It has been a year unlike any other. And although I hope it will stay a year unlike any other, I am proud of what 2020 has meant for us.

Undoubtedly, it has been a year of uncertainties and hardships. A year of scaling down and scaling back up. An exemplary year of the much referenced “rollercoaster of the Start-up experience”.

Back in April, 80% of our planned revenues for 2020 fell away. Customers left us with the message: “We do not know what the next months will bring. Let’s talk again in a few weeks” - famous last words in the world of direct sales. Governmental help remains scarce in Sweden for companies of our size and so the consequence had been to cut costs wherever possible. Let’s say it how it is… in June of 2020, things looked as dark for Stagecast as they never had before.

But what makes a great team great is perseverance. Seeking opportunities where others see dead ends and a positive mindset. We started Stagecast with the mission to turn mobile phones within cultural venues into an opportunity of connectedness instead of a distraction. Over time, our focus has shifted and our value propositions broughtened. But what always remained the same is the vision to facilitate meaningful social interactions in everyday life.

“Social Interactions” are at the very center of attention of Stagecast and “Social Interactions” are also the very problem of the prevailing COVID-19 crisis… This year, we all had to learn the harsh consequence of having billions of people on this planet and how we are susceptible to viruses, especially when crammed in the same place.

But if anything can be said about humans, then it is our unparalleled ability to adapt to new circumstances as well as our deep-rooted need for social interactions. So, 2020 has become the year of rapid digitization thereof - people work from home with the help of video calls, watch concerts online, have family game nights via the internet, and cheer for eSports players like they used to for our regular sports legends. Some of these changes might not stay forever, but we are undoubtedly becoming more digital in all social aspects of life.

In order to cater to this new reality, the tech team of Stagecast worked relentlessly to deliver features that accommodate the needs of our new value proposition. Day and night we reworked our offer and are incredibly proud that in the short period between September 2020 and now to have worked for & with brands like Google, Spotify, Riot Games, Mercedes Benz, Oriflame, TEDx, 1. FC Nürnberg, Comdirect, and many, many, many more. All for a world with more digital social interactions. All for a world with more connectedness - despite COVID-19.

I am immensely proud to work in a team of believers, optimists, and doers. If we can manage to find our way through COVID, we will find our way through anything. Bring it on 2021. We are ready!

Thank you to everyone who has supported us along our journey this year. Thank you to everyone who has trusted us to deliver the right solution at the right time. Thank you to everyone who has invested time, money, or energy into Stagecast in a time of uncertainty. Without you, we would not be where we are today and we could not go where we are headed.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 🤶

Jonas from Stagecast