by Brian Solis
Good friend Brian Deagon of Investors Business Daily wrote two stories that are currently online and will also appear in the Monday edition of the paper. I hear that one of my pictures from the recent, inaugural DealMaker L.A. event is included in the lead story. I’m curious to know which one he chose.
Here are the links:
Networking Groups Aim to Turn L.A. into Technology Star
Hip Techies Dig Scene in West L.A.
He documents the resurgence of tech in the Los Angeles area and also created a very cool map showing of some of the bigger companies in tech. On a side note, I challenge someone to take the time to make a map showing all of the Web 2.0 and media startups in L.A. I bet that map would become the pillar for all discussions around emerging tech in Southern California.
Deagon credits much of L.A.’s tech renaissance to Silicon Valley, “Entrepreneurial networking is starting to percolate in Los Angeles — stirred by some veteran networkers from the north. At least 10 groups, most of them for-profit companies, that routinely hold events in Silicon Valley have recently started holding similar events in L.A. They include Dealmaker Media, Lunch 2.0, TwiistUp and GeekDinner.”
It’s true. I grew up in the Los Angeles area and I’ve made it a personal goal to spotlight tech and the entrepreneurs behind the innovation. I’ve aligned with great people such as Terry Chay of Lunch 2.0, Debbie Landa of Dealmaker Media, Mike Macadaan of Twiistup, Nicole Jordan of Clearstone, Mike Jones of UserPlane, Noah Kagan of Community Next, Patricia Handschiegel of StyleHive, among many, many others.
Deagon highlights, “Among the largest employers in the 85,000 population city are Activision, (ATVI) MTV Networks, Symantec, (SYMC) Edmunds.com, Yahoo (YHOO) and Google (GOOG). Roots have also been planted by Time Warner’s (TWX) AOL, Microsoft, (MSFT) HBO, Sony, (SNE) Lionsgate Entertainment (LGF) and News Corp.’s (NWS) 20th Century Fox.
According to the Santa Monica Business Directory, more than 140 tech companies have a business license from the city, an area of just eight square miles.
This does not include a bushel of tech firms just outside the city limits, many along Wilshire Boulevard, which runs into a shoreline overlooking the popular Santa Monica Pier. Electronic Arts (ERTS) occupies a two-story building six miles up the coast, with room for 600 people. Yahoo leased 256,000 square feet of space in a business complex that was renamed Yahoo Center.”
For more info on the tech scene in Southern California, bookmark SoCal Tech.
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{ 3 comments }
I’m humbled that you consider me a “great person.”
I went to college in Los Angeles also. Though I haven’t been there recently (it’s been a “flyover city” of late), I miss it and it’s really exciting seeing what Andrew Warner, Heather Schlegel, and others have done bringing tech and social to Southern California.
Great job!
How fantastic! I know for a fact that Brian Deagon took a long time to think and research these stories before writing them. He personally knows a lot of people he interviewed and spent time at numerous events hearing people’s opinions. Thanks Brian! See everyone at BarCamp LA this weekend (where I’ll be hanging out catching up on all those backlogged Bub.blicio.us posts I owe Brian.
For what it’s worth, we have a Google Maps mashup showing recently funded technology (not just Web 2.0 and media startups) in all of Southern California here:
http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/map/
You can filter the map down, however the Web/media firms are split (in our categories) between Internet Services/Content/Software.
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