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§ Private Profile · Oakland, CA, USA
Rockbot is a technology company.
Rockbot offers a unified platform for onsite audio and visual solutions, enabling businesses to manage in-location media experiences. The company provides fully licensed music, curated TV content, and dynamic digital signage, alongside audio messaging and interactive request features. Its technology allows businesses to streamline operations and maintain brand consistency across multiple locations through a single, integrated system designed for reliable performance.
The company was founded by Garrett Dodge and Ketu Patel, with Patel conceiving the initial idea in late 2010. This insight stemmed from recognizing the need for businesses to have better control over their in-store atmosphere, initially focusing on an interactive jukebox concept that evolved into a broader media management solution. Both founders are noted for their academic background as MIT alumni.
Rockbot’s solutions serve a diverse range of businesses, including retail, restaurants, fitness centers, and automotive dealerships, catering to both single-location establishments and large enterprise chains. The company's vision is to transform in-location customer experiences by providing dynamic media that captivates guests, simplifies management, and ultimately elevates brand presence.
Rockbot has raised $4.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Rockbot has raised $4.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Rockbot has raised $4.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $3.0M Series A in May 2015.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2015 | $3M Series A | — | Accelerator Ventures, FirstMark Capital | Announced |
| Jun 1, 2012 | $1M Seed | Josh Linkner, GV | Accelerator Ventures, Audrey Capital, Climate Capital, FirstMark Capital, FPV Fund, Greylock, Humba Ventures, Lightbank, Lowercarbon Capital, Offline Ventures, RED Swan Ventures, Semble Ventures, Sound Ventures, SV Angel, ThirdLove, True Ventures, Vayner RSE, DON Dodge, Evan Williams, Joshua Schachter, Philip Kaplan, Shervin Pishevar, TIM Ferriss, Alice Lloyd George, ALT Capital, Anthony Saleh, Arianna Huffington, Banter Capital, Bill Gates, Bradley Horowitz, Clark Landry, Gideon YU, Hadi Partovi, Human Augmentation Syndicate, Louis Beryl, MetaProp Ventures, Moxxie Ventures, NEO, Next Play Ventures, NFX, Nicolas Berggruen, Queensbridge Venture Partners, Richard Branson, SAM Altman, Scott Heiferman, Slow Ventures, Accelerator Ventures, Penny Black, T5 Capital | Announced |
Rockbot is a media-for-business platform that provides integrated Music, TV, Digital Signage, and Advertising solutions through a single unified system, enabling businesses to create engaging in-location customer experiences.[1][3][6] It serves enterprises, franchises, and SMBs across retail, fitness, hospitality, dining, and more—trusted by nearly 50,000 locations including Planet Fitness, Walmart, Shake Shack, Ashley Furniture, and Neiman Marcus—solving challenges like fragmented media management, downtime, unreliable hardware, and lack of control by offering centralized, reliable control of audio-visual content.[1][3][5][6] Rockbot's growth stems from evolving from a social music platform (formerly Roqbot) into a multi-product powerhouse with retail media and advertising, backed by investors like Google, driving revenue generation and enhanced customer engagement in physical spaces.[1][3]
Founded in 2009, Rockbot (originally Roqbot) started as a social music platform offering a virtual jukebox solution for businesses, allowing owners to customize catalogs from 8 million licensed songs while customers used smartphone apps to request and vote on music via internet-connected devices.[2][3] Key founders include Garrett Dodge (CEO, prior founder of mobile app firm Appetyte behind apps like Dog Friendly UK), Ketu Patel (CTO), Jon Cassell (COO), and others like Michael Farrow, Rose Ferraro, Sri Kasetti, Robert Cornell, Kathleen Prior, and Jeffrey Hirsch, blending expertise in software, media, advertising, product strategy, and operations.[2][3] Early traction built on reinventing business music engagement; pivotal evolution addressed client pain points like slow changes and fragmentation, expanding into TV, signage, advertising, and hardware for comprehensive media solutions.[1][3]
Rockbot rides the in-location experience (ILX) and retail media trend, where physical spaces leverage integrated media to boost engagement, dwell time, and sales amid e-commerce dominance—capitalizing on post-pandemic demand for immersive brick-and-mortar vibes.[1][3][4] Timing aligns with rising DOOH (digital out-of-home) advertising and unified AV tech, as businesses seek revenue from in-store ads (e.g., audio/video/signage) while solving operational hurdles like hardware unreliability.[1][5] Market forces favoring Rockbot include fragmented competitors, scalability needs for chains/franchises, and licensed content demands; it influences the ecosystem by powering 50,000+ venues, enabling brands like Walmart to standardize experiences and monetize spaces, thus accelerating adoption of media-as-a-service in retail/hospitality.[3][6]
Rockbot is poised to expand as retail media networks mature, potentially deepening AI-driven personalization for playlists/content and partnerships for global rollout, fueled by its hardware-software synergy and ad network growth.[1][3] Trends like immersive retail (e.g., interactive signage with ROI analytics) and hybrid physical-digital commerce will shape its path, evolving influence from music curator to full venue orchestration platform—elevating mundane spaces into revenue-generating experiences, much like its journey from virtual jukebox to media powerhouse.[1][4][6]
Rockbot has raised $4.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Rockbot's investors include Accelerator Ventures, FirstMark Capital, Josh Linkner, Google Ventures, Audrey Capital, Climate Capital, FPV Fund, Greylock, Humba Ventures, Lightbank, Lowercarbon Capital, Offline Ventures.