20 LA Tech and Startup Leaders and Thinkers to Follow on Twitter

Luis Gomez

Luis Gomez is dot.LA's Engagement Editor. Prior to joining the dot.LA team, he served as the audience growth consultant for Capital & Main. He has also previously worked as a digital producer for The San Diego Union-Tribune, NPR affiliate KPCC in Los Angeles and Yahoo. Follow him on Twitter at @RunGomez.

20 LA Tech and Startup Leaders and Thinkers to Follow on Twitter
Photo by Sara Kurfeß on Unsplash

Whether you’re a venture capitalist, angel investor, founder, influencer or simply someone who wants to learn from some of the most influential individuals in the tech and startup scene, social media can offer a gateway into the ideas shaping the local landscape.

We’ve done our best this year to follow the ideas and big moves in L.A.’s startup scene by following influential local thinkers on Twitter, who often blast out their ideas using the hashtag #LongLA.

We’ve put together this list of 20 influential and diverse voices in social media who are worth following. Have a look. Anyone we’re missing? Let us know!

Anna Barber (@annawbarber)

Anna Barber (@annawbarber) | Twitter

Investing partner at M13, partner at the Fund LA, and former managing director of Techstars LA.

Mark Suster (@msuster)

Partner at Upfront Ventures and former vice president of Salesforce.

Miki Reynolds (@mikster)

CEO at Grid110 and partner at Republic.

Shiloh Johnson (@shilohajohnson)

Shiloh Johnson (@shilohajohnson) | Twitter

CEO and founder at ComplYant App.

Gregorio Rojas (@g8rojas)

Gregorio Rojas (@g8rojas) | Twitter

Co-Founder and CTO at Sabio.

David J. Whelan (@djwhelan)

David J. Whelan (@djwhelan) | Twitter

CEO of BioscienceLA.

Isai Bismark Cortez (@IsaiBCortez)

Isai (@IsaiBCortez) | Twitter

Tax Lawyer and Founder of Synkbooks.

Miles Montes 🐶 (@MilesNextDoor)

Miles Montes \ud83d\udc36 (@MilesNextDoor) | Twitter

CPO and co-founder of Docspace.

Ross Felix (@DatingRev)

Business Analyst at Novocardia.

Qiana Patterson (@Q_i_a_n_a) 

Qiana Patterson (@Q_i_a_n_a) | Twitter

General Partner at Tamaa Capital, Chair of Pledge LA at Annenberg Foundation and Advisor and Investor at Cap Table Coalition.

Andrew Chau (@chaumeleon)

AC (@chaumeleon) | Twitter

CEO and co-founder at Boba Guys Inc. and co-founder at Tea People USA.

Liliana Aidé Monge (@mongeliliana) 

Liliana Aid\u00e9 Monge (@mongeliliana) | Twitter

Co-founder and CEO of Sabio.

Arlan Hamilton 👊🏾 (@ArlanWasHere) 

Arlan \ud83d\udc4a\ud83c\udffe (@ArlanWasHere) | Twitter

Managing partner at Backstage Capital.

Josh Ogundu (@JoshuaOgundu)

Josh (@JoshuaOgundu) | Twitter

CEO of Heart to Heart, an audio first dating app.

Greg Bettinelli (@gregbettinelli)

Greg Bettinelli (@gregbettinelli) | Twitter

Partner at Upfront Ventures and co-founder of MuckerLab.

Andrew Chen (@andrewchen)

andrewchen.eth (@andrewchen) | Twitter

Partner at Andreessen Horowitz.

Rob Ryan (@IAmRobRyan)

Founder of GrowthHax.

Trish Halamandaris (@THalamandaris)

Trish Halamandaris (@THalamandaris) | Twitter

Director of the Venture Accelerator at UCLA School of Management.

Peter Pham (@peterpham) 

Peter Pham (@peterpham) | Twitter

Co-founder @scienceinc startup studio/incubator.

🎬 Paramount and Skydance Are Back On
Image Source: Paramount

Happy Friday Los Angeles! Hope you all had a fantastic Fourth!!

