Montreal-based music startup AmpMe has raised US $8 million (CAD $10 million) in funding in a Series A round led by Relay Ventures.

Founder and serial entrepreneur Martin-Luc Archambault wants his team to create “the world’s most portable sound system.” The app allows people to play music in perfect sync across multiple devices to create one portable and powerful sound system, ideal for parties or situations where traditional sound systems aren’t available (think: a beach).

“We are overwhelmingly positive about the future of AmpMe and our investors share our enthusiasm in wanting to help AmpMe become the most portable and social sound system in the world,” said Archambault. “Now, we need to listen to our users and continue to build features like the YouTube integration. I’d better stop talking now and get back to work.”

As Archambault mentioned, the startup is adding YouTube as a new music source for its users to stream. The startup feels that since YouTube accounts for an estimated 40 per cent of all music listening on the Web, the partnership was critical to AmpMe’s growth.

“It’s not often that a pitch meeting turns into a party,” said John Albright, managing partner at Relay Ventures. “In that conference room, we all experienced the ‘a-ha!’ moment when we heard our favourite music becoming louder and louder as we synced our phones to the party. We were hooked. We love teams that think big, execute and know how to succeed.”

The round also saw participation from Investissement Québec, Slaight Music, OMERS Ventures, Townsgate Media, Anges Québec Capital and Real Ventures.

AmpMe says its free app, available on both iOS and Android, has attracted more than two million downloads since launching in September 2015.

To date, AmpMe has raised a total of US $10 million (CAD $12.5 million). Angel investors include Nathalie Marcoux, Etienne Veilleux, Martin Ouellet, Pierre Fleurent, Mark Britto, Dan Robichaud, Mike Cegelski, Richard Speer, and AmpMe CEO & Founder Martin-Luc Archambault.

AmpMe will use the funding to “hire the best talent, further invest in product development and in the underlying technology, as well as secure strategic partnerships.”