In light of last week’s article, we want to highlight some additional schools that have a significant impact on LA’s tech landscape. If we’ve missed any schools or founders worth including let us know!

Image Source: LMU

Image Source: CSULB

California State University, Long Beach (CSULB)

CSULB plays a significant role in developing Long Beach's entrepreneurial ecosystem through various programs and resources. The Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (IIE) at CSULB serves as a central hub, offering initiatives like monthly Innovation Hours, a social justice entrepreneurship program, and the annual Sunstone Innovation Challenge with $50,000 in prizes. CSULB fosters innovation and entrepreneurship through:

• College of Business: Hosts the Apostle Enterprise Lab, a two-course entrepreneurship program open to all CSULB students, which includes participation in business ideation and innovation challenges.
• Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship: Collaborates with local organizations on initiatives like Launch Long Beach, Accelerate Uptown, and Black Business Strategies to support underrepresented entrepreneurs.
• Partnerships with Downtown Long Beach Alliance: provides programming and mentoring to foster innovation and entrepreneurship among students, faculty, staff, and the community.

Companies Founded by CSULB Alumni: Oculus VR and Anduril by Palmer Luckey (technically not an alumni because he dropped out before graduating), Dreamworks Animation by Steven Spielberg

Image Source: Claremont McKenna College

The Claremont Colleges

The Claremont Colleges serve as a significant source of talent for Los Angeles' tech and venture capital workforce, leveraging their strong academic programs and entrepreneurial resources. Harvey Mudd College, renowned for its exceptional engineering program, contributes a substantial number of highly skilled graduates to the tech sector. The consortium's collaborative approach to fostering innovation is exemplified by initiatives like:

• The HIVE: This hub enhances students' creative problem-solving skills through collaborative and interdisciplinary experiences.
• Claremont McKenna College's Silicon Valley Program: Offers students an immersive off-campus study experience that integrates internships, coursework, and networking opportunities in the heart of the tech industry, preparing them for careers in innovation and venture capital..
• The Makerspace at Harvey Mudd College: An 8,000 SF student-run facility that allows students to prototype and develop innovative ideas, fostering a hands-on approach.

Companies Founded by Claremont Alumni: TechCrunch by Michael Arrington (CMC), KKR by Henry Kravis (CMC) & George Roberts (CMC), Sun Basket by Adam Zbar (Pomona), GitHub by Tom Preston-Werner (technically not an alumni because he dropped out before graduating from Harvey Mudd)

Download the dot.LA App

🔦 Spotlight

Happy Friday Los Angeles!

Love.Life is a high-end, holistic health and wellness club recently opened in Los Angeles, founded by former Whole Foods Market executives John Mackey, Walter Robb, and Betsy Foster. The 45,000-square-foot facility combines advanced medical diagnostics, personalized fitness and nutrition plans, and rejuvenating therapies under one roof. Membership options range from $300 to $50,000 annually, offering services such as detailed health assessments, specialized treatments, and access to various wellness modalities including cryotherapy, red light therapy, and advanced fitness equipment. With autoimmune diseases on the rise, the club aims to provide a comprehensive health experience that blends Eastern and Western practices, with additional perks like an on-site café and pickleball courts. Love.Life's approach emphasizes preventive care and personalized health management, catering to individuals who are willing/able to invest significantly in their well-being.

In parallel to this trend towards high-end, integrated wellness solutions, Hello Cake, an LA-based sexual health startup, is making strides in addressing women's sexual dysfunction—a field where treatment options have been notably scarce. While erectile dysfunction has seen significant innovation for men, women’s sexual health remains inadequately addressed, despite the Cleveland Clinic's estimate that 43% of women experience sexual dysfunction compared to 31% of men (hello underserved market). Hello Cake is introducing two new prescription products: Libido Lift Rx, a dissolvable tablet featuring oxytocin, tadalafil, and L-citrulline, and O-Cream, a topical treatment containing sildenafil. Priced at $54 for six doses, these products aim to help women love life by tackling low libido, filling a significant gap in the market where female libido is often overlooked. Despite the lack of FDA approval for these specific uses and limited trials, Hello Cake seeks to provide a novel approach to a common, yet medically nebulous issue, highlighting a crucial area of unmet medical need. Given its vibrant health and wellness culture, LA provides an ideal backdrop for innovative health companies like Love.Life and Hello Cake to address emerging needs in a city that's both health-conscious and open to new wellness trends.

🤝 Venture Deals

LA Companies

• Sahara AI, a startup that operates a decentralized network that allows users to control, scale, and monetize their personal knowledge and copyrights using AI and blockchain technology, raised a $43M Funding Round co-led by Pantera Capital, Binance Labs, and Polychain Capital. - learn more

• Ambercycle, a maker of recycled polyester, raised a $10M Funding Round from Shinkong Synthetic Fibers. - learn more

• JetZero, a developer of blended-wing aircraft, raised funding from Alaska Airlines. - learn more

LA Venture Funds

• Hawke Ventures participated in a $4M Seed Round for Heatmap, a data analytics tool for e-commerce websites. - learn more

• 75 & Sunny participated in a $31M Series B for Setpoint, an infrastructure provider for the credit industry. - learn more

Download the dot.LA App

Los Angeles is a key center for tech and entrepreneurship, driven by its major universities. Caltech produced a “founding father” of artificial intelligence and USC's Viterbi School collaborates with industry and has produced companies like Riot Games.

Image Source: UCLA

Image Source: USC

University of Southern California (USC)

USC is another key player in developing LA's tech workforce offering numerous programs and resources for aspiring entrepreneurs, including the Viterbi Startup Garage, USC Stevens Center for Innovation, and the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, which provides over 68 entrepreneurship courses taught by 27 professors and practitioners.The university fosters innovation through:

• USC Marshall School of Business: Runs programs focused on entrepreneurship and innovation.
• USC Viterbi School of Engineering: Collaborates with industry partners on cutting-edge research and technology development.
• USC Stevens Center for Innovation: Helps commercialize USC research and supports faculty startups.

Image Source: CalTech

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

Caltech is a significant contributor to the tech talent pool in Los Angeles, producing around 600 graduates annually across various STEM fields, with a large portion likely in engineering disciplines. Additionally, Caltech alumni have founded 238 startup companies between 1995 and 2016, with 35% still active as of 2016, demonstrating the institution's strong support for entrepreneurship and innovation in the region. The university fosters innovation through:

• Caltech Entrepreneurs Club: This student-run organization aims to develop Caltech's startup ecosystem through educational speaker series, networking events, and collaboration with administration to establish a founder-friendly environment.
• Caltech Innovation Center: Provides startups with space to test, develop, grow, and commercialize deep technology ideas collaboratively.

Companies Founded by Caltech Alumni: Intel by Gordon Moore, Quora by Adam D’Angelo, and John McCarthy one of the “founding fathers” of Artificial Intelligence

Image Source: Pepperdine University

Pepperdine University

Pepperdine University contributes to Los Angeles' tech talent pool through its strong entrepreneurship programs and MBA offerings that emphasize innovation and startup development. 33% of its MBA students are actively working on startups during their studies and 85% are aspiring to start businesses

• Pepperdine Graziadio Business School: Offers entrepreneurship programs and hosts startup competitions.

Companies Founded by Pepperdine Alumni: Eventbrite by Julia Hartz

These universities are crucial in developing LA's tech talent pool, offering programs that bridge the gap between academia and industry. Their initiatives in entrepreneurship and partnerships with local startups are helping to create a robust tech ecosystem in Los Angeles.

Download the dot.LA App