Troy Carter’s ATOM FACTORY recently announced dates for Season Two of its SMASHD LABS Accelerator Program; applications are now being accepted until June 5. Up to seven companies will be selected for this year’s program, which launches right after Labor Day, and wraps in the middle of November. SMASHD’s first Cohort brought four early-stage + one mature company into the fold: Sidestep:…
With a passion and a mission to bring happiness to the world, Venice-based meditation app HEADSPACE describes itself as a “gym membership of the mind.” and is on a mission to demystify meditation. And with a recent $34 million raise, the company plans on expanding minds and soothing souls with a lot more muscle. Having largely built its following through key partnerships,…
Disney Accelerator will soon host this year’s portfolio companies’ Demo Day in October, capping a 13-week accelerator program that started in early July. We recently caught up with Managing Director Cody Simms, who filled us in on the progress: Congrats on the new batch! How go things so far?We have a great class of ten technology startups working in the media and…
Anybody traveling these days knows what a pain in the ass flying commercial can be. The whole process of getting to the airport way in advance of your flight, just to wait forever to get through security and then deal with delays, and too many other people, can be a bit much. And for business travelers hopping back & forth between Silicon…
WAIT, WHAT! It’s no secret that Buzzfeed has ambitions far beyond quizzes and listicles, as evidenced by their $50 million raise back in August, valuing the company north of $800 million. But it was a real shocker to see a very public movie studio space built out of the abandoned Big Lots store just south of the ArcLight, at Vine & Homewood.…
This morning’s Wall Street Journal reports that YouTube has approached top onscreen talent with bonuses in order to keep them posting to the service. The bonuses come in response to heavy wooing for exclusive windows by upcoming services like Vessel (flush with $75 million in funding and run by former Hulu exec Jason Killar). Facebook is making more nuanced overtures by meeting…
In yet another sign of peak video, COLLEGE HUMOR owner IAC (home to Tinder and many other online faves) is seeking a buyer to the tune of $100 million. This is just part of the cycle, in which early pioneers of the space seek an exit after spending millions of dollars over the past decade to build a site heavy with content…
Looks like another great week of events as we head towards the holidays, a great mix of merriment & science, including: SMCLA Annual Holiday Celebration Fireside Chat with Jeremy Liew LA Tech Rise Holiday Party / Table Tennis Tourney STEM in LA Holiday Meetup @ Two Bit Circus NextSpace Happy Hour (NvVB) LA Venture Association (LAVA) Holiday Party HOOKED: Conversation b/t Keith…