Black Dog Venture Partners acquires stake in St. Pete woman-owned business

Black Dog Venture Partners has acquired a 20 percent stake in Giggidy, a women-owned music discovery platform, based in St. Petersburg.

“Giggidy’s inception began in late 2017, after dating a local South Florida musician for three years and going to hundreds of his gigs and witnessing firsthand the endless headaches local musicians, venue owners and people looking for live music have in the community,” said Kate Rose, founder of Giggidy, in a statement. “The way gigs were booked was very archaic and, as a born entrepreneur, I felt this intense desire to do something about it.”

Scott Kelly, chief executive officer of Black Dog Ventures Partners, will become the interim CEO and chairman of the board of Giggidy.

“I have been passionate about independent music for my entire life and music plays a key role in the marketing of our portfolio companies,” said Kelly. “Kate has built a platform that puts the power back in the hands of independent musicians and we are excited to accelerate Giggidy’s growth, starting in St. Petersburg.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Black Dog Venture Partners is a business accelerator that provides access to funding through a network of investors, business development through business partners and sales, marketing and coaching services.

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