Backed by Tivoli Ventures and Malta Venture Capital, plus a $1M Malta Enterprise grant and a Telemach distribution deal spanning the Balkans
Mastering an instrument is tough; playing a game is simple and enjoyable. We imagined a setting where games are designed to encourage genuine instrument practice.”— Dr. Mak Grgić, CEO and Co-Founder, NoteyVALLETTA, MALTA, October 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Notey (Techstars 2023) has finalized a $3M seed financing round, with Tivoli Ventures leading and Malta Venture Capital co-leading the investment. The package also includes a $1M non-dilutive development grant awarded by Malta Enterprise. Additionally, Notey has unveiled a distribution agreement with Telemach, a major telecom provider in Southeast Europe, which will introduce the platform to residences throughout the Balkans. These funds are earmarked for boosting platform engagement, adding new instruments and collaborations, growing the European footprint, and recruiting talent on both continents as Notey transforms music practice into an enjoyable activity.
Driving Forces Behind the Investment
This seed round follows a period of notable progress for Notey, which operates in the music education, gaming, and practice space. The platform has surpassed 100,000 consumer users and has been utilized in 60 schools spanning four school districts. As Notey expands, the emphasis is on fostering long-term engagement and establishing the platform as a regular part of daily practice routines.
European Growth: Notey’s Maltese Subsidiary Takes Center Stage
Notey’s journey to Malta was facilitated by its participation in the 2025 cohort of SuperCharger Ventures, which paved the way for Malta Venture Capital’s investment and the Malta Enterprise grant. The wholly-owned Maltese subsidiary of Notey Inc. will serve as the hub for product and engineering efforts, collaborations with schools and conservatories, and distribution throughout EU markets. Malta provides Notey with an English-speaking, EU-based location that offers a rich pool of gaming, software, and creative technology expertise.
Upcoming Product Developments and Collaborations
Notey is introducing a fresh partnership with EdMusica, which broadens its presence in music education, particularly targeting Latin America. The company is also teaming up with symphony orchestras, including the Slovenian Philharmonic, to strengthen young audiences’ ties to music.
Within the Balkans, Notey has formed a partnership with Telemach, a United Group operator that serves households in Slovenia, Croatia, and the surrounding region. This collaboration creates a new sales avenue, placing the platform in front of families via a provider they already trust.
Notey’s AI-driven WorldBuilder is gearing up for a public debut, enabling users to craft their own game environments and music-learning experiences using generative AI. Releases for piano, voice, and recorder are slated for Q1 2027. The company is actively seeking to fill positions in engineering, product, design, content, curriculum, and school partnerships across Malta and the United States.
The Team Behind the Vision
Dr. Mak Grgić, CEO and Co-Founder, is a Grammy-nominated classical guitarist with an international performance career. He previously held the role of Assistant Professor of Guitar at the University of South Carolina School of Music and established the Virtual Guitar Orchestra, which was recognized by the Library of Congress. Adithya Bellathur, CTO and Co-Founder, is a machine learning engineer who joined Notey after stints at Bloomberg and, earlier, Amazon. He oversees engineering and the development of WorldBuilder. Yishai Pinchover, Chief Strategy Officer, previously co-founded CodeMonkey, a game-based coding platform that TAL Education Group acquired in 2018.
“We are up against everything else on a child’s screen, and capturing attention is measured in seconds,” said Dr. Mak Grgić. “Mastering an instrument is tough; playing a game is simple and enjoyable. People give up because they lose interest in their instrument too soon, so we imagined a setting where games are designed to encourage genuine instrument practice. Notey is an entertainment-first learning solution, where practice becomes play.”
“Andraž Grahek, General Partner at Tivoli Ventures Fund, commented, ‘At Tivoli Ventures, we invest in founders who are not merely creating products but are establishing new categories. Notey’s team has shown remarkable clarity of vision and execution from the start. We’re excited to lead this seed round and collaborate with them as they expand the possibilities.’”
About Notey
Notey converts music practice into a game-like experience, combining game design with an adaptive curriculum so students develop real skills while teachers maintain visibility into their practice between lessons. As a Techstars 2023 company and InnoVision Award recipient, Notey operates in New York City, Columbia, South Carolina, and Valletta, Malta.
About Tivoli Ventures
Tivoli Ventures serves as the venture fund for Tivoli Partners, an alternative investment fund manager headquartered in Ljubljana, Slovenia, that supports founders locally and internationally.
About Malta Venture Capital
Malta Venture Capital (MVC) is an early-stage venture fund based in Malta that invests at pre-seed, seed, and seed-plus stages across technology-focused industries.
Media and Partnership Contact
For interviews and partnership opportunities: marketing@notey.co. More information is available at https://notey.co/.
Mak Grgić
Notey, Inc.
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