Comcast NBCUniversal Announces Launch of Startup Accelerator “The Farm”
March 23 2017 - 10:15AM
Business Wire
Located in The Battery adjacent to SunTrust
Park, The Farm will deliver support programs for entrepreneurs
built around a tech startup accelerator managed by Boomtown
Comcast NBCUniversal announced The Farm Startup Accelerator
today, the latest initiative as part of LIFT Labs for
Entrepreneurs, a multi-city entrepreneurial support program
announced earlier this month. Based in Atlanta, The Farm will offer
a variety of programs to support and nurture select startups,
including a 12-week accelerator directed by Boulder, Colo.,-based
Boomtown.
The Farm Startup Accelerator will open applications for its
first class later this summer, and the inaugural program will
launch in early 2018. The Farm will focus on mobility, connectivity
and communications companies while also actively considering other
businesses that can benefit from the Comcast NBCUniversal/Boomtown
partnership. More information and applications can be found at
www.TheFarmATL.com.
Comcast NBCUniversal tapped Boomtown to develop and manage The
Farm because of the accelerator’s unique structure and approach.
Boomtown constantly evolves its curriculum based on feedback from
participating founders and mentors, and provides a complete
business and management curriculum. Boomtown’s goal is not simply
to provide the shortest distance between an idea and funding, but
to support entrepreneurs in building great companies.
“We are excited to launch a program that will add to Atlanta’s
and Georgia’s reputation for attracting and supporting tech
innovation and creating a world-class startup environment,” said
Bill Connors, president of Comcast’s Central Division. “In the
spirit of Ralph Roberts, an entrepreneur who founded Comcast as a
small startup and shaped it into a global media and technology
leader, The Farm will focus on the health and long-term success of
the companies and the entrepreneurs who participate in the
program.”
The Farm will be located inside the new Comcast Central Division
headquarters building that is under construction at The Battery
Atlanta, a 60-acre development that will include SunTrust Park, the
new home for the Atlanta Braves, as well as retail shops,
restaurants, an office tower, hotel, entertainment venue, and
residential units. Comcast is providing video, data, Wi-Fi and
voice technology throughout the entire community, powered by the
highest capacity network ever built for such a complex.
“We could not ask for a better partner than Comcast
NBCUniversal, and we could not have found a better home than metro
Atlanta,” said Boomtown Executive Director Toby Krout. “This entire
region has amazing entrepreneurs, a supportive and visionary
community and government infrastructure, and a number of great
support programs already in place. It is our goal to augment and
complement this rich and diverse technology and startup
community.”
This will be Boomtown’s first accelerator outside of Boulder.
The Farm will welcome qualified startups from around the globe to
participate in its programs, and will emphasize diversity among
company founders. Since 2014, Boomtown has invested in more than 70
companies, 72 percent of which are now generating revenue. Many of
these companies benefited from Boomtown’s first collaboration with
Comcast — Comcast Labs sponsored the Connectivity Lab in Boomtown’s
Boulder location, one of the world’s first Internet of Things (IoT)
labs focused on developing, integrating and deploying products that
change how people are entertained and informed.
The Farm is part of Comcast NBCUniversal’s LIFT Labs for
Entrepreneurs program, which stands for “Leveraging Innovation For
Tomorrow,” and builds on the spirit of entrepreneurship created by
Comcast’s founder, Ralph Roberts. The flagship location, announced
earlier this month, will be called LIFT Labs PHL and will be
located in the new Comcast Technology Center in Philadelphia when
it opens in early 2018.
Teams interested in joining The Farm’s first cohort can begin
the application process later this year at www.TheFarmATL.com. For
more information on LIFT Labs for Entrepreneurs and Comcast
NBCUniversal’s entrepreneurial programs, visit
www.ComcastNBCULIFT.com.
About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and
technology company with two primary businesses, Comcast Cable and
NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is one of the nation's largest video,
high-speed internet and phone providers to residential customers
under the XFINITY brand and also provides these services to
businesses. NBCUniversal 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. Visit
www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.
About Boomtown
Based in Boulder, Colo., Boomtown aims to discover and support
promising Healthtech, Internet, mobile, software and Internet of
Things (IoT) startups. Boomtown’s goal is not simply to provide the
shortest distance between an idea and funding, but instead to
support entrepreneurs in building great companies. Currently in its
eighth tech and third Healthtech classes, Boomtown has invested in
more than 70 companies since its founding in 2014. Of those, 83
percent are in operation and 72 percent are generating revenue. For
more information, visit http://www.boomtownaccelerator.com.
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ComcastAlex Horwitz,
770-559-2803Alex_Horwitz@comcast.comorBoomtownDoyle Albee,
303-736-9156doyle@mapr.agency
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