LA Tech Cares Raises $200K for Back-to-School Fund

Bernard Mendez
Bernard Mendez is an editorial intern at dot.LA. He attends UCLA, where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics. Mendez was previously an editor at the Daily Bruin, the student newspaper at UCLA.
LA Tech Cares Raises $200K for Back-to-School Fund

Most of Los Angeles' youth spent a year learning online with little interaction with their teachers or their peers. As students ready to return to the classroom, one Los Angeles nonprofit — backed by some big names including director Stephen Spielberg, the Ballmer Group and the Broad Foundation along with local venture capitalists — is helping kids transition back into in-person learning.


The L.A. Education Recovery Fund is a philanthropic organization that has funded summer programs and will back after school programs run by dozens of L.A.-based nonprofits, including Woodcraft Rangers, LA's Best, the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club.

Over 30,000 children — largely from low-income neighborhoods — have participated in the summer school programs, which are held at around 500 LAUSD school sites that were reopened over the summer for the programs.

So far, the Fund has raised $10 million and is aiming to add additional programs in the fall. There are a number of players in the L.A. tech scene who are involved with the fund, thanks to a separate initiative, LA Tech Cares.

Run by a trio of VC partners, LA Tech Cares has raised $200,000 to donate to the L.A. Education Recovery Fund for summer school programs. LA Tech Cares 2021 is ultimately aiming to donate around $300,000.

Brett Brewer, the managing director of Crosscut Ventures and one of LA Tech Cares' founders, said he was inspired by the stark disparity in how local venture capitalists — which last quarter alone invested $8.5 billion — and vulnerable communities fared during the pandemic. The county has among the highest poverty rates in the state, data from the Public Policy Institute of California shows.

"Would it have been as easy to get LA Tech Cares off the ground if venture capitalists were struggling, if tech companies were struggling? The answer is probably no," he said. "I think because the venture capital community realizes that it has essentially benefited from a pandemic … It's made it much easier."

LA Tech Cares 2021 is also headed by Kwanza Jones, a co-founder of Supercharged, and Brian Lee, a co-founder of BAM Ventures.

The initiative started in 2020 after most schools transitioned to virtual education because of the COVID-19 pandemic, when it raised money to provide tablets to children at L.A. charter schools, where Brewer serves on the board.

"Last year was about connecting to technology," said Brewer. "This year is actually in some ways about the opposite — It's that these kids have been too removed, and it's almost a code red to get them together in person."

The Recovery Fund's programs, meanwhile, are aimed to help students transition back to in-person school after over a year of remote and hybrid learning, particularly for low-income students hardest hit by the pandemic.

"Our low income-kids depend on schools and nonprofit organizations for access to music and art and sports and creativity," said Marshall Tuck, the head of the recovery fund. "All those things got shut down over the last year."

"We think of recovery as it's not just about one summer or one year, this is several years to make up for what our kids lost," said Tuck.

For the nonprofits, the fund helped them return to in-person programs faster than they expected.

Woodcraft Rangers, a nonprofit that hosts summer day camps and afterschool programs for low income schools in Los Angeles, was one of dozens nonprofits that returned to in-person programs this summer thanks to funding from the L.A. Education Recovery Fund.

The program spent over a year in the pandemic providing mostly online services after shutting its programs down at the start of the pandemic. This summer, it hosted thousands of children at 28 sites.

"Kids are learning how to be kids again, they're learning how to be with their peers, they're learning how to be in our learning environment again," said Julee Brooks, the CEO of Woodcraft Rangers, which received around $100,000 from the fund. "For us, the most important thing this summer was to get kids back together."

"We are serving some of the communities that have been hardest hit during the pandemic, and our kids have been through a lot," Brooks said. "To bring them back with exciting programs and a chance to just play and find joy again was the absolute goal."

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Billion-Dollar Milestones and Snapchat’s New Features

🔦 Spotlight

Happy Friday Los Angeles!

This week’s spotlight showcases LA’s thriving tech scene, featuring Snapchat’s latest feature updates and two local startups Liquid Death and Altruist, making TechCrunch’s Unicorn List for 2024.

Image Source: Snap

Snapchat’s recent fall updates bring fresh features, including a new iPhone camera shortcut for instant snaps, Halloween-inspired AI-powered Lenses, and Bitmoji costumes inspired by Mean Girls and Yellowstone. Bitmoji stickers now reflect trending Gen-Z expressions like “slay” and heart symbols for added flair in chats. Plus, the “Footsteps” feature on Snap Map allows users to track their past adventures privately, adding a nostalgic touch.

Image Source: Liquid Death

ICYMI, two LA startups joined the Unicorn Club—achieving valuations over $1 billion. Liquid Death, based in Santa Monica, is a canned water company with edgy branding and a humorous sustainability focus. Known for viral marketing and brand partnerships, it redefines bottled water as a lifestyle brand and environmental statement. In March, Liquid Death closed $67 million in strategic financing, raising its total funding to over $267 million and valuing it at $1.4 billion.

Image Source: Altruist

Altruist, a Culver City-based fintech platform, offers financial advisors streamlined tools to better serve their clients. With a user-friendly investment and account management platform, Altruist has gained strong traction in the finance world. In May, it announced a $169 million Series E funding round, bringing its total funding to over $449 million and earning a valuation of $1.5 billion.

Together, Liquid Death and Altruist exemplify LA’s capacity for innovation across diverse sectors, from lifestyle branding to fintech. Whether reshaping financial tools or redefining sustainable branding, these companies showcase LA’s unique entrepreneurial spirit. Go LA!

Check out TechCrunch’s 2024 Unicorn List here. And don’t miss Snapchat’s latest features—perfect for adding some fun, connection and maybe a few selfies this weekend!