🔦 Spotlight

Paramount and Skydance Media have rekindled talks to merge after negotiations abruptly halted in June. The proposed deal, contingent on approval from Paramount’s board, aims to combine Paramount’s extensive media holdings—including CBS, MTV, and Nickelodeon—with Skydance’s film expertise showcased in hits like "Top Gun: Maverick." This merger signals a potential transformation in the media landscape, positioning the new entity to compete more effectively amid challenges from streaming services and the decline of traditional cable TV.

Led by Shari Redstone, Paramount’s controlling shareholder via National Amusements, the deal represents a pivot towards revitalizing Paramount’s strategic direction amidst financial struggles and shareholder concerns. The involvement of major investors like RedBird Capital Partners and David Ellison underscores the financial backing aimed at stabilizing Paramount’s operations and addressing its $14 billion debt burden. Importantly, the agreement includes provisions to protect National Amusements from potential legal challenges, addressing previous hurdles that stalled earlier negotiations.

The deal also includes a 45-day period for Paramount to explore alternative offers, highlighting continued interest from other potential buyers like Barry Diller’s IAC and media executive Edgar Bronfman Jr. This flurry of activity underscores the significant stakeholders’ interest in Paramount’s future and its potential as a key player in a rapidly evolving media industry.


🤝 Venture Deals

LA Companies

  • Sidecar Health, a startup that offers personalized health insurance plans to businesses that allow members to see any doctor and pay directly at the time of service, raised a $165M Series D led by Koch Disruptive Technologies. - learn more

LA Venture Funds


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😊🚘 Rivian's $5 Billion Lifeline

🔦 Spotlight

Volkswagen announced on Tuesday a significant investment of up to $5 billion in Rivian, a struggling electric truck manufacturer known for its vehicles' distinctive smiley-face design reminiscent of Volkswagen's iconic Beetle. This partnership marks a unique collaboration between the world's second-largest automaker and a startup grappling with profitability challenges akin to those faced by Tesla. Volkswagen's infusion of $1 billion initially, potentially rising to $5 billion pending regulatory approval, underscores its strategic pivot towards enhancing its electric vehicle (EV) software capabilities, an area where analysts believe the company has lagged.

For Rivian, which has received acclaim for its electric trucks and SUVs but struggles with production ramp-up and financial losses, the investment offers crucial financial backing. The company plans to utilize Volkswagen's expertise in manufacturing, leveraging the German automaker's annual production of nearly 10 million vehicles. This alliance aims to bolster Rivian's efforts to launch new models like the R2 midsize SUV and complete its Georgia factory, paused earlier this year to conserve funds. Rivian's stock surged upwards of 40% following the announcement, reflecting investor optimism in the company's future prospects.

Despite their differing corporate cultures—Volkswagen's traditional, structured approach contrasted with Rivian's agile tech startup ethos—the CEOs of both companies expressed mutual admiration and shared goals during the partnership announcement. The collaboration is expected to yield EV software solutions benefiting Volkswagen's various brands, potentially including Audi and Porsche, while allowing Rivian to maintain its brand identity and separate vehicle marketing strategies. This strategic partnership between Volkswagen and Rivian not only promises to revolutionize the electric vehicle market but also highlights the potential for collaboration between established automakers and innovative startups in Southern California, where Rivian is based. Here’s to hoping these smiling cars will balance out some of the inevitable LA road rage.

🤝 Venture Deals

LA Companies

  • HeyGen, a startup that allows users to generate videos with AI-created avatars that can lip-sync to provided audio, making it easier for businesses to create engaging video content, raised a $60M Funding Round at a $500M post-money valuation. The deal was led by Benchmark, with Conviction, Thrive Capital, and Bond Capital also stepping up. - learn more
  • Pomerium, a startup that provides a secure access platform that dynamically verifies user identities to ensure authorized access to applications and services, raised a $13.8M Series A round led by Benchmark and including previous investors Bain Capital, Haystack, and SNR. - learn more
  • Etched, a maker of transformer-specialized AI chips, raised a $120M Funding Round. - learn more
  • Rocketlane, a customer onboarding platform, raised a $24M Series B co-led by 8VC, Matrix Partners India, and Nexus Venture Partners. - learn more
  • Sift, a developer of unified observability solutions for hardware sensor data, raised a $17.5M Series A led by GV. - learn more
  • LOST iN, a travel media brand, raised a $4M Seed Round led by MaC Venture Capital. - learn more

LA Venture Funds


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