A Note from Criss
Our Story
From taking apart amplifiers as a kid to building tools for lighting designers. This is how CUE++ came to be.
The Beginning
CUE++ started not in a boardroom or an incubator, but in the living room of a jazz guitarist in Romania.
My father was a music teacher and guitarist. The house was always filled with music, instruments, and the occasional piece of equipment I'd taken apart. Much to his despair, I had a habit of disassembling anything with a circuit board.
But he never scolded me. Instead, he let me figure out how to put it back together. That patience taught me more than any textbook ever could.
The Journey
First Lines of Code
Growing up in Romania before computers were widely available, I'd spend hours at internet cafes, not playing Quake or Red Alert like my friends wanted, but connecting an old DSP chip via serial port, surrounded by a mess of wires. My friends were not amused. But I was hooked.
University & DJing
Studied Computer Science at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca. During the day, I was learning algorithms and data structures. At night, I was DJing drum and bass at local clubs and running small events with whatever equipment I could get my hands on. The realization hit: coding could fund my passion for sound.
12 Years in London
Moved to London chasing the startup scene. Over 12 years, I was part of multiple startups, worked as a freelancer with clients like Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and Dyson, and helped build technology for Reprezent FM. But the pull of live events never left.
Big Production, Bigger Problems
Got connected with major production houses who kept asking for help with problems they needed custom software to solve. "Can you build an MA plugin for this?" became a common request. I learned grandMA in depth and built the tools production teams asked for.
Back to Roots
The pandemic brought me back to Cluj. I discovered that hardly anyone in the local scene knew about or used grandMA. There was a gap between what professionals needed and what was accessible. CUE++ was born: I bought sound and light equipment, built a 'playground' studio, and started helping smaller events level up their production quality.
Where we are now
I met a team who shared the same vision, and together we built what CUE++ is today. VENU.studio is our answer to a problem we know well: the hours spent on documentation, the friction of moving between tools, the work of turning a design into a programmed show. We're building the tools we wish we had.
Our Mission
Lower the barrier
Professional lighting design shouldn't require years of specialized training or an enterprise budget. We're making these tools easier to get to.
Eliminate Busywork
Lighting designers should be designing, not wrestling with documentation. We automate the tedious parts so you can focus on the show.
Bridge the Gap
Design to programmed show. CAD files to console programming. Planning to production. VENU.studio connects the steps.
Open Standards First
We build on GDTF, MVR, and open formats. Your data is yours, and it works with any console or visualizer.
What Drives Us
We build what we use
We build software to solve problems we face ourselves. Every feature comes from a problem we hit on a show.
Curiosity first
The kid taking apart amplifiers grew into a company that keeps asking how things work. Good solutions tend to start with "why not?"
Community First
From Cluj's local scene to London's production houses, we've seen how sharing what you know helps everyone work better. We're building tools that make collaboration easier.
“My father never scolded me for taking things apart. He just asked: 'Can you put it back together?' That question still drives everything I build.”
The Team
CUE++ is a small team of developers, designers, and lighting professionals based in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, with roots stretching across Europe's production scene.
Meet the teamLet's build something together
Custom tools, production support, or just geeking out about lighting. We'd love to hear from you.