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Disney Doubles Down on Accelerator

Walt Disney Co. is looking for tech startups to participate in its second Disney accelerator program. The Burbank entertainment and media giant started the program a year ago to provide fledgling companies access to company executives, entertainment industry leaders and venture capitalists. Its partner in the program is Techstars, a Boulder, Colo. accelerator. The 10 startups chosen will participate in a three-month mentorship program starting in July that concludes in October with a Demo Day of their products. The startups will each receive $120,000 in financing from Disney, with both Disney and Techstars taking equity stakes. Startups from last year’s class included Sidelines, a San Francisco content marketing platform; Smart Toy, a customizable smart toy developer in Los Angeles that was later acquired by Cartwheel Kids in Culver City; and Naritiv, a Santa Monica marketing and analytics platform. “The 2014 Disney Accelerator demonstrated that pairing Disney’s creative and business talent with entrepreneurs can produce an energizing and valuable exchange of ideas and promote tremendous innovation,” said Kevin Mayer, executive vice president, corporate strategy and business development, in a prepared statement.

Mark Madler
Mark Madler
Mark R. Madler covers aviation & aerospace, manufacturing, technology, automotive & transportation, media & entertainment and the Antelope Valley. He joined the company in February 2006. Madler previously worked as a reporter for the Burbank Leader. Before that, he was a reporter for the City News Bureau of Chicago and several daily newspapers in the suburban Chicago area. He has a bachelor’s of science degree in journalism from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

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