BURBANK, California -- A game that teaches children to code. An app guaranteed to make your kids do chores. Your selfies, burning up the dance floor.
These were just a few of the ideas pitched Tuesday at the Disney Accelerator's inaugural demo night, the grand pageant at the end of the media giant's first startup incubator. Focused on entertainment and media entrepreneurs, the 15-week program took on 10 early-stage startups, gave each a seed investment of up to $120,000 and offered "mentor support" from CEO Bob Iger and dozens of other Disney executives.
[img src="http://admin.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/accelerartor.inside.jpg" caption="All 10 CEOS onstage after their Disney Accelerator "Demo Day" presentations." credit="Mashable/Josh Dickey" alt="accelerartor.inside"]
Though many of the companies had only been in existence for as long as the program, many had major acquisitions or funding news to announce at their presentations on the Walt Disney Studios' main theater stage. Also notable was that each had scored a key partnership with a Disney subsidiary outside of the program.
After the 10 CEOs gave their on-stage pitches, Apple-event style, the party moved outside, where venture capitalists, corporate investors, Disney executives and a small handful of media hobnobbed with newly minted CEOs looking for their next big leap forward.
Each of the 10 CEOs gave Mashable a Vine-length elevator pitch.
1. Smart Toy
The basics: The toymaker's fuzzy, cloud-connected friends interact and play with children, learning more about them over time. The company was acquired by Los Angeles-based toy manufacturer Cartwheel Kids, with products due in a matter of months.
2. Jogg
The basics: Reverses the flow of short-form video; influencers can "request" video posts from followers, and the assets arrive pre-packaged with legal permissions.
3. TwigTale
The basics: The platform allows parents and experts to create narrative "books" to help children understand and work through difficult family situations. TwigTale named renowned pediatrician Dr. Harvey Karp (the author of The Happiest Baby on the Block) as its editor in chief.
4. Tyffon
The basics: Perhaps the most pre-accomplished startup to join the Disney accelerator, this selfie-enhancing app, which can make you into a zombie or an expert dancer, already has 30 million global downloads.
5. ChoreMonster
6. Coda Rica
The basics: It's a game that teaches kids to code -- and if it works, expect to see some youngsters at the next Disney Accelerator or two. Its corresponding mobile app is launching soon, too.
7. SideLines
The basics: Imagine, on your favorite websites, display ads being replaced by expert- and fan-created content. SideLines is working on this with its crowdsourced content platform.
8. Narativ
The basics: Brands-to-influencers connector and analytics dashboard is squarely focused on Snapchat. One of its first partners is the ABC Family social hit Pretty Little Liars.
9. SnowShoe
The basics: SnowShoe turns your mobile screen into a pad that reads plastic "keys," a la Skylanders/Disney Infinity gaming platforms. The startup announced $2.2 million in outside seed financing.
10. Sphero
The basics: Sphero makes baseball-sized, app-controlled robots that download upgrades several times a month. The program introduced its bigger, better and less expensive model called "Ollie."
“This group of start-ups has made tremendous progress evolving and growing their businesses in the past 15 weeks,” said Kevin Mayer, Disney's executive vice president of corporate strategy and business development. “It has been a fantastic learning experience for them and an opportunity for Disney to get in on the ground floor with a new generation of innovators."
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