Ciao and welcome to Offtrack
One founder, one startup, and a weekly dose of music — every Friday, like any proper music release.
First, a quick intro. I’m Giacomo Pellegrini, co-founder and ceo of Fankee.
Before this, I spent almost a decade working in my family’s manufacturing business — traditional, old-fashioned, and definitely not mine.
I learned a hell of a lot, but with a chip on my shoulder and the constant feeling I was raising someone else’s baby, I left before the end. The exit happened later — I was already in the US.
I moved to Silicon Valley, studied at Stanford, and made a transition that felt crazy — but also inevitable — into the world of tech.
For years, my path looked straight and safe. Then I took a hard turn — an unconventional one — driven by the urge to build something from scratch and a passion that never left me: music.
From my home in Italy — my real home, where I’ve come back to start again.
What is Offtrack
The world was really missing another enlightened tech founder’s take!!
Okay, that’s bullshit.
This is a space where tech innovation meets an industry that’s way more old school than you’d think… music. (Find out why )
It’s also a space for stories — music stories, wild success stories, and the way they’ve reshaped an entire industry. Because honestly, if music doesn’t come with incredible stories, what does?
A space where startup “rules of thumb” don’t really apply. My path hasn’t been conventional — or at least it stopped being that way once I finally woke up.
It’s also a playlist — a damn good one. Something to listen to while working, driving, or sipping a gin and tonic by the sea at sunset.
Why another newsletter?
Because everyone listens to music, but few understand how it works.
Because I’m building something — from the ground up — that plays with both startup logic and music industry dysfunction.
That something is Fankee.
I’ll share what I learn:
how the industry really works
where tech is pushing things
and how artists (maybe) get paid
Along the way, you’ll hear what’s happening inside Fankee.
The builds. The breaks. The backstories. The b-sides.
Always with something playing in the background.
(Did I mention the playlist slaps?)
Next step?
Start with OFFTRACK 001. Or follow my playlist and reply with to what you’re listening to.
Seriously — send me your music.
If I vibe with it, I’ll shout it out and drop it in the playlist.
Music is about sharing.
Fankee is built on that.