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- 🌴 New event with Emerging LA x AI LA next week - 300+ signed up!!
🌴 New event with Emerging LA x AI LA next week - 300+ signed up!!
Sign up for the LA Founder & Investors event, 300+ signed up, 2 VIP mystery guests on panel, hosted by Emerging LA, AI LA, and Stanford Angels, spotlight on Boyoung Kim investor at Griffin Gaming Partners, Pitch Global and LA Tribune, Carta shuts down secondary markets, LA-based Hyperlink Ventures raises $32M Fund I
Brandon Hoffman
January 10, 2024
Welcome to this week’s edition of Emerging LA!
For those who don’t yet know me – hello! 👋
I'm Brandon, the founder of Emerging LA. I grew up in Southern California, and after stints in New York and Silicon Valley, I was excited to return in 2019 and settle in Los Angeles.
My vision for Emerging LA is to be an IRL-focused community that brings founders, investors, and operators together to unlock the full potential of LA’s emerging tech ecosystem.
In this edition, you'll find my picks of the week, including:
Featured event to attend
Spotlighted member to meet
News headline to read
Social post to follow
Deal announcement to know
Emerging LA is more than just a newsletter; it's a community platform where ideas meet opportunity. Don’t hesitate to reach out!
Reach out if you want to attend an event, and I will always do what I can depending on capacity.
Reach out if you are excited to get involved and help shape the narrative of our LA’s tech ecosystem.
Hope to see you soon! 🌴
📆 Event of the Week
Where you meet other amazing people!
LA Founders and Investors by Emerging LA, AI LA, Sunset Ventures, and Stanford Angels of SoCal (sign up)
01/17/24 Wednesday at 5-8p (Santa Monica) - LA Founders and Investors. Over 300+ signed up and 2 mystery VIPs to speak!
Join us for our first event of 2024 to bring together founders and investors in LA! Hosted by AI LA, Emerging LA, and Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs.
There are already 300+ people signed up, and 2 mystery VIP guests will soon be revealed to give a talk to the crowd.
Hints: One is a legendary LA investor with a fund based in LA, and the other is a legendary LA founder with a $1B+ exit. 😎😎
👉 This is an invite-only event; please sign up here!
OFFER: If you are a subscriber and aren’t accepted to the event by Monday 1/15, reply to me directly so we can make sure you get on the list!
Other events to consider
01/11/24 Thursday at 7pm (Santa Monica) - 2nd Annual NYC in LA Skate Social: Glide into the new year at the 2nd Annual NYC in LA Skate Social! A night of icy fun and friendly faces. Co-hosted by Daniel Zahler and Peter Darrow. (sign up link)
01/11/24 Thursday at 7pm (Beverly Hills) - mysha LA Community Dinner: A dinner that will leave you feeling elevated and connected to yourself and your community. Hosted by mysha Community Events. (sign up link)
🤩 Spotlight of the Week
The VCs, founders, and leaders you should know!
Boyoung Kim, Investor at Griffin Gaming Partners
Boyoung Kim is an Investor at Griffin Gaming Partners, a venture capital firm focused on the gaming industry. She has a background in equity research, covering the software and telecom sectors, and has previously worked at Citi and Bloomberg.
At Griffin Gaming Partners, Boyoung is part of a team that actively supports diversity and inclusion, with nearly 30% of the firm's investments going to women-run game startups.
She is involved in organizing events and fostering a community of mutual support for women in the gaming industry.
Boyoung has also been featured in Business Insider’s “ 66 Rising Stars of VC in 2023”.
🔎 Headline of the Week
An industry news story you should read!
Pitch Global's Impactful Journey: Connecting Startups with Top Investors
Pitch Global, led by Kaustav Chaudhuri (KC) in Silicon Valley, has raised over $1 billion for mentored entrepreneurs.
They are affiliated with California's economic development office, significantly impacting the economy and funding.
Predicting the rise of Corporate Venture Capitalists, Pitch Global has built a robust CVC network.
They've hosted impactful Climate Tech and Deep Tech events with global investor participation.
Success stories include startups like Earthgrid and Telemetrak, demonstrating effective fundraising and mentorship.
For 2024, they plan to partner with the Alliance Indus Foundation for global summits and continue their signature funding events.
📣 Post of the Week
A post on social media you should follow!
Carta Shuts Down Secondary Trading Operations To Regain Trust of Founders
Carta is closing its liquidity services business, which deals with private company stock trading.
The closure followed a controversy involving inappropriate access to confidential data by a Carta salesperson.
CEO Henry Ward emphasized the importance of trust over business expansion.
Carta, with a valuation of $8.5 billion, recognized the conflict in being both a database and a marketplace.
The secondary trading business was relatively small, generating $3 million annually, compared to much larger revenues from other services.
The decision aims to eliminate concerns about potential conflicts of interest and maintain trust with founders.
Refer to my previous post and comment on what your thoughts are!
🤝 Deal of the Week
A new startup fundraise, VC fund launch, or business partnership you must know!
Hyperlink Ventures Launches Oversubscribed $32M Debut Fund
Hyperlink Ventures a new venture capital firm founded by Eli Cole, Sarosh Adi, and Piran Adi, recently announced the successful closure of its first fund, amassing $32 million, which was higher than initially targeted.
The fund will focus on software companies at the Series A and Series B stages.
“We founded Hyperlink to do things a bit differently than most other venture firms… Instead of providing intangible advice and expertise to founders, we prefer to leverage our tangible resources to help our portfolio companies engage with marquee customers and key engineering hires.”
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