LA Tech Updates: Open Raven On a Hiring Spree, Tinder's Pandemic Dating Feature
Tami Abdollah
andTami Abdollah is dot.LA's senior technology reporter. She was previously a national security and cybersecurity reporter for The Associated Press in Washington, D.C. She's been a reporter for the AP in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times and for L.A.'s NPR affiliate KPCC. Abdollah spent nearly a year in Iraq as a U.S. government contractor. A native Angeleno, she's traveled the world on $5 a day, taught trad climbing safety classes and is an avid mountaineer. Follow her on Twitter.
Francesca Billington
Francesca Billington is a dot.LA editorial intern. She's previously reported for KCRW, the Santa Monica Daily Press and local publications in New Jersey. Before joining dot.LA, she was a communications fellow at an environmental science research center in Sri Lanka. She graduated from Princeton in 2019 with a degree in anthropology.
Here are the latest updates on news affecting Los Angeles' startup and tech communities. Sign up for our newsletter and follow dot.LA on Twitter for more.
Today:
- Open Raven Adds Three Cloud and Security Veterans to its Team
- Tinder Tests Video Feature for Pandemic Dating
Open Raven Adds Three Cloud and Security Veterans to its Team
Open Raven, a Los Angeles-based company that offers a cloud data security platform, said Thursday that it has expanded its leadership team to include three new cloud and security industry veterans. The move comes weeks after the company announced its second major round of funding.
Rob Markovich joins the company as its new chief marketing officer from his prior role as chief marketing officer at Wavefront. Alan Buckley has been hired as the senior vice president of sales, finance and operations, from his prior role as the business operations lead at Tanium. Bill Hau will be the new vice president of customer success. Hau has more than 20 years of offensive and defensive cybersecurity operations experience and previously worked at companies including Cylance, Mandiant/FireEye, IBM and McAfee.
Their hire follows Open Raven's raise of a $15 million Series A round this June — four months after it emerged from stealth to announce seed funding. The round was led by Kleiner Perkins as well as existing investors like Upfront Ventures, bringing its total capital raised to $19.1 million.__
Do you have a story that needs to be told? My DMs are open on Twitter @latams. You can also email me at tami(at)dot.la, or ask for my Signal.
Tinder Tests Video Feature for Pandemic Dating
As COVID puts a pause on dating for many singles, Tinder has rolled out a new video chat feature. The dating app announced Wednesday that users in 13 countries, including four U.S. states, can now try out "Face to Face."
This is part of Tinder's big sell on a feature Bumble launched last year that has become popular. The video calls "prioritize control and comfort" by prompting users to agree to a set of ground rules (keeping the interaction PG) and letting them disable the video feature at any point. You're also able to leave a report once the video ends.
"We're looking to better understand how video chat fits in with the overall journey of getting to know someone new," Tinder spokesperson Evan Bonnstetter explained in an email.
Users in Virginia, Illinois, Georgia and Colorado can meet their matches face-to-face. But the feeling has to be mutual — both parties need to opt-in before the chat switches to a split-screen video call.
Like Snapchat, the appeal of talking on dating apps lies in anonymity, for some. Plus, chatting on an app relieves the stress of giving out personal information.
As stay-at-home orders remain in place, virtual dates have become default. Will this last? A Tinder survey of users found that over half of its U.S. users have used the video date function with a match in the past month. Plus, 40% of Gen Z members surveyed who tried video dating said they'd continue using the feature "as a way to decide whether to meet IRL (in real life) in the future — even once their favorite date spot is open again."
Launched in 2012, Tinder, now boasting over 60 million subscribers, is available in 190 countries and over 40 languages.
From Your Site Articles
- Open Raven Raises $15M to Keep Data Secure in the Cloud - dot.LA ›
- Open Raven Data Security Firm Raises $4.1 Million - dot.LA ›
Related Articles Around the Web
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California is the world's largest legal pot market, generating nearly $3.1 billion in spending in the Golden State alone. But cannabis-related businesses in the U.S. live in a legal-limbo, operating in this strange gray area between federal laws that make marijuana illegal and states that have decriminalized its use and sale entirely. This has led to sometimes difficult choices, workarounds and issues with which the cannabis and cannabis-linked companies are forced to contend.
dot.LA dove into this tenuous landscape during a virtual panel discussion on Tuesday with experts in cannabis compliance and legal issues, asking them: Is the green rush over? The consensus seemed to be that no, it isn't, but this first wave of "reckless money," likely is.
