What does it take to build a real business before raising outside capital?

In this episode of Sound of Startups, Jorge Brea, Founder and CEO of Symphonic, shares how his journey began as a teenage electronic music producer trying to release his own work. What started as a personal solution during the shift from physical music to digital distribution eventually became a global music technology company.

Jorge reflects on bootstrapping Symphonic for more than a decade, reinvesting revenue, working nights and weekends, and learning how to build without relying on investor capital. He explains why the company waited until 2017 to complete its first minority investment and how a later $37 million growth round supported international expansion, technology development, and a stronger leadership team.

The conversation also explores the difficulty of giving up control, the danger of raising too early, responsible AI adoption, and why focus becomes more important as a company grows.

For young founders and entrepreneurs, this is an honest lesson in patience, humility, disciplined growth, and knowing when funding can genuinely move a proven business forward.

Subscribe to Sound of Startups for more real stories from the people building the future of music and technology.

If you want to learn more about Symphonic Distribution visit here:

Website: www.symphonic.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/symphonic.team

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@symphonicdistribution