LA Tech Updates: Snap Releases Voting Apps; Hilton Taps Sweetgreen COO

Ben Bergman

Ben Bergman is the newsroom's senior finance reporter. Previously he was a senior business reporter and host at KPCC, a senior producer at Gimlet Media, a producer at NPR's Morning Edition, and produced two investigative documentaries for KCET. He has been a frequent on-air contributor to business coverage on NPR and Marketplace and has written for The New York Times and Columbia Journalism Review. Ben was a 2017-2018 Knight-Bagehot Fellow in Economic and Business Journalism at Columbia Business School. In his free time, he enjoys skiing, playing poker, and cheering on The Seattle Seahawks.

LA Tech Updates: Snap Releases Voting Apps; Hilton Taps Sweetgreen COO

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:

  • Sweetgreen COO Chris Carr Joins Hilton's Board of Directors
  • Snap's New Apps Aim to Get Young Voters Registered and Informed

    Snap's New Apps Aim to Get Young Voters Registered and Informed

    Santa Monica-based Snap announced new features and partnerships Thursday meant to help young people vote. The announcement coincides with the 55th anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act.

    Two new features are Minis, simplified third-party apps that live within Snapchat, which Snap debuted at its annual Partner Summit earlier this year.

    The Voter Registration Mini will enable Snap users to register to vote without having to leave the app. It was developed in partnership with TurboVote, part of New York-based nonprofit Democracy Works.

    In 2018, Snap helped to register over 450,000 users to vote, 57% of whom turned out, a company spokesperson said.

    The Before You Vote Mini, developed in partnership with Chicago-based nonprofit BallotReady, is meant to help Snapchat users understand their options for voting early and by mail. Users will be able to fill out sample ballots with their friends, and look up polling locations, the spokesperson said.

    Snap is also adding searchable resources for users who look up keywords like "voter registration", "vote by mail" and "voter suppression". Information will come from organizations including the NAACP and the ACLU.

    Every Snap user will also have a "voter checklist" feature incorporated into their profile, which will remind them to register to vote, consider their ballot before Election Day and make a voting plan.

    The new features will debut in September.

    Snap's announcement highlighted several obstacles that young people face in the voting process. New research out of Tufts University shows that many young people rely on college campuses to learn about civic engagement.

    "63% of 18-21 year olds who have at least some experience with college said they learned about voter registration at their schools, and 66% said their college professors had encouraged them to vote," the spokesperson said, adding that COVID-19 will disrupt this process.

    The Tufts data also show that only 24% of 18-29 year olds report having voted by mail before. And over a quarter of 18-21 year olds say they don't know where to find information about mail-in-voting.

    "For a generation who grew up on smartphones, and are used to being able to do everything from their fingertips – to date technologies haven't done much to make it easier for them to vote," the spokesperson said.

    Sweetgreen COO  Chris Carr Joins Hilton's Board of Directors

    LA Tech Updates: Snap Releases Voting Apps; Hilton Taps Sweetgreen COO

    Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. announced Wednesday that Chris Carr, who recently joined Sweetgreen as Chief Operating Officer, has been appointed to the hotel chain's board of directors.

    Carr started at Sweetgreen in May after 13 years at Starbucks, where he most recently served as chief procurement officer. There, he was responsible for global strategic sourcing and supplier relationships. Prior to Starbucks, Carr spent 18 years with ExxonMobil in retail operations.

    "We are delighted to welcome Chris to Hilton," said Jon Gray, chairman of Hilton's board of directors in a written statement. "When we began our board search process last year, we were looking to add world class executive leadership in global and consumer-facing organizations. Chris brings these highly relevant skills, as well as unmatched focus on customer experience and procurement. We look forward to his insights as we navigate Hilton's continued recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic."

    Carr joins the Hilton board at what is probably the most challenging time in its storied 101 year history. The company lost $432 million in the second quarter while revenue plummeted 77.3% year-over-year as people stayed at home because of the coronavirus.

    Carr also serves as a director at REI, a trustee of Howard University and a trustee of the University of San Diego.

