Which are the companies tackling the future of media with new technology? A good place to start might be the six companies chosen by Matter, one of San Francisco’s newest startup accelerators.
The companies have been chosen for the accelerator program that’s looking to build the future of public media and information. From the start, CEO Corey Ford said he was committed to finding companies to do the things that matter, and these six are the accelerator’s first bet.
“We have a similar mission to public media and good journalism outlets, but this isn’t just about saving public media or saving journalism. It’s about building a place for entrepreneurs to build something that makes people more informed and empowered,” Ford said in an interview when Matter launched in December.
(The accelerator is not linked to former GigaOM writer Bobbie Johnson’s science and tech publication also called Matter.)
The six companies play at the intersection of content and tech, providing services like analytics for video, publishing platforms, or outlets for digital expression. But Ford emphasized that while the companies all have basic plans in mind, the final products could change significantly before the accelerator’s demo day on June 13.
These are the six companies that will debut in June:
- ChannelMeter – A video analytics platform aimed that lets publishers measure online engagement with videos on sites such as YouTube.
- InkFold – A mobile product that allows consumers to read and interact with the news.
- OpenWatch – An investigative network and citizen media project that aims to let users document abuses of power.
- SpokenLayer – A company that transforms text on the web into audio.
- Station Creator – A television platform allowing users to distribute their own broadcasts online from the cloud.
- Zeega – A company that’s re-thinking publishing and storytelling by allowing users to mix content from across the web.
“It’s really about execution. When you launch something like this, you’re wondering who is out there, and who will be part of this. And the awesome thing is that I can now answer, emphatically, there are talented invidudals out there,” Ford said. “We’re going from an abstract vision of who we’re serving to now we have our actual customers.”
A recent bootcamp for Matter accelerator companies.
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