Let’s Check Out This Year’s Disney Accelerator Companies

Which start-ups got access to Disney and all their valuable companies.

The demo day touts that it allows consumers a new way to connect. The Disney Accelerator program allows start-up companies access to all the expertise of Disney’s businesses. Most of these businesses get partnerships with Disney. The groundbreaking program began in 2014. Companies like Sphero, Kahoot!, Brit+Co, The VOID, and Epic Games have been a part of the program.

This year Disney Accelerator spotlighted seven companies who look to innovate for consumers.

Aaptiv

What they do: Aaptiv is a leading provider of premium digital wellness content with a fast-growing community of over 200,000 members who take more than 30,000 of Aaptiv’s innovative audio guided classes each day.

CEO Ethan Agarwal is planning to make leisure content into exercise content. With already 200,000 paying subscribers taking in over ten thousand hours of Aaptiv exercise content.

We’ve taken the work out of working out by providing an entertaining fitness experience.” — Ethan Agarwal

It will be fascinating to see how Aaptiv may adapt some intellectual property into working out. Or Maybe they will use some other things from the Walt Disney Company.

Unsupervised

What they do: Unsupervised is a company that helps teams find hidden insights in their data. Unsupervised has built an AI based on unsupervised learning that finds actionable insights in data without requiring human guidance or supervision.

Disney is betting on an artificial intelligence company. Oh, this should be a good one. Unsupervised is AI not touched by humans. “It leads to brilliant and creative ideas” according to Unsupervised founder and CEO Noah Horton.

Hop Skip Drive

What they do: HopSkipDrive is a leader in technology-enabled ride services for kids, serving families, K-12 schools, non-profits and businesses that serve children.

As Boardwalk Times columnist Quintin Walker already suggested Disney could possibly buy out “Uber for Kids.” This is a fascinating technology concept in general. Vetted care drivers to get kids to places they need to be. The technology-driven service solves issues for kids in athletics or any other organizations where they can’t get too.

“Inability to access safe and reliable transportation means so many kids across the income spectrum miss out on key activities such as youth sports,” said CEO Joanna McFarland.

I’m fascinated where this partnership goes. As I think this one of the more promising Disney Accelerator companies.

Caffeine

What they do: Caffeine is a social broadcasting platform for live gaming, entertainment, and creative arts.

I have to give this company some props because that’s a good name. I actually have never heard of this platform. Caffeine is bringing live TV into a more interactive and immersive experience. CEO Ben Keighran founded Caffeine which allows friends to consumer live TV together. Keighran described his company “like being on a video phone call with them and the content, all at the same time.”

Well, Caffeine may be getting some exclusive Disney content from the Disney Digital Network. That would sure bring in more eyes to the product. As this innovative way to view live television with your friends.

Uncharted Power

What they do: Uncharted Power is an award-winning renewable power company that specializes in harnessing the energy from motion to create entire ecosystems of power for communities around the world.

The company does innovative power solutions including one with a sidewalk. Maybe we will see one of those harnessing energy sidewalks one day in the parks.

The CEO Jessica O. Matthews compared herself to a real-life Shuri from Black Panther. Well, that’s quite the comparison. I expect big things out of this company in the future.

Ubiquity6

What they do: Ubiquity6 is a massively multiplayer augmented reality platform focused on bringing people together in physical spaces.

The platform's focus is on bringing people together. That is similar to Disney’s. The creativity possibilities here are endless as augmented-reality is another technology worth exploring for the Mouse House.

BYJU’s

What they do: BYJU’s is India’s largest edtech company that is reinventing how students learn through its learning app with personalized video.

“I believe the only way we can prepare the future generations to lead us is to educate them in a scale which makes it possible only using technology, and making it engaging for them by making it entertaining,” said CMO Pravin Prakash of BYJU’s.

BYJU’s has a student base of 25 million. It serves personalized learning content. The product is designed for students ages 9–18. Prakash announced a newer product for younger learners ages 3–8.

Disney has always been big in the education space. Let’s see where they take BYJU’s.

Well, there you have it. Looks like Disney has some good companies to add to their Accelerator portfolio. Let’s see what company could be the next Epic Games or even the next VOID.

Zach Perilstein is the Editor-in-Chief of the Boardwalk Times