<p>Tuesday's conversation on the current state and future of California's marijuana marketplace capped off the conclusion of <a href="https://dot.la/genius-fund-collapse-2646865907.html" target="_self">dot.LA's five-part investigative series</a> examining the rapid rise and rapid fall of L.A.-based Genius Fund, a one-time $164 million cannabis company. Today that <a href="https://dot.la/genius-fund-collapse-2646865907.html" target="_self">money is gone and their Russian oligarch investor is dead</a>.</p><p>"There was some irrational exuberance at the beginning of this, of where the money might be, and everybody kind of had their own product or their own brand and own hype," said Andrew Freedman, senior vice president at Forbes Tate Partners, who served as Colorado's first director of cannabis coordination. People were "getting money from places that either maybe weren't the most legitimate or were just people who were just way too excited, before knowing if there was a business plan there."</p><p>Part of the problem is the illicit market is "an absolute monster" at three times the size of the licensed market in California, said Brad Rowe, a public policy lecturer at University of California, Los Angeles, who is an expert on cannabis legalization issues and is currently working with municipalities across California on cannabis compliance issues.</p><p>"The first wave was a lot of excited money, but not necessarily well informed money," said Tanya Hoke, a managing director of Galen Diligence, who advises investors in the cannabis industry on issues related to fraud and compliance. "There wasn't sufficient sort of appreciation for the complexity of operating successfully in this space."</p><p>"If we want to prioritize overcoming the illicit market and reinvesting in communities, that doesn't happen automatically just when we legalize," Hoke said. "I think the difficult work of grappling with that can happen now that there's a little more space and the first wave has sort of pulled out."</p><p>Freedman said there are many big opportunities for what could ultimately be a $60 to $900 billion U.S. industry and potentially a $300 billion global industry, noting that "that money's still there."</p><p>"There were a lot of people that wanted to make money very quickly. Some of them did, but a lot of them lost money for a lot of people," Freedman said. "So it's time for a deep breath and to take this knowing that this is gonna be a very difficult place to make that kind of money."</p><p>Rowe said he is bullish long term, "this will be a footnote in history, a tumultuous one for sure."</p><p>Part of it requires firms and companies to pay attention to more than just grabbing market share and throwing money at stuff, Rowe said. The cannabis market is unique in its own way, and investors and founders need to be aware of that, and need to be ready to not rely on federal support. The COVID-19 pandemic has crystallized that, as none of that federal aid available to businesses can go to cannabis businesses, Hoke said.</p><p>So too, are other issues like not being able to access a bank account, working in all cash, very "onerous federal income tax liabilities," and not being able to seek bankruptcy in federal court, which more than arrests, indictments or raids, become "day-to-day pain points of running a business without access to those traditional and necessary resources to keep the business alive and thriving," said Hilary Bricken, a partner with Harris Bricken, who has heavily focused on the cannabis industry.</p><p>She added: "I think investors and entrepreneurs forget these are democratic experiences that are federally illegal. As far as the feds are concerned, they don't care if we all crash and burn and these things fail entirely. And that is a really tough tension to deal with as an institutional investor or an entrepreneur, when you're very used to being able to get a bank account, having equitable taxation and just the normal business opportunities that come with a normal emerging market. But this is not that."</p><p>For more from the virtual panel, including a discussion on the money that the industry has attracted and social equity issues, tune into the video.</p><p>__</p><p><em>Do you have a story that needs to be told? My DMs are open on Twitter </em><a href="https://twitter.com/latams" target="_blank"><em>@latams</em></a><em>. You can also email me at </em><em>tami(at)dot.la</em><em>, or ask for my contact on Signal, for more secure and private communications.</em></p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bbad2dab317f88ec7bd3adca5f12a6aa"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bQZFI9dDAjU?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">dot.LA Strategy Session: Is the Green Rush Over?</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQZFI9dDAjU" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
</small>
</p><p><br/></p><h2>About the Speakers:</h2>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUzOTMzOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMjIxMzg0MH0.sxY7F9La9b4lWAmuRG6gaXIHnOO2XlC8TwPP3JtPwkg/image.jpg?width=980" id="ff042" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="443989d3476f0d0392a96d9ff4bf8d79" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Hilary Bricken, Partner of Harris Bricken
Hilary Bricken, Partner of Harris Bricken
