socalTECH

OCTOBER 15, 2014

The Disney Accelerator , the startup accelerator sponsored by Walt Disney and being run by TechStars, had its demo day Tuesday, showing off the nine companies to emerge out of the accelerator. Disney offered up up to $120K in investment capital, access to entrepreneurs and executives at Disney, and other resources to its startups.

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Class Startup Seed Funding Entertainment 185

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 17, 2017

There are certain topics that even some of the smartest people I talk with who aren’t startup oriented can’t fully grok. It’s common cocktail party chatter to hear people confidently pronounce that some well known startup is sure to blow up because, “How could they succeed when they’re not even profitable!”

Startup 227

Startup Venture Capital Sales Course 227

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 15, 2014

Of course this can be done and of course I am a big proponent of the rise of startup centers across the country as the Internet has moved from the “infrastructure phase” to the “application phase” dominated by the three C’s: content, communications and commerce. Locally we call it “the Snapchat effect.”

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Company Companies Startup Snapchat 369

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

If you’re a technology startup you need to excel at product, of course. But being best-in-class at online marketing is also a sine qua non to standout from your peer group. The starting point of product IS marketing, which is what a lot of young entrepreneurs that never studied business don’t realize.

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Marketing Startup SEM SEO 379

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2016

In 2006 I started using Facebook and most of my friends & colleagues thought I was strange. In 2007 I started using Twitter and most of my friends & colleagues wondered why people would care what I ate for lunch. In 2008 I started VC blogging. In 2011 I started using Instagram. I already have Facebook.”.

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Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2014

If you want the full SlideShare deck with many slides not in either post it’s in this link –> The LA Tech Market. ” I hear it when I visit LPs (the people who invest in VCs) all across the country, “Yeah, I haven’t been out there for a few years but I keep hearing that something is going on there.”

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Entrepreneur Snapchat Startup Google 376

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 29, 2014

I hope to publish that deck and a full write up in the next 10 days in partnership with Dan Primack at Fortune (if my write up doesn’t suck, I guess ;-)). Think DropBox, Airbnb, Pinterest, Maker Studios, SnapChat, Tinder). Companies are now raising much more capital in the private markets now before they go public.

Venture Capital 362

Venture Capital Capital Startup Writing 362

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 16, 2022

A question that I still hear debated often is whether a new online platform startup growth strategy should focus on user count or profits. Most startups and investors I know don’t have unlimited funds, so the first question they should ask and do ask today, is “When is your company going to be profitable (self-sustaining)?”

Platform 118

Platform Snapchat Startup Course 118

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 17, 2018

“We are the preferred prescription provider of Snapchat Spectacles,” says Lensabl chief executive Andrew Bilinsky. “[And] we are already talking to and partnering with a variety of brands to start and scale their prescription operations [and] really scale our direct to consumer lens business.”

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Snapchat Los Angeles Pricing Startup 179

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2016

I recently survey more than 150 VC friends from all stages and geographies what they thought about the market by asking “Which of the following statements best describes your mood heading into 2016?” The Motive for Speaking Up. ” “Mark has a vested interest in talking down valuations of startups.”

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Startup Company Companies Venture Capital 150

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 6, 2015

As an active investor in the Los Angeles technology market we’re always seeking to better understand the data and trends of why our market has grown so rapidly since 2009. Everybody now knows that LA produced SnapChat, Tinder and Maker Studios. The report on the LA Tech Market can be found on this link.

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Marketing Newsletter Venture Capital Blogging 150

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2014

15 years ago we were at the peak of Internet hype with the launch of many over-capitalized businesses with a market size & opportunity was limited. The VC market has right-sized (returned back to mid 90′s levels & less competition). We are in a bubble (with so many private $1bn+ valuations). Where are we today?

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Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Seed Funding 398

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 16, 2013

Today’s startup innovators come from about six hours south of Silicon Valley. Previously known as GRP Partners, Upfront Ventures has focused on early stage investments since 1996. Fun Fact: One of the most prominent figures from their firm, Mark Suster t, runs a blog startups follow religiously. Marketing: SteelHouse.

