommendations that improve as users continue interacting with the platform.
AI Tools for Event Organizers and Venues
Beyond helping consumers discover events, thumpN is also building AI-powered solutions for organizers, venues, promoters, and artists.
Its partner-focused platform offers AI-driven onboarding, audience insights, marketing tools, and event planning capabilities designed to simplify operations while improving customer engagement.
The company believes these capabilities will enable partners to better understand audience behaviour, optimize event marketing, and scale their businesses more efficiently.
Expanding Across Multiple Entertainment Categories
thumpN launches with a growing portfolio of live experiences spanning several entertainment categories, including:
- Live music concerts
- Theatre performances
- Stand-up comedy
- Cultural festivals
- Nightlife events
- Sports events
- Community experiences
The startup plans to continue expanding its event catalogue as it grows its platform across major Indian cities.
AI Continues to Reshape the Entertainment Industry
The investment reflects increasing investor confidence in AI-powered consumer platforms that deliver personalized digital experiences.
With India’s live entertainment industry witnessing strong post-pandemic growth, startups are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence to improve event discovery, audience engagement, and ticketing experiences.
By combining conversational AI with human curation, thumpN aims to create a more intuitive way for audiences to discover live events while offering organizers smarter tools to manage and promote their experiences.
The latest funding will support the company’s mission to build an AI-first ecosystem connecting fans, creators, venues, and promoters through a single intelligent platform.
Ruchi Kumar is the associate editor at Entrepreneur News Network and TVW News India, where she leads editorial strategy, brand storytelling, and startup ecosystem coverage. With a strong focus on innovation, business, and marketing insights, he curates impactful narratives that spotlight India’s evolving entrepreneurial landscape. She has written extensively on fintech, AI and emerging startups.