Applications Now Open for Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator, Powered by Techstars

24.178.145.127 ­
Applications Now Open for Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator, Powered by Techstars
Accelerator focused on connectivity, media, and entertainment opens applications for second class in Philadelphia

January 07, 2019 09:30 AM Eastern Standard Time
PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator, powered by Techstars, is now accepting applications for its second class. Founders from around the world developing the next generation of connectivity, media, and entertainment companies are encouraged to apply now through April 7 for this year’s program. The class will begin on July 15, 2019.

“After an incredibly successful inaugural class that resulted in many learnings, pilots, proofs of concepts, and deals, we are thrilled to offer this opportunity to a new group of entrepreneurs and host them in Philadelphia this summer”

Tweet this
The accelerator is part of Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs for Entrepreneurs, a collection of programs that give talented entrepreneurs access to Comcast NBCUniversal's renowned network of partners, brands, and mentors to foster rapid breakthroughs in connectivity, media, and entertainment.

Comcast NBCUniversal and Techstars will select up to 12 startups to participate in this immersive 13-week program and position the companies for possible partnerships with Comcast NBCUniversal’s partners and brands. The startups will work directly with mentors and product experts from across Comcast NBCUniversal’s businesses, including the XFINITY technology, product and experience teams; the NBC and Telemundo broadcast stations; NBCUniversal cable networks; Universal Studios; Universal Theme Parks; DreamWorks; Comcast Business; Comcast Ventures; Strategic Development; as well as mentors from Techstars’ expansive network.

“After an incredibly successful inaugural class that resulted in many learnings, pilots, proofs of concepts, and deals, we are thrilled to offer this opportunity to a new group of entrepreneurs and host them in Philadelphia this summer,” said Sam Schwartz, Chief Business Development Officer, Comcast Cable. “Entrepreneurialism is an important part of our heritage, and we’re excited to continue working side-by-side with startups to push the boundaries of innovation.”

Accepted applicants will partner with mentors and teams at the new Comcast Technology Center in Philadelphia. They will also participate in custom workshops, training sessions, and business meetings unique to the company and its LIFT Labs program. The accelerator will culminate with a “Demo Day” in October, where the companies will pitch their businesses to hundreds of investors, mentors, Comcast NBCUniversal leaders, and members of the tech and startup community. In addition, each company will have access to work space at LIFT Labs in Philadelphia until June 2020.

The program seeks startups utilizing innovative technologies including, but not limited to, advanced connectivity; Internet of Things; artificial intelligence; machine learning; blockchain; voice control; virtual, augmented, and mixed reality; as well as accessibility tech. Specific focus areas include:

Smart Places – Empowering people and businesses to seamlessly connect anywhere faster, efficiently, and reliably.
Immersive + Interactive Experiences – Engaging users through interactive platforms, connected gaming and other rich entertainment experiences.
Digital-First Customer Engagement – Creating and/or enabling personalized customer success solutions and experiences.
Next-Gen Marketing – Predicting, shifting, and analyzing customer behaviors to stand out in a crowded digital world.
Techstars’ veteran, KJ Singh, will serve as the Managing Director of the 2019 accelerator. Having run 10 accelerator programs at Techstars, he will leverage his past experience to help lead the program’s strategy, as well as recruit, select, and elevate the second class, working in collaboration with the Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs team. During the program, he will advise the companies on product, market fit, growth tactics, fundraising strategies, and other opportunities to accelerate their businesses.

“I’ve been intrigued by the Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator and the value it offers startups,” said Singh. “When I learned there was an opportunity to pair my more than six years of experience and knowledge of the Techstars approach with Comcast NBCUniversal’s significant expertise in the connectivity, media, and entertainment space, I knew that we would be an unstoppable team.”

The inaugural class of the Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator, powered by Techstars, included alive5, eyecandylab, Orai, Pium, Polycade, Portl Media, Tally Interactive, Thinker Tinker, Trapica, and WiARframe.

