Founders

Daniel Ek

Martin Lorentzon

Spotify

Founded by Daniel Ek in Stockholm in June 2006, Spotify has changed the way artists distribute music, and the way the world. discovers and listens to it. When the audio streaming platform launched in 2008, the recording industry was in decline, and Spotify’s “all-you-can-eat” subscription model was far from proven. But from early on, the company focused on this unique approach to universal music access alongside its personalized playlist curation features as differentiators for consuming music. At the heart of it, Spotify ultimately created a flywheel of discovery and engagement.

Accel led Spotify's June 2011 financing prior to its launch in the US. In 2018, Spotify went public on the NYSE via direct listing (NYSE: SPOT). But their success as a Stockholm-based company underscores our investment philosophy, and belief, that ground-breaking technology companies — and great founders — emerge from. all over the world.

“Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we stumble. The constant is that we believe we are still early in our journey and we have room to learn and grow.”
Daniek Ek, Co-founder & CEO
2011
Jun
Initial Investment
2012
Dec
Follow-on
NYSE: SPOT
2018
Apr
IPO
NYSE: SPOT
NYSE: SPOT
NYSE: SPOT
NYSE: SPOT
NYSE: SPOT
NYSE: SPOT
NYSE: SPOT
NYSE: SPOT
NYSE: SPOT
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