The document provides an overview of the Los Angeles tech sector in 2015. It summarizes that LA has over 100 tech events per month and hundreds of thousands of high-tech jobs, and is one of the largest and fastest growing tech ecosystems in the US. It highlights aspects of LA's tech scene including education, venture capital funding, and industries like entertainment, transportation, hardware and more.

1. LA IS...
An overview of the
Los Angeles tech space in 2015
Prepared by Scott Perry, LA Tech Digest
October 2015
scott@latechdigest.com
Tuesday, October 6, 15

2. ABOUT LA TECH DIGEST
LA IS...
With a handful of raises announced every week
and over 100 events & meetups every month,
the area’s tech scene continues to grow.
LA Tech Digest was started by Scott Perry
in late 2014 to bring together all of LA’s
tech-related news in one place.
Website: http://www.latechdigest.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/latechdigest
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sperrymedia
Tuesday, October 6, 15

3. A REFLECTION OF THE WORLD
Los Angeles metro spans a 500-square mile area, made up of 114 neighborhoods.
Its 4 million residents are comprised of 37 nationalities.
LA IS...
Source: http://laedc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/2015-LA-Stats_Final.pdf
http://laedc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/LAEDC-September-2015-Forecast-Report.pdf
Areas like Venice, Playa Vista, Century City, Hollywood,
and Los Feliz are part of LA city.
Cities like Santa Monica, Culver City, Beverly Hills, Pasadena,
and Hawthorne are part of LA metro.
LA county spans 4,000-square miles,10 million residents.
LA’s 5-county area
(Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernadino)
has 18.5 million residents -- nearly half the state (38.8 milllion)
Tuesday, October 6, 15

4. THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE INTERNET
The world’s first email was sent from UCLA to Stanford
on October 29,1969
LA IS...
Source: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/internet-got-started-simple-hello/
Tuesday, October 6, 15

5. GROWTH
Los Angeles is the #3 largest tech ecosystem in the US,
and the fastest growing area for startups in America.
LA IS...
LAEDC reports 368,000 high-tech jobs in LA; this number
continues to grow, as established companies and startups flock
to the region, attracted to a more affordable, higher quality of
life than its big-city peers.
More college graduates and tech talent are starting to stay in
LA, as the number of job offers grow, and the environment to
build their own startups locally becomes more fertile.
Source: http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/08/theres-something-going-on-in-l-a/
http://laedc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/High-Tech-in-LA_20141006_FF.pdf
Tuesday, October 6, 15

6. #1 IN OPEN DATA and CIVIC INNOVATION
Mayor Eric Garcetti created the data dashboard for the private sector
to create apps and businesses on top of over 300 sets of city data.
https://data.lacity.org/
In doing so, Los Angeles has gone from unranked to #1 in open data
in less than three years.
LA IS...
With the help of CTO Peter Marx, Deputy CDO Lilian Coral, and City Controller Ron Galperin,
LA is leading the way in data transparency, innovations, and partnerships.
Sources: http://us-city.census.okfn.org/ http://latechdigest.com/breaking-la-ranked-1-in-open-data/ https://controllerdata.lacity.org/
Tuesday, October 6, 15

7. CIVIC SUPPORT
LA has a number of private / public city-related
entities to foster growth, including LAEDC,
LA2050, Civic Innovation Lab, and Chamber of
Commerce offshoot Bixel Exchange.
LA IS...
Tuesday, October 6, 15

8. EDUCATION
Los Angeles is home to 4 of the top engineering schools in the US: CalTech (rated
the #1 Research University in the World for the fifth straight year), Harvey Mudd,
UCLA, and USC Viterbi.
With 113 area colleges and universities, LA graduates nearly 11,000 engineering
students each year -- more than any other region in the US.
Sources: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2016/world-ranking#!/page/0/length/25
http://www.businessinsider.com/best-computer-science-engineering-schools-in-america-2015-7?op=1
LA IS...
Tuesday, October 6, 15

9. VCs / FUND RAISING
Funding of LA-based tech companies is on track to hit $4 billion in 2015, which is double
from just two years prior. Two-thirds of the deals are at Seed and Series A level, which
shows plenty of room for growth.
The two biggest fundings in the past 12 months have been for Snapchat ($1.02B), as
well as LinkedIn’s acquisition of Lynda ($1.5B).
Source: https://www.cbinsights.com/blog/los-angeles-tech-breakdown/
LA IS...
Tuesday, October 6, 15

