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Miniflix TV - Award-Winning Short Films, All In One Place

Miniflix TV - Film Streaming, Video Content Site, https://miniflix.tv/ - Oakland, CA - Miniflix.TV is the first direct-to-consumer curated library of web series and award-winning shorts films. Their primary business is a subscription-based streaming service that allows anyone with an internet connection unlimited access from any Web, iOS or Android device. For short filmmakers, Miniflix provides the ability to showcase film(s) direct-to-consumer with a mission to champion filmmakers, nurture careers and sustain the lifespan of award-winning short films.

With social media becoming the dominant mode of communication, information and entertainment in our culture, short form content has never been more in demand. The numbers show people are interested in paying for it. According to Cultural Weekly, "the total estimated financial investment in features submitted to Sundance in 2015 tops $4.65 billion - $3.93 billion invested in dramatic features and $718 million in documentaries." Even in traditional exhibition methods like movie theaters, yearly grosses for screenings of Oscar-nominated short films go up considerably year-to-year. Then why does the current film market make it so difficult for consumers to see award-winning short films at a simple cost they can afford?  That’s where Miniflix TV (downloaded 5,000 times during the first quarter after its fall 2017 release, now sitting at 2,600 unique monthly users) steps in.


The Miniflix Team:

- Wes Fleming: Founder/CEO - Produced short films screened at over 40 festival globally, Produced TV spots for ConAgra, Clorox, Current Owner/Operator of the creative video production agency Third Coast Films
- Jessica Rosenberg: CCO - Former designer for Twitter, Crispin, Porter & Bogusky and more, Worked on campaigns for Volkswagen, Burger King and Wendy’s, Nominated the 2018 Woman to Watch by the Marketing Hall of Femme
- David Deutsch: COO / VP of Legal Affairs - Former CEO & General Counsel of an international mobile digital content distributor, Helped develop one of the first mobile ad networks in the US, Former VP of Legal & Business Affairs for an international venture-backed mobile tech company
- Alex Vasylyk: CTO - Former CTO/CEO of multiple startups, Mercato a decentralized trading platform on blockchain, MuzaWorld, Safari Juice, & Okocase and currently is CEO of a virtual accelerator Startup Soft that consists of 50 employees, entrepreneurs and mentors.


Read what people are saying...

"There are so few dedicated online opportunities short films so this is a great way to get work out there.”

-- Time Richardson, Director, Art & Commerce

“I love this service, short films are too often forgotten outside of festivals, it's great to have an easy way to watch them instead of just listening to them being described in obscure podcasts. :)”

--  Lars, Miniflix User from Sweden

But don't just take our word for it, see Miniflix in action below:

Find out more about Miniflix by visiting their website https://miniflix.tv/ or connecting with them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Shark Tank, Y Combinator, And Other Business Accelerators: What Are Your Chances of Getting in?

New startups need to consider working with a business accelerator since they provides a means for a business to grow quickly.  According to Entreprenuer.com (https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/271000), there are more than 170 accelerator programs in the U.S. which offer early-stage startups assistance, mentorship, and/or investment in exchange for equity and/or fees. 

However, getting into a business accelerator is not always easy.  Forbes Magazine has assessed, “Prestigious startup accelerators like Techstars and Y Combinator (YC) have a lower acceptance rate (only 1-2%) than Harvard (5%). (https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulinaguditch/2017/05/30/get-into-a-top-startup-accelerator/#147f68e1725f).” 

In the article entitled, “The Top Seven Startup Accelerators and What Makes Each Unique,” Entrepreneur.com takes on this trending issue.  According to Entreprenuer.com, “Y Combinator remains the largest and best accelerator in the nation, and they have an unparalleled global reputation in the tech world. The traits that set them apart are their incredible mentorship and capital network (https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/300026).”

There is also 500 Startups.  "500 Startups is a seed and early stage venture capital fund, consisting of 4 major funds and 13 micro funds which have invested in startups in at least 60 countries. Funded startups include Udemy and Credit Karma. Exits have included sales to Google and Rakuten (https://www.forbes.com/sites/alejandrocremades/2018/08/07/top-10-startup-accelerators-based-on-successful-exits/#393f78734b3b).” It is a well-established accelerator that has well proven the many benefits of connecting with a startup accelerator.  Several of the companies that have successfully exited their program are now known “worldwide.” 

Then there is Shark Tank, the reality show in which entrepreneurs present their business idea on national television.  According to ABC news.com, the show has reinvigorated entrepreneurship in America.  Contestants pitch their ideas to “sharks in a tank” who are industry moguls that have already established their own empires.  Contestants pitch their business ideas in order to get the sharks to invest in their company.  When more than one of the sharks decides to invest, it can result in a bidding war, thereby increasing the investment.  The show represents a televised accelerator experience for business startups (https://www.cnbc.com/shark-tank/).

What are your chances of getting on Shark Tank?  45,000 people apply to get on the show every year. But less than one percent of applicants get to pitch their idea to the sharks — and of that group, only a handful actually make it on TV. https://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/17/5-tips-for-getting-on-shark-tank-from-people-who-have-done-it.html

Is it worth it?  According to Business Insider, Techstars has achieved a 90 percent overall success rate.  While “Y Combinator” also produces roughly about an 88 percent success rate.  This means at least this percentage of the companies they have worked with are still up and running or have been acquired by other businesses (https://www.businessinsider.com/why-hardly-any-techstars-companies-fail-2013-3).  In fact, just a few of the successful accelerator exits include Airbnb, Twilio and Classpass. 

