How did LIFT Labs Accelerator’s 2022 startups fare over 12 weeks?

Comcast NBCUniversal’s LIFT Labs Accelerator, powered by Techstars graduated 11 startups last night at its fifth Demo Day event.

The 2022 class finished the 12-week program with a bang as they each took the stage at Center City’s Comcast Technology Center to pitch their businesses to a room full of peers, mentors and possible investors.

This is the first time that every startup in a LIFT Labs cohort announced partnerships with Comcast, NBCUniversal and/or Sky according to Luke Butler, executive director of startup engagement at Comcast, which he called “a true testament to the connections these founders have made during the program and the engagement from leaders across Comcast NBCUniversal.”

This class is also the most diverse class Lift Labs has had yet, with more than 60% of the companies led by women or people of color, according to Butler.

The 2022 program started with 12 startups from cities across the country and the world. Only 11 pitched their companies on Demo Day, though, as the founder of Collectiv.TV chose to leave the accelerator for personal reasons, Comcast said.

All of the startups in this class were focused on connected living, immersive and inclusive experiences, and smart, sustainable enterprise. As with previous cohorts, startups in the accelerator receive up to $120,000 in exchange for 6% equity.

Since the accelerator started in 2018, 54 companies have completed it and raised $125 million combined.

Here are the updates from the 2022 class:

Jess Podgajny. (Courtesy photo)

Lluna (Philadelphia)

Lluna makes an operating system with the goal of improving communication and productivity among teams. The platform asks users to fill out a personal operating profile with information about how they work best. The company launched on Oct. 18 to more than 40 companies with over 1000 users. CEO and cofounder Jess Podgajny announced the company was partnering with Comcast NBCUniversal to pilot its platform with teams across the company.

Eino (New York City)

Eino is an AI powered cloud platform that can predict, plan and manage network capacity. According to CEO and founder Payman Samadi, Eino is working with five tier one customers, including Comcast Business and Xfinity WiFi to pilot its network planning tools.

Payman Samadi from Eino. (Photo by Sarah Huffman)

KYD Labs (New York City)

KYD Labs is a live event ticketing platform that wants to make sure fans get tickets, not resellers. The platform also helps event organizers and artists make the money they should be. The company launched in September and since then have had $50,000 in ticket sales and $5 million in signed exclusive ticketing agreements. Ahmed Nimale, cofounder and CEO, also announced a partnership with Comcast Spectacor.

Imaginario (London)

Imaginario is an AI powered platform that helps identify the best moments in a set of footage, clip them and adapt them for multiple platforms. Jose Puga, CEO and cofounder, announced the company was working with Universal Pictures to pilot its technology.

Parallux (New York City)

Parallux is “the Squarespace for the metaverse” according to CEO and cofounder Gabe Zetter. It is a 3D world builder that provides users with the tools they need to create a virtual space. Zetter announced that the company was working with Comcast and Meta on creating 3D experiences.

Fade (San Francisco)

Fade Technology created a platform that identifies the merchandise in media and provides the information for viewers to buy the product. According to Lori Marion, cofounder and CEO, Fade launched an early access program with Canela Media, HBO and NBC Universal among others.

Kosmi (Reykjavik)

Kosmi is an online platform where users can meet up with loved ones to play games, watch movies and hang out. Cofounder Jim Rand said the company is working with Reddit on spaces for employees to hang out. Rand also announced Kosmi was working with Comcast on employee watch party events.

Jim Rand from Kosmi. (Photo by Sarah Huffman)

Mtion (Toronto)

Mtion TV is a suite of virtual production tools for streamers to use to create a more interactive, entertaining streaming experiences. Jeremy Hartmann, founder and CEO, said the company has grown 10x since the start of the accelerator. He announced a partnership with the esports org T1.

NNext (New York City)

NNext is an open-source vector based database for machine learning applications. Peter Njenga, founder and CEO, announced a partnership with Comcast and letters of intent from three companies.

Visura (New York City)

Visura is a platform that allows publishers to search for and license images from freelancers and ensures that freelancers are paid for their work. Adriana Letourney, cofounder and CEO, announced the company would be working with Comcast NBCUniversal and Sky on a pilot.

Adriana Letourney from Visura. (Photo by Sarah Huffman)

Neon Wild (Miami)

Neon Wild is an entertainment platform specifically made for kids. Users can create an avatar that represents them and consume interactive content. Matt Weckel, CEO and cofounder, announced the company is working with DreamWorks and NBCUniversal.