It’s Now Even Harder to Get Into Disney’s Accelerator
... the companies that Disney selected are bigger--the list includes startups that have already raised tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in venture capital, such as LittleBits, VR startup Jaunt, and open-network publishing platform Playbuzz. Additionally, Disney is no longer capping the amount of money it invests in each startup at $120,000, which it had done for the past two years, reports TechCrunch. Disney also declined to renew its contract with Techstars, which had helped run the accelerator for the past two years.
But as startups like Oculus and SpaceX continue to dominate headlines for their breakthroughs in virtual reality and space transportation, the company responsible for the first animated feature-length film and the first multiplane camera can no longer rely on in-house creations to stay innovative. And as this week's newest viral sensation, Pokémon Go, proved, using popular corporate-created characters to introduce innovative new technology can be fruitful.
Disney remains tightlipped about what the accelerator entails for this year's cohort. But it seems that the program is primarily focused on building relationships with Disney's executive team, and teaching startups how to reach more markets in the media and entertainment fields.
See the full story here: http://www.inc.com/anna-hensel/disney-ramping-up-its-involvement-with-startups.html