<p>Since joining Harris Bricken in 2010, Hilary has earned a reputation as an exceptional and fearless business law attorney. Hilary's clients—start-ups, entrepreneurs, and companies in all stages of development—value her bold approach to business strategy. Hilary also appears before city councils and community forums, where she advocates tirelessly for her clients.</p><p>In 2017, the American Bar Association (ABA) named Hilary one of the <a href="https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2017/07/aba_young_lawyersdi/" target="_blank">top 40 young lawyers</a> nationwide and before that <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2013/12/14/newsmakers-of-2013-deal-makers.html" target="_blank">The Puget Sound Business Journal</a> named her as one of only seven deal makers of the year. She was by far the youngest and the only private practice attorney to garner this honor. Hilary was also named one of "<a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/print-edition/2015/09/11/2015-40-under-40-hilary-bricken.html" target="_blank">40 Under 40</a>" leading businesspeople by the PS Business Journal. In every year since 2014, Hilary has been chosen as a "Rising Star" lawyer by Super Lawyer's magazine.</p><p>Major media outlets like the New York Times, VICE, the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Business Insider, CNN, Rolling Stone, Forbes, MSNBC, and Bloomberg all have turned to Hilary for her on-the-ground perspective on cannabis laws. Hilary's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M4Fse1Ioaw" target="_blank">Tedx talk</a> on "big cannabis" (see below) has garnered more than 50,000 views and she also authors a weekly column for <a href="https://abovethelaw.com/tag/hilary-bricken/" target="_blank">Above the Law </a>on marijuana policy and regulation.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUzNzY2Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MTYyNjgzN30.TfraGId_xQs6Ca0tKCZyfoCgj4GPzIaKds12KdW8WBw/image.jpg?width=980" id="a32f4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6bc38cf57d2b9b45ac76c264e04f4175" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Tanya Hoke, Managing Director of Galen Diligence
Tanya Hoke, Managing Director of Galen Diligence
<p>Tanya has more than a dozen years of experience managing investigative due diligence for clients in industries ranging from pharmaceuticals and manufacturing to financial services and consulting. She has been advising investors in the cannabis industry since 2015, and focuses on issues relating to fraud, money-laundering, compliance, and corporate governance. Tanya is a Certified Fraud Examiner, a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist, and a licensed private investigator. She has served on the National Cannabis Industry Association's Banking & Financial Services Committee and the State Regulations Committee. Tanya received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Swarthmore College and a Master of International Business degree from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, where she serves on the MIB Alumni Advisory Board.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUzNzY2Ny9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNDU4OTYyOH0.1sytpp7AcG6ZyxRriXg8e0Mcj0OH21LSMk9eXeJHgdU/image.png?width=980" id="c4110" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="08634250269fc8cd4df345768bbc53aa" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Brad Rowe, Director of Compliance, Operations and Regulations Analyst of Rowe Policy Media
Brad Rowe, Director of Compliance, Operations and Regulations Analyst of Rowe Policy Media
<p>Brad has designed, implemented and delivered a dozen public policy research projects over the last six years through his time running BOTEC Analysis, at UCLA and with Avenu/MuniServices Cannabis Compliance and Support Services and Rowe Policy + Media. Brad is Lecturer of Public Policy at UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and recently started teaching Cannabis Policy and Society, the first of its kind in the country. </p><p>He serves as Advisor to the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative, coordinating the Criminal and JuvenileJustice Research team and the California Cannabis Data Collection Project. He sat on the CommunityAdvisory Committee for the Los Angeles County Department of Health's impact assessment on cannabis. </p><p>In 2020 Brad has taken on the cannabis "dosing problem". To help naive and legacy consumers dose new cannabis products predictably and reliably. The HowHi App Data Project provides evidence based insights into the Quality, Duration and Amplitude of the cannabis experience. The variables are crowd-sourced via experiential self-reports on iOS and Android interfaces. </p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU0MTUzMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MDEyNzMzOH0.TXUPEWDuLMxex9TZP0YojeGHlPBNHMwubPjuDxkyR8k/image.jpg?width=980" id="738f6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8acff50d5e9f3bf6ea3ef81fbc828c23" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Andrew Freedman, Senior Vice President at Forbes Tate Partners
Andrew Freedman, Senior Vice President at Forbes Tate Partners