10. VCs / FUNDRAISING
Los Angeles is home to a wide array of local VCs (Upfront, Rustic Canyon,
Greycroft, Wavemaker, Crosscut, Double M, Baroda, Lowercase, Mucker, MK,
Anthem, Arena), celebrity VCs (Sound (Ashton Kutcher), AF Square (Troy Carter),
Queensbridge (Nas), Machine Shop (Linkin Park)), as well as notables who have set
up shop in LA (500 Startups, Bessemer, MK Capital, SV Angel), making it easier for
local talent to stay local.
LA IS...
More info: http://gregbettinelli.com/la/
Tuesday, October 6, 15

11. FEMALE FOUNDERS &VCs
LA prides itself on diversity, and has a number of organizations to help female founders
build a strong support group. LA’s female tech luminaries include founders Jessica Alba
(Honest), Sophia Amoruso (Nasty Gal), Meredith Perry (uBeam), Rachel Payne &
Meghana Bhatt (FEM Inc), Leura Fine (Laurel & Wolf), Stephanie Horbaczewski
(Stylehaul), Emily Best (Seed & Spark), Phoebe Hayman & Soleil Moon Frye
(Seedling), Carolyn Yashari Becher / Joanna McFarland / Janelle McGlothlin
(HopSkipDrive), Tracy DiNunzio (Tradesy), as well as VCs Robyn Ward (UTA), Kara
Nortman (Upfront), Alyse Killeen (Clearstone), Eva Ho (Susa), and Dana Settle
(Greycroft).
LA IS...
(Full apologies for this partial list, since there is a *lot* of strong female talent in this town.)
Tuesday, October 6, 15

12. ACCELERATORS / INCUBATORS / STUDIOS
Los Angeles has a number of companies by fostering talent via a number of shops, including Disney Accelerator,
Dodgers Accelerator, LA CleanTech Incubator, Grid110, Make in LA, Starburst, USC Viterbi Garage, and Startup UCLA.
Amplify (RadPad, AlphaDraft, StackCommerce, and HelloTech) and Mucker (Victorious, Chromatik, VidMe) have both
been named to the Top 10 Accelerators in America.
Science Inc has transformed itself into a studio, helping portfolio companies Dollar Shave Club, MeUndies, and Dog
Vacay continue to grow.
And with a 20-year history of success, and Pasadena-based Idealab (from CitySearch and eToys to Enplug and Factual),
continues to internally incubate and launch a wide array of businesses.
Source: http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/02/top-accelerators-in-america-turbocharge-start-ups.html
LA IS...
Tuesday, October 6, 15

13. FINTECH / CROWDFUNDING
LA-based companies such as Crowdfunder, Start Engine,
Seed & Spark, Realty Mogul, and Inventure are leading
the march to fund startups in new ways.
LA IS...
Tuesday, October 6, 15

14. FILM & TV
You’re kidding, right? LA OWNS this space, and continues to
innovate as the space evolves with consumer tastes.
Every single major film studio, television network, and talent agency
in the world is based in LA, or at least has an outpost in LA.
LA IS...
Tuesday, October 6, 15

15. FUTURE ENTERTAINMENT
LA IS...
Not only is LA home to first production spaces for both YouTube and Buzzfeed, but LA’s
unique role in entertainment has established itself as the home to numerous parts of the
ecosystem -- from Maker, Fullscreen, Awesomeness, Machinima, Mitu, Endemol, The
Collective, Big Frame, and Funny or Die to Epoxy Labs, ZEFR, Famebit, Jukin, JibJab,
and TasteMade; from VidCon, Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, DirectTV, WhipClips, and Pluto TV.
Tuesday, October 6, 15

16. VR / AR
LA is the home of Virtual Reality hardware / studio Oculus,
as well as the world’s largest gathering of VR specialists
VRLA, which includes local developers WEVR, Specular
Theory, Fuisz, and Vntana.
LA IS...
Tuesday, October 6, 15

17. GAMES
Los Angeles is home to the world’s top gaming companies,
including Electronic Arts and Activision Blizzard, as well as
rising stars Scopely, Riot Games, and streaming platform
MobCrush.
LA IS...
Tuesday, October 6, 15

18. AEROSPACE & DEFENSE
Los Angeles’s tech ecosystem has deep roots in aerospace & defense, with Raytheon,
General Dynamics, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratories laying down the foundation
for newer businesses such as SurfAir, SpaceX, and Virgin Galactic.
LA IS...
Tuesday, October 6, 15

19. TRANSPORTATION
As the hotbed of 20th century American car culture, Los Angeles is transforming
the face of 21st century transportation via companies such as Tesla, Hyperloop,
TrueCar, Edmunds, Cargomatic, Honk, ParkMe, Waze, Uber and Lyft.
Not only is LAX the world’s largest airport that allows for legal rideshare pickups,
but the City is also building multi-modal transportation initiatives for Angelenos to
make the most of bike lanes, public transport, and driverless vehicles.
LA IS...
Tuesday, October 6, 15

