Pollara, a serial entrepreneur and startup advisor, has a track record of recognizing unique opportunities and providing the expertise and intimate knowledge across various industries to facilitate growing startups. Pollara will apply his unique foresight to lead Luma’s investments in technology and ideas of the future.
This endeavor includes launching Luma Labs, a venture capital arm with a multimillion dollar fund to accelerate and incubate notable startups across the convergence of tech, media and general analytics. Luma, being one of the largest privately owned visual effects companies in North America, intends to keep the fund private. Additionally, Luma Labs will provide internal and external resources including mentorship and strategic partnerships. Pollara will take a hands-on approach to advising and developing opportunities as well as building up an internal team to facilitate the process.
He explains, “Our goal is to position ourselves at the forefront of evolving technology and content marketplaces. A startup gold-rush has spearheaded innovation across the convergence of tech and media and music, and Luma intends to capitalize internal resources and seek external sources to spark new business prospects.”
Francis Pollara began his career as an independent commercial and music video producer for major clients including Calvin Harris, Porter Robinson, Chk Chk Chk, Canon and Gatorade. His body of work has earned a substantial clutch of awards over the years, including the AICP Award, an Emmy and multiple Clios, as well as recognition at Cannes and South by Southwest.
Pollara’s unique ability to transition through industries sent him on a trajectory through the agency world. Science of Social Funding at
SXSW 2015. To date, Pollara advises a diverse group of startups and is a Co-Founder of
The Future Party an incubator and creative community of innovative experts and millennial influencers, and Co-Founder of
Urban Greenery, a future foods hydroponic and urban farming startup.
Pollara landed at Luma, where he’s been offered the autonomy to do what he does best: pursue and guide projects of all scales. He’s wasted no time with the Lab’s first two investments closing next week.
Spanning two continents, Luma continues to grow and evolve to build beautiful and emotionally powerful visual art - for those who work for us, and those who work with us. Visual effects will always be a part of Luma’s DNA but it wont always define us.
Luma has made its mark creating extraordinary visual effects for Hollywood blockbusters such as Ant-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, Insurgent, Prometheus, Thor: The Dark World, Oz: The Great and Powerful, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier; as well as award-winning live-action films including Prisoners, True Grit, No Country for Old Men and Crash.
