ABOUT US
THE INCUBATE GROUP CORP.
Incubate Group is a media startup based in Oakland, California that funds and produces original entertainment properties for children, families and adults in a variety of formats. Incubate is currently assembling a portfolio of properties, signing creative talent, pitching strategic partners, creating distributor relationships and will soon begin raising funds to invest in our first product portfolio.
Incubate Group was founded by a team of five creative & business minds with extensive consumer brand, game and toy industry experience. We have experience in creating new properties, reinvigorating existing properties and working with licensed properties as both licensee and licensor. We have worked across multiple media and a mix of distribution channels.
Incubate Group's mission is to fund and support development of indelible original entertainment properties. A sizeable percentage of the investments will be into companies and products created by and that target undeserved populations in modern mass media but when done correctly will have broad “pop culture” appeal and impact. We will assist our portfolio companies to develop franchises and an ecosystem of relationships including partners, channels, potential deals and financing.
Incubate Group’s unique strength is that we have developed a process and built a team that can help accelerate growth and reduce risk by providing "wrap-around" business services to our portfolio companies including our network of relationships, unique community technology, business intelligence systems, finance, HR & recruiting, contracts & licensing expertise, PR & marketing, market research and our overall strategic understanding of market opportunities. We also have the flexibility to help a portfolio company to scale at critical moments in their growth cycles through direct assistance or by leveraging trusted partners. We strongly believe that when these support services are layered on top of a portfolio company’s strong and clear creative vision it will result in a much healthier, high growth business and all combined, that will create world class original entertainment franchises.
If you are interested in learning more about our innovative business model and investment options please contact us here.
INCUBATION VENTURE PARTNERS LLC
Incubation Venture Partners is the venture capital arm of Incubate Group Corp. and is in the process of forming its first fund with qualified accredited investors, the Azcatl Seed Capital Fund I, a potential $20 million dollar venture capital fund to finance development of original creative properties, including video games, toys, television and graphic novels. The management of the fund has currently signed ten Letters of Interest and is actively exploring funding a variety of opportunities in the entertainment industry. Incubation Venture Partners anticipates raising a second fund for expansion capital to support those companies that graduate out of Azcatl Seed Capital Fund.
More information about Incubation Venture Partners LLC can be found at www.incubationpartners.com
AZCATL SEED CAPITAL FUND
The Azcatl Seed Capital Fund derives its name from an Aztec myth about a little red ant who played his part to save the world. According to the story, Quetzalcoatl created humanity but forgot to create a way to feed them. He searched fruitlessly for a way to feed his creation, and eventually discovered something amazing: a little red ant effortlessly carrying a kernel of corn ten times bigger than his tiny body. After much negotiation, Quetzalcoatl convinced the ant to show him the ant’s secret stockpile and found an endless supply of food, thereby saving humanity.
The Azcatl Seed Capital Fund I is a limited liability company that is in the process of raising a $20 million seed and early stage fund with qualified accredited investors to support new and original cross-media or transmedia entertainment properties. Incubation Venture Partners LLC will be the fund manager for Azcatl Seed Capital Fund I, and is the venture capital arm of Incubate Group Corp.
The Azcatl Seed Capital Fund will support early stage development of new cross-media or transmedia entertainment properties by making equity investments directly into production companies or into intellectual property holding companies owned by creators. Incubate Group actively works with each creator before, during and after funding, assisting them to maximize each property’s potential.
More information about Azcatl Seed Capital Fund can be found at www.incubationpartners.com
FOUNDERS
Incubate Group Corp. was founded by 5 game and entertainment industry veterans who wanted to find a way to both work together again and change the way creative companies and projects are run and managed. The company founders believe all creators and employees should have access to capital to build wealth that would allow them to chart their own course and so all Incubate Group Corp. employees are given the opportunity to become shareholders during their time of employment. Our shared philosophy to empower creators of all kinds with respect, support and cutting edge resources matched with financing is unique.
Over time we've grown our staff and our tool box of resources and are excited about the series of announcements we will be making throughout 2008.
TEAM BIOS
Peter Leahy – Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Email - LinkedIn Profile - Blog
Peter has over 10 years of experience in the interactive entertainment industry in the areas of business management, business development, technology infrastructure and media. Peter was General Manager of Totally Games an award winning independent game developer in Marin County, California and contributed on several Star Wars, Star Trek and WWII games for PC and console. He headed CMP Game Group online initiatives including two time Webby Award winner Gamasutra.com and GameCareerGuide.com. Before entering the game industry Peter worked for 10 years in Technology Infrastructure with The Stanley Works, WinBook Computer Corporation and CompuServe.
Terence Lau, JD is a corporate attorney based in Dayton, Ohio. In addition to serving as legal advisor to Incubate, he holds a tenured faculty position at the University of Dayton’s School of Business Administration. He served as the Director of ASEAN Governmental Affairs for Ford Asia Pacific Operations in Bangkok, Thailand from 2000-2002, where he represented Ford’s government affairs with company affiliates, industry organizations, and the governments of ten countries affiliated with ASEAN. Prior to his time in Bangkok, he worked as in-house counsel for Ford Motor Company in the International Practice Group in Michigan. In 2006-2007, he was a Fellow at the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington, D.C.
John Wick – Creative Director
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John Wick is a multiple Origins Award winning game designer and author. As lead Story Designer on games such as Legend of the Five Rings and 7th Sea, he helped reinvent and reinvigorate two "dead" genres, bringing them to the masses of hobby gamers and later to be expressed by others in film. He has worked in table top gaming, electronic gaming and as a screenwriter. His newest project is an original universe fueled with high intrigue, wicked strategy, delicate diplomacy and shifting loyalties.
James Dollar – Artist-In-Residence
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James Dollar is a classically trained artist and painter who has worked in the games industry for 18 years. His professional history includes Lucasfilm Games, LucasArts, Looking Glass Technologies, Totally Games and Blue Planet Software.
Bill Shackford – Art Director
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Bill Shackford is a "user centric" designer based in Los Angeles. He has worked as an art director, copywriter, studio manager and freelance designer for a variety of clients, including Sun Microsystems, Crescent Heights Development, California Federal Bank and UCLA.
Rajan Agaskar – Senior Developer
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Rajan Agaskar is a programmer with 6 years of experience developing applications for Linux and Windows platforms. He is the lead developer of the Incubate Community Platform.
Additional staff joining the Incubate Group Corp. team in early 2008 include:
- Chief Finance Officer
- Chief Operations Officer
- Chief Technology Officer
- Director of Design
- Director of Human Capital
- Director of Marketing
- Director of Operations
- Director of Research and Analytics
- Director of Sales and Licensing
