RushStartup, ESCP Blue Factory
Access the artists, not just their content. 300+ interviews, 250+ on the waitlist.
Federico Monaco, founder of Rush, Milan
I build products where music, tech and community meet.
I start from a problem I have seen up close, turn it into a working product in a few days and test it with the people it is for.
Open to junior roles in growth and business development.
Start the journey01
Talk to people first.
Rush began with more than 300 interviews with artists and potential users. They changed the idea: tokens became direct experiences between fans and artists.
02
Then, the night out.
Noxia lets you see who is going before you arrive. Friends tested it, and their biggest worry was not privacy but the site crashing mid-event.
NoxiaNightlife app, beta
Tinder for nights out: see who is going before you arrive.
03
Learn by doing.
The hard part of BeatLeap was keeping the theory simple without emptying it. The grid below is the idea behind it, and you can play it.
BeatLeapMusic edtech
Duolingo for beat-making. Try the demo below.
BeatLeap demo
Make a beat.
A stripped-down version of the 16-step grid behind BeatLeap. Each row is a sound; each column is a sixteenth note.
- Pick a genre: the pattern and tempo change.
- Press Play.
- Tap the cells to switch sounds on and off.
Turn the volume up. In BeatLeap, every beat becomes a lesson with feedback and instructions for FL Studio, Ableton and Logic.
140 BPMStep 01/16
04
Let software read first.
Openings, reviews, startup ideas: three tools that do the first pass, so a person can make the call.
Career CopilotPython tool
Collects openings from 22 sources and scores them against my profile.
05
Build for everyday screens.
A MacBook notch, a menu bar, a living-room TV: three small products for screens people look at every day.
IslandMac app, free
A Dynamic Island for the MacBook notch: music, AirPods, calendar, clipboard.
BinarioMac app, in testing
Your next train in the menu bar: delay, platform and when to leave.
CleanYourTVAndroid TV launcher
Fast, ad-free smart TV launcher with instant DVB-T2 channels, live sports, Torino weather and 25-photo screensaver.
06
Work for others.
A real event run by a friend, and a style exercise for an artist I follow. Three seconds to make people want to stay.
FuoriMenùLanding page, real event
Not a dinner. Not a party. A pop-up night series in Milan.
Yung PipsArtist website
Website and press kit for a Turin rapper, discography synced from Spotify.
07
I studied communication. I think like a founder.
Method
Problem first.
Every project starts from something I have seen up close: emerging artists who can't live off their fans, nights out where you know no one, restaurants buried in reviews.
Speed
Days, not months.
With AI and no-code tools I go from idea to clickable product in a few days. One real test is worth more than a month of slides.
Honesty
Changing course is a result.
Rush started as a token platform and became a marketplace for experiences. StartupLens made me drop several ideas before I put time into them.
I want to build platforms where people take part in culture, not just consume it.
I'm Federico Monaco, from Turin, based in Milan. I graduated in Communication, Media and Advertising from IULM in 2026. I founded Rush in 2025, while still at university, and in 2026 it was selected for Blue Factory, ESCP Business School's startup programme. My way of working is simple: I make an idea clickable, get people to try it, then decide whether to keep going, change course or drop it.
Product & MVPBrand strategyPitch decksAI toolsNo-codeFigmaMusic industryCommunity design
- 2025–nowFounder, RushMusic tech, in the ESCP Business School Blue Factory accelerator
- 2025Noxia, BeatLeap, Recensì, StartupLensSide projects to validate ideas in music, nightlife and AI
- 2023–26IULM University, MilanBA in Communication, Media and Advertising
08
Let's work
together.
I'm looking for co-founders, partners in the music business and people who like to build. I'm also open to junior roles in growth and business development. If you have an idea, a project or an opportunity, write to me.