Comcast NBCUniversal today announced the 11 startups selected
for the third annual Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator,
powered by Techstars. The startups were chosen from hundreds of
applicants from over 40 countries. They are poised to revolutionize
strategic areas of focus, including future of work, immersive and
interactive experiences, and personalization.
Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 program, which
kicks off today and lasts 13 weeks, will be held virtually. The
founders will participate in this immersive program from cities
across the globe, including New York City, Philadelphia, San
Francisco, Washington D.C., Dallas, and London, UK.
The companies will be mentored by 100+ industry leaders from
Comcast NBCUniversal and the global Techstars network;
participating in workshops on fundraising, working with
corporations, and communicating through the media; and meet
experienced founders who will share their insights in building and
selling highly successful startups. Each company will have the
opportunity to work at Comcast NBCUniversal’s global headquarters
in Philadelphia in 2021 for additional mentorship and business
development opportunities.
“The entire Comcast NBCUniversal family is excited to learn from
this diverse group of talented entrepreneurs, and help elevate
their companies in new ways,” said Sam Schwartz, Chief Business
Development Officer, Comcast. “Entrepreneurial passion is more
important than ever. Curiosity and different thinking can help
society and businesses emerge to what’s next — and we’re ready to
start working with these companies focused on areas that are
important to our company and customers.”
At the conclusion of the program, the companies will participate
in a virtual Demo Day on December 3, 2020 and present their
businesses before some of the world’s best venture capitalists,
startup founders, business executives, and media.
Techstars’ veteran, KJ Singh, will serve as the Managing
Director of the 2020 accelerator. He has managed 12 accelerator
programs at Techstars since 2013, and invested in over 100
companies that have gone on to raise over $300 million from
top-tier angel investors and VCs. KJ, working alongside the Comcast
NBCUniversal LIFT Labs team, led by Danielle Cohn, Vice President,
Startup Engagement and Luke Butler, Sr. Director, Startup
Engagement/LIFT Labs, will advise the selected startups on
product/market fit, business development, and fundraising
strategies that lead to results.
The 2020 class of the Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs
Accelerator, powered by Techstars includes:
- AfroLandTV, Dallas, TX AfroLandTV is an OTT streaming media
platform for Pan African TV shows, and movies.
- Beam Health Group, New York, NY Beam Health empowers healthcare
professionals and health systems with premium telehealth services
to provide quality, convenient care to patients.
- Cast, San Francisco, CA Cast's automated audio-visual reports
with embedded calls to action helps customers understand complex
concepts and drive high-value actions.
- Covatic, London / Birmingham, UK Covatic's mobile SDK empowers
media companies to deliver exceptional in-app experiences by
identifying when, where, and how each individual can engage with
content without needing to expose personal data.
- Glow Up Games, Brooklyn, NY Glow Up Games develops and
publishes character-driven mobile games for underrepresented gamers
and gathers key data on this overlooked demographic to encourage
more diverse characters and storylines in the gaming industry.
- Introvoke, San Francisco, CA Introvoke provides white label
technology that powers virtual connections, hybrid live events, and
elevated networking in a branded experience.
- Kidas, Philadelphia, PA Kidas is an AI service that protects
children from cyberbullying and online predators by alerting
parents about potentially dangerous activities in their childs'
digital life.
- Percepta, Philadelphia, PA Percepta leverages unbiased,
AI-driven computer vision technology to analyze existing security
camera feeds and alert employees of shoplifting incidents in
real-time.
- Seshie, Philadelphia, PA Seshie is a marketplace of expert
guides offering live and virtual team building experiences for
organizations to increase employee morale and build company
culture.
- Showcase, New York, NY Showcase is a video-first hiring
platform that uses asynchronous videos to help companies streamline
the recruitment process by eliminating repetitive interviews.
- WorkChew, Washington, D.C. WorkChew is a marketplace connecting
a community of mobile and remote workers to workspaces in
restaurants and hotels across the US and beyond.
A selection committee made up of Techstars experts and leaders
from a wide range of Comcast, NBCUniversal, and Sky business units
reviewed the applications and selected the 11 startups. More than
half of the companies self-identify as having an under-represented
founder, while almost half self-identify as having a female
founder.
At the conclusion of this year’s LIFT Labs accelerator, 32
companies will have completed the program with alumni continuing to
find venture funding and business success, including many obtaining
active deals or proofs of concepts with Comcast, NBCUniversal, and
Sky brands. Among the highlights: the predictive gaming app GameOn
is partnering with NBCUniversal on a proof of concept that engages
fans of reality programming in a new way. Thinker-Tinker, the
ed-tech startup, partnered with DreamWorks Animation to design
interactive, educational toys featuring characters from the Trolls
World Tour film.
The startups will be supported by the Comcast NBCUniversal
Startup Engagement/LIFT Labs team and will work directly with
mentors and product experts from across Comcast NBCUniversal’s
businesses and teams, including the Xfinity technology, product,
and experience teams; the NBC and Telemundo broadcast stations;
NBCUniversal cable networks; Universal Studios; Universal Theme
Parks; DreamWorks Animation; Comcast Business; Comcast Ventures;
Sky; Strategic Development; as well as mentors from Techstars’
expansive network. These mentors will help the founders sharpen
business models, gain valuable connections, and refine pitches to
potential investors and clients.
To learn more about Comcast NBCUniversal’s LIFT Labs
Accelerator, powered by Techstars, and the company’s broad Startup
Engagement program, visit ComcastNBCULIFT.com.
About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq:CMCSA) is a global media and
technology company with three primary businesses: Comcast Cable,
NBCUniversal, and Sky. Comcast Cable is one of the United States’
largest high-speed internet, video, and phone providers to
residential customers under the Xfinity brand, and also provides
these services to businesses. It also provides wireless and
security and automation services to residential customers under the
Xfinity brand. NBCUniversal is global and operates news,
entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo
broadcast networks, television production operations, television
station groups, Universal Pictures, and Universal Parks and
Resorts. Sky is one of Europe's leading media and entertainment
companies, connecting customers to a broad range of video content
through its pay television services. It also provides
communications services, including residential high-speed internet,
phone, and wireless services. Sky operates the Sky News broadcast
network and sports and entertainment networks, produces original
content, and has exclusive content rights. Visit
www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.
About Techstars
Techstars is the global platform for investment and innovation.
Founded in 2006, Techstars began with three simple
ideas—entrepreneurs create the future, collaboration drives
innovation, and great ideas can come from anywhere. Today our
mission is to make innovation accessible to everyone, everywhere.
We do this by connecting startups, investors, corporations, and
cities to create a more sustainable and inclusive world. Since
2006, Techstars has invested in more than 2,200 companies and today
has a market cap of $27 Billion. www.techstars.com
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200908005496/en/
Media: Jennifer Sala Comcast Corporation 267-240-8702
Jennifer_Sala@comcast.com
Ali Donnermeyer Techstars Ali.Donnermeyer@techstars.com
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