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Movin’ on up: Startle sees growth in 2020 despite a tough year

Movin’ on up: Startle sees growth in 2020 despite a tough year

Written by

Adam Castleton

Published

January 20, 2021

Category

Startle news

You don’t need us to tell you that 2020 was a hugely challenging year for retail and hospitality, and sadly we’re not quite in the clear yet.

Like many suppliers, we’ve had to make big changes to our strategy, often taking a much more short-term view. With many of our customers closed for several months in 2020, we diverted much of our annual revenue into supporting those customers and securing the jobs of our hardworking team.

Despite such a tough year, we’re extremely proud to say that Startle was still able to grow, supporting more retail and hospitality businesses in delivering exceptional customer experiences through music and technology at scale.

After just four years of operation we had our second profitable year, growing our EBITDA in 2020 by 44% (to £720,000).

What else is new?

December 2020 also saw the beta launch of Studio, our brand new platform for managing and synchronising music, digital signage, lighting and other integrations. Studio gives retail and hospitality the power to replicate a perfectly curated atmosphere across an entire estate, whether that’s 3 locations or 3,000.

Now Playing screen on mobile and tablet
Studio - our new user platform for managing music and tech


While safety has, of course, been the top priority for businesses, our “Mind The Gap” research has illustrated how increasingly important atmosphere is to the overall customer experience, in ensuring that customers want to return in the current climate.

A word from Startle CEO, Adam Castleton:

“Startle’s growth over the last 12 months comes from operators that are in-tune with this, and are investing in music and technology to provide a welcome escape from the four walls of customers’ homes. We look forward to supporting the industry further throughout the continued highs and lows of 2021 in any way we can.”

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Movin’ on up: Startle sees growth in 2020 despite a tough year

Adam Castleton

CEO at Startle. It's my job to lead Startle, ensuring that we have a positive impact on both our customers and our team, by delivering innovation and growth in a positive culture. When I'm not at my desk, you'll either find me at a customer's site, or in the forest with my wife and boys - my two happy places.

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Hey, we've just met you and this is crazy. But here's our number +44 (0)203 397 7676. So, call us maybe?

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