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Startup Snapchat Venice Social Media 111

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Back then only 15% of our dollars were invested locally whereas today 50% of our dollars are invested in LA. It’s not just Snapchat, although there’s that. And I constantly have to remind people that the largest tech startup employer in LA is actually SpaceX and that, yes, Elon Musk does live in LA. Don’t we know it.

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Dollar Shave Club Cornerstone OnDemand Riot Games Venture Capital 321

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 16, 2016

Computer Vison Startup Nanit If you follow me on Snapchat ( msuster ) you might already know that I’ve been looking at and investing in a number of companies in the computer vision space. Today I am so excited to announce our latest investment in the category —  Nanit  — which is a smart baby monitor.

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Invest Course Startup CTO Hire 150

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 11, 2014

A few years ago I started calling the local tech ecosystem down here #LATech. In fact, many people know I grew up in NorCal and still have a 650 area code on my mobile phone. We know the perceptions you have of our market from our past. Startup Lessons' I had an agenda. LA has a serious technology scene. Maker Studios.

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Startup Santa Monica Snapchat Yahoo 318

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 16, 2018

Venice, California-based early stage, pre-seed investment fund and accelerator Amplify.LA pointed at all of the companies in Los Angeles that came out of the demise of MySpace, and argues that the growth of Snap is about to trigger another wave of startups in the market. In the report, Amplify.LA In the report, Amplify.LA

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Snapchat Venice Los Angeles Report 100

TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 14, 2018

TechCrunch is heading to UCLA on October 18 and we’ve assembled some of the AR/VR industry’s most prescient founders, investors and executives to chat about the startups and trends driving virtual and augmented reality in 2018. Startups are working to centralize the experience but it’s going to look a lot different.

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UCLA Startup Snapchat Los Angeles 185

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 5, 2019

We started March Capital in late 2013. We did our first close in the summer of 2014, and over the first nine months we raised our fund and started investing. Fund I was fully deployed by June 30th of 2017, and we went out to raised Fund II, which was a wet close, where you invest as you close. They're all big winners.

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Funding Capital Artificial Inteligence Startup 160

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

When you first start your company and raise initial venture capital your board probably consists of 1-3 founders and 1-2 VCs. Most experienced VCs won’t push you to give up founder control at this stage of the business nor should they. As You Start to Mature. In the Early Days. You’ll get empathy. Experience.

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Startup Sales Technical Review Software Review 325

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

Are you a startup looking to find funding in Southern California? It's often tough to figure exactly who the venture capital funds are who are funding startups in the area. Most recent investments: GOAT, cloudvirga, Vemba, LootCrate, Invoca. Most recent investments: EventBoard, Sensay, Shipt, Scopely, ALL DEF DIGITAL.

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Southern California Dollar Shave Club Lootcrate Orange County 100

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2016

This continues to solidify Los Angeles’ place as a major player in the global tech ecosystem and while any one success doesn’t define a city — the number of high-profile startups and exits has definitely increased. But mostly I’m just happy for Michael, his team, for Science and for the continued success of the Los Angeles startup community.

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Dollar Shave Club Venture Capital News Snapchat 150

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2017

He was running to be the 42nd mayor of Los Angeles and he outlined his vision to “open up the city government to technology and innovation” if he were elected. The “Snapchat effect” as I like to call it is that many engineers now want to stay and many more want to move here.

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Riot Games Los Angeles Technical Review Venture Capital 191

socalTECH

JULY 15, 2016

billion round for Venice based Snapchat. Other big fundings contributing to the total included a $220M funding round for San Diego biotech firm Human Longevity Inc. , $111M raised by Marina Del Rey-based Thrive Market , and $100M raised by Irvine cybersecurity sofwtare developer Cylance. Nationally, venture capitalists invested $15.3

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Southern California Marina Del Rey Venture Capital Company 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2016

Whether you are talking to peers, competitors or investors, you as an active entrepreneur will be judged on your familiarity with today’s startup and funding jargon. This term is currently applied to recent startups who profess a current valuation which exceeds $1 billion. Prime examples include Uber, Airbnb and Snapchat.

