BURBANK, Calif., March 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Walt
Disney Company today announced it is accepting applications for the
2020 Disney Accelerator, a program designed to accelerate the
growth of innovative companies from around the world. Ten
growth-stage startups will be selected for the three-month
mentorship program that will connect them with the creativity,
imagination and expertise of Disney, including by providing unique
access to Disney's leadership team. The program will officially
begin in July and will conclude with a Demo Day in October.
Applications are due by April 3,
2020.
"We created the Disney Accelerator six years ago to explore the
incredible innovation that could occur between The Walt Disney
Company and companies working on the forefront of technology," said
David Min, Vice President, Corporate
Innovation, The Walt Disney Company. "Not only has the Disney
Accelerator become the premier and longest-running media and
entertainment accelerator in the industry, but the program has also
launched a number of products, experiences, and cutting-edge
technologies. We look forward to discovering new companies and
technologies through this year's program that will continue to
position Disney as a leader in today's dynamic media
environment."
The 2020 Disney Accelerator is open to growth-stage companies
with a vision for making a significant impact on the future of
technology and entertainment. The Disney Accelerator provides
participating companies with investment capital, access to
co-working space at Disney's creative campus in Glendale and unparalleled mentorship and
support from top Disney executives. This year, the team is looking
to explore specific technologies including: artificial
intelligence, augmented reality, e-commerce, data analytics,
frontier tech, robotics and more.
Companies that have been part of the Disney Accelerator since
its launch in 2014 continue to thrive and many have collaborated
with divisions of Disney to bring innovative products and
experiences to market:
Epic Games, maker of Unreal Engine, joined the Disney
Accelerator in 2017 and has since worked with numerous parts of
Disney. Most recently, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Epic
Games developed groundbreaking LED stage production technology for
the hit Lucasfilm series on Disney+, "The Mandalorian." Epic also
worked closely with Walt Disney Imagineering to leverage Unreal
Engine's real-time rendering capabilities to create the interactive
experience found on board the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
attraction in Disneyland (CA) and Disney's Hollywood Studios
(FL).
Sphero, a company that creates programmable robots and STEAM
activities that connect learning and play, was part of the
inaugural Disney Accelerator and created numerous robotics toys
with Disney, including the BB-8 droid toy, the number one Star Wars
toy in 2015.
StatMuse joined the Disney Accelerator in 2014 as a three
person company and today is a leader in voice and text-based search
for sports stats and information.
Kahoot!, a game-based learning platform, joined the Disney
Accelerator in 2017. In 2019, more than 200 million games were
played on the Kahoot! platform by 1.2 billion players in 200
countries. Kahoot! is publicly listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange's
Merkur Market. (KAHOOT:ME)
"Our participation in and ongoing relationship with the Disney
Accelerator has brought creative inspiration and larger business
perspective to Kahoot!, contributing to our growth and
development," said Eilert Hanoa,
CEO, Kahoot! "By combining the strength and reach of our platform
with the magic and mentorship of Disney, we've been able to make
learning even more awesome. The Disney Accelerator has been key to
unlocking many opportunities for us as a company."
For more information and to apply for participation in the 2020
Disney Accelerator program, visit http://DisneyAccelerator.com.
About The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company,
together with its subsidiaries, is a diversified worldwide
entertainment company with operations in four business segments:
Media Networks; Parks, Experiences and Products; Studio
Entertainment; and Direct-to-Consumer and International. Disney is
a Dow 30 company and had annual revenues of $69.6 billion in its Fiscal Year 2019.
Contacts
Kirsten
Erickson
Disney Accelerator Communications
kirsten.m.erickson.-nd@disney.com
Colby Colodner
Corporate Communications
colby.b.colodner@disney.com
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SOURCE Walt Disney Company