UCF Business Incubator Highlight
Three Innovation District Companies Partner on eSports Initiative
Alan Byrd
Orlando, Fla. (December 18, 2020) – With more than 100 businesses utilizing the services of the UCF Innovation Districts and Incubator Program, a key aspect is a collaboration between the companies.
Three companies located in the Downtown Innovation District are showcasing this aspect by launching a Call of Duty Zombies tournament later this month.
“At our stage in business, the relationships we’re building with companies in the Innovation District are truly helping us grow and build our market,” says Johnny Williams, CEO & founder, Player Epic. “I’m sure as we continue to grow, we’re going to continue to build on these relationships.”
Player Epic is developing a platform for the gaming community, particularly those who aspire to make gaming a career. The Player Epic platform will showcase these players through profiles, contests, and more.
Their partner in this endeavor is FLUIX LLC, which is developing a cooling system for high-end computers, particularly those used by eSports players. In addition, they have developed a system to display a player’s hardware behind the player.
“ESports players love to show off their hardware and our system not only does that but increases the performance of their computer,” says Abhishek Sastri, CEO & co-founder of FLUIX LLC. “To be able to team with Player Epic, which shares the exact same customer targets, is truly a remarkable element of being involved in the Innovation District.”
The third company involved is ViewStub, which has seen tremendous success in broadcasting events – especially this year. The tournament will utilize ViewStub’s platform.
“We see the potential in eSports and how our platform can be utilized to connect gamers from across the world,” says Spencer Elliott, CEO, ViewStub. “We’re excited to support these fellow Innovation District companies and develop a new market segment together as well.”
The UCF Innovation Districts are structured to help build collaboration. For instance, it offers a unique mentorship program with Orlando’s YPO and connects clients with larger businesses through the Enterprise Partnership Program.
But, with a truly diverse group of businesses in a multitude of industries across the program, internal collaboration often just comes together informally.
“The Innovation Districts were developed to really make this type of synergy seamless as we cluster industries together, like gaming and hospitality technology at the Downtown Innovation District,” says Rob Panepinto, director, Innovation Districts Strategy and Partnerships at the University of Central Florida. “To see this type of collaboration between these three companies verifies the model as an important way to allow companies to grow.”