Can you believe that Vator Splash LA is just two days away? Have you bought your tickets yet? If not, then make sure to buy your tickets here! They go up on Thursday.
We have an exciting list of speakers and panelist this time around, including Jessica Alba and Brian Lee, the co-founders of The Honest Company; Scott Painter, the founder and CEO of TrueCar; Aaron Hischhorn, the founder and CEO of DogVacay, winner of Vator Splash 2012.
But the LA tech scene has really been shaped by pre-seed and seed investors. Among the most iconic in LA is Bill Gross, who founded Idealab, one of the first, if not the first startup incubator, well before Y Combinator and TechStars stormed into existence. Idealab was formed in 1996. Its model is incubator-esque in that it also creates its own companies within. One of the first success stories out of Idealab was Overture, which was bought by Yahoo, and was the company that introduced paid search, the business model that Google has dominated.
The Pasadena-based incubator has created more than 75 companies, 30 of which have exited. Some of Idealab's other notable alumni include Tickets.com, Picasa, Internet Brands, Answers.com, Jobs.com, and PETsMART.com.
Prior to the founding of Idealab in 1996, Gross also founded a series of companies, including audio equipment manufacturer GNP Loudspeakers; GNP Development, which was acquired by Lotus Software; and Knowledge Adventure, which was acquired by Cendant.
We're super stoked to have Gross kick off the event with advice on how to build sustainable companies.
Then there's Mike Jones, the founder of Science. If Gross pioneered the incubator/studio model early on, Jones has re-created it with his own style. After a stint as CEO of MySpace, Jones founded Science shortly after he left the company in November 2011. Science is based in Santa Monica and is the only incubator model, save Idealab.
Science is a new kind of accelerator model, as it is a mix of both incubator and accelerator. It helps create, as well as develop, its own business ideas in-house, as well as acquiring other Internet startups with the aim of scaling them. But it has no set timeline regarding exits or releases.
Science has received funding from Rustic Canyon, White Star Capital, The Social+Capital Partnership, Tomorrow Ventures, Siemer Ventures, Philippe Camus, Jean-Marie Messier, Jonathan Miller and Dennis Phelps, who put $10 million into it collectively.
Some of its alumni include EverySignal, HelloSociety and Marigold Media.
Jones will join Bambi Francisco, Founder & CEO of Vator, on stage right after the first round of five startup pitches. He'll be on hand to share his advice on how to present and how to fundraise. Get ready for your questions!
Be sure to catch them, as well as other VC founders, from Erik Rannala, founder of Mucker Capital, rated by CB Insights as the No. 2 most prolific early-stage VC in LA, Paul Bricault, founder of a digital media accelerator Amplify.la; Dana Settle, who co-founded Greycroft about a decade ago. Settle is also an early investor in Maker Studios, which was bought by Disney, for about $1 billion earlier this year; Eric Manlunas (Founding Partner, Wavemaker Partners, formerly Siemer Ventures - one of the most active early-stage VCs in LA); Bill Woodward, founder of Anthem Venture Partners, a longstanding LA-based VC firm, which is counted as one of the most active late-stage VCs in La.
Here's a list of investor firms registered to attend: Anthem Venture Partners,Amplify, Baroda Capital
Bullpen Capital, CAA Ventures, Comcast Ventures, Core Innovation Capital, Crosscut Ventures,
Greycroft, Idealab, Javelin Venture Partners, Structure VC, Wavemaker Partners, Plus Capital, Science,
Mucker Capital, Warner Bros., Disney TechStars, The Pritzker Group, Upfront Ventures, Tech Coast Angels, HBS Angels, UTA, White Star Capital, Shasta Ventures, Susa Ventures, Rustic Canyon,
WME Ventures, Venture51,Epic Ventures and many more including active angels.
Don't forget to REGISTER before prices jump at the door!
Upfront Ventures leads with 18 investments, followed by Wavemaker Partners and Tech Coast Angels
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Steven Loeb
Companies like Snapchat, Honest, JustFab and SpaceX have all reached $1B valuations
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Steven Loeb
How startups foster ideation and civic activation
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Tara Roth
Angel group/VC
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Amplify is a hands-on startup accelerator and multi-faceted entrepreneurial campusin Los Angeles.
Startup/Business
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Idealab starts and operates successful companies that change the way people think, live and work.
Startup/Business
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DogVacay.com is a community marketplace that addresses the $5B market for dog-boarding and pet-sitting. Instead of paying for a crowded and overpriced kennel, our users book with experienced hosts who watch dogs in their own homes. In two months since launch the we have gained national coverage with thousands of approved hosts.
We provide multiple layers of quality control, a comprehensive insurance policy, emergency support, photo updates, and other pet services like daycare and walking.
We were founded in 2011 by a husband and wife team who boarded over 100 dogs in their home to make extra money while saving for their weddin. We are now venture capital funded by First Round Capital, Science, and several angels.
Startup/Business
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TrueCar, Inc. is an online automotive information and communications platform focused on creating a better car buying experience for dealers and consumers. Consumers want a hassle-free car buying experience and dealers want high-quality sales velocity. TrueCar helps achieve these goals by providing unbiased market information on new car transactions and by supplying an online communications platform through which dealers and consumers can communicate with each other. TrueCar’s market-based information provides both consumers and dealers with an accurate and comprehensive understanding of what others actually paid recently for similar vehicles, both locally and nationally. TrueCar’s communications platform then allows informed, ready-to-buy consumers to communicate directly with participating dealers. Some of the nation’s largest and most well respected membership and service organizations rely on websites powered by TrueCar to help educate their members and customers who are in the automotive market. TrueCar is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA, and has offices in San Francisco, CA, and Austin, TX. After experiencing dramatic growth since 2006, TrueCar is developing a suite of products and services centered on radical clarity through the comprehensive analysis of market data and information. TrueCar’s participating dealer partners have sold over 500,000 new vehicles to TrueCar users nationwide.
Startup/Business
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An online service for parents and sitters to connect through people they know, UrbanSitter makes booking a trusted babysitter as easy as booking dinner reservations. The site enables parents to search, book and review trusted sitters within minutes.
Headquartered in San Francisco, UrbanSitter was founded by a group of Internet veterans who wanted to use technology to power a faster, more personal babysitting service. For more information or to sign up, visit www.urbansitter.com.
Startup/Business
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The Honest Company (www.Honest.com), founded by Jessica Alba, Christopher Gavigan, Brian Lee and Sean Kane, was created to ensure that parents have access to non-toxic, eco-friendly, effective and beautiful family products that don't break the bank. Honest.com offers essentials for every family member including diapers, wipes, bath, skin care, home cleaning and health & wellness products conveniently door-delivered through a monthly subscription service of customized product bundles or single item purchase. As a certified B Corporation, The Honest Company strives to promote sustainability, engage employees and community, and support non-profit initiatives working to solve critical health and social issues affecting children and families. Available in the U.S. and Canada.
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ex media guy turned angel/venture investor and accelerator founder
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Scott Painter has started nearly 40 companies – the majority in the automotive industry and has raised over one billion dollars from investors for his numerous entrepreneurial ventures.
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Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Mucker Capital
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Third time entrepreneur. Co-founder of UrbanSitter. Previous start up experience at Xuny.com and BridgetPath.com. Finance/development experience at Joie de Vivre Hosp, LaSalle Partners and Gap Inc.
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