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    LA Tech Week 2025: Sunday’s Event Lineup

    Here's the Sunday, October 19th lineup for LA Tech Week 2025, organized by location so you can easily explore events that fit your goals and schedule. Dive in and see what’s happening near you!

    ARTS DISTRICT

    3:00 PM

    BEL AIR

    3:00 PM – 7:00 PM

    BURBANK

    6:30 PM – 9:30 PM

    CULVER CITY

    9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

    4:30 PM – 7:30 PM

    INGLEWOOD

    10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

    • Spinovation: The Future Is Femme, The Future is Frequency: See Details Here
      Sonder Impact, Black Women Spin, Sip & Sonder

    KOREATOWN

    12:00 PM – 3:00 PM

    MARINA DEL REY

    12:00 PM

    • Sunday Tech Brunch
      Sawubona

    MID CITY

    9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

    • Women in Cleantech Hike and Network: See Details Here
      Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

    SANTA MONICA

    9:00 AM

    10:00 AM

    3:45 PM

    4:00 PM – 7:30 PM

    • OFF THE HOOK Santa Monica Seafood Festival: See Details Here
      Spin PR Group, City of Santa Monica, Tech St.

    6:00 PM

    7:00 PM

    • Pritam: A Musical Legend - Live in Concert: See Details Here
      American South Asian Network

    7:00 PM

    • Building AI workflow editor in React with Workflow Builder SDK: See Details Here
      Workflow Builder

    7:00 PM

    8:00 PM

    • Unlock Apple's Corporate Advantage for your Startup!: See Details Here
      iStore by St. Moritz

    TOPANGA CANYON

    3:00 PM

    • Dreamore Hike and Picnic: LA Tech Week: *Invite Only*
      Dreamore

    VENICE

    10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

    • Coffee, Walk, and Schmooze: See Details Here
      JFE (Jews For Entrepreneurship) Network

    VIRTUAL (LA)

    10:00 AM

    • Level Up with LinkedIn: A Student’s Guide to Networking & Opportunities (Virtual Event): See Details Here
      FIMAC

    10:00 AM

    WEST ADAMS

    1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

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

    Enjoy LA Tech Week 2025!

    Download the dot.LA App


    LA Tech Week 2025: Saturday’s Event Lineup

    Here's the Saturday, October 18th lineup for LA Tech Week 2025, organized by location so you can easily explore events that fit your goals and schedule. Dive in and see what’s happening near you!

    BEVERLY HILLS

    2:00 PM

    CENTURY CITY

    7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

    CULVER CITY

    9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

    10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

    1:00 PM

    DTLA

    7:00 PM

    • {MiniMax x Nakid x SkyPortalx}: TECH/MOTION/MUSIC/ART: See Details Here
      MiniMax (Hailuo AI)

    10:00 PM – 2:00 AM

    EL SEGUNDO

    10:00 AM

    • Venture on the Green: *Invite Only*
      BLCK VC

    4:00 PM

    INGLEWOOD

    7:00 PM

    • Valar Atomics, Durin and Discipulus Ventures - Night With A Nuclear Reactor: See Details Here
      Valar Atomics, Durin, Discipulus Ventures

    MARINA DEL REY

    8:30 AM

    12:00 PM – 3:00 PM

    5:00 PM

    • LOST iN Sunset Sail: Navigating the Tides of the Creator Economy & Media: See Details Here
      LOST iN

    PASADENA

    9:00 AM

    PLAYA VISTA

    2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

    SANTA MONICA

    7:00 AM

    9:00 AM

    • Pedal & Network: Tech Cyclists @ LA Tech Week 🚵: See Details Here
      Instafill.ai

    9:30 AM

    • Getty Center Guided Tour & (Optional) Photography Scavenger Hunt: See Details Here
      NEW MOON Impact Productions

    10:30 AM – 11:30 AM

    11:00 AM – 2:15 PM

    12:00 PM – 5:00 PM

    1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

    1:30 PM

    • Self-Defense in Court and the Streets: See Details Here
      Santa Monica Striking, Luri Inc.