This is one of the reasons I founded Omega Accelerator.  For more information on how to apply to our accelerator programs, visit http://omegaaccelerator.com/contact/ or email me at Ren@OmegaAccelerator.com

You can also contact me if you would like to advise or invest in our startups.

Learn to Code and Use Your Voice With Codeword by Foxhound.

Foxhound - Ed-Tech, Software, Application - Foxhound LLC is a software company that hopes to empower its users. Currently, Foxhound is focused on helping others learn to code with the power of their voice. Codeword by Foxhound is an application that helps teach people how to code through interactive lessons and coding quizzes.

There are dozens of ways to learn to code. In fact, EdTech spend is poised to reach $252 billion by 2020. So, there’s a lot of options out there. What makes Codeword interesting? Think of an application like Duolingo, an application that helps people learn to speak another language. Codeword is like Duolingo for learning a computer language.

Codeword uses high-tech teaching techniques that have yet to be explored such as using your voice to code to help learners embrace computer programming.

Codeword is an educational tool that will use the latest in voice recognition technology to help expand how we learn to code. Additionally, Codeword will focus on bringing this type of interactive learning to veterans as well as people living with disabilities.

Codeword will utilize a SaaS (software-as-a-service) pricing model. Monthly subscriptions will be offered in tiers. More functionality will be coming as Foxhound develops the MVP.  

The team includes:

Jacqueline Carter - Founder and Principal Software Engineer

• B.A. in Computer Science, Cum Laude - Phi Beta Kappa
• Years of digital marketing experience
• Experience developing and deploying Android and web apps

Samuel Knox - Co-founder and CEO

• Extensive experience in IT
• Experience with content marketing
• Experience deploying applications (see Task Track and Task Track on mobile)

Read what people are saying about Codeword:

“Codeword has the potential to provide real social impact and value.”

“We need smaller, more digestible chunks to improve how we learn to code. It’s exciting to see an app like Codeword attempt to do this. I’d download that app.”

“Education tech is valued at over $8 billion and shows no sign of slowing. The team at Foxhound has a real opportunity to tap into a global market.”

Check out Codeword in action below:

For more information about Codeword, contact me at Ren@OmegaAccelerator.com

Pitch, Elevating Music Experience to a New Level

Pitch – AI, Voice User Interface, Media, Music, Wellness, http://www.pitch.studio – Pitch develops Artificial Intelligence (AI), Natural Language Processing, and Voice User Interface technologies to help music fans sing along with their favorite songs. Pitch figures out how each user learns and harnesses this capability to help the fan memorize the lyrics and follow the melody through fun, one-on-one coaching. Pitch will deploy this platform to other verticals like fitness, public speaking, and more.

For the music industry, Pitch opens a new channel for musicians to interact with their fan base. Pitch plugs into a paradigm shift in the music industry as do-it-yourself producing and music streaming drive up profitability. Goldman Sachs predicted that a double-digit growth tide over the next decade will lift all ships in the space.

The team includes:

Yanay Lehavi – MS in computer science from NYU and 25 years of tech leadership at Goldman Sachs, Bloomberg LP, and PIMCO

Lena Belogolova – BS in neuroscience from MIT, MBA from UCLA, 10 years of consumer behavior experience at Facebook

Vickie Nauman – MBA from London School of Economics, 20 years of experience connecting the music industry with technology companies and startups

David Mann – BS from UCSD in music technology, MS from USC in music composition, 25 years of programming and composition experience


Read what people are saying...

"The team at Pitch is a collection of accomplished go-getters who have proven themselves over the years and are working to bring something new and amazing into a high growth industry, and positively impact hundreds of millions of people all around the world.”

"We have never seen anything like this. My musicians now have a tool to connect with our fan base like never before. My musicians are no longer just an act on the stage, they are now your personal friends and coaches who make your life better, and that’s who they always wanted to be.”

Check out a Pitch demo video below:

For more information about Pitch, contact me at Ren@OmegaAccelerator.com

Finding a Lead Investor

What is a Lead Investor

Are you struggling to secure the funding you need to take your business to the next level?  Maybe you should you consider the benefits of finding a lead investor.  A lead investor is the first person to make an outside investment in your company (simplecrowdfunding.co.uk/help/faq/what-is-a-lead-investor).  They also take the lead by introducing your company to more potential investors.  Ideally, this produces a chain of investors that helps you meet your fundraising goals.

There are several reasons why it may be difficult for a start-up company to find investors.  In the article entitled, “25 Reasons Why I Will Not Invest in your Start-up,” Entreprenuer.com provides greater insight into this critical issue (entrepreneur.com/article/236999).  Reasons cited include, you have an inexperienced team, you cold-called me, you are way too early for my money, there aren't any other investors.  These objections can be overcome by finding a lead investor. 

You can click this link for help finding a lead investor for your business start-up, http://omegaaccelerator.com/contact/.

There are many benefits to becoming a lead investor.  Lead investors often enjoy a larger percentage of the profits than later investors.  They also may enjoy a seat on the board and have an active role in management (https://blog.funderbeam.com/faq_item/what-is-a-lead-investor-and-how-do-i-become-one/).  These investors may also negotiate special perks, such as exclusive vendor/customer relationships, networking opportunities, employment, etc.

Click this link to subscribe to our newsletter and learn about lead investor opportunities, http://omegaaccelerator.com/.

Here are some quick tips for finding your lead investor

• Strong MVP
• Compelling 1-page executive summary
• Don't worry about the valuation until later
• Network
• Pitch friends and family first
• Put some of your own money in the company
• Make traction
• Market like crazy
• Be persistent, not annoying
• Enjoy the process