The inspiration
We created StarShare after our co-founder, an aspiring recording artist, kept running into the same problem faced by many emerging and independent artists. Before record labels or professional teams step in, artists are expected to grow using scattered platforms that are not designed for intentional community building. Streams and social media follower counts may rise, but they rarely translate into durable relationships with a committed early fan base, that artists can reliably engage and mobilise.
StarShare solves this by acting as a dedicated pre-label fan engagement and relationship platform. It helps artists turn passive listeners into a structured early community through interactive digital artists clubs. StarShare makes early belief visible through intentional membership and repeated participation, not just abstract metrics.
A unique market fit
We combine three strengths: a precise insight into the pre-label gap, the ability to iterate the core community mechanics quickly, and direct access to the early-stage artists we’re designing for.
I lead venture strategy and product direction. My background in philosophy helps me to iterate concepts efficiently, which aligns with my co-founder and CTO, Jose Manuel, who provides build velocity and technical expertise. This allows us to quickly iterate and refine our MVP (minimum viable product) so that we can continuously validate what is driving repeat participation.
Yann, our Head of Artists Relations, gives us proximity to independent artists and their constraints at the pre-label stage, which ultimately strengthens our ability to onboard the right artists early and run continuous feedback loops.
I met Manuel through my best friend Anthony. They both attend the same university and share a social circle. We discovered each other’s entrepreneurial interest over a home-cooked dinner. I connected with Yann through an app called ‘The Dots’ (a LinkedIn for creatives), after he responded to my post looking for a third co-founder. After meeting Yann for a coffee, and instantly aligning in values, it wasn't long before the three of us met on a rainy day in London.
Balancing full-time undergraduate studies, with running a start-up
I structure my weeks around what I deem as non-negotiables. I think about my priorities for the week ahead and split my time accordingly, so that I have a good understanding of how I’m allocating my time between StarShare and my studies. This helps me to meet deadlines, goals and the unpredictability that comes with running a start-up.
A key skill has been allowing myself to feel all the emotions that may arise on the journey, especially acknowledging emotion in times of intensity. Studying philosophy has developed my precise and disciplined reasoning skills, which matter when building a platform that is solving a specific structural issue. It forces me to define the problem clearly, test assumptions honestly and ensure our solution remains coherent.
The first six months on the King’s Start-up Accelerator
We’ve evolved our initial broad idea into a sharper, testable approach to the pre-label community problem. We've built and iterated the MVP around the core feature (artist clubs), refined how we communicate the product and have started expanding our team.
We have progressed our artist pipeline through structured conversations, secured advisory interest from the CEO of a music licensing platform who have worked with the likes of David Bowie and Netflix, whilst also securing interest from a VC firm.
What's surprised me most about the journey so far is realising how differently each industry operates with a distinct culture and learning to navigate these nuances.
Support from King’s Start-up Accelerator
The biggest impact has been the accelerator's structured accountability and feedback, which has helped us stay disciplined, grounded, received and understood as people first before anything.
Adopting a growth mindset and sharpening our entrepreneurial thinking has allowed each of us to engage with our start-up with both a shared ownership and autonomy. This support has improved our prioritisation and kept StarShare on track, mitigating unnecessary setbacks.
Biggest learning so far
That drive and restraint must coexist. As a founder, I’ve had to recognise my own behavioural patterns and communicate effectively between my rational and emotional self; ensuring that tomorrow's Roshaine and yesterday's Roshaine are aligned on both mistakes and successes.
Advice for other King's students thinking about starting a business
Be specific about the problem and stage you’re building for and understand your customers inside out. Speak to users early and ensure you build the smallest product that can help validate your core assumptions. Measure behaviour rather than excitement and most importantly choose co-founders of who fill the skills and abilities gaps you lack and match what the problem demands.