    2:00 PM

    • SMARTUP 500: THE FIRST AT TECH WEEK LA - Launching the world’s first Startup Ranking: See Details Here
      Smart Times

    2:00 PM

    • NLPs (No Lame Panels) The Creator X Founder Rooftop Party: See Details Here
      Startup Village, Sanctuary

    3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

    4:00 PM – 6:30 PM

    • Just Do It?: Helping Founders Perform Like Olympians: See Details Here
      Elite Psychology Group

    5:00 PM

    6:00 PM

    6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

    6:00 PM

    6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

    • The Future of Hospitality: Poetry, Provenance & Passports: See Details Here
      Villa Kitchen, Airble, We Speak Dance, Techstars San Francisco

    7:00 PM

    • 🚀 Investor x Founder Open Mic Pitches: See Details Here
      Feathr, Los Angeles Fun Events

    7:00 PM

    • Life is a Pitch - LA Edition: *Invite Only*
      DeepMyst

    TOPANGA CANYON

    5:00 PM – 8:30 PM

    • Walk&Jam: Use AI to make art while hiking Topanga Canyon: See Details Here
      Formhaus llc, Wonderland Immersive Design

    TORRANCE

    1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

    • Crunches & Conversations Presented by The Differentials and KIS Training Studios: See Details Here
      The Differentials, KIS Training Studios

    VENICE

    1:00 PM – 4:30 PM

    • Beyond the Language Barrier: Exploring AI's Next Frontier: See Details Here
      Medusa AI

    VENICE BEACH

    8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

    • SŨRFED Club @ Venice Beach: Founders, Creators, Investors share the waves: See Details Here
      SŨRFED Club, Go Vitamins

    WEST ADAMS

    9:30 AM – 10:45 AM

    • Funders Shaping Democracy, AI & Media: See Details Here
      New Media Ventures, New Rising Ventures

    WEST HOLLYWOOD

    4:00 PM

    6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

    9:30 PM

    • Vibe Check Comedy Show, Tech Week Edition! @ Hollywood Improv: See Details Here
      Vibe Check Comedy

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

    Enjoy LA Tech Week 2025!

    Download the dot.LA App


    LA Tech Week 2025: Friday’s Event Lineup

    Here's the Friday, October 17th lineup for LA Tech Week 2025, organized by location so you can easily explore events that fit your goals and schedule. Dive in and see what’s happening near you!

    ARTS DISTRICT

    8:30 AM – 12:00 PM

    • Power Day: Ideas, Pitches, Connections: See Details Here
      Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI)

    6:00 PM

    • WEB3 GAMING IS DEAD - Happy Hour: See Details Here
      Plassa Capital, Yee-Haw Monster Trucks

    BEVERLY HILLS

    10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

    1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

    2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

    3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

    4:00 PM

    6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

    • So you went viral, Now what? (pt II): See Details Here
      Verci, Study Fetch, TechSpace

    8:00 PM

    • Private Pool: GP x LP x FO: *Invite Only*
      Visionlist Commons , Bay Area Innovest

    BRENTWOOD

    8:00 AM

    • Founders & Investors Hike: See Details Here
      Salehpour Legal, Technology Founders of America

    CARSON

    11:45 AM

    • Lightspeed x SVB Porsche Experience: *Invite Only*
      Lightspeed Venture Partners, SVB

    CULVER CITY

    8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

    11:00 AM

    1:00 PM

    • Surf Parks & Wave Pools: From Doja Cat to Mark Zuckerberg: See Details Here
      Surflytics

    8:00 PM – 12:00 AM

    EL SEGUNDO

    11:30 AM – 2:00 PM

    5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

    HOLLYWOOD

    10:00 AM

    • AI, Revenue, and Reality: How Fortune 500s Work With Startups That Ship: See Details Here
      Sunrise AI, OpenTable

    12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

    • Unplugged: LA Tech Week Recharge Experience with TAY × Checked Out: See Details Here
      TAY Fitness, Checked Out

    9:00 PM

    INGLEWOOD

    8:00 AM

    • TCSI Presents: Caffeine & Connections: See Details Here
      The Cyber Security Intellects Nonprofit

    LONG BEACH