Anthill Ventures, an investment and speed-scaling platform for early- growth stage start-ups and Suresh Productions, one of the largest Indian film production and distribution companies, concluded the Anthill Studio accelerator programme with seven media and entertainment startups presenting breakthrough technologies on the Demo Day.
The startups got an opportunity to pitch their proof of concepts in new technologies, such as Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (AR/VR), Visual Effects (VFX), Cloud Rendering, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data to the investors, executives and corporate leaders.
The Demo Day came after a three-month mentoring programme, during which the startups worked with more than 20 subject-matter experts bringing in-depth experience in business, investment and entrepreneurship. The programme also assisted the startups in meeting their go-to-market plans by generating revenue opportunities, building scalable business models and managing the team dynamics. Additionally, the startups got unprecedented access to tailored workshops and training, studio facilities and industry connections.
“Anthill’s commitment to speed scale start-ups has accomplished another milestone with the successful completion of our latest accelerator programme, Anthill Studio. The programme served as the conduit to connect with ingenious entrepreneurs in the media and entertainment space. We are thrilled by the success of the seven start-ups selected and mentored during the programme. As we continue to run the Anthill Studio programme, we look forward to collaborating with more such brilliant start-ups that have the potential to disrupt the industry,” Prasad Vanga, Founder and CEO, Anthill Ventures, said in a statement.
Anthill Ventures and its network of investors have made strategic investments in selected startups for an undisclosed amount.
“We are inspired by the creativity demonstrated by the start-ups during the accelerator programme. Their solutions will radically alter product innovation in the media and entertainment space. It was amazing to witness them build up, grow and scale up their ideas within a short span of time,” Rana Daggubati, Indian Actor, Producer and Investor at Suresh Productions, said.
Here are the startups that we part of the programme:
ComicFlix: Anthill Studio helped in shaping the go-to-market strategy of ComicFlix as well as increasing revenue opportunities through introductions to major brands. As a result, ComicFlix is firmly positioned to disrupt the $10 billion M&E industry with its unique product.
NewsPlus: Leveraging Anthill's deep industry networks, NewsPlus got an opportunity to showcase its cutting-edge AI-based aggregation technologies to prospective marquee clients and develop specialised offerings, such as celebrity magazines and white-label apps. Notably, Rana Daggubati recently launched his curated magazine using NewsPlus' technology to engage with his followers.
RecoSense: Anthill's domain focus and industry network enabled RecoSense to connect with the most relevant industry leaders and subject matter experts across the globe, which helped it scale further.
Rooter: With the immense support from Anthill Studio, Rooter was able to focus on monetisation, particularly in data positioning and scaling. It has enabled the start-up to build on its SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) product offering as a fan engagement solution to sports teams, leagues and media companies across the world.
Saranyu: The best-in-class mentorship, guidance on product positioning and roadmap, and potential investments enabled Saranyu to scale up rapidly and move to the next level. The global reach of the programme partners also created crucial revenue opportunities for the startup, which offers a gamut of multi-screen solutions for content owners and aggregators.
Scapic: Through Anthill Studio, the deep technology-focused start-up got an opportunity to work closely with leading technology experts in the media and entertainment industry and onboard new clients. The synergy achieved during the programme has strongly positioned Scapic to chart its next growth story.
Woodcutter Film Technologies: The artificial intelligence (AI)-powered start-up was able to deploy its predictive models on real-time market data, whichwas tested in various Telugu films. The artificial intelligence (AI)-powered start-up was able to deploy its predictive models on real-time market data that was tested in various Telugu films. Anthill Studio helped Woodcutter to identify areas of improvement by providing mentors who helped to demonstrate and validate the use of its technology to the market.
The startups were handpicked from over 150 applications received from across the world and were selected on the basis of the quality of their technology solutions, product readiness and growth potential.
Anthill Studio has begun accepting applications for its second accelerator class scheduled to start early next year. The next applications round is accepting rolling submissions, but startups are highly recommended to apply by January 15, 2019 to be considered for the second cohort. To know more about the Anthill Studio Accelerator Programme.