Central Florida technology company Red 6 Inc. has a new supporter in its corner: The Walt Disney Co.
Disney (NYSE: DIS) — Central Florida's biggest employer, according to Orlando Business Journal research — accepted Orlando-based Red 6 into its latest startup accelerator program based out of Burbank, California.
This year, all six startups accepted into the accelerator share a common theme — Web3, the third generation of the infrastructure supporting the internet. They all focus on advancing the technology and creativity of immersive experiences.
Among them is Red 6, which last year moved from Santa Monica, California, to Florida. Orlando, its current headquarters, is meant to be Red 6's technical hub while Miami will be its eventual headquarters. Red 6 is developing augmented reality (AR) training system technology fighter jets can wear and use while flying.
“Never before has AR worked outside while pulling over 7 G's,” co-founder and CEO Daniel Robinson said.
It’s challenging to get AR to work and be viewed in bright sunlight in dynamic environments, Robinson added. While the company declined to offer detailed specifics on how its technology works, co-founder and Chief Product Officer Glenn Snyder told L.A. Inno, "We can fluidly change the brightness in the real-world setting."
Snyder and Robinson's skills complement each other. Snyder has a bachelor's degree in visual effects; Robinson is a former Tornado F3 fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force in the U.K. Robinson was invited by the U.S. Air Force to fly the F-22 Raptor, and later worked with the Air Force training fighter pilots. After getting an MBA at Georgetown University, he founded Red 6 in 2018.
One of the benefits of going through Disney’s accelerator was the “opportunity to explore apps for AR that really matter to a broader consumer market,” Robinson said.
Disney divisions Imagineering and Industrial Light & Magic are exploring opportunities to bring Red 6’s tech into their environments for next-gen experiences. Imagineering designs and builds the Disney theme parks, among other things, and oversees the creative features of Disney games, merchandise and publishing. ILM was founded by George Lucas in 1975 to create special effects for the Star Wars movies.
The accelerator encourages Disney employees and executives to “be inspired by trends that are just ahead of where we are, where we are hoping to go,” accelerator General Manager Bonnie Rosen told Orlando Inno sister publication L.A. Inno. The overarching goal for Disney is to experiment and build relationships with these innovators. The accelerator hosts one cohort per year.
“The companies in this year’s class allowed us to explore opportunities to reach our fans, wherever they may be,” Rosen said.
The accelerator has a direct connection to executive leaders across the entire spectrum of the Walt Disney Co. This includes the mentorship each startup receives throughout the program, about 3.5 months. Disney also continues working with the companies beyond their time at the accelerator.
The accelerator makes separate investment deals with each startup it accepts. Rosen declined to disclose the range of these investments.
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