The Walt Disney Company’s Accelerator Program is in it’s fourth year and has just announced 11 tech and media companies it will give funding to in 2017.
Companies chosen to participate receive and undisclosed amount of “equity investment” and the participants retain the right to intellectual property they create while being part of the Accelerator program. According to Variety Magazine they also receive:
…guidance from top Disney execs, entrepreneurs, investors and other entertainment and tech leaders, and will have access to a co-working space at Disney’s creative campus in L.A. The program concludes with a Demo Day in 2017 featuring presentations from all 11 firms.
The 2017 Disney Accelerator companies announced are:
- Ambidio: a company that developed technology for creating a continuous sound field with a sense of depth and dimension with any device by using stereo speakers.
- aXiomatic: an eSports ownership group backed by leading sports team owners that holds a majority stake in Team Liquid.
- Brit + Co: digital media company that aims to inspire, inform and entertain women through content, online classes, and products.
- Epic Games: creators of Unreal Engine technology, which is used by video-game developers worldwide for games and experiences (such as Gears of War) across PC, console, mobile, virtual reality and augmented reality platforms.
- Hoodline: local news and content discovery platform that uses geo-tagging and media partners for content to put into websites or mobile apps.
- Kahoot!: game-based learning platform with more than 50 million users in 180 countries.
- ProductionPro: a tool for storytellers and creators to improve creative collaboration by pulling scripts, research, designs, and continuity together to enhance creative decision-making.
- ReplyYes: creators of a mobile-enabled e-commerce system that allows customers reply “YES” to purchase a product and have it delivered.
- Samba TV a data and analytics company that quantifies real-time viewer data across media and digital media platforms.
- Savioke: robotics company that develops and deploys indoor delivery robots to assist workers in businesses like hotels, warehouses, and apartment buildings. The company’s flagship robot, Relay, has already been added to several hotels worldwide.
- The Void: an entertainment company that fully immerses guests in virtual experiences with friends and family. The VOID combines interactive sets, virtual reality, real-time effects, and state of the art technology to bring guests into their experience.
According the the Disney Accelerator site the purpose is to:
The Disney Accelerator brings together an amazing community of entrepreneurs, creatives, mentors, investors, and technologists, all with a common trait: the ability to dream big, and a vision for making an impact on the world of entertainment and technology.
Congratulations to the 2017 recipients. We can’t wait to see what big dreams you want to turn into realities!
What do you think of the this years recipients? What do you think about the idea behind the Disney Accelerator program? Comment below and tell us what you think!
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