Warner Bros. Discovery Announces Participants in New Accelerator Program

Warner Bros. Discovery
(Image credit: Warner Bros. Discovery)

BURBANK, Calif.—Warner Bros. Discovery and Acme Innovation have named the startups that will participate in its new accelerator program Collider On The Lot, which provides entrepreneurs with connections to investors, executive-level education, and the opportunity to partner with Warner Bros. Discovery and Acme. 

WBD and Acme said that startup companies, ranging from media platforms to software developers and digital marketplaces, had already demonstrated innovative, future-forward strategies for engaging fans and elevating digital experiences across the industry during the program’s kickoff event in September 2023 on the Warner Bros. Discovery lot in Burbank, Calif. 

The participating startups were selected from hundreds of applicants for Collider On The Lot program. The participants described themselves as follows:  

  • Feature is leading a transformative shift in the media landscape, leveraging blockchain and proprietary technologies to revolutionize content marketing, engagement, and loyalty. As a next-generation media platform, Feature’s Smart Content converts passive viewers into engaged fans. By connecting creators and brands to their audiences, Feature is increasing marketing returns and creating deeper customer relationships. To learn more about their technology and projects, visit feature.io.
  • Flawless is a leading technology company pioneering the generative AI revolution in film and entertainment. Flawless empowers storytellers to achieve their visions by providing groundbreaking post-production tools, trained entirely upon legitimately sourced data, within a breakthrough rights management system that guarantees artist consent and compensation. Honored among TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions, Flawless is the world’s first platform offering responsible, cinema-quality GenAI tools at scale all while protecting the rights and interests of creative talent in front of and behind the camera. For more information on Flawless and demonstrations of its technologies, visit flawlessai.com.
  • Flickplay is the destination to buy digital toys and discover games and social experiences connected to them. Leveraging their mix-reality commerce and community platform, Flickplay is partnering with some of the biggest entertainment platforms in the world to commercialize digital toys, and empower fans to engage with their favorite characters in their everyday experiences. Redefining play time with their digital toys, and connecting communities of fans all around the world. For more information, please visit flickplay.co.
  • Fr0ntierX’s software provides enterprises with intelligent data. The proprietary verification suites–including data, identity, and interaction–utilize blockchain technology and artificial intelligence to ensure information is verified, secure, and auditable. These analytics improve business logic and allow for more profitable and strategic decision making. For more information, please visit fr0ntierx.com.
  • Hexagram creates worlds, developing experiences and technology to bring interactive narratives and characters to life at a level of detail never before thought possible. Their proprietary world platform has already found partners and customers in branded media and some of the biggest names in entertainment and technology. For more information, please visit hexagram.io.
  • INFLUENCE by The London Fund enables creators and IP holders to generate venture returns by transforming media to equity. Through its proprietary ECHO CHAMBER (TM) technology, INFLUENCE (r) created the world's first fifth generation media channel with over 270 billion potential impressions. For more information, please visit thelondonfund.com.
  • Inworld provides a suite of tools that enable AI-powered gameplay. Inworld NPCs exhibit complex and lifelike behaviors, increasing player engagement and immersion. Distinct character personalities can be configured in minutes. AI NPCs express personalities through multimodal AI designed to mimic the full range of human expressions. For more information, please visit inworld.ai.
  • Koobrik is an innovative automated development tool that revolutionizes the way producers, studio executives, and talent representatives interact with film/TV scripts, books and the associated data. Koobrik streamlines screenplay data management to ensure that all creative data is captured, enabling entertainment executives to read more scripts, discoverstories they want to produce, and keep pace with the ever-evolving speed of the culture. For more information, please visit koobrik.com.
  • Mod.io is the leading user-generated content (UGC) solution for game studios and publishers, pioneering official UGC support across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, mobile, and VR. Since launching in 2018, mod.io has gone live in more than 160 games, and powers millions of UGC installs daily. Mod.io offers an automated, scalable, easy-to-implement platform for studios seeking to harness UGC in their game. The results are long-term player engagement, and a pathway to creator economies. For more information, please visit mod.io.
  • Mojito, through their APIs, helps brands increase engagement, acquire new customers, and increase revenue. Mojito powers this with Web3 tech that’s invisible to, and seamless for, end customers. For more information, please visit getmojito.com.
  • New Canvas is an award-winning, next-generation media company that produces and publishes immersive entertainment for digital-first audiences with an unapologetic focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for the Metaverse. New Canvas is focused on developing content and formats to help drive mainstream adoption of immersive media. For more information, please visit newcanvas.co.
  • Quivr is a decentralized social network that gives users access to authentic communities while owning their real online identities. For more information, please visit quivr.com.
  • Reveel is a payment solution for the collaboration economy. Their revenue share protocol & on-chain account infrastructure allows brands to automate accounting operations, facilitating payouts to creators, collaborators & partners. For more information, please visit r3vl.xyz.

“Collider On The Lot underscores our commitment to fostering the next generation of visionaries,” said Bruce Campbell, chief revenue and strategy officer at Warner Bros. Discovery. “We're looking forward to the unparalleled growth and advancements this program will provide for both Warner Bros. Discovery and companies announced here today.”

Moving forward, the official cohort will be guided by Acme Innovation and have the opportunity to collaborate with Warner Bros. Discovery to develop future approaches to creating transformative digital experiences, empowering new storytelling formats and content production opportunities, and engage fans of iconic IP and brands across multiple platforms, the companies said. 

“We're exploring innovative approaches that will lead to long-term, lasting changes in what this business looks like,” said Mark Ross, CEO of Acme Innovation. “There is a tidal wave of technological disruption happening, and we have a golden opportunity to determine how to implement these new technologies in a responsible and thoughtful manner.”

For more information on these 13 standout companies please visit www.collideronthelot.com.

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George Winslow

George Winslow is the senior content producer for TV Tech. He has written about the television, media and technology industries for nearly 30 years for such publications as Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and TV Tech. Over the years, he has edited a number of magazines, including Multichannel News International and World Screen, and moderated panels at such major industry events as NAB and MIP TV. He has published two books and dozens of encyclopedia articles on such subjects as the media, New York City history and economics.