Not the same old story: Story Board selects next class of startups for accelerator program

Here in Portland, we love our accelerators. So many great ideas. So many startups. So many great organizations supporting those startups looking to make it. And that’s why I’m always happy when one of those accelerators introduces a bunch of new startups to the startup community. And that’s exactly what Story Board did today when they announced their latest accelerator class.

Who’s in the latest class?

• Iron Way Entertainment is an independent production company telling stories about culture that add value to the world. They produced and directed the feature-length documentary ‘Big Dream,’ telling the stories of seven women pursuing education in STEM. They’ve also created ‘Original Fare,’ a PBS web-series uncovering the origins of our food. For more information, visit http://ironwayfilms.com/ and http://theoriginalfare.com/
• Morebots creates scannable books for kids focused on engaging, entertaining, and impressing upon young minds that there’s always more to learn. Leveraging augmented reality and ubiquitous mobile devices, Morebots takes printed stories to a new level. For more information, visit http://morebots.com/
• Nocturne Collective is a small Portland creative agency with big capabilities. By building a collaborative network of talented freelancers, they provide a high level of quality and service without the bulk of a big agency. They’ll be working on Scopic, a web resource for finding and vetting freelance talent developed during the 2015 Startup Weekend. For more information, visit http://www.nocturnecollective.com/ and http://www.getscopic.com/.
• Rose City Game Consulting combines the industry and community of the fast-growing indie game scene to develop new applications for digital games; via events, education, professional development, design, and leadership. RCGC aims to develop a thriving games economy in Oregon, built by the founder of Portland Indie Game Squad (PIGSquad). For more information, visit http://gameconsulting.tumblr.com/.
• Sprocketship is a high-end visual effects studio. Their award-winning team of artists, technologists, and engineers create computer graphics and visual effects production for feature film and commercial clients. For more information, visit http://thesprocketship.com/
• Teak is a marketing automation platform for games. Game companies use Teak to combat churn, get more users, and increase lifetime user value. The three co-founders of Teak have 35 years of combined experience in the game industry. For more information, visit https://teak.io/.
• The Secret Book Club originates from the owners of Treehouse Books in Ashland. They create digital tools using game play to help children read and craft compelling stories that turn our classrooms, businesses, and communities into ‘storyworlds’ that create a better future. For more information, visit http://thesecretbookclub.org/.
• Wild creates story-driven, interactive exhibitions that utilize technology to create radically immersive, multisensory experiences for audiences. Their latest work leverages next generation virtual reality technology to activate a space and propel visitors into the center of the story. For more information, visit http://builtbywild.com/.

And on a day where the diversity of the Portland startup scene has been a more focused topic of discussion, Story Board is fielding a class that is 38% women. Not a bad start at all.

For more on the new class, read Malia’s post in the Portland Business Journal or see Story Board’s post. For more on the entire program, visit Story Board.

[Full disclosure: I am the cofounder and an advisor to Story Board.]

Published by Rick Turoczy

More than mildly obsessed with the Portland startup community. Founder and editor at Silicon Florist. Cofounder and general manager at PIE. Follow me on Twitter: @turoczy View all posts by Rick Turoczy