“Through the LIFT Labs accelerator, we had the ability to reach mentors who have an unmatched breadth of experience, who helped build some of the world’s most groundbreaking companies. Being able to have access to these people in a raw, unfiltered way was a game-changer,” said Glenn Gutierrez Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, alive5.

The program culminated in Demo Day on Oct. 11, 2018 in Philadelphia, where it was announced that 70 percent of the companies secured partnerships with Comcast NBCUniversal businesses during their time in the accelerator.

Comcast has a long history of supporting startup communities, and LIFT Labs is just one of the many ways in which entrepreneurs can gain valuable access and insights to Comcast NBCUniversal. Comcast launched its first venture arm in 1999, and in 2010, Comcast Ventures was formed and has since grown into one of the most active corporate venture arms in the country. LIFT Labs offers programmed talks, mentor sessions with Comcast NBCUniversal employees and partners, plus events and other educational resources designed to help entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses. For more information, including access to free resources, visit www.ComcastNBCULIFT.com or follow @LIFT_Labs on Twitter.

About Comcast Corporation

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company with three primary businesses: Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal, and Sky. Comcast Cable is one of the United States’ largest video, high-speed internet, and phone providers to residential customers under the Xfinity brand, and also provides these services to businesses. It also provides wireless and security and automation services to residential customers under the Xfinity brand. NBCUniversal is global and operates news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures, and Universal Parks and Resorts. Sky is one of Europe's leading media and entertainment companies, connecting customers to a broad range of video content through its pay television services. It also provides communications services, including residential high-speed internet, phone, and wireless services. Sky operates the Sky News broadcast network and sports and entertainment networks, produces original content, and has exclusive content rights. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.

About Techstars

Techstars is the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed. Techstars founders connect with other entrepreneurs, experts, mentors, alumni, investors, community leaders, and corporations to grow their companies. Techstars operates three divisions: Techstars Startup Programs, Techstars Mentorship-Driven Accelerator Programs, and Techstars Corporate Innovation Partnerships. Techstars accelerator portfolio includes more than 1,600 companies with a market cap of $16.1 billion. www.techstars.com

Contacts
Katie Lubenow
Comcast Corporation
215-286-5691
Katie_Lubenow@Comcast.com

Joanie Kinblade
Techstars
303-562-6230
joanie.kindblade@techstars.com



at 6:12 PM 0 comments

Philly Enterprise Highlights 1/4 thru 1/7: Who might Apple buy if they do anything, DuckDuckGo searches hit 9 billion in '18

Here's what CNBC's Alex Sherman heard when he asked some bankers what Apple might do (something big) to restart growth: Salesforce or Disney were the prime suggestions. Salesforce intrigues me; I don't think Apple can build an enterprise software business organically.

Someone suggested to me a while ago that Apple should buy the better parts of IBM, which left me wondering what the better parts are. But strengthening its Cloud presence is perhaps what Apple needs to do more than anything.

Other highlights of the weekend:

PolyOne acquires Hatfield, PA-based fiber and composites manufacturer for $120 million - big in fiber optics.

TiVo Tweaks Interim CEO Package As Future Remains in Flux: TiVo has a number of people in the area, mostly from its acquisition of Rovi.

Why pharma companies merge? To get bigger?

DuckDuckGo broke 9 billion searches in 2018, and it’s growing (Maybe Apple should buy them).































































at 1:33 PM 0 comments

eLocal Acquires Felix and CityGrid to Further Expand Performance-Based Advertising Platform (Press Release)

24.178.145.127 ­
eLocal Acquires Felix and CityGrid to Further Expand Performance-Based Advertising Platform
January 04, 2019 09:58 AM Eastern Standard Time
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--eLocal today announced the acquisitions of Felix and CityGrid.

@eLocal acquires Felix and CityGrid to expand its performance-based advertising platform for local, regional and national service businesses #adtech #paypercall #payperlead

Tweet this
eLocal, Felix, and CityGrid have separately been leaders in providing performance-based advertising for local, regional and national service businesses for over a decade. Together, they become one of the largest players in the pay-per-call and pay-per-lead industry.