<p>Andrew brings vast experience from his three years as the State of Colorado's first Director of Cannabis Coordination. During this time, he developed distinctive experience effectively implementing voter-mandated legalized adult-use and medical cannabis while protecting public health, maintaining public safety, and keeping cannabis out of the hands of children.<br><br>Andrew's role in developing a successful operating model for cannabis regulation and stakeholder collaboration was identified as one of the reasons for the State of Colorado's success in implementing adult-use cannabis legalization by the Brookings Institution. Governor Hickenlooper has gone so far as to praise Andrew's work while on national television, stating, "Andrew Freedman, who came in and helped us once it was passed . . . [has] done a remarkable job of creating a regulatory framework."<br><br>Andrew has received national recognition for his leadership. Men's Health Magazine named him one of the 30 most influential health influencers of the last 30 years. He was recognized as one of Fast Company's "100 Most Creative People in Business" in 2016. He has been featured on 60 Minutes, NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, Governing Magazine, and dozens of local stories throughout the nation and internationally.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUzNzY5Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMjY2OTgwOH0.mqp9vBIu1h8c9OaYQMS9e2-B-OwAlNt5hYdNFe9voMQ/image.jpg?width=980" id="4417a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1758a70f305de9fb57340ed6550d1d38" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Tami Abdollah, Senior Reporter at dot.LA
Tami Abdollah, Senior Reporter at dot.LA
<p>Tami Abdollah is dot.LA's senior technology reporter. She was previously a national security and cybersecurity reporter for The Associated Press in Washington, D.C. She's been a reporter for the AP in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times and for L.A.'s NPR affiliate KPCC. Abdollah spent nearly a year in Iraq as a U.S. government contractor. A native Angeleno, she's traveled the world on $5 a day, taught trad climbing safety classes and is an avid mountaineer.</p>From Your Site Articles
- The Rise and Fall of Genius Fund's $164M Cannabis Empire - dot.LA ›
- Tech Companies are Getting Caught in Marijuana Regulation - dot.LA ›
- Green Rush: What Went Down in Adelanto - dot.LA ›
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When the founders who lead the ten young startups selected for the 2020 Techstars LA class begin their three month accelerator program Monday, they won't be gathering in the Mid-Wilshire office and shaking hands as every other class has done. Like the rest of us, they will be working at home because of the coronavirus. Dinners, meetings, socializing, and mentoring sessions will all be online.
"A big part of the magic of the program is the relationships that are from proximity and from everyone working together in the same space and so what we're doing is we're endeavoring to create as much as that connection in the virtual world as possible," said Anna Barber, managing director of Techstars LA.
<p>Barber is a big fan of Post-it notes and remembers several occasions where she's helped a founder arrive at an epiphany during a whiteboard session. That will not be possible this time around, but Barber wanted to try to replicate the experience as much as possible, so last week she and program manager Alex Karevoll rented a U-Haul truck and delivered whiteboards, Post-its, markers, and snacks to the new class, crisscrossing the city from Santa Monica to Encino and East L.A.</p><p>"We wanted to bring the Techstars experience to people at home," said Barber. "It was cool to see the different parts of L.A. that people are coming from."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image image-crop-16x9">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ1MDU0Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzI0MDA3MX0.3P6oXtorZEaB_2nLyfJMXDCaSDXeNuvpwEqsKDPT_mA/image.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C57%2C0%2C134&height=700" id="a1a88" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="42fe0f9bfba2569b1ac8991b2fbea709" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
</p><p>Coronavirus means many elements of Techstars will be different this year, though the basics remain the same; Ten startups will receive three months of intensive mentoring and then present at a Demo Day in October (which Barber still hopes will be in-person). Techstars invests $120,000 for a 6% cut of equity. <br/></p><p>Techstars LA companies have gone on to raise an average of more than $2 million of outside capital after the program. Standouts from the previous three classes include <a href="https://www.slingshotaerospace.com/" target="_blank">Slingshot Aerospace</a>, <a href="https://www.bluefever.com/" target="_blank">Blue Fever</a>, <a href="https://www.startstackin.com/" target="_blank">Stackin</a>, <a href="https://fernish.co/" target="_blank">Fernish</a>, <a href="https://www.poweredbyliquid.com/" target="_blank">Liquid,</a> <a href="http://www.dashshipping.com/" target="_blank">Dash Systems</a> and<a href="https://www.finliapp.com/" target="_blank"> Finli</a>. </p><p>The health and wellness category is dominant in this year's class with teams tackling teletherapy for intersectional communities, cancer care coordination, breast milk testing to optimize infant nutrition, and remote evaluation of ADHD and learning differences. Media and e-commerce companies include an esports analytics platform, a podcasting services provider, a platform for college creatives to connect with brands, and a fashion and beauty marketplace for Latinx consumers.