LA Tech Incubators: 4 Companies That Are Making A Splash (PHOTOS)

Technology accelerators and incubators have sprung up around L.A., making it easier for a new entrepreneurs and seasoned Hollywood executives alike to quit their jobs and pursue the startup dream.
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Recently, there is growing cacophony (here, here and here) about how L.A. is turning into the next San Francisco or New York. VCs are "moving in" and renting apartments in "Silicon Beach," the small strip of land between Venice and Santa Monica. One senior talent agent recently left his company to incubate startups. Studio executives have seen cruising tech events. "I'm developing an app" has become the new "I'm writing a script."

Some of the hottest L.A.-based startups include Viddy, Beachmint, Maker, MovieClips (recently renamed Zefr), Nasty Gal, and Scopely.

Check out this map recently put together of all the L.A. tech action.

Even talent agencies are getting into the mix. For example, UTA has helped incubate several companies over the past year, including AwesomenessTV and ShopHers, both of which have landed subsequent venture investment.

Technology accelerators and incubators have sprung up around L.A., making it easier for a new entrepreneurs and seasoned Hollywood executives alike to quit their jobs and pursue the startup dream. Accelerators (such as Mucker Labs, LaunchPad and Amplify) focus primarily on finding early stage companies, while incubators (Science) are generally focused on discovering entrepreneurs and nurturing their ideas.

While both accelerators and incubators will offer companies and individuals up to $50,000 in investment, office space for a few months, access to a stream of investors, lawyers and mentors, they vary slightly and have their own distinct personalities. Each boasts about the high percentage of their companies that raise funding and go on to exit.

Here is a list of major players:

<a href="http://www.amplify.la/" target="_hplink" role="link" rel="nofollow" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="AMPLIFY LA" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5be2b772e4b028402f7d3c23" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.amplify.la/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="5">AMPLIFY LA</a>

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