Today, for the first time ever, all 11 startups who participated in this year’s Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator, powered by Techstars, will announce at Demo Day that they have secured 24 pilots and proofs of concepts with Comcast, NBCUniversal, or Sky, with more in the works. These partnerships are a result of the engagement opportunities startups received with key industry leaders from Comcast NBCUniversal’s partners and brands during the accelerator. During the Demo Day event, held at the Comcast Technology Center in Philadelphia, founders will highlight their experiences and showcase their innovations to hundreds of investors, mentors, and potential customers.
“We were thrilled to see the collaboration between this year’s class and leaders from across Comcast, NBCUniversal, and Sky, leading to opportunities to experiment with new technologies in real world situations,” said Sam Schwartz, Chief Business Development Officer, Comcast. “The LIFT Labs Accelerator not only helps founders grow their startups but also serves as a valuable testing ground for businesses at Comcast to identify partnerships that could further benefit the company and the customers we serve through innovation. We are excited about the potential for the startups to revolutionize sectors that are aligned with Comcast’s goals.”
These startups are working in industries across the core focus areas of the accelerator, including Connected Living, Immersive and Inclusive Experiences, and Smart, Sustainable Enterprise. Throughout the immersive 12-week program, founders worked with more than 200 mentors from across Comcast, NBCUniversal, Sky, and the global Techstars network who encouraged the founders to rethink their assumptions, and test their products. The founders also participated in one-on-one business coaching and customized workshops with world-renowned business experts such as Kevin O’Leary, Chairman, O’Leary Ventures, and they learned how to create the best possible pitch for investors and customers. A first for the program – this class also visited Los Angeles to introduce their companies and discuss potential pilots with executives from Universal Pictures, Universal Studios, Universal Parks and Resorts, Peacock, DreamWorks Animation, Illumination, and Universal Creative – resulting in future collaborations and partnerships.
“This year’s class has made immense progress in such a short amount of time,” said Luke Butler, Executive Director, Startup Engagement, Comcast. “This is the first year in the history of the accelerator that every single company in the cohort has announced pilots, proofs of concepts, and partnerships with our business – a true testament to the connections these founders have made during the program and the engagement from leaders across Comcast NBCUniversal.”
Since the first class in 2018, 54 companies have completed the Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator and raised over $125 million combined. In addition, more than 78% have secured proofs of concepts, pilots, or commercial deals with Comcast, NBCUniversal, and Sky.
Meet the 2022 class of the Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator, powered by Techstars:
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. eino is working with Comcast Business and Xfinity WiFi teams to pilot its network planning tools for various use cases within consumer, enterprise, and private networks. The goal is to improve the speed, accuracy, and efficiency of network capacity planning, deployment, and management workflows across Comcast.
Founder: Payman Samadi (CEO) | New York, NY
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. Fade Technology Solutions is testing proofs of concepts with several teams across Comcast NBCUniversal, Sky, and Universal Products & Experiences to bring world-famous content to life with Fade’s discover-and-buy experience for Intellectual Property and Advertising on the web and TV.
Founders: Lori Marion (CEO) & Michelle Perkins | San Francisco, CA
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. Imaginario AI is working with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment to pilot its technology in support of optimizing digital marketing workflows. During the program they also successfully piloted their technology with Comcast’s Strategic Development team.
Founders: Jose M. Puga (CEO) & Abdelhak Loukkal | London, United Kingdom
Kosmi enables users to build their own virtual space where they can hang out, watch videos, play games, chat, and create together online. Kosmi is working with Comcast NBCUniversal on several initiatives including bringing the Kosmi experience to employees of Comcast NBCUniversal as well as exploring use cases with NBCUniversal’s Content Distribution business and Comcast’s global technology platform.
Founders: Haukur Rósinkranz (CEO) & Jim Rand | Reykjavik, Iceland
KYD Labs is a blockchain-enabled event ticketing platform that unlocks long-term loyalty and resale revenue for live event hosts and ensures buyers get authentic resale tickets. KYD is working with Comcast Spectacor to define web3 loyalty use-cases and solutions to unlock compelling in-venue fan rewards and community.
Founders: Ahmed Nimale (CEO) & David Barrick | New York, NY
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. LLUNA will be piloting the platform with more than a dozen teams across Comcast NBCUniversal focused on strengthening team connection, engagement, and productivity.
Founders: Jess Podgajny (CEO) & Aaron Kamholtz | Philadelphia, PA
Mtion connects streamers with their fans through shared 3D experiences. Mtion will be collaborating with T1 Entertainment and Sports – a global esports joint venture between Comcast Spectacor and SK Square – to pilot its streaming platform with T1’s streamers.
Founder: Jeremy Hartmann (CEO) | Toronto, Canada
Neon Wild transforms any child into a custom avatar as the star of immersive stories and games. They are working with DreamWorks Animation and NBCUniversal to bring their extraordinary library of family content to life with Neon Wild, beginning with Gabby’s Dollhouse.
Founders: Matt Weckel (CEO), Stephanie Reaves, Matthew Kellough, and Carlos Ramos |
Miami, FL
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. NNext is piloting their technology with Comcast’s TPX team on advanced techniques for visualizing and labeling data.
Founder: Peter Njenga (CEO) | New York, NY
Parallux makes it easy for brands and creators to design, build, and host 3D virtual spaces in the metaverse. Parallux is working on pilots with a number of teams across Comcast NBCUniversal – including Strategic Development, Retail, and Talent Acquisition – to build premium 3D experiences for a wide range of use cases.
Founders: Gabe Zetter (CEO) & Kris Layng | New York, NY
Visura is a marketplace for publishers to license visual content from freelancers. Visura is working with Comcast and Sky, focusing on empowering the next generation of creators worldwide and in underrepresented communities across the country.
Founder: Adriana Letorney (CEO) | New York, NY
About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company that connects people to moments that matter. We are principally focused on connectivity, aggregation, and streaming with 57 million customer relationships across the United States and Europe. We deliver broadband, wireless, and video through our Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky brands; create, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, Universal Studio Group, Sky Studios, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, multiple cable networks, Peacock, NBCUniversal News Group, NBC Sports, Sky News, and Sky Sports; and provide memorable experiences at Universal Parks and Resorts in the United States and Asia. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.