When it comes to booming American tech hubs, Los Angeles is definitely one of the areas that have gained a lot of ground over the years. This is driven by the fact that some of the most influential people in the tech industry have chosen to call Los Angeles home, whether it is Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon, or his former Paypal colleague Peter Thiel. Los Angeles companies have captured the interest and imaginations of many investors from all around the United States, whether it is in the social media domain with Snapchat, or with app-assisted meditation with Headspace.
The reason why the greater Los Angeles area has become so successful when it comes to new deals and successful startups is that it has all the right recipes for success. It is a metropolitan area that is a prime destination for talent, it has nice weather that makes it attractive for entrepreneurs and engineers to move to, and definitely does not have a scarcity of world-class colleges and universities that makes the constant churning out of excellent talent to be fairly consistent.
As with all booming tech hubs, the one common denominator is always the presence of VC companies. Here are some of the top LA venture capital firms that have contributed to it becoming one of America’s great startup cities.
Upfront Ventures
The thing to admire about Upfront Ventures is that they are true pioneers of venture capital in the greater Los Angeles area. They set up shop back in 1996 when the startup scene in Los Angeles absolutely paled in comparison with its Northern California counterpart, the renowned startup ecosystem of Silicon Valley.
Now Upfront Ventures has one of the best portfolios among all VC firms in the area, with more than $700 million in funding allocated to 42 companies, the vast majority of which are headquartered in the area.
Tech Coast Angels
Tech Coast Angels — even the name of the firm radiates true Angelino vibes. Much like Upfront Ventures, Tech Coast Angels is a true pioneer in Los Angeles venture capital having been founded just one year after Upfront Ventures in 1997. Since then, the firm has become not only one of the leading early seed-stage funding sources in Los Angeles but one of the largest investment firms in the United States of America. Some of the most notable companies that it has given seed funding to are Ranker, Portfolium, and Twigtale.
Messier 13
True to its name — Messier 13 is a venture capital business that wants to create a cluster of star startup companies in Los Angeles. One of the things that makes Messier 13 unique is its belief that they are not just investing in companies, they are making a wider impact and that the sum of every part is always greater than the individual pieces.
Some of the most notable companies in M13’s start-studded portfolio include Pinterest, Lyft, Snapchat, Ring, and even SpaceX.
Not only are the companies on this list doing phenomenal things for their bottom line, but they are also making a huge impact throughout Los Angeles and even the world. There is much talk about a potential exodus of tech talent, startups, and venture capital from the state of California, but these claims are largely blown out of proportion. The most important thing to consider is that just as long as venture capital investment still flows like water in the area, there is no reason why it would lose out on other places. One can certainly say that the gold rush is not stopping any time soon — in the Golden State.
