Startup founders Cedric Rogers and Shaun Newsum are “remixing” technology for the culture with Culture Genesis, a digital gaming studio creating new content targeting urban and multicultural audiences.
The company unveiled their first product to come out of the production studio, a quiz show called TriviaMob available for download in the Apple app store.
TriviaMob players can compete either individually or in a group to win $10,000 in cash during a weekly show airing every Sunday. The game is centered around players answering 10 questions about art, music, science, and history in 10 seconds.
“We’re building software for an urban, multicultural audience that continues to lead and influence culture — not just in the U.S. but around the world,” said Rogers, in a statement to TechCrunch. “We see this influence growing in Hollywood but it’s not happening fast enough in Silicon Valley. We want to accelerate this shift.”
Rogers, a former Apple executive and Newsum, a former software developer, launched TriviaMob in response to the widely successful HQ Trivia. Although it was a popular quiz show, they felt as if it didn’t speak to their target demographic, according to TechCrunch.
“I think HQ was a prime example of our thesis. HQ from a multicultural perspective — that didn’t appeal to our audience,” Newsum said. “Part of what we’re doing with Cultural Genesis is bringing that urban understanding.”
The Los Angeles-based startup— founded earlier this year—has a total funding amount of $400,000 backed by Betaworks and Mucker Capital.
