Acknowledging and recognizing the inaugural Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator powered by Techstars.

WHEREAS, On July 16, 2018, Techstars announced Techstars Class 135 which consists of 10 companies that will be in Philadelphia for the inaugural Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator; and

WHEREAS, The companies in Techstars Class 135 fall into the program’s overarching media, entertainment, and connectivity focus areas and range from gaming, to augmented reality, to IoT; and

WHEREAS, The founders of the companies selected for Techstars Class 135 were selected from a diverse pool of applicants spanning 38 countries from Philadelphia to Singapore; and

WHEREAS, Techstars Class 135 consists of the following ten companies; Alive5, Eyecandylab, Orai, Pium, Polycade, Portl, Tally, Thinker-Tinker, Trapica, and Wiarframe; and

WHEREAS, Commencing on July 16, 2018, the Techstars mentorship-driven accelerator program concludes with Demo Day on October 11th taking place at the Franklin Insistute; and

WHEREAS, While in Philadelphia, the Techstars Class 135 companies will have access to a curated range of over 140 mentors from both the greater Techstars community and from across Comcast NBCUniversal’s businesses, including the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, film studios, cable networks, Comcast Ventures, and Xfinity products and services; and

WHEREAS, These mentors were hand selected for their unique interest and ability to help these companies grow; and

WHEREAS, Techstars is a company helping entrepreneurs make the connections and access the resources they need to succeed; and

WHEREAS, The partnership between NBCUniversal and Techstars has resulted in this one-of-a-kind program shining the spotlight on Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, Philadelphia is home to a lively and growing startup community and has a growing network of incubator, maker spaces, and co-working spaces across the City; and

WHEREAS, According to a ranking published by Forbes and the Revolution venture firm, Philadelphia ranks number 8 out of the Top 10 Rising Cities for Startups; and

WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia is proud to support entrepreneurs in the City who bring energy, ideas and vitality to Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, We are very proud of these innovators who are part of the unique, vibrant, living and breathing startup community we have; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Council of the City of Philadelphia, Hereby acknowledges and recognizes the inaugural Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator and Demo Day powered by Techstars.

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