🤝 Venture Deals

LA Companies

  • Freeform, a company bringing AI to metal 3D printing, raised $14M in funding from NVIDIA’s NVentures and AE Ventures to further develop its AI-powered 3D printing technology for industrial-scale production. - learn more
LA Venture Funds
  • Anthos Capital participated in a $70M Series D round for Carbon Robotics, which develops AI-powered robotics for precision agriculture, and the funding will be used to accelerate the growth of its autonomous weeding technology. - learn more
  • Anthos Capital participated in a $3.5M seed round for Plasma Network, aimed at expanding access to USDT stablecoins on the Bitcoin network, with the investment supporting the network’s growth and efforts to enhance stablecoin accessibility through the Lightning Network. - learn more

LA Exits


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      ⚖️FTC’s "Click to Cancel" Rule and Its Ripple Effect on Tech

      🔦 Spotlight

      Happy Friday Los Angeles,

      The FTC’s new “Click to Cancel” rule is shaking up subscription-based tech. Now, instead of navigating a maze of cancellation hurdles, users can cancel subscriptions as easily as they signed up—with a single click. This shift is a wake-up call for SaaS, streaming, and app-based companies, where once-hidden exit options often kept users around simply because canceling was a hassle.

      The rule also requires businesses to send regular renewal reminders, ensuring customers stay informed about upcoming charges. It's more than a cancellation button—it’s about transparency and giving users control over their decisions.

      For startups, the impact goes deeper than UX adjustments. Many have relied on "dark patterns," which subtly discourage cancellations by hiding the exit. Now, companies must shift toward building genuine loyalty by delivering real value, not by complicating exits.

      While this might affect retention rates initially, it could lead to more sustainable business models that rely on satisfaction-driven loyalty. Investors may start prioritizing companies that emphasize transparent, long-term engagement over those that depend on dark patterns to maintain retention metrics.

      The rule opens the door to more ethical UX design and a truly user-centered approach across the tech industry. It may even set a precedent against manipulative design in other areas, such as privacy settings or payment methods.

      Ultimately, the “Click to Cancel” rule presents an opportunity for the tech industry to foster trust and build stronger customer relationships. Startups and established companies that embrace transparency will likely stand out as leaders in a new era of customer-centric tech, where trust—not tricky design—is what retains users.

      As the tech landscape continues to evolve, LA Tech Week 2024 offers a chance to explore these shifts in real-time. Check out the upcoming event lineups to stay informed and make the most of your time:

      For updates or more event information, visit the official Tech Week calendar.


      🤝 Venture Deals

      LA Companies

      • Ghost, a company supporting top brands and retailers with streamlined logistics and fulfillment solutions, raised a $40M Series C funding round led by L Catterton to fuel its continued growth and innovation. - learn more
      • Terray Therapeutics, a biotech company using generative AI to develop small-molecule therapeutics, raised $120M in a Series B funding round led by Bedford Ridge Capital and NVentures, to advance it’s internal programs to clinical trials and further develop its AI-driven platform, tNova. - learn more

      LA Venture Funds
      • Assembly Ventures participated in a $27M Series A round for Monogoto, a provider of software-defined connectivity solutions that enable secure, cloud-based IoT and cellular network management on a global scale. - learn more
      • Angeleno Group participated in a $32M Series C round for REsurety, a company that recently launched an innovative clean energy marketplace aimed at providing better financial and operational insights to support renewable energy transactions. - learn more

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        🌴🧑‍💻 Your Guide to LA Tech Week 2024

        🔦 Spotlight

        Happy Friday Los Angeles,

        As many of you know, LA Tech Week is right around the corner, kicking off next Monday October 14th bringing together founders, creatives, investors, and engineers for a week of immersive events, panels, and socials across the city. From blockchain and AI to biotech and design, LA Tech Week is a chance to dive into the ideas shaping today’s technology landscape.


        What to Look Forward To

        Insights from Visionary Leaders: Hear firsthand from industry trailblazers as they share stories, challenges, and key lessons from their experiences. Expect fresh perspectives on AI, venture capital, biotech, and the ethical questions around emerging technologies.

        Interactive Panels: This week isn’t about watching from the sidelines; it’s about engaging directly with the tech community. Participate in hands-on panels discussing everything from startup scaling to ethical AI, with honest insights from those actively shaping these fields.

        Networking Mixers & Social Events: Meet and connect with founders, VCs, developers, designers, and fellow techies across LA. Rooftop mixers, lunch meetups, and creative gatherings offer the perfect chance to spark ideas and collaborate.

        Plan your week with the daily lineup, organized by location for easy navigation:

        For updates or more event information, visit the official Tech Week calendar.

        Enjoy LA Tech Week 2024!!


        🤝 Venture Deals

        LA Companies

        • MeWe, a privacy-focused social media platform, has raised an initial $6M in Series B funding led by McCourt Global to support Web3 integration and expand its decentralized network for 20 millions users. - learn more

          LA Venture Funds
          • EGB Capital participated in a $10M Series A funding round for MiLaboratories, which develops software that enables biologists to independently analyze complex genomic data, accelerating research and discovery in fields like drug development. - learn more
          • Crosscut Ventures participated in the $13.75M seed round for Airloom Energy, a company focused on developing airborne wind energy technology to harness high-altitude winds, with plans to accelerate a pilot project in Wyoming. - learn more
          • Overture VC participated in a $5.5M Seed funding round for Molg Inc., a company developing robotics and software for circular manufacturing, designed to disassemble electronics efficiently and recover valuable materials to reduce e-waste and support sustainable production. - learn more


            LA Exits

            • Options MD, a Los Angeles based telemedicine platform that provides care for people suffering from severe and treatment-resistant mental illness, is set to be acquired by Resilience Lab, an AI-driven provider focused on enhancing mental health care access. - learn more

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