Comcast taps facial recognition, interactive sports tech for latest startup program

Comcast NBCUniversal has 11 new media and entertainment startups, including facial recognition and interactive sports tech companies, picked for its second LIFT Labs Accelerator.

The companies will all work at Comcast’s headquarters in Philadelphia during the 13-week program. They will work directly with representatives from Comcast divisions including Xfinity technology, product and experience teams; the NBC and Telemundo broadcast stations; NBCUniversal cable networks; Universal Studios; Universal Theme Parks; DreamWorks; Comcast Business; and Comcast Ventures.

“We are incredibly excited by the passion, drive, and foresight of the founders of these companies,” said Sam Schwartz, Chief Business Development Officer, Comcast. “The program will provide them with support and access to Comcast NBCUniversal leadership, and help them push their boundaries in new ways to produce more competitive and successful businesses. At the same time, we will learn from some of the best new entrepreneurs in technology.”

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One of the companies included in the program is Edisn.ai, which creates interactive and personalized sports content by applying its artificial intelligence-powered player recognition engine to live video streams in real time. The platform also allows users to share videos and interact with their friends on social networks without leaving the screen.

GameOn, another of the startups involved in the program, creates interactive sports elements by taking stats and odds, and turning them into prediction games. Viewers then watch games after making predictions and, if they get the most predictions correct, they can win cash and brand partner prizes of up to $100,000.

Comcast also picked NICKL, which allows individuals and organizations to personalize and manage their digital content subscriptions in a centralized hub.