20. HARDWARE
Los Angeles is the home to OG internet hardware company Belkin,
which continues to evolve into smart hardware.
Smart doorbell Ring just got a huge raise from Richard Branson
after being turned away on Shark Tank.
LA is taking root in the 3D space via companies like
AIO Robotics, Airwolf, New Matter, Deezmaker, Thingify.
LA is also fostering tactile experiences for next-generation inventors
via Two-Bit Circus and LA Makerspace.
LA IS...
Tuesday, October 6, 15

21. E-COMMERCE
In addition to being home to Honest, Nasty Gal, Soylent, Dollar Shave Club, Lootcrate,
MeUndies, The Bouqs, Bloomnation, Vow to be Chic, The Blk Tux, Parachute, JustFab,
and Tradesy, Los Angeles is also home to conscious commerce companies such as
Tom’s, LSTN, Enrou, and contesting / charity site Omaze.
LA IS...
Tuesday, October 6, 15

22. SERVICES
Los Angeles is home to a number of next-generation
service apps, including Heal, Hop Skip Drive, Buddytruk,
Curbstand, Zingy, DogVacay, Wag, Soothe, Zeel, Washio,
HelloTech and Saucey, and quickly becoming the #1 go-to
market for co’s such as Instacart, Shyp, and Luxe Valet.
LA IS...
Tuesday, October 6, 15

23. SOCIAL MEDIA
In addition to being home to Snapchat, Los Angeles is home to Whisper and Flipagram, Evite
and Cyberdust, as well as dating sites Grindr, Tinder, eHarmony, Three Day Rule.
Facebook and Twitter also have outposts in Playa Vista and Santa Monica, respectively.
LA IS...
Tuesday, October 6, 15

24. SECURITY
Consumer internet security systems Symantec
was founded in Culver City.
These days, companies like
TigerText, Telesign and Burner
provide security for future generations of web users.
LA IS...
Tuesday, October 6, 15

25. AD TECH / DATA
LA is home to some of the world’s leading ad tech companies, including Rubicon Project,
OpenX, and UberMedia, as well as Internet Brand, Convertro, and Ad Colony (all three of
which had healthy exits in 2014).
Applied Semantics / Google AdSense creator Gil Elbaz’s latest company, Factual,
supplies location information to titans like Apple and Facebook.
And Encino-based Instantly provides insights to companies such as McDonald’s and 3M.
LA IS...
Source: http://www.builtinla.com/2014/07/10/funding-la-tech-hits-all-time-high-1h-2014
Tuesday, October 6, 15

26. COWORKING SPACES
LA’s coworking spaces are opening multiple locations
across town in anticipation of further growth ahead:
Real Office Centers, CTRL Collective, Blank Spaces,
Cross Campus, WeWork, Rhubarb, Hatch, DOTS,
Coloft, and Opodz.
LA IS...
Tuesday, October 6, 15

27. SECOND HOMES
Hey SF -- your boss owns a second home (or third /
fourth / fifth) home in LA. Why? Because LA is frickin’
awesome! I mean, um, for strategic purposes.
Among those with property in LA include Reed Hastings (Netflix), Jeff Bezos (Amazon),
Minecraft creator Notch (who outbid Jay-Z and Beyonce), Elon Musk, Sean Parker, and
Oracle founder Larry Ellison, who owns, like, half of Malibu.
http://la.curbed.com/archives/2013/05/mapping_15_of_tech_billionaire_larry_ellisons_malibu_properties_1.php
http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/hot-property/la-fi-hotprop-20140713-story.html
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-0321-tech-real-estate-20150321-story.html
http://la.curbed.com/archives/2015/05/los_angeles_tech_billionaires.php
LA IS...
Tuesday, October 6, 15

28. OPEN FOR BUSINESS.
Scott Perry
scott@latechdigest.com
http://www.latechdigest.com
LA IS...
Tuesday, October 6, 15

29. I cannot claim to know everything, so apologies for any errors or omissions, such was not
done so on purpose. Email me at the address below with any corrections thanks.
Mad props to Sam Fuller, whose incredible overview of the LA Startup Scene circa 2013
was brought to me towards the completion of this project, and probably would have resulted
in me not even making this had I known about it earlier. A few companies listed have come &
gone, but it is still an excellent resource for anyone looking to get started in this town:
http://launchpad.la/introduction-to-the-los-angeles-startup-community/
And thanks to Michelle Garakian from the Mayor’s business team for
pointing me in the right direction on a few details, she’s a badass.
Scott Perry
scott@latechdigest.com
http://www.latechdigest.com
LA IS...
Tuesday, October 6, 15