The companies are building immersive technologies and guiding the future of entertainment, gaming, virtual experiences, and more.
After receiving hundreds of applications from startups in 30 countries, we are proud to announce the 2022 class of the Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator, powered by Techstars. Narrowing down the list was no easy task. We watched pitches, reviewed applications, and talked with many founders one-on-one. We even traveled to cities across the world to recruit startups and find founders ready to take the next step in their entrepreneurial journeys.
In the end, we identified 12 startups with the potential to revolutionize industries across the core focus areas of the accelerator, including Connected Living, Immersive and Inclusive Experiences, and Smart, Sustainable Enterprise.
The 2022 class is creating breakthrough technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) applications poised to innovate entertainment, gaming, in-video purchasing, metaverse, visual content licensing, Web3 industries, connectivity, and the employee experience. Founders from Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and cities across the United States, from Philadelphia, Boston, New York City, and San Francisco, will participate in this immersive 12-week program run out of the Comcast Technology Center in Philadelphia. One-half (50%) of selected companies are led by at least one founder who self-identifies as a person of color or racial/ethnic minority in their home country while one-third (33%) are led by a woman or gender diverse founder.
“Through LIFT Labs, Comcast collaborates directly with startups at the forefront of new technologies in connectivity, media, and entertainment, with a curated, comprehensive and engaging program,” said Danielle Cohn, Vice President, Startup Engagement and Head of LIFT Labs. “During the accelerator, and beyond, these founders will have unmatched opportunities to develop their emerging businesses and gain access to industry leaders and experts. For the past five years, it’s been amazing to watch how these startups continue to cultivate a growth mindset and inspire our innovative teams, and I look forward to seeing what emerges from this remarkable cohort of 2022.”
Since the first class in 2018, 43 companies have completed the Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator and raised over $115 million combined. In addition, more than 70% have secured proofs of concepts, pilots, or commercial deals with Comcast, NBCUniversal, and Sky.
More than 100 experts and industry leaders from across Comcast NBCUniversal and Sky will mentor this year’s startups. Advisors include leaders from 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; Strategic Development; and Sky; as well as mentors from Techstars’ expansive global network.
Joining these mentors are Cohn, Luke Butler, Executive Director, Startup Engagement, and KJ Singh, Managing Director, Techstars, who will lead the 2022 accelerator program. The experienced team will guide the startups through workshops on business model development, pilot and proof of concept development, fundraising, marketing, interacting with the media, and KPI setting.
“Techstars is excited to continue our successful partnership with Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs and work in tandem to support this year’s class of innovative startups,” said Singh. “Over the course of our long-standing relationship, we have created robust programming that provides companies with the skills and connections they need to succeed.”
Meet the 2022 class of the Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator, powered by Techstars:
Collectiv.TV Collectiv.TV’s platform helps creators and content owners to distribute and monetize their content on free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST).
Founder: Louis-Philippe Gauthier (CEO) | Montréal, Canada
eino The pioneer in AI solutions for consumer and enterprise network management, eino offers a cloud-based platform for automated and efficient capacity planning and orchestration.
Founder: Payman Samadi (CEO) | New York, NY
Fade Fade Technology connects IP and Advertising content to commerce on OTT, SVOD, FAST
streaming services, and digital publishing platforms allowing viewers to make in-video purchases directly.
Founders: Lori Marion (CEO) & Michelle Perkins | San Francisco, CA
Imaginario Imaginario is an AI-powered platform and API that identifies specific moments in video and audio in seconds, allowing content marketers and creators to discover, find, and clip content faster.
Founders: Jose M. Puga (CEO) & Abdelhak Loukkal | London, United Kingdom
Kosmi Kosmi enables users to build their own virtual space where they can hang out, watch videos, play games, chat, and create together online.
Founders: Haukur Rósinkranz (CEO) & Jim Rand | Reykjavik, Iceland
Kyd Labs KYD is a blockchain-enabled event ticketing platform that unlocks long-term loyalty, resale revenue for live event hosts and ensures buyers get authentic resale tickets.
Founders: Ahmed Nimale (CEO) & David Barrick | New York, NY
Lluna LLUNA’s technology is the TeamOS for modern employers, combining personal operating profiles and smart dashboards to increase connection, effectiveness, and productivity for individuals, teams, and companies.
Founders: Jess Podgajny (CEO) & Aaron Kamholtz | Philadelphia, PA
Mtion Mtion connects streamers with their fans through shared 3D experiences.
Founder: Jeremy Hartmann (CEO) | Toronto, Canada
Neon Wild Neon Wild transforms any child into a custom avatar as the star of immersive stories and games.
Founders: Matt Weckel (CEO), Stephanie Reaves, Matthew Kellough, and Carlos Ramos | Miami, FL
NNext NNext is an open-source, vector search database tailored for ML apps that stores the useful intermediate outputs of ML applications not captured by current database solutions.
Founder: Peter Njenga (CEO) | New York, NY
Parallux Parallux makes it easy for brands and creators to design, build, and host 3D virtual spaces in the metaverse.
Founders: Gabe Zetter (CEO) & Kris Layng | New York, NY
Visura Visura is a marketplace for publishers to license visual content from freelancers.
Founder: Adriana Letorney (CEO) | New York, NY
The pinnacle of the accelerator, Demo Day, will be held on November 2, 2022, at the Comcast Technology Center and virtually. Participants will present their businesses before some of the world’s top venture capitalists, startup founders, business executives, startup community members, and media.
You can follow the founders’ journeys and get to know more about each company by following us on social media @LIFT_Labs!