Execution Labs, the Montreal-based accelerator and incubator for independent mobile game developers, has received $6 million Series A funding. The investment was led by Corus Entertainment and existing investors BDC Capital, Real Ventures and White Star Capital participated. The money will be used to “bolster its support of emerging independent game studios” and Corus will assist to “build its brand presence in the market.”
To accomplish this, Execution Labs unveiled two new programs: the Pre-Production Accelerator and the Finishing Fund.
The three-month Pre-Production Accelerator is based in Montreal offers up to $50,000 (CDN) in funding, shared workspace and mentorship opportunities for new game studios that haven’t entered the full production phase of game development. The Pre-Production Accelerator program is based in Montreal and is open to international applicants and to developers across all game platforms and business models.
The Finishing Fund is specifically for experienced independent game studios who have games nearing completion, but that require funds and support for final production, testing and marketing. Finishing Fund will provide “substantial funding” and if accepted they will receive support both from Execution Labs’ in-house experts and externally from its mentor network.
“The goal of Execution Labs has always been to foster the development of independent game studios, and with the support of our incredibly generous mentor network we’ve been able to help talented developers launch great games and then go on to set up sustainable studios. With the injection of funds from Corus and our existing partners, we’ll be able to keep fueling those new studios while ensuring that the top developers out there continue to get the funding and support they need to launch amazing new games,” said Jason Della Rocca, Execution Labs’ co-founder.
“We are implementing a strategy of supporting innovation clusters where Canada is a global leader, such as in video game production,” said Dominique Belanger, Vice President Strategic Investments and Partnerships, BDC Capital. “Our continued support of Execution Labs is one example of such a strategy. Execution Labs is an innovative business creation model that leverages the exceptional expertise developed in Montreal over the past decades.”
Scott Dyer, EVP of Strategic Planning and CTO of Corus Entertainment will join the Execution Labs board of directors.