Nick Silverio and Ramita Ravi Launch Artswrk, New Startup For Artists

NYC-based performers Nick Silverio and Ramita Ravi have announced the brand launch and beta waitlist for their new startup, Artswrk: a professional network for artists and creatives to find, track, and refer work.

Artswrk, a new tech venture created to provide all artswrkers with the digital tools necessary to build sustainable livelihoods, will launch their Instagram (@artswrkofficial) and live website (www.artswrk.com) on October 1, 2020. The web-based platform, which becomes open to the public in 2021, is starting with a select group of beta users who can track and share work, add connections, make referrals to events and jobs, and access resources (COVID-19, benefits, tax-prep, part-time jobs). By digitizing referrals that are normally done on social media and through word-of-mouth, artists can track and centralize all of their work and connections made in the industry.

Silverio and Ravi were compelled to begin work on this new startup after the COVID-19 shutdown and have been working with software engineers from the University of Pennsylvania and Vanderbilt University to build the unique Artswrk platform.

"94% of creatives have lost income and employment during COVID-19, leaving many of us without a safety net," Ravi writes. "As the world pivots to digital, we want to make sure that the 102 million creatives across the globe have the digital tools they need to forge stronger, more resilient arts industries." Silverio adds, "Our mission is for all artswrkers to have stability and autonomy doing what they love. We envision a world in which creative industries are innovative, resilient, and driven by a network of empowered artists."

Silverio is a 2018 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School with a B.S. in Economics and a concentration in Commercial Dance Management. He is a professional dancer with Clear Talent Group NY, choreographer of the viral "First Burn" video, and Senior Master Coach at [solidcore]. Ravi is a 2017 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Health and Societies with a focus on Health & Education Entrepreneurship. She is a professional dancer with Bloc Talent Agency NYC, co-founder of Project Convergence at the American Tap Dance Foundation, and a startup consultant in UX, product strategy and marketing. The pair met at UPenn, where they performed in Arts House Dance Company and both served as the Dance Arts Council Chair for the greater Performing Arts Council Executive Board.

Artists and creatives interested in joining Artswrk are encouraged to follow their Instagram @artswrkofficial and sign up for their beta waitlist at www.artswrk.com.