🤩 Upfront 2024: The stars were out at venture's glitziest event of the year
Christian Hetrick is dot.LA's Entertainment Tech Reporter. He was formerly a business reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and reported on New Jersey politics for the Observer and the Press of Atlantic City.
🔦 Spotlight
Every year, stars from Silicon Valley and Hollywood descend on LA-based Upfront Ventures’ annual Upfront Summit. This year was no exception. For the last two days, Upfront hosted over 1,000 attendees and dozens of speakers at the Lot at Formosa in West Hollywood, bringing together the who’s who of entertainment and technology for networking and panel discussions.
This year, panelists ranged from Hollywood celebs Lady Gaga, Cameron Diaz, and Katy Perry, to star athletes Novak Djokovic and Blake Griffin, to tech heavyweights like Chris Dixon of a16z, Keith Rabois of Khosla Ventures, and Trae Stephens of Anduril and Founders Fund.
Each panelist (even the Hollywood stars) brought his or her own take on entrepreneurship to the table - for example, Katy Perry gave an inside look at her role at non-alcoholic aperitif company De Soi (“COO - Chief Opinion Officer”) and poured a few glasses for lucky members of the audience.
Novak Djokovic gave the audience an inside look at his Regenesis Pod, which features everything from infrared heating to sound therapy to “crystals” to promote recovery. Not sure if the scientific consensus is aligned to the healing benefits of the pod, but who are we to argue with Novak’s success?
A few other highlights included Costa Mesa-based Anduril’s intimidating and impressive sizzle reel that could have been pulled out of 2008’s Iron Man, and a lively discussion from DC insiders on the upcoming 2024 election, which moderator Brian Goldsmith kicked off with a perfectly sarcastic “who’s excited for a Biden v. Trump rematch this year!?”
After a long two days of networking and hearing from the star-studded speaker lineup, the attendees finished the night off with a rooftop party overlooking the city, complete with hors d’oeuvres, a DJ set, and an amazing view of the city we call home.
Another year of the best party in venture capital - cheers to the team at Upfront and to Upfront Managing Partner and summit maestro, Mark Suster.
🤝 Venture Deals
LA Companies
- Passes, an LA-based creator platform for "super fans," raised $40M Series A. Bond led, and was joined by Abstract Ventures, Michael Ovitz's Crossbeam Ventures and SKIMS co-founders Emma and Jens Grede. - learn more
- Pelage Pharmaceuticals, an LA-based developer of hair loss treatments, raised nearly $17M Series A. GV led, and was joined by Main Street Advisors, Visionary Ventures, and YK BioVentures. - learn more
- Northwood Space, a one-year-old El Segundo, Ca., startup co-founded by a former Disney Channel star that sells hardware and services to improve the reliability and scalability of satellite communication networks, raised a $6M Seed Round from Founders Fund, Andreessen Horowitz, and Also Capital. - learn more
LA Venture Funds
- Clocktower Ventures participated in a $20M Series B for Helcim, a Canadian payment processing startup. - learn more
- BAM Ventures participated in a $5M Seed Round for Sway, an SF-based developer of biodegradable alternatives to plastic. - learn more
Christian Hetrick is dot.LA's Entertainment Tech Reporter. He was formerly a business reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and reported on New Jersey politics for the Observer and the Press of Atlantic City.
