Levity Live Partners With Silicon-Valley Based Accelerator And Venture Capital Firm, Plug and Play To Bring Industry-Leading Expertise To Startups In The Media And Advertising Industries

LOS ANGELES, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Levity Live, a multifaceted entertainment company and the largest provider of live comedy in the U.S., has launched a strategic new partnership with Plug and Play, a Silicon Valley-based accelerator and the world's largest innovation platform designed to connect industry-leading corporations with some of the most promising early-and-growth stage startups around the globe. Through Plug and Play, select startups have the opportunity to engage with established industry leaders for business development opportunities, cross collaboration, mentorship, and more. As a partner of Plug and Play's newest Media & Advertising Program, Levity Live will work directly with an extensive global network of some of the world's brightest minds and innovators including strategically aligned startups, market disruptors and other industry-leading stakeholders looking to advance the media and advertising industries through technology. This partnership marks Levity Live's first major foray into the startup space and underscores the company's growing commitment to emerging technology and innovation.

Levity Live is a fully-integrated entertainment company that serves talent, consumers, and brands across its television production, talent management, and live venue verticals. The company identifies, develops, and produces original content for global distribution including over 2,500 hours of primetime programming; represents emerging and established artists in motion pictures, television, and live performance; and owns and operates the leading network of comedy venues in the U.S. under multiple consumer brands including most notably, the legendary Improv.

Most recently, Levity Live has focused on leveraging its expertise in content development and comedy to provide more engaging B2B services including corporate training and branded entertainment experiences. This partnership will allow Levity Live to bring its extensive knowledge of the media and advertising industries along with its professional training services, expert guidance and resources to innovative startups in Plug and Play's network. Additionally, Levity Live will have the opportunity to work alongside other major companies to address industry-wide challenges and collaborative solutions.

"Great ideas tend to flourish when surrounded by a supportive community anchored in diverse backgrounds and perspectives, such as those you find within the Media & Advertising Program at Plug and Play," says Alireza Ghaemian, CEO of Levity Live. "On a daily basis, our team at Levity Live develops and champions the next generation of artists and intellectual property.  By partnering with Plug and Play, we're excited to expand this tradition by partnering with the next generation of media and advertising companies that are paving the way for the future of our industries."

Levity Live joins over 300 corporate partners from all over the world who are critical to Plug and Play's ongoing success as well as helping shape over 10,000 startups with innovative technologies and ideas. Since its establishment in 2006, Plug and Play has helped accelerate more than 4,000 startups, providing more than $7 billion in financing and invests in 250 companies a year. Their portfolio includes successes such as Dropbox, Guardant Health, Honey, Soundhound, and Zoosk among others.

"We are in an incredibly unique position in our partnership with Levity Live," said Will Decker, Director of Plug and Play Media & Advertising. "Levity has over 50 years of experience in live entertainment, extensive expertise in television production, and artist management, and is now pursuing the distinctive area of corporate training. With their input, we can facilitate groundbreaking innovation in these fields."

Plug and Play's Media & Advertising Program will run its first three-month program from February through May. Startups accepted into the program will meet one-on-one with corporate partners, including Levity Live, to analyze opportunities for pilot projects, POCs, new customers, and investment.

Startups and corporations interested in this program are encouraged to apply: https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/join/.

About Levity Live 
Levity Live is a fully-integrated entertainment company that serves talent, consumers, and brands across its production, talent management, and live venue verticals. The company identifies, develops, and produces original content for global distribution; represents emerging and established comedic artists in motion pictures, television, and live performance; owns and operates a national network of premium entertainment venues, including the legendary Improv. Levity Live is headquartered in Los Angeles. The company is represented by United Talent Agency. For more information, visit www.levitylive.com.  

About Plug and Play 
Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 25 locations globally giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 10,000 startups and 300 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. Companies in our community have raised over $7 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club and PayPal. For more information, visit https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/.    

SOURCE Plug and Play