Take The Interview, a US-based video-based platform for companies to screen job candidates, has raised $775,000 in seed funding from angel investors and DreamIt Ventures, an incubator backed by media group Comcast to invest in minority entrepreneurs.
DreamIt Ventures has also enrolled 15 companies for its fifth accelerator programme (its fourth in Philadelphia).
Five of the companies were selected in partnership with Comcast Ventures, the venture capital affiliate of Comcast Corporation as part of the Minority Entrepreneur Accelerator Program (MEAP), which is designed to provide minority entrepreneurs with the opportunity to engage in an intensive, company-building experience.
MEAP is the first investment initiative from the $20m fund created by Comcast as part of the NBCUniversal transaction that is committed to expanding opportunities for minority entrepreneurs.
Kerry Rupp, managing partner of DreamIt Ventures, said: "Additionally, we’re excited about the diversity of this group. In addition to the Comcast Minority Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program, this batch includes an Olympic medalist, an Iraq and Afghanistan combat veteran and a TED Senior Fellow, as well as several people from Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia."
David Horowitz, Comcast Ventures’ managing director, said: "We are eager to see these five innovative start-ups prosper through their participation in the Minority Entrepreneur Accelerator Program, and look forward to providing our resources and mentorship to these entrepreneurs."
The companies selected for DreamIt Philadelphia 2011 are:
Cloudmine, he world’s simplest mobile backend-as-a-service provider.
ClrTouch: Enabling consumers and publishers to port web content into a custom tablet interface.
ElectNext, Philadelphia, PA: It works like a dating site, for your elections. Compare candidates and find the perfect fit. (MEAP company)
FeedbackTrail, West Chester, PA: Building a better app experience through feedback.
Grassroots Unwired, Philadelphia, PA: Mobile applications that provide the accountability and efficiency of real time tracking and reporting for political campaigns and non-profits that capture data in the field.
Kwelia, New York, NY: Quantitatively-derived analytical tools that will facilitate decision-making for residential real estate. (MEAP company)
Metalayer, Washington, DC: A visual search company that turns the real world into sortable data. Turn your pictures into 1,000 words. (MEAP company)
Nopone, Chatanooga, TN: Bringing together contractors, builders, project managers, DIYers, and building material suppliers. List it. Supply it. Build it.
Oneaway, Philadelphia, PA and Palo Alto, CA: An app that introduces you to new people.
Polin8, Philadelphia, PA and New York, NY: Mobile platform media studio specializing in pioneering Apps that engage users with high-concept visual, sound and touch interactions.
Qwite, Los Gatos, CA: A location-based service, taking you where you want to go – from intent, to experience and memories. (MEAP company)
SnipSnap, Philadelphia, PA: The first app to scan and save coupons to your mobile phone.
Spling, Summit, NJ: A social broadcasting network that allows you and your friends to easily share, discover, and experience media on the internet.
Technology Startup (Name Being Finalized), Washington, DC: A platform that will help friends make their plans more easily. (MEAP company)
TraRoma, Taiwan and New York, NY: A dating site with a female point of view.