AlphaLab has launched six companies as a part of its 20 week summer and fall program.

The company, which acts as a catalyst for launching next generation software in entertainment technology and Internet-related companies, will be providing funding hands-on business assistance, access to advisors and free office space to all of the companies within its program, most of which are related to, or based on, the use of user-generated content.

“Some AlphaLab companies have user-generated content as part of their product platform (for example, Chogger) and it’s likely that all of our companies will exploit user-generated content and social media in their marketing and business development efforts,” said Meredith Benedict, Market Analyst for AlphaLab in an interview with snoo.ws. “The AlphaLab team is working to adopt the same use of social media for outreach efforts, to market our companies and reach new applicants.”

The companies that have been taken under AlphaLab’s wing include: BlenderHouse, which creates social applications that offer friends a forum to exchange trusted recommendations and feedback during key life decisions; Chogger which is a Web comic platform that allows its users to view, create and share Web comics; Crono which hopes to create an application that will save people time using artificial intelligence to automate common tasks online; GameHuddle which is a social gaming community;  Skill-Life which is an online game teaching financial literacy to teens; and Sonya Labs which aims to become the Google of legal research.

Pittsburgh-based AlphaLab has won a lot of praise especially from local business and tech press who see it as an engine to help the region build a base of leading tech companies.