The people
What they build
Open roles via the TechTO Job Board
Working at StageKeep
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On the TechTO stage
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About
StageKeep began at U of T Scarborough, where hip hop dancer and computer science student Axel Villamil and computer science alumnus William Mak built an app that lets choreographers plan a performance against the music and the shape of the stage, then share it with dancers before rehearsal. U of T reported the choreographer app launching at the university's Startup Showcase in March 2018, a Dragons' Den pitch in the show's 13th season that ended without a deal, and a working relationship with the Toronto Raptors dance team by 2019, with StageKeep's name shown in the arena during routines. Villamil told the TechTO stage in October 2026 that he traded software for logo placement on the Raptors' screens during the 2019 championship run, showed the app to Timbaland at Collision, and talked his way onto a Web Summit stage. He put the company at 10,000+ users, 20,000+ performances created and more than 60% of the North American market for stage-planning software, said Drake's team used it on the Nokia music video, and described what comes next: formation tracking with computer vision and a text-based AI agent for creatives called Lisa. Techstars lists StageKeep as a seed-stage portfolio company founded in 2017.
Backers
Techstars, per Villamil on the TechTO stage (2026-10) and StageKeep's listing on Techstars' portfolio jobs board; he also mentioned an unnamed Silicon Valley investor. No round size has been announced
Quick answers
What does StageKeep do?
It lets choreographers plan formations and transitions against the music and the performance space, then share routines with dancers; the site lists stadium shows, tours, cheerleading, theatre and marching bands as uses (stagekeep.com, read 2026-10-19; U of T News, 2019-03-21).
Who founded StageKeep?
Axel Villamil and William Mak, both U of T Scarborough graduates, who built it at UTSC's The Hub accelerator (U of T News, 2018-03-07 and 2019-03-21). Techstars dates the company to 2017.
Who uses StageKeep?
The Toronto Raptors' dance team by 2019 (U of T News, 2019-03-21; MLSE quote on stagekeep.com). Villamil told the TechTO stage in October 2026 that Drake's team used it on the Nokia music video and that the platform had 10,000+ users (6:37 and 7:00); those claims are his.