Neil deGrasse Tyson’s StarTalk Among Snap’s Inaugural Accelerator Program Class

Neil deGrasse Tyson’s StarTalk company is among the 19 small businesses selected to participate in Snap’s accelerator program.

The six-month program, first announced in December, will give participants $10,000 each month to create content for Snapchat Discover; one-on-one mentorship from Snap’s content and media partnerships team; and opportunities to connect with the program’s sponsors, which include AT&T, Nissan, Target, State Farm, Unilever, Uber Eats and McDonald’s.

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To be eligible for the 523 program, named after the address of Snap’s original office, the businesses had to be majority-owned by individuals from underrepresented groups and have fewer than 20 full-time employees. The companies also had to make less than $5 million in gross revenue in 2021 or during the last 12 months to be considered.

“When we look at this inaugural class, it’s reflective of the diversity of the Snapchat community and represents some of the most creative talent in our culture,” Starr Nathan, Snap’s 523 program leader, said in a statement to THR. “Each 523 participant is on a different part of their journey, and over the next six months we’re going to work together to meaningfully build their businesses and audiences and create a path for future success.”

See below for the full list of the inaugural class.

Togethxr (Los Angeles): A media and commerce company founded by the athletes Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Sue Bird and Simone Manuel.

North Star Boys (NorthStar LLC) (Los Angeles): An Asian American content group led by the creators Oliver and Sebastian Moy.

Jazzy’s World TV (Brooklyn): A media outlet for kid reporting hosted by Jazlyn Guerra, who went viral on social media for her interviews with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, Nas, 50 Cent and David Beckham.

Young Guns Entertainment (Atlanta): A talent management and marketing company focused on content creators, artists and athletes. The company is founded by Keith Dorsey, who also launched the Collab Crib, an influencer house based in Atlanta.

StarTalk (New York): A podcast and YouTube series hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson that discusses astronomy, physics and other universe phenomena with special guests. The series is executive produced by Helen Matsos.

Just Women’s Sports (Los Angeles): A multimedia platform exclusively dedicated to women’s sports founded by Haley Rosen. Last year, the company raised $3.5 million in a seed funding round led by Will Ventures, with participation from Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman’s Thirty Five Ventures, Drive by DraftKings, OVO Fund, Supernode Global and the athletes Elena Delle Donne, Hilary Knight, Sam Mewis, Kelley O’Hara and Arike Ogunbowale.

From the Lot, LLC (Atlanta): Founded by Lynae Vanee, From the Lot is behind Parking Lot Pimpin, an educational short series that offers analyses on topics spanning race, politics, feminism and more.

Mia Finney (Los Angeles): A content creator who is known for her comedic skits and pranks featuring her Dad, “Ernie Fin.”

The Golden Balance (Miami): A culinary content brand and production company founded by Ahmad Alzahabi.

Kevonstage (Los Angeles): Kevin Fredericks (aka KevOnStage) is an actor, stand-up comedian and content creator.

Fleecey (London): A multimedia company dedicated to platforming underrepresented stories led by the filmmaker Cherish Oteka.

Merci Productions (Los Angeles): Led by Sasha Merci, a comedian and content creator known for her humorous sketches.

DT Entertainment (Los Angeles): Founded by the creator Dai Time, the company is behind the talk show “It’s Dai Time,” which discusses trends and entertainment from a Gen-Z perspective.

The Connected Set (London): An entertainment, comedy and animation studio founded by Jason Mitchell and Jake Cassels that’s behind the gaming channel Mashed.

Dreamers House (New York): A creative collective led by Ferris Wheel Jay and made up of creators who develop and produce videos and songs.

Baiteze Squad (London): A cultural entertainment brand and Sunday League football club focused on celebrating Black British culture.

Swish Cultures (Inland Empire, California): A basketball media company co-founded by Jordan Richard, Ashten Smith-Gooden and Anthony Goods focused on making media coverage equitable across the NBA, WNBA, overseas, G-League, college and high school basketball. The team also includes Mide Osifeso, who oversees visuals, social media and merchandise.

Psycho Films (Los Angeles): A production company co-founded by Christian Sutton (aka ShowMeSutton) and Vladimir Samedi (aka V-Live).

Qewly Productions (Los Angeles): A company created by Brian Smith dedicated to highlighting lesser-known styles of dance and bridging the gap between movement and film.

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