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Startup Software Review Equity Invest 57

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2019

Image via Max Pixel A question that I still hear debated often is whether a new startup growth strategy should focus on user count or profits. Most startups and investors I know don’t have unlimited funds, so the first question they should ask and do ask today, is “When is your company going to be profitable (self-sustaining)?”

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Snapchat Startup Course Yahoo 74

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 10, 2019

Image via Pixabay After a frustrating meeting with a small business client recently who didn’t “have time” for social media, I was surprised to find evidence on the Internet that up to one quarter of small business owners are still hesitant to invest time, money, and effort into a social media strategy.

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Social Media Media Tool Startup 99

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 23, 2015

Today is a huge validation for Crosscut and continued faith that LPs that any national VC would covet are placing on the LA market and two great institutions – The James Irvine Foundation and Top Tier Capital – have underscored this by backing Crosscut. LA has grown up a lot over the past 5 years. But that was so 2008.

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News Funding Venture Capital Dollar Shave Club 150

TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 5, 2022

From Los Angeles to Silicon Valley , a trend emerged among social media influencers and startup founders alike: move into a mansion with 10 or so collaborators, work day and night together to build fame and wealth, and hope that your new roommates do their dishes. Image Credits: Robiiiworld (Brandy Merriweather via BStarPR).

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Platform Social Media Netflix Content 210

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 16, 2013

I work with a lot of startups. I start to notice when bad behavior creeps into the system as a whole. The minute you try to monetize now they have metrics with which to beat you up and say you’re business has limitations.” ” Case in point: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, SnapChat. Sorry to give away the game.

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Venture Capital Startup Funding Snapchat 412

socalTECH

MARCH 16, 2017

We are going to write checks of between $100,000 and $500,000, and we are going to invest in what we are calling first institutional capital. We're taking a bit of our playbook from First Round Capital, where, if you look at their website, they provide market help and raising their next round of capital.

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Invest Funding Capital Startup 145

TechCrunch LA

JANUARY 14, 2019

“The way I look at it… a lot of it is going to be like any kind of content studio,” says Peter Rojas, a partner at the New York investment firm Betaworks Ventures. “We started doing cartoon live streams and the founders of Musical.ly “There’s no reason why you won’t see it across the board.

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Social Media Content Media Artificial Inteligence 261

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 18, 2015

I rarely talk to any startup entrepreneur or VC who doesn’t feel it and somehow long for simpler times despite the benefits we all enjoy from increased enthusiasm for our sector. And even this can’t stop their employees from fleeing after two years of vesting to move on to the next hot startup. What is one to do?

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Software Review Startup Venture Capital Invest 150

Xconomy

JULY 14, 2016

Showing little concern for stock-market volatility or worries over the Brexit, venture capital firms pumped $15.3 It was the 10 th consecutive quarter that venture firms put at least $10 billion into startups and other high-tech companies, including a $3.5 Still, the amount invested marked a 12 percent drop from the $17.4

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Marina Del Rey Invest Venture Capital San Diego 40

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

Today Upfront Ventures is announcing that we’ve backed Rebecca Kantar ’s startup Imbellus , a company designed to assess human potential and ultimately change the way we teach children. We led a $4 million investment along with Thrive Capital, GLG and Sound Ventures. How does one come up with the right idea to start a company?

Design 150

Design Ideas Startup Writing 150

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 15, 2017

A question that I still hear debated often is whether a new startup growth strategy should focus on user count or profits. Most startups and investors I know don’t have unlimited funds, so the first question they should ask and do ask today, is “When is your company going to be profitable (self-sustaining)?” So let’s take a look.

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Snapchat Startup Course Yahoo 55

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 19, 2015

Another note: for some nominees, our nominating committee was unable to separate closely tied founders of startups, and so we've listed those founders together for convenience. Phillipe Browning , SnapChat. Gunnar Lovelace and Nick Green , Thrive Market. Julien Bellanger , Prevoty. Chad Billmeyer , Panjo. Howard Brown , RingDNA.

SoCalTech 100

SoCalTech Lootcrate Southern California Snapchat 100