Today global entertainment giant, The Walt Disney Company has announced this years participants in its mentorship programme, Disney Accelerator. Nine companies have been chosen, two of which specialise in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).
Those selected are Ader, a marketplace connecting brands with eSports and gaming influencers; Atom Tickets, a movie ticketing app; Hanson Robotics, which creates human-like robots featuring full range facial expressions; Jaunt, a leading developer of VR hardware, software, tools and applications; littleBits, a platform of easy-to-use electronic building blocks for kids; Nom, an online live-streaming video community for chefs and food lovers; OTOY, a holographic platform for VR and AR tech; Playbuzz, a content-creation and audience-engagement platform, and lastly Pley, a toy subscription company.
The three-month program connects participants from around the world with Disney’s creative expertise and resources to help them develop their products and consumer experiences.
“We are evolving this year’s Disney Accelerator to include many later-stage start-ups, and for the first time, an internal project,” said Michael Abrams, Senior Vice President, Innovation, The Walt Disney Company. “This year’s Disney Accelerator program is designed to advance a broader spectrum of the strategic investments we make in innovation across all of our businesses.”
The Disney Accelerator programme began in 2014, since then companies representing the cutting edge of technology and media have joined from across the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Technologies have included robotics, artificial intelligence, e-commerce, wearables, messaging and VR. Last year 360-degree video platform Littlstar joined the programme as the first VR related company to do so.
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