As a result of this acquisition, along with its acquisition of Ring Router in October 2018, eLocal can now offer pay-per-call and pay-per-lead solutions within the Home Services, Legal, Insurance, Medical, and Financial verticals.

The combined eLocal, Felix, and CityGrid offering leverages the best aspects of each individual organization. “We are excited to now partner, rather than compete, with two of the early leaders in performance-based marketing,” said Bruce Aronow, CEO at eLocal. “eLocal has built an extraordinarily robust performance-based advertising platform and we intend to continue leveraging our technology and operational infrastructure to strategically expand and grow.”

The combined management team, with representation from each organization, has significant depth of experience and is well-positioned to execute on a shared vision. “There were tremendous synergies between what eLocal and Felix have built,” said Jill Labert, who assumes the role of Chief Revenue Officer at eLocal. “By leveraging the best-in-class aspects of each organization, we expect to deliver significant value to our clients and publishing partners.”

Fueled by an infusion of growth capital from LLR Partners in late 2017, eLocal is focused on continuing to augment its organic growth through targeted acquisitions. “Ring Router, Felix, and CityGrid are an important first step in our vision, as we continue to look for strategic acquisitions in 2019 and beyond,” Aronow added. “Piece by piece, together, we’re building something exceptional here, and this is just the beginning.”

About eLocal

eLocal is a fast-growing, 10-year-old performance-based advertising company, whose mission is to connect consumers with local businesses. eLocal has been at the forefront of a changing advertising industry by offering pay per call and pay per lead advertising solutions to businesses of all sizes. In 2017, eLocal’s founders won an EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award for E-Services, while, for the second year in a row, the company itself ranked among the fastest-growing in the Philadelphia Business Journal’s Soaring 76. Learn more here.

Contacts
Kristy DelMuto, LLR Partners, 215-344-1372 kdelmuto@llrpartners.com

ELOCAL AND LLR PARTNERS
Release Summary
eLocal acquires Felix and CityGrid to expand its performance-based advertising platform for local, regional and national service businesses.




at 3:50 PM 0 comments




at 2:25 PM 0 comments

Recent Philly M&A: LLR Partners, SICOM, eLocal, Tabula Rasa, CrossBeam


Tom Paine




 Subscribe in a reader
Subscribe to Philadelphia Tech News by Email





One substantial Philadelphia area exit I missed earlier in the year (September) was the acquisition of Lansdale-based SICOM Systems by Atlanta-based Global Payments for $415 million.

Founded in 1987, SICOM makes software that helps run quick service restaurants. Burger King and many of its franchisees are major users, though that arrangement is not exclusive for either party. SICOM has approximately 300 employees according to LinkedIn, half of whom are out of Lansdale. It made a couple of acquisitions while under LLR, including one as recently as last June.

LLR Partners had acquired SICOM in 2016. No word on what LLR paid for it, although its website says $250 million is tops for any one investment.

(Correction: though I got that $250 million figure from somewhere on the LLR website, LLR tells me: "The accurate figure is that we invest between $15 million and $100 million of growth capital in companies with up to $100 million in annual revenue". Which I took to mean LLR's acquisition price for SICOM probably didn't exceed $100 million or thereabouts. Pretty good turnover for two years.) Although that's simplistic; LLR probably put
more money in, such as for SICOM's acquisitions.


The acquirer, Global Payments (NYSE: GPN), is one of the leading payment processors in the world. Global Payments acquired Heartland Payment Systems, another former LLR portfolio company, for $4.3 Billion in 2016. There's a pattern here.

Heartland, which was formerly headquartered in Princeton, now calls Oklahoma City HQ.



In more recent news, LLR portfolio company eLocal (Conshohocken) started the New Year off by roughly doubling its workforce (from 50 to 100) by acquiring two companies from Barry Diller's Interactive Corp: CityGrid and Felix .

Felix supports a pay-per-call model, and CityGrid provides a local content and advertising network to help brands manage their presence and promote business across hundreds of local information sources. These additions will enhance eLocal's web-based local marketing products.







