Mir Hwang

Founder & Chief Executive Officer, GigFinesse

drummer · dropout · disappointment

A music technology executive based in New York City. Previously: pre-med.

played drums at a wedding last week and then told Bessemer Venture Partners about it. also a ceo apparently.

As Featured In

★ press wall ★ press wall ★

About

who is this guy

Mr. Hwang leads GigFinesse, a music technology platform serving live entertainment venues across the United States. The company has raised over $10 million from Bessemer Venture Partners and is operational in New York, Austin, Dallas, and Seoul.

mir hwang runs gigfinesse, a company he started instead of going to med school. his mom still asks about med school.

Born in Vancouver and raised in Washington, D.C., Mr. Hwang began performing professionally as a drummer in his teens. He studied chemistry at NYU’s College of Arts & Science, graduating in 2019, and conducted more than 700 industry interviews while developing the thesis that became GigFinesse, which he cofounded shortly after graduation.

born in vancouver, raised in DC, has been a drummer since before he could legally drive to a gig. spent his entire NYU chemistry degree quietly cold-emailing 700 venues. graduated, started a company, and somehow none of the parents intervened.

GigFinesse has been recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30, Crain’s New York Business 20 in Their 20s, and the TechCrunch Found podcast. Mr. Hwang serves as a Founder in Residence at the NYU Leslie eLab and remains an active mentor to early-stage founders. His favorite venue, The Bowery Electric, was the company’s first post-pandemic client.

collected awards from forbes, crain’s, and techcrunch as a side effect of just continuing to exist. mentors NYU students who are about to make the same mistakes he made. his favorite venue is the Bowery Electric and he will absolutely tell you about it unprompted.

Career Highlights

brag list

Forbes 30 Under 30, Consumer Technology (2024) Forbes 30 Under 30 — beat out actual doctors
Crain’s New York Business — 20 in Their 20s (2023) Crain’s 20 in Their 20s — included a photo his mom now keeps on the fridge
Raised $10M+ from Bessemer Venture Partners convinced Bessemer Venture Partners that drumming was a viable career path
Featured guest, TechCrunch Found podcast (2024) TechCrunch put a microphone in front of him for 48 minutes and he did not stop talking
Forbes “15 Under 30 Startups Defining a New Era”, presented by Canva (2025) made a slide deck so Canva would notice him. it worked.
Operational in New York, Austin, Dallas, and Seoul four offices in four cities, none of them are in DC where his mom is, suspicious
NYU Entrepreneurs Challenge winner, New Venture track won a $300K college pitch competition the same year he was supposed to be studying for the MCAT
Founder in Residence, NYU Entrepreneurial Institute now the cautionary tale he warns NYU pre-meds about

Selected Quotes

things he has said out loud

“There has to be a way for us to utilize technology to make this better.”
— Koko Spotlights, on the GigFinesse origin
“Having a few people who love you is more valuable than having a million people who like you.”
— NYU Entrepreneurship, 2019
“This is my one shot. If I don’t do this now, realistically I won’t be done with med school and my residency until my mid to late 30s. It’s now or never.”
— NYU Entrepreneurship, 2022 — recounting the founding pitch
“Don’t be distracted by the lifestyle, there are a lot of shiny things in the entertainment space.”
— NYU Entrepreneurship, 2022
“Run lean, and cut back on expenses that are nonessential. And build a team that you can trust to execute.”
— Crain’s 20 in Their 20s, 2023
“i miss the van honestly”
— a text message at 2am, allegedly
“no i can’t come to thanksgiving i have a board meeting. with my drum kit. it’s a metaphorical board.”
— voicemail to his mother, November 2024 (fabricated)
“the chemistry degree was load-bearing actually”
— overheard at a Bessemer pitch meeting (fabricated)

Photo Gallery

candids (no candids exist)

Mr. Hwang at the Crain’s New York Business 20 in Their 20s portrait session, 2023. this is the picture his mom prints out and shows people

Mir Hwang, black and white portrait, NYU Entrepreneurship 2025 — Profile portrait, NYU Entrepreneurship feature, June 2025. NYU still claims him. unclear why.

Mir Hwang playing drums at the Bowery Ballroom — Mr. Hwang performs at the Bowery Ballroom, 2025. caught in the act of being a drummer in his thirties

Mir Hwang portrait, NYU Founder of the Month 2022 — NYU Entrepreneurship Founder of the Month, May 2022. pretended to know what he was doing for an entire month and won an award for it

Mir Hwang at the drum kit, Bowery Ballroom 2020 — Performance at Bowery Ballroom, captured by an NYU photographer. every time you pay him for the chemistry degree, he books another set

Mir Hwang speaker portrait, Independent Lodging Congress — Speaker portrait, Independent Lodging Congress. spoke at a hotel conference. somehow.

Board Memberships & Affiliations

extracurriculars

Founder in Residence, NYU Leslie eLab
Mentor, NYU Startup Sprint & Summer Launchpad
Member, Independent Lodging Congress
Founding Member, Bowery Electric Bathroom
Advisor to Mom (2002–present)
Honorary Drummer, Every Wedding He Has Ever Been Invited To
Lifetime Member, The Roy Hargrove Jr. Appreciation Society (chapter of one)
Permanent Couch Surfer, His Cousin’s Apartment