A number of months in the past, Haddy, a contract producer based mostly in Florida that leverages robotic arm additive manufacturing (AM) programs to supply furnishings, introduced that it had opened what it was calling “the world’s largest 3D printing manufacturing facility,” based mostly on whole throughput and machine rely. Whereas it’s considerably inconceivable to actually decide what the world’s “largest” 3D printing facility is, Haddy’s 32,000 square-foot website definitely has the capability to prove lots of merchandise.
One firm whose consideration Haddy has caught is Disney, which has chosen the furnishings producer to be one in every of simply 4 startups within the 2025 Disney Accelerator program. Yearly since 2014, Disney Accelerator has chosen a handful of startups that align with the corporate’s objectives in leisure, theme park administration, and hospitality, permitting these corporations to “…achieve entry to the vary of inventive experience and sources of The Walt Disney Firm to assist them develop new leisure experiences and merchandise.”
Thus, somewhat than straight-up monetary backing, this system provides startups an asset that’s probably much more beneficial to their long-term growth: an opportunity to witness and partake within the interior workings of one of many world’s most revolutionary and profitable manufacturers. The chosen startups will work with groups from Disney each nearly and in-person in Glendale, California, a course of main as much as Disney Accelerator Demo Day in November, at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank.
Because the Disney press launch on the 2025 Accelerator class alludes to, Haddy’s manufacturing capabilities lengthen far past furnishings, with the identical core competencies lending themselves completely to purposes similar to set design and theme park surroundings. Haddy’s intensive use of AI additionally means the corporate has the potential to rise to the forefront of the brand new era of producing automation, a theme that may proceed to achieve in significance as nations just like the U.S. try to deliver larger proportions of their manufacturing provide chains again into their home economies.
In a press launch about Disney Accelerator’s number of 4 startups for the 2025 program, together with Haddy, the GM of Disney Accelerator, Bonnie Rosen, mentioned, “From 1000’s vetted, the Disney Accelerator is thrilled to welcome these 4 corporations, who’re already proving themselves to be leaders of their respective verticals. We look ahead to seeing how they work alongside our executives to create groundbreaking leisure experiences for Disney followers.”
The VP of Innovation for The Walt Disney Firm, David Min, mentioned, “The emergence of latest applied sciences is having extra influence on the leisure business than ever earlier than. With the Disney Accelerator program, we have now a devoted construction for Disney to embrace these applied sciences and create new storytelling experiences on the tempo that our audiences count on.”
Attending to work with Disney can be a coup for any firm, below any circumstances, and particularly a startup like Haddy. However with Disney and Common spending unprecedented sums to increase their theme park companies — together with $30 billion from Disney for Disneyland and Disney World, which the corporate introduced again in 2023 — now could be an particularly opportune second for a brand new firm that’s providing new tech to get into the theme park market.
Whereas there’s no assure that the businesses chosen through Disney Accelerator will go on to determine long-term enterprise partnerships with the mum or dad model, this system does seem to be a strong gateway in the direction of that consequence. As an illustration, Fortnite developer Epic Video games was chosen for the Disney Accelerator program again in 2017, and in 2024, Disney and Epic Video games introduced the formation of a partnership, which included a $1.5 billion funding by Disney within the video video games and software program model.
Alongside these strains, Haddy’s location in Florida, lower than two hours from Disney World, may give the furnishings startup a better-than-average shot at changing its Disney Accelerator credentials right into a bonafide deal. That might additionally give Disney the flexibility to flex some assist for U.S. manufacturing, in addition to sustainability — recycling is an enormous promoting level for Haddy — that are each important issues for big U.S. multinationals as of late.
Photos courtesy of Haddy
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