Moorestown, NJ-based Tabula Rasa ( NASDAQ: TRHC ), which went public at $12.00 in September 2016, has been a pleasant surprise since the IPO, now trading at $61.27. It now has a market cap of $1.25 billion. Tabula Rasa provides data and analytical software which helps to improve healthcare outcomes.
It agreed to acquire Brisbane Australia-based DoseMe for up to $30 million in total consideration. DoseMe's expert systems monitors and calculates the optimal patient IV dosage considering all the meds the patient is receiving. Combined with other Tabula Rasa products, the acquisition will boost its entry into the hospital market.





Bob Moore's (RJMetrics) new startup, CrossBeam , has a brilliant premise: a system to aid companies in building partner ecosystems to help in selling its products or services. Identifying and maintaining the right data sources, as well as a way to help identify possible matches, is key. CrossBeam will likely learn by eating its own dog food.

But its got the seed financing to get moving; a Form D filed last month shows CrossBeam has completed a $3.35 million round , with investors not indicated at this time. It was First Round Capital and others , the Inquirer reported today.




at 11:11 AM 0 comments

New David's Bridal ads features lesbian couples, mothers with children



at 9:42 PM 0 comments

Philly EnterpriseTech Roundup 1/1-1/3

Los Angeles sues the company behind the Weather Channel app, which is owned now by IBM, for slyly using location data for commercial purposes


Alphabet’s Verily raises $1 billion to make health care smarter


Bristol-Myers to buy Celgene in a $74 billion deal


Light Reading's Jeff Baumgartner tells us why all the cable companies do not share the same view of the future (especially Comcast)


The N.Y. Yankees could team with Amazon and Sinclair in bid for YES Network









Don't know if that's something that dates back to NBC control.






















































at 11:27 AM 0 comments

Philly EnterpriseTech Best Posts of 2018


Tom Paine




 Subscribe in a reader
Subscribe to Philadelphia Tech News by Email



I got off to a slow start in 2018. An MD gave me a prescription for a med that had possible side effects including Stephens-Johnson syndrome. He didn't tell me of the side effect nor did I do a search, though I knew about Stephens-Johnson. Anyway, I got it, and even when I was over the worse it took months before I could do more than link three sentences together.


But the point is not to reflect on that. Except to say I have seen enough horror stories to seriously distrust the medical system and hospitals. And that leads me to focus more on healthcare IT, or digital health, as one of the major themes I cover here.

Digital health investments reached an all-time high of $8.6 billion in 2018, according to a report from PwC and CB Insights. And most experts don't expect it to slow down soon. And there are more digital health startups in Philly than you can shake a stick at.


So in addition to Enterprise Tech and the Comcast world, Digital Health is the third leg of the triangle this website will cover. And I hope to be highlighting things that actually make a difference.



Sungard AS sells Assurance software business to Atlanta PE firm.

New Company Hu-manity.co Uses Blockchain to Declare a 31st Human Right, Empowering All Humans to Claim Legal Ownership of Inherent Human Data

2016 Gettysburg Address: Trump: Would not approve an AT&T / Time Warner deal, and would seek to break up Comcast / NBCU

Lambertville-based RobustWealth, Acquired by Principal Finance Group, is Staying in New Jersey and Hiring


Wayne-based managed care provider Genex in merger agreement with Mitchell International


Philly's getting a new, high tech company; Livent falls 3.6 percent in market debut

Bank Notes: Customers Bancorp's BankMobile teams up with T-Mobile; NCR buys JetPay

Comcast partner Arris reported in talks with CommScope (Update 11/7: Deal done)

An HQ2 hopeful down I-95 hopes


.IBM acquiring Red Hat: How will it shake out?

Wondering about who's running anti-Comcast ads on social media? Its TiVo


An early evaluation of SAP's $8 billion Qualtrics acquisition; Betting on growth

Veeva Systems, reporting excellent quarter, nears billion dollar run rate


Elemica is one of the Philly area's best-kept tech secrets


First Round Capital's Kopelman will be around "for many funds to come," he says


Dell Boomi developing blueprint for the future of iPaaS


Guru raises $25 million; But what market is it in?


