Can you feel it folks? Cause I can. Excited to announce MuckerLab, a new startup accelerator and member of the TechStars Network, launched today in L.A. It’s a three-month program providing its selected startups with $21,000 in seed funding, plus the typical incubator benefits like shared office space, legal assistance, infrastructure and hosting, and mentorship from a network of advisors.
CapLinked, the online platform for private investment funded by members of the “PayPal Mafia”—announced that it is launching a worldwide pitch competition for entrepreneurs to present their business ideas to a panel of all-star judges from Idealab, Rincon, Rapidfire, and Actarus. Company founders and aspiring entrepreneurs of all-stripes are welcome to submit their plans for a chance at fame and glory, as well as international exposure for their company.
I entered Pepcom’s Mobile Focus event with heightened excitement after driving through the busy intersections of Downtown San Diego’s rickshaw littered streets. I grew up in this city, so I never have a problem finding an excuse to set foot in my hometown; and even better to check out Pepcom’s vampire themed party with dozens of tech companies eager to show off their latest mobile gadgets, software, products, and perhaps, some innovations.
There’s no question of the monstrous boom in popularity and success of ‘Deal of the Day’ business models, and for good reason, due to a volatile world-wide economic climate. But with continuing success of mega coupon giants like Groupon and Living Social, we can infer that consumers are still willing to enjoy themselves and spend money, but would prefer to be thrifty and keep costs down. But what about for night life? It can’t be the most impressive thing in the world to take a beautiful date out for a night on the town and slap down a crinkled up printout from your email inbox, prominently displaying your thrifty ways. Might work for some, but probably not all. Especially in LA.
That’s right folks Idealab is hosting a job fair at their offices for 10 of their startups companies. They are looking for coders, roboticist, marketing managers, and community managers, to fill the areas of their Green Tech, Social Media, Big Data, and Enterprise companies. If you are a super star your pretty much guaranteed to find a job here ;)
54 hours. 70+ students. 8 business ideas. One weekend we will never forget. USC hosted its first Startup Weekend from September 23rd to 25th and it rocked! We had MBAs, undergrads, engineers, designers, and visitors from all throughout the LA tech scene participate in the event
That’s right Startup Angelinos! If you thought that the startup community here was starting picking up, well its about to get a boost from The Startup Foundation. Startup Weekend, a global grassroots network of entrepreneurs and leaders, announced an initiative in partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation that will lead to the creation of vibrant startup communities in cities across the nation. Called the Startup Foundation, the program is a grassroots initiative that helps cities build and establish ecosystems that will support more high-growth entrepreneurs, startups, and ultimately, jobs.
The Spotlight: LA Tech Fall is garnering some excellent companies being submitted and most of which I wish could all be part of this amazing night. To help curate and show off the best that LA has to offer we called in a few friends. So with out further ado I present the Spotlight: LA Tech Fall 2011 Judges!
When tickets went on sale over a month ago, we expected the regular ticket sales cycle, however we were more than surprised when Startup Weekend LA sold out in 6 hours! That’s right… just about the same amount of time it takes to sell out a Radiohead show at the Forum. When LASW kicked off Friday evening at Coloft, we had over 100 on the wait list and countless requests from others to join the event — even folks sneaking in and pitching (without a ticket).
Last Friday, about 80 business leaders assembled at the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica, CA, for CallFire’s first ever “un-conference” called Biz2Beach. The invitation-only attendees included founders, business development leaders, and marketing directors from companies big and small, including NBCUniversal, Mobclix, DDB Los Angeles, Airpush, adly, Mobile Roadie, Disney Animation Studios, BetterWorks, and more.
