8 LA Co-working Spaces You Need to Check Out

Knowing where the best co-working spaces are is key to anyone looking for information, resources and colleagues to grow their business.

From BuiltinLA:

“The core of any entrepreneurial tech ecosystem is filled with co-working spaces. This is where tech events are hosted, where entrepreneurs meet and where young companies spend their early days grinding away. These spaces represent the communal life of startup culture. Knowing where the best coworking spaces are is key to anyone looking for information, resources and colleagues to grow their business. Here are some of Los Angeles’ must know co-working spaces…”

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10 Most Well-Funded Startup Neighborhoods in LA

Why are there so many funded startups on the Westside?

From builtinla:

“The Internet’s ability to flatten national borders, shorten distances and hyperlink individuals would seem to make the physical location of a business completely irrelevant. Yet tech, the industry that appears least tethered to the ground, tends to cluster around specific locations.

Within the LA tech community this is no exception. By mapping Built In LA’s 2013 digital funding startup data across LA zip codes, it’s clear that a huge majority of funded businesses in LA reside on the Westside.

Intuitively, this is not surprising because Santa Monica and Venice-based companies are frequently in the headlines. However, the degree to which companies based in these areas receive funding shows a tech ecosystem thriving mostly on the Westside. In total, companies headquartered within Westside zip codes received $741 million of funding out of approximately $1.1 billion invested in greater LA in 2013…”

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Santa Monica as the New Silicon Valley

People tend to be very outgoing and realize that you need to meet other people to get your start-up going.

From NY Times:

“LOS ANGELES — It was a Monday night, but Bar Marmont was packed. Women milled about in high heels and cropped fur coats (it was 50 degrees outside, this city’s version of a polar vortex). Hair had been meticulously coaxed into face-flattering waves, makeup freshly applied. “I’m going to get a massage on my lunch break tomorrow,” a woman at the bar told her friend, as she fiddled with a large gold necklace.

Nearby, Mark Salling, an actor from “Glee,” mingled with pals, and — wait, was that the guy who plays the British doctor on “The Mindy Project”? (Yes.) Beyoncé’s “Drunk in Love” was blaring. A model-like brunette wearing a rhinestone headband twerked gently in front of a GIF machine, the latest iteration of a photo booth, and made a halfhearted attempt at a duck face…”

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As The LA Tech Scene Heats Up, Accelerator Amplify Raises $8 Million

Amplify is announcing its second fund, which is just over $8 million from yet another list of marquee investors.

From TechCrunch:

“Back in 2011, there were only a handful of startup accelerators and incubators in the burgeoning LA tech scene. Of course, as “Silicon Beach” has grown over the past few years, this has changed. Amplify was one of the initial accelerators that debuted a few years ago, with backing from big names like Eric Schmidt, reality TV king Mark Burnett and Accel Partners. Today, Amplify is announcing its second fund, which is just over $8 million from yet another list of marquee investors.

The list includes a mix of traditional tech investors and CEOs as well as a few well-known names in the media and entertainment worlds. They include Accel, Greycroft, Siemer Ventures, Deep Fork Capital, Karlin Ventures, Jarl Mohn (ex CEO of Liberty Digital), Ron Burkle (Yucaipa Companies), Jim Wiatt (ex CEO William Morris Agency), Ed Wilson (ex President Fox Television, Tribune and CBS), Ben Silverman (ex co-Chairman NBC Entertainment), Rick Barry (founder & CTO Sycamore Networks), Rob Glaser (Founder/Chairman Real Networks), Joe Lewis (head of Amazon Studios), and David Baron (VP of content Hulu), among others…”

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Silicon Beach: Southern California’s New Ad Agency Hot Spot

There’s an influx of capital, lots of recruiting potential, the rise of startup accelerators, and it all seemed to happen without orchestration.

From ADWEEK:

“Chris Raih wanted to settle somewhere funky and hip with ready access to creative talent when he was scouting a Southern California location in 2006 for his about-to-launch ad agency Zambezi. A view of the Pacific Ocean and the possibility of surfing at lunchtime wouldn’t suck either.

He found his way to the nascent Silicon Beach, a multimile stretch of Los Angeles that grew from iconic Venice Beach to Santa Monica, Marina del Rey and surrounding seaside burgs. The quickly gentrifying area, near the buzzy heart of Hollywood, earned its name for attracting tech startups, budding e-commerce, digital ad shops, and cutting-edge media and entertainment companies.

“This area is an inspiration to us everyday,” notes Raih, founder of Zambezi with his ecd Brian Ford. “It’s progressive, bohemian, smart. It’s completely plugged into trends. And the natural beauty of the beach is another hemisphere of influence…”

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Silicon Beach Fest: Tech Meets Content

The fest focused primarily on the businesses that make L.A. great — entertainment, games, and marketing.

From L.A. Biz:

“For anyone who still harbors doubt that the Westside is still the best side of Los Angeles, the emergence of Silicon Beach helps strengthen the case. Last week’s Silicon Beach Fest, only in its second year, saw 3,000 in attendance, a 50 percent increase from last year’s event. While not the epicenter of startup culture, the Santa Monica and Venice scene has attracted the attention of content creators who are eager to meet kids who know how to code, but don’t want to drive six hours to Palo Alto.

The fest focused primarily on the businesses that make L.A. great — entertainment, games, and marketing. While more than 100 startups made an appearance, it lacked star power from either the tech or creative community…”

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Santa Monica’s Silicon Beach Fest Shows Off L.A.’s Thriving Tech Scene [web]
Digital Getdown: Silicon Beach Fest Invades Santa Monica [web]

Why Silicon Beach Is Flourishing

Names like Tech Coast Angels, Karlin Ventures, Canyon Creek on the VC side; and Amplify, Clearstone, Launchpad and Muckerlabs on the incubator accelerator side.

From SocalTech:

“Silicon Beach, as the white-hot start up market in Santa Monica is referred to, is exploding with activity. Albeit the second fiddle to its well known uncle up north, Silicon Valley with a number of high-tech success stories to lay claim such as Google, Paypal, and Logitech, the Silicon Beach market is a fervor of action from all sides of the start up equation. Several components that make up and set the stage for a vibrant start up market to develop have to be present and strong, sort of like a perfect storm! Talent, Capital, Education and acceptance of the alternative are all conditions that have to exist and surge together in order to foster a dynamic start up environment.

Is this happening in Silicon Beach? Well let’s see…”

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