Ailing Sears once wanted to be an online giant


Philly EnterpriseTech Roundup 12/29 to 12/31: FS Investment's troubles; A look at some of the individual investors in Uber





at 10:13 PM 0 comments

Philly EnterpriseTech Roundup 12/29 to 12/31: FS Investment's troubles; A look at some of the individual investors in Uber




Soon after Philly-based FS Investments (formerly Franklin Square Investments) completed the merger of its largest fund, FS Investment Corp., with Corporate Capital Trust, the Financial Times reported new fund co-manager KKR had written down the fund's book value by more than 25% since taking over.

The $2 billion debt fund, formerly co-managed by Blackstone, was turned over to KKR in April.

The fund, renamed FS-KKR Capital Corp when the management contract was moved from Blackstone to KKR, wrote down five of its major investments. Thermasys, a Buffalo-based manufacturer of industrial heat exchangers that missed an interest payment in the autumn and has been unable to refinance debts having payments due next year, was one of the largest. KKR now values the company’s subordinated debt at $72.4 million, down from $112 million.

The FT reports that the problems were more than anticipated by KKR. It suggests that KKR is not as much of a workout-oriented firm as Blackstone, and because of risk uncertainty its valuations tend to be more conservative.

While the write down is not good news for the FSI or shareholders, by itself it doesn't seem to be an event of enough magnitude to flame existing fears of broader problems in the corporate debt market.

FS Investments now has about $24 billion in assets under management.

The FT article was not a complete surprise. In late November, FSI had acknowledged some of its problems to its investors and independent sales people .






Most of of us know the story of how First Round Capital led Uber's small seed round and probably (at least partially) exited last year with a multi-billion dollar payoff. But besides other venture capital firms, there was also a small army of individual investors who joined in that round. One was Jeff Bezos, like he really needs it.


But another is West Philly-born talent manager and producer Troy Carter, who managed musicians like John Legend and Lady Gaga. He went on to be an executive at Spotify, and is now managing his own incubator, the Atom Factory, in LA.





































at 1:07 AM 0 comments

David Sorin gives remarks at NJ Tech Council Awards Ceremony

Esther Surden
Publisher & Editor, NJTechWeekly.com


David Sorin gives remarks at NJ Tech Council Awards Ceremony



David Sorin gives remarks at NJ Tech Council Awards Ceremony
Home » Around New Jersey » Meetings » News » NJ Tech People » tech entrepreneurship » David Sorin Accepts NJ Tech Council Legend of Technology Award
DAVID SORIN ACCEPTS NJ TECH COUNCIL LEGEND OF TECHNOLOGY AWARD
November 30, 2018 Esther Surden 0 Around New Jersey, Meetings, News, NJ Tech People, tech entrepreneurship,
[ David Sorin is Co-Chair of the Venture Capital & Emerging Growth Companies practice at McCarter and English. On Thursday, he was honored by the New Jersey Tech Council for his role in creating and promoting the tech ecosystem in New Jersey. We’ve reposted Dave’s remarks here.]

Thank you, thank you all so very much. It is nice to know that I am finally a legend in the minds of someone other than my own. Obligatory bad joke aside, it has been my great privilege to have a front row seat, sometimes as an observer but most frequently as one of the members of the starting team, to the development and evolution of our technology and emerging growth, entrepreneurial and investor ecosystems. As everyone in this room knows, it is not for the faint of heart. It is, however, a most rewarding, exhilarating, sometimes frustrating, but always intellectually challenging and educational ride.

My love affair with NJ technology and entrepreneurship began over two decades ago when, as a newly minted law firm partner with a young family, my wife and I left NYC and Wall Street Law so that I could pursue my goal of building in NJ the legal resources necessary to meet the unique and complex securities law, financing, intellectual property, and M&A transactional needs of emerging growth tech, tech-enabled and life sciences enterprises and the investors who support them. Prior to that, NJ’s business enterprises generally crossed the Hudson and Delaware Rivers in search of such resources in NY and Philadelphia. Today, such river crossings are no longer necessary – a change of which I am particularly proud.