</p><p>Nine companies include women, Black or Latinx founders, with six in the CEO seat and there are six mixed gender founding teams. Barber says diversity has always been important for Techstars LA, both because it is vital for building the kind of inclusive ecosystem she wants in L.A. and also it is simply good business.</p><p>"I've always been a believer in the idea that diversity produces better investing outcomes," said Barber. </p><p>Barber usually narrows down the ten selections from hundreds of applicants with lots of face-to-face meetings to get a feel for founders, but this time she has met almost none of them. </p><p>"It was a challenge for me," said Barber. "I am a founder-focused investor and so much of that is about getting to know people and build a strong personal relationship with them and also understanding who they are and what motivates them and I feel like it's very hard to make those connections over video."</p><p>Despite the limitations of running a remote accelerator, Barber is trying to find the silver linings, such as being able to get speakers and mentors who would not ordinarily have the time to fly to L.A. She is also using Sococo, an online platform that simulates a virtual office.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ1MTMwNi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTgxMzE5OX0.sJEOaKkczCanIIXIUp3hudBAYp9k2rYl3Z8nA_FxRdg/image.jpg?width=980" id="9be77" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f077367a8958ac2c8c894b2e24ee0c96" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
</p><p>"If you want to talk to someone, you can just enter the room in the virtual office that they are in and talk to them," Barber said. "It takes longer to build connections in a remote setting, but we can still do it," she said.<br/></p><p>All but one of the startups in this year's class is headquartered in Los Angeles. Some like, <a href="https://thrive-education.co/" target="_blank">Thrive Education</a>, the remote provider of ADHD and learning differences, only recently relocated from the Bay Area. </p><p>"We think it's important for us to be based in LA," said Jack Rolo, Co-Founder & CEO of Thrive Education. "A lot of startups, if they have the choice, are wanting to locate outside of the Bay Area. L.A. is expensive but it's still cheaper than living in the Bay Area. It will help us have a longer runway."</p><p>Rolo is hoping to come out of Techstars in a position to raise a seed round in October. "Our product works but it's not polished just yet," he said. "We want it to be perfect."</p><p><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kjOPIvn4DjLZf8dtcGt2YXwf8_VpclEj/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">CLLCTVE</a>, which is the platform for college creatives to connect with brands, is relocating from Syracuse this week.</p><p>"We're very excited for L.A.," said Kelsey Davis, founder and CEO of CLLCTVE. "When you think of diversity and creativity, L.A. is a representation nationally of that space."</p><p>Davis says Techstars LA was the only accelerator she seriously considered. "For us it just felt so right," said Davis. </p><p>Davis, 23, who is Black, wore a sweatshirt during an interview with dot.LA conducted via Zoom with the phrase "Black tech. Green money" emblazoned across the front. She says she is pleased to see the tech world finally having long overdue conversations about race and she says she won't squander the opportunity. Her goal is nothing short of building a LinkedIN for Generation Z. </p><p>"Now that we're here we have to roll up our sleeves and do the hard work together," said Davis. "If I'm given half of what everyone else is given, I'm going to take it twice as far."</p><h2>Get to Know Techstars' 2020 Class</h2>
<p><br/></p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cc070c5f773d48cb69efaccc58bc5a90"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NaOLE9iIWSI?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Meet the Techstars L.A. Class of 2020!</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaOLE9iIWSI&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
</small>
</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ1MDU2MC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMDU5MDgwNX0.xlaA2wYrqodRJNeMDi8sKEQMrNsaE_4tnumtDh5xQpo/image.png?width=980" id="c2cfe" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4d7d14c1b3bc28fc31cf3c4ea0a879fa" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Pod People" />
Pod People
<p><a href="https://podpeople.com/" target="_blank">Pod People</a> is a full-service podcast production and staffing agency with a network of over 700 audio professionals across the globe.</p><p><a href="https://brdg.app/s/o56p6c" target="_blank">Contact the founder >></a> <br></p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ0OTUyOC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDYxMTM5NX0.i54Vj_YfEVtS0zcHyno_x_sz0P6eiChcEC4WuNbusWw/image.png?width=980" id="2e5d5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d268145a2022f6c2b5ecde2cc26a83c1" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="JoyHub" />
