Entrepreneurship

Thinking about applying to or ever wondered what its like taking part of an accelerator or incubation program? Well now is your chance to find out thanks to upStart.LA. The Santa Monica based startup accelerator, is inviting Los Angeles tech entrepreneurs for an evening of discussion highlighted by a panel of startup founders that have received funding from leading accelerators and incubators on Thursday, Nov. 10th from 7pm to 9pm at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium (SMCA). The event will feature a panel of some of SoCal’s brightest entrepreneurs who have received funding from TechStars, Y Combinator, 500 Startups, and Idealab and will be moderated by upStart.LA’s Co-Founder, Dan Dato.

Many thanks to everyone who participated in last night’s Spotlight: LA Tech at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. In addition to the 330+ students, entrepreneurs and investors in attendance, the event also achieved over 45,000 views on the TechZulu live stream. If you missed it, or simply want to relive the moment, check out the rebroadcast above.

Exciting times in the Southern California tech community. K5Launch announced a new accelerator program that provides promising technology startups with a three-month intensive accelerator program for entrepreneurs in Southern California. K5 aims to create a network of support and mentorship along with access to capital where people can build on creative ideas with the help of successful business people, and connect with investors to get their concepts off the ground.

‘Facebook me,’ ‘tweet it,’ ‘Shazam that;’ in the world of tech, your name is not just a service or brand, it is your verb. The stakes have been raised. The goal is not only to create a brand but rather the hope of becoming everyday jargon referring to the action in which you provide. In the world of social, sharing, and online apps, becoming a verb may be the difference between life and death of a company.

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.

After months of submissions and the amazing help from our judges, the Spotlight is shinning down on awesome companies that were born right out of Southern California. For those who still might be wondering what Spotlight: LA Tech is all about, It’s a screening room for new technology homegrown in our region. It’s a gallery of great entrepreneurship. It’s a toast to those who build and innovate. It’s a gathering of friends and tech enthusiasts of all stripes.

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 ;)