NJ can and should take great pride in a rich and enviable history of entrepreneurial and technological leadership, defined, in part, by Edison and Einstein, the pharmaceutical, telecommunications and information technology industries, some of the best colleges and universities in the world, a highly educated, incredibly productive workforce, and national leadership in patent issuances per capita, all evidencing our innovative and inventive culture.

Even so, nestled between the overpowering urban centers of NY and Philadelphia, NJ seemed to be without a reputation of our own. We lacked the hubs of urban/business centers and infrastructure that often foment commercialization, technological innovation, entrepreneurial fervor, and investment, leaving us without a center of commerce or a center of influence for technology and entrepreneurship.

Our universities often displayed a shocking lack of interest in commercialization. While Stanford helped to build Silicon Valley, Harvard and MIT the Route 128 Corridor, our colleges and universities left a void. Government policies failed to promote the right incentives. There was an absence of any type of statewide networking, information sharing, lobbying or educational efforts to nurture, foster, enable and sustain the change we so sorely needed. Change that would, with purpose, laser focus and proactivity, create and support an entrepreneurial and technology ecosystem.

Fortunately, in the mid-1990s, there was a small group of us, many of you here tonight as you have been annually the last twenty-some years, who partnered with a force of nature, Maxine Ballen, a local community organizer, so well-known to all of us, to begin to foster the change we needed.

I recall fondly that afternoon in the mid-1990s, when John Martinson, John Bailye, Mel Baiada, Virginia Alling, Brian Hughes, the late, great Caren Franzini, and I, joined Maxine to discuss the viability of a statewide initiative to foster and sustain a leading entrepreneurial and technology ecosystem. Right then and there, each of us committed personal, professional and financial resources to an endeavor soon to be dubbed the New Jersey Technology Council.

What a difference 20 plus years has made. Still far short of ideal, significantly less than perfect, but ever striving to improve, NJ’s entrepreneurial and technology ecosystem is an order of magnitude stronger, more vital and more sustainable than ever before. The New Jersey Technology Council may well have been the initial catalyst, followed soon thereafter by our co-creation of a venture fund and an angel network. We saw the needs and we acted to create solutions and opportunities. The intrepid companies we support develop new products, services and solutions which improve quality of life, create jobs, build wealth, and enhance productivity, creating a sustaining upward spiral.

NJTC’s success led to new and innovative collaborations. At McCarter, in addition to our support of NJTC, we support and create various meetups that have emerged to bring resources to local communities. We were among the earliest and continuing supporters of the efforts to create a national presence in technology and entrepreneurship in NJ and NJ can now boast that it is the birthplace and home of Propelify, an annual festival of technology, inspired by and now rivaling SxSW.

I wish I had the time and immediate recall to give thanks and pay homage to all of you who have contributed so mightily to the sea change in this ecosystem. Sorry to borrow a phrase oft cited, but it really takes a village. I am honored to accept this award but fully appreciate that all that has happened to help this ecosystem thrive is the result of the collective efforts of all of us working together, led by visionaries fueled by passion, energy and commitment and supported by believers and hard workers with shared goals, common values and defining principles. And, of course, that is enabled by those who provide tireless and unwavering support.

Thank you to my McCarter partners and colleagues, many celebrating here tonight, whose commitment to NJ and this community are empowering and to Randi, my wife, and Lindsay, Michelle, Jared and Kayla, my children, for allowing me to pursue my path with zeal and passion, often at your significant personal sacrifice. As my McCarter partners and colleagues and my clients know, one of my favorite words is “onward.” So, onward to even greater things for NJ’s technology and entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Thanks so very much.


Esther Surden is Publisher and Editor of NJTechWeekly, and a contributor to Philly Tech News. This article originally appeared in NJTechWeekly, and is republished here with her permission.



at 11:01 AM 0 comments

Investor questions Ellison's independence in appointment to Tesla board



at 2:27 AM 0 comments

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)