Capital Accelerates Hook’s Open Platform For Licensed Fan-Made Remixes And Effortless Sharing Across Social Media And Streaming Platforms
NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, February 18, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Hook, the artist-first social platform for fan-powered music creation, announced it has raised $10 million in a Series A funding round led by Khosla Ventures with participation from existing investors Point72 Ventures, Imaginary Ventures, and Waverley Capital, co-founded by former Warner Music Group CEO Edgar Bronfman, Jr. Existing investors across the music ecosystem include Kygo’s Palm Tree Crew, Three Six Zero, Avex, The Raine Group, and renowned musician and DJ KSHMR. The round brings Hook’s total funding to $16 million.
Hook transforms music from something fans passively consume into something they actively shape. Using simple, AI-powered tools, fans can remix songs across genres and moods, creating original versions and sharing them to social media with one tap—allowing familiar songs to be reimagined in new contexts while helping new artists and creators break through.
Since launching in 2025, Hook has taken an artist-first approach to fan creativity, working directly with rights holders to ensure artists retain ownership, control, and monetization. The platform has partnered with major artists and labels, including Universal Music Group, on campaigns which have generated over 250 million views across social platforms. Through partnerships with Downtown Music/FUGA, Too Lost, Primary Wave, and Avex, Hook has access to a growing catalog of more than 20 million licensed songs. In the last 12 months alone, Hook’s active users have increased by more than 45X. This trust across the music ecosystem has enabled Hook to operate as an open platform that integrates with TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and SoundCloud, while ensuring artists and copyright owners participate directly in the value created.
“Hook was built on a simple idea: fans want to express themselves with the music they love, and artists deserve to stay in control of how their work is used,” said Gaurav Sharma, founder and CEO of Hook. “We’re building the social music platform where creativity can thrive, and where ownership and monetization remain artist-led from day one.”
With this funding, Hook will focus on driving user growth by expanding how fans create, connect, and participate with music, while continuing to invest in its brand and platform. The company plans to advance its product and technology, including the launch of an Android app, new community-driven features, richer creation formats, and native video and recording capabilities. Hook will also deepen integrations and partnerships across the music ecosystem, extending its open platform while ensuring artists remain in control. Together, these efforts support Hook’s vision to become the central platform where fandom, creativity, and artist-led ownership converge in the next era of social music.
“Hook is solving a hard problem at the center of modern music: enabling remixing and social distribution in a way that works for rights holders at scale,” said Samir Kaul, Khosla Ventures’ Founding Partner and Managing Director. “The team has built a platform that pairs a consumer-native experience with licensing, attribution, and reporting infrastructure that the ecosystem can rely on. We’re excited to lead this round and support Hook’s next phase of growth.”
As Hook enters this next phase of growth, the company is strengthening its leadership team to support its expanding product and operational ambitions. Simmi Singh has been elevated to Chief Operating Officer & Chief Product Officer. Singh joined Hook in 2023 as Chief Product Officer, where she has led product, design, and engineering and oversaw the launch of Hook’s platform for consumers, creators, and rightsholders. In her expanded role, Singh will continue to oversee these areas while also leading the company’s growth and expansion. She previously led Strategy & Operations for Podcasts at Spotify and worked alongside Sharma at JioSaavn as Head of Strategy & Operations, bringing a deep understanding of both product execution and the global music ecosystem.
About Hook
Hook is a social music platform building the next generation of music discovery, fan expression, and creator growth. Backed by top-tier investors, Hook turns the songs people love into sounds they can play with, empowering fans and creators to easily and legally reimagine music through intuitive, ethically trained, AI-powered tools with zero learning curve. By partnering directly with artists and rights holders, Hook helps ensure music is discovered, shared and expressed in ways that respect and reward the people behind it. At Hook, music isn’t just consumed – it’s experienced, expressed and made personal. For more information, visit www.hookmusic.com.
Jaime Rosenberg
2b Entertainment
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