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ZestCash Gets $19M For Lending Startup

socalTECH

Hollywood-based ZestCash , a startup offering up short-term, consumer loans online, has scored $19M in funding today, including $11M in a Series A equity round plus $8M in venture debt. The firm's founder and CEO is Douglas Merrill , the former CIO and VP of Engineering of Google. READ MORE>>.

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Can You Really Build a Great Tech Firm Outside Silicon Valley?

Both Sides of the Table

I’ve heard it many founders of VC backed companies in LA who tell me that in their NorCal VC meetings they are told, “we might be interested but we’d want you to relocate to the Bay Area if we funded you.&#. My daily coffee meetings are not surrounded by the Hollywood elite with discussions of scripts, scenes and casting.

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Some Thoughts on Branding Startups and Communities

Both Sides of the Table

ZestCash, founded by Douglas Merrill, former CIO of Google [Hollywood]. Deviant Art, led by Angelo Sotira, which is one of the largest online communities on the Internet [Hollywood]. But if you were going to start a venture capital fund today, you’d want to stand out. But consider the following: 1.

Startup 304
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Want to Start a Technology Company in LA?

Both Sides of the Table

We will never be Silicon Valley in the way that Toronto will never be Hollywood. Funding is different – In Silicon Valley you have mega venture capital funds and many of them. They not only have gotten bigger but they have an amazing track record of funding the biggest names in the sector: Cisco, Apple, Google, Facebook.

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