The Disney Accelerator is growing. While it hasn’t yet made a crypto play of its own, the entertainment powerhouse now has several crypto companies within its accelerator program. One of them is leading Web3 developer Polygon, which appears to signal a move by Disney to invest in metaverse startups.
The Disney Accelerator
Disney has stated that its Disney Accelerator is a “business and development program designed to spur the growth of innovative companies around the world.”
As the Disney Accelerator kicks off this week, each company will receive exclusive guidance from Disney’s senior leadership and a dedicated executive mentor throughout the program as well as investment capital, and access to co-working space at the entertainment giant’s creative campus in Los Angeles.
The Disney Accelerator is open to venture-backed, growth-stage startups with a vision for impacting the future of technology and entertainment.
2022 Disney Accelerator inductees
Disney’s 2022 program aims to develop new technologies and immersive experiences in the space of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), augmented reality (AR), and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The companies include:
- Flickplay, a Web3 social app where you can unlock and create videos with your NFTs in the real world, so owning them becomes a more tangible experience.
- Lockaverse, a Web3 platform that empowers brands and creatives to deliver unique access and experience through culture-defining stories.
- Inworld, a developer platform for creating AI-powered virtual characters to populate immersive realities including the metaverse, VR/AR, games, and virtual worlds.
- Obsess, an AR and VR software platform for experiential shopping whose proprietary technology enables brands and retailers to serve 3D 360 shopping experiences on their websites, mobile apps, and social channels.
- Red 6, whose ATARS technology enables AR to work outdoors and in a dynamic environment, is predicted to be the genesis of the next big inflection point in mobile computing.
- Polygon, formerly known as the Matic Network, is a Layer 2 scaling solution that aims to provide multiple tools to improve the speed and reduce the cost of transactions on the blockchain.
Polygon’s significance
It’s been noted that Polygon was the only blockchain platform invited into the Disney Accelerator, though others may have applied or been considered.
On the heels of the Disney Accelerator announcement on July 13, the price of MATIC, Polygon’s native token, jumped almost 21% to just over 69 cents.
Looking ahead
With the inclusion of Polygon, The Walt Disney Company now has several crypto businesses in its accelerator program, which, along with the other 2022 inductees, may be an indication of Disney’s upcoming strategy in the meta/crypto space.
At a minimum, Disney is focusing “on its next generation of storytelling efforts.” Bonnie Rosen, General Manager of the Disney Accelerator program, stated, “For nearly a century, Disney has been at the forefront of leveraging technology to build the entertainment experiences of the future. With our newest class of companies, we look forward to furthering our commitment to innovation and continuing to bring magical experiences to Disney audiences and guests for the next 100 years.”
