MuckerLab Startup Accelerator Brings TechStars Incubation To Los Angeles
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.
Much like the model employed by TechStars and Y-Combinator, MuckerLab will recruit Internet software, services, and media entrepreneurs through an open, but selective, application process. At the end of the program, companies present their businesses to potential investors at a Demo Day event.
There are four founders Erik Rannala, formerly of Harrison Metal, and William Hsu, who most recently served as Chief Product Officer at AT&T Interactive, HauteLook’s Greg Bettinelli and Happiness Engines founder Yan-David Erlich. The group collectively has founded, operated, and helped scale many of the most successful Internet companies including eBay, Google, Green Dot, HauteLook, LinkedIn, Live Nation, AT&T, StubHub and TripAdvisor.
Who is assisting MuckerLab with their mentorship? They include Brett Markinson of HauteLook, Brian Lee of ShoeDazzle and LegalZoom, Hiten Shah of Kissmetrics, Howard Lindzon of StockTwits and Wallstrip, Paige Craig of BetterWorks, Ryan Steelberg of DMarc, and Tyler Goldman of BUZZMEDIA. The investors serving as mentors include Aileen Lee of Kleiner Perkins, Beau Laskey of Steamboat, Chris Farmer of General Catalyst, Dana Stalder of Matrix Partners, Dana Settle of Greycroft, David Travers of Rustic Canyon, Jeremy Liew of LightSpeed, and Jesse Jacobs of Chernin Group.
“Los Angeles is on the cusp of becoming a major technology hub, but the ecosystem here isn’t yet as developed as Silicon Valley. Our goal is to help enable this transformation by bringing the right funding and assistance at the very earliest stages of venture formation,” said Erik Rannala, Co-founder of MuckerLab. “MuckerLab will help entrepreneurs crack the venture creation process, access a built-in network of mentors and advisors, and tap into diverse sources of funding.”
Classes kick off in January, including a selection of 5 to 10 companies, depending on the quality of the applications. What are you waiting for startups! Applications are now being accepted HERE.
