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It’s Pedal to Metal for Disney’s Accelerator

Walt Disney Co. is looking for tech startups to participate in its third Disney Accelerator program. The Burbank entertainment and media giant started the program in 2014 to provide fledgling companies access to company executives, entertainment industry leaders and venture capitalists. The 10 startups chosen will participate in a mentorship program starting in late June 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. Kevin Mayer, the chief strategy officer for Disney, said the company was looking forward to further shaping the entertainment and media industry with the program. “The past two years of the Disney Accelerator have led to incredible innovation and success between Disney and our participating startups, helping to establish the Disney Accelerator as the premier media and entertainment accelerator,” Mayer said in a prepared statement. Startups from previous classes 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. Shares in Disney closed down $1.78, or nearly 2 percent, to $92.12 on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday.

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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