All Eleven Startups in the 2022 Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator Announce Partnerships with Comcast, NBCUniversal, or Sky

November 1, 2022

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.

Kosmi Enhances Virtual Hangouts with TV, Games, and More

October 31, 2022

Kosmi is working on monetization strategies and planning to release a paid tier with more access to content to watch and play. Another avenue for growth is through virtual worlds. For now, Kosmi offers a 2-D experience that only requires a web browser and a link. No sign-ups. No headset.
In the future, they plan to release a 3D virtual reality-driven experience.
After moving from Iceland to Germany, Haukur Rosinkranz wanted to connect with friends back home. Sure, they could text or video call, but Rosinkranz wanted a digital connection that mimicked hanging out in person. A software engineer, he decided to build a virtual room with a table and deck of cards. Soon, he and his buddies played cards together as they did before.

He later added chat functionality, live video and audio, curated video games, streaming services, and web surfing. The site – called Kosmi – was a hit with his friends.

Neon Wild Makes Any Child the Hero of a Virtual Adventure

October 27, 2022

Representation in children’s entertainment is lagging. According to Kid Screen, White characters represent 74% of leading characters in children’s television shows despite being 62% of the U.S. population. Meanwhile, 78% of parents want their children to be exposed to media that teaches them about cultures, religions, and lifestyles different from their own.

3D Metaverse Experiences Made Easy With Parallux

October 19, 2022

Parallux has partnered with Unity, Magic Leap, and Google, and created experiences for film festivals such as Tribeca, Cannes, and Sundance. Now Layng and Zetter are participating in the 2022 Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator, powered by Techstars. The program is helping them develop business plans, refine investor pitches, create a product roadmap, and articulate value to potential clients.

NNext Makes Artificial Intelligence Development Easier

October 19, 2022

Peter Njenga’s vector database solves a major pain point for AI engineers. He hopes that joining the 2022 class of the Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator, powered by Techstars will help his startup expand its client base and get valuable feedback from developers. Peter Njenga is mesmerized by the power of artificial intelligence (AI). After emigrating to the United States from Kenya after high school, he studied computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, and Columbia University.

KYD Labs Transforms Live Events with Direct-to-Consumer Ticketing

October 14, 2022

Throughout these experiences, Nimale noticed a troubling trend in the music industry: When tickets were being sold through online resellers, artists and venues were usually cut out of the deal. This caused them to not only lose profits but also have no information on who purchased tickets — and no ability to remarket to them.

Imaginario.ai Brings Artificial Intelligence to Video Editing

September 22, 2022

It led Puga and cofounder Abdelhak Loukkal to launch Imaginario.ai, which uses machine learning to identify impactful moments inside videos. Imaginario.ai simplifies the editing, resizing, and publishing processes — cutting previously manual processes to mere seconds. Imaginario.ai also makes it easy to add stylized subtitles and create the best snippets for social media.

How to Access Opportunities in Tech and Jumpstart Your Career

September 15, 2022

Venture capital can benefit from more inclusion – only 2% of VCs are Black men, 1% are Black women, 1% are Latino men, and even less are Latina, according to a recent study. Dorsey says there are plenty of groups and resources that can help you connect with venture capitalists of color. Look at business schools focused on creating more diversity. Find HBCU groups focused on startup investments or Black and Latinx-led venture capital funds. In fact, Dorsey keeps an updated database of Black-owned venture capital firms on her site, The Plug.

LIFT Labs Alum Partners with DreamWorks Animation for Gabby’s Dollhouse Mobile AR Experience

August 24, 2022

Fans of DreamWorks Animation’s popular preschool series Gabby’s Dollhouse, now streaming on Netflix, have a new way to experience their favorite characters. Israeli startup Zoog recently announced a partnership with DreamWorks Animation for an augmented reality (AR) storytelling experience based on the hit show.

LIVE@LIFT Replay: The Future of Work for the Rest of Us

August 15, 2022

Danielle McAdams, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Impact & Inclusion at Comcast, recently joined Sherrell Dorsey, Founder, and CEO of The Plug, to discuss Sherrell’s latest book Upper Hand: The Future of Work for the Rest of Us.

Charles Haggerty

All Eleven Startups in the 2022 Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator Announce Partnerships with Comcast, NBCUniversal, or Sky