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Daily Newsletter - Day 2 (Manual)

Daily Newsletter - Day 2 (Manual)

Upfront Summit Kicks Off for L.A.'s Tech and Startups

One of the city's most influential technology and innovation summits kicked off at the Rose Bowl today, bringing together top names in media, tech and finance from singer John Legend to ex-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

The Upfront Summit is in full swing, and our reporters Ben Bergman, Rachel Uranga and Tami Abdollah are there to cover it. Follow them on Twitter for dispatches from the exclusive get-together, and check back at dot.LA throughout Thursday for news. The lineup includes a cavalcade of venture capital and startup stars. Among them: Quibi’s Meg Whitman, former U.S. Attorney for New York Preet Bharara, Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos, and Union Square Ventures’ Fred Wilson.

Then there’s the Tinseltown quotient. Speakers on deck: director JJ Abrams, comedian Chelsea Handler, supermodel Tyra Banks, and actresses Eva Longoria, Zoe Saldana, and Reese Witherspoon. The keynote: Ice Cube.

Today's stories

Bill Gross: Here's How Venture Capital Can Save the Earth

The founder of Pasadena-based IdeaLab, an incubator that has birthed more than 150 companies, is on a mission to make the world carbon free and upend the reliance on fossil fuels. And the inventor, investor and entrepreneur says there's money to be made by saving the world.

BET's Debra Lee Considering a Fund for Women, People of Color in Tech

Lee, speaking at the eighth-annual Upfront Summit, said she found fewer people who looked like her as she climbed the ranks at the Viacom-run network. And that led Lee to create the conference which draws power players like Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton as keynote speakers.

Upfront Summit: Steve Ballmer, Meg Whitman, and Even Paris Hilton

This year's lineup includes everyone from Clippers chairman Steve Ballmer to Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos. And, given the event is in Hollywood's back yard, musician John Legend, Ice Cube, and even Paris Hilton are set to speak.

L.A. Company Joins New Techstars "Anywhere" Startup Accelerator Class

The 4th Techstars Anywhere Class accepted a cohort of 10 companies; eight have a female founder.

Blue Origin to Open New Central California Test Site

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin space venture is partnering with the Air Force Research Laboratory to develop a new test facility at Edwards Air Force Base for Blue Origin's BE-7 rocket engine.