Fortify Ventures will produce a documentary series called
StartupLand. Founder Jonathon Perrelli says the series, which is being produced and directed by Justin Gutwein, will debut in the fall and will feature the Spring 2013 accelerator class of Fortify Ventures, the early-stage venture fund run by Perrelli, Carla Valdes and Simon Rakoff.
The five startups—
(Leg)Cyte,
RidePost,
SnobSwap, the
Trip Tribe and
TrendPo—have been videotaped from their very first pitch at Distilled Intelligence throughout their tenure at Fortify. In documentary format, Perrelli asked the entrepreneurs and their cofounders to "forget about the cameras" once they signed off to be a part of the experience.
Perrelli explained that this year's smaller class more easily lent itself to filming, and that the reduced number was by design. The first accelerator class at Fortify housed 12 startups.
"The video series is to share with other accelerators, investors and mentors," Perrelli said, "about what [an accelerator] is supposed to be like."
A Kickstarter campaign to raise approximately $75,000 for the series is in the works. Perrelli also mentioned a premiere event to celebrate the launch of the documentary, although he did not give details.
The announcement was made yesterday during Fortify Venture's Investor Day, which gave each of the five startups a chance to announce seed rounds and pitch to gathered VCs. Four startups from Fortify's previous class—
CoFoundersLab,
Hinge,
Synapsify and
Venga-- also returned to give attendees a snapshot into their businesses 18 months after leaving the sanctity of the Fort.
"A lot has happened in 18 months," Perrelli said. "We've changed our name. I'm wearing a sportcoat. [In this ecosystem,] startups can start quickly. Billion-dollar companies can start in months. And we're excited to be a part of this."