By Jamie Barrie D isney is looking at start ups as the key to the future of the business as part of Walt Disney Co.’s Accel- erator program. The program offers a three- month mentoring session at Disney’s Burbank, California, headquarters with executives like Disney’s Chief Execu- tive Officer, Bob Iger. The program gives Disney a chance to partner with prom- ising startups and gives investors a window into what the world’s largest entertainment company thinks may be growth opportunities for the future. This year’s program candidates show Disney’s focus and interest in e-sports, virtual reality, robotics and content for social media. “We thought about the future of media and entertain- ment and how we see the world evolving,” said Michael Abrams, the Disney executive who oversees the program. “We focused on areas that we considered important.”
A couple of the companies that are competing to be part of the program this year are Jaunt Inc. and Hanson Robotics. It is easy to see why these companies would be an excellent fit for Disney. Jaunt Inc. produces video for viewing through virtual- reality goggles. This is a company that Disney invested in last year and has collaborated on productions for its ABC News division. Hanson Robotics is a Hong Kong-based robotics company that creates life-like robots that talk and mimic human expressions. It is very easy to see where this could fit into Disney’s portfolio given they are the world’s largest theme-park operator. We are sure that the Walt Disney Co.’s Accelerator program will offer an amazing opportunity for the candi- dates and for Disney themselves as they look to the future for the entertainment company.
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NOVEMBER 2016 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS
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