JoyHub
<p><a href="https://www.joyhub.io/" target="_blank">JoyHub</a> 's enterprise software integrates multifamily operator systems into a single, centralized data platform. </p><p><a href="https://brdg.app/s/io9a3s" target="_blank">Contact the founder >></a> </p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ1MDU2MS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyODIyNjQ5MH0.OfiliunFfbKbrUB6ZjqEcExt0MWpEFRb8yW8W_YuM7k/image.png?width=980" id="d1927" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f1fd7c74f95ce7b3e1da4c05c5fd96f5" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Ayana Therapy" />
Ayana Therapy
<p><a href="https://www.ayanatherapy.com/" target="_blank">Ayana Therapy</a> provides online therapy for minorities with an emphasis on intersectionality. </p><p><a href="https://brdg.app/s/gdwa78" target="_blank">Contact the founder >></a></p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ1MDU2My9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNTE5Mzc2NX0.41ly4HydYG7vi47TIqxvo4LnLBHyr3cCUPahP-4dsAw/image.png?width=980" id="47566" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ab7e1dfa98a156ea71f182c14889177b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="CLLCTVE" />
CLLCTVE
<p><a href="http://cllctve.com/" target="_blank">CLLCTVE</a> is a platform connecting college creatives with brands targeting Gen-Z consumers. </p><p><a href="https://brdg.app/s/bgc9pp" target="_blank">Contact the founder >></a></p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ1MDU2NC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzczMzgwMn0._C44S8_SgkuF3yEQUgUt4G8pyquPSUqm-ael1Ds-rfo/image.png?width=980" id="6ef11" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2eb2cebf0735c49b11482134dd659b21" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Lactation Lab" />
Lactation Lab
<p><a href="https://www.lactationlab.com/" target="_blank">Lactation Lab</a> provides breast milk analysis and personalized recommendations for mothers to optimize their child's health and nutrition. </p><p><a href="https://brdg.app/s/t0173z" target="_blank">Contact the founder >></a></p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ1MTI5OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MDY0MDcxOX0.tBeSiBz39glZ6lrxA9waT_uf7HpLx96lfxpcPahHMck/image.jpg?width=980" id="7f95f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="47ea7a720bfdedd8b61a4f4553051e35" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Preveta
<p><a href="https://www.preveta.com/" target="_blank">Preveta</a> is transforming cancer care by arming clinicians with data and insights to improve outcomes, and blazing a trail for providers to deliver value-based care.</p><p><a href="https://brdg.app/s/odhs9o" target="_blank">Contact the founder >></a></p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ1MDU2OC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0Njg4NzIxMX0.uPPmAsJcQCpfucbiBbOfppSxN5ZfhjHaY1g0E2qtt0s/image.png?width=980" id="7f15d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5983d7dc13f8b5f575d491b089048a82" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Shop Latinx" />
Shop Latinx
<p><a href="https://shoplatinx.com/" target="_blank">Shop LatinX</a> is the leading fashion and beauty lifestyle brand with products designed by and for the Latinx community. </p><p><a href="https://brdg.app/s/0luryb" target="_blank">Contact the founder >></a></p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ1MDU2OS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1ODAwMDcwOH0.pycaDaxVgPtm8cuWXmeV7VEBtKhhmbanMsQfp0HYxUc/image.png?width=980" id="471fc" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f67eb87e6aa71d7f670039fdcf0ffb48" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Sike Insights" />
Sike Insights
<p><a href="https://sikeinsights.com/" target="_blank">Sike Insights</a> powers remote teams to work better together. Our first product, Kona, is an AI-powered Slackbot that helps you communicate. </p><p><a href="https://brdg.app/s/d5ejl2" target="_blank">Contact the founder >></a></p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ1MDU3MS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzY3MzkxOX0.LW2pjVBQ46CKJVXHpLhk9P8UKOWoQ2dUiY81ikF00Eo/image.png?width=980" id="37a74" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="21eef5c50cdec88f111a1c3cf0882c83" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="StatsHelix" />
StatsHelix
<p><a href="http://statshelix.com" target="_blank">StatsHelix</a> is a B2B gametech company focused on esports and streaming. </p><p><a href="https://brdg.app/s/j4yp3j" target="_blank">Contact the founder >></a></p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ1MDU3Mi9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MTEyMDk3NX0.54eekCW8ToJFHDFCRID01B9cSp5ONBMe5raU5isdl3Q/image.png?width=980" id="cba57" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f5e16055d4120e9c62c8a3a215da9b72" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Thrive Education" />
Thrive Education
<p><a href="https://thrive-education.co/" target="_blank">Thrive Education</a> provides remote tele-assessments for learning differences (LDs) such as dyslexia, ADHD, and autism. </p><p><a href="https://brdg.app/s/1dn2dc" target="_blank">Contact the founder >></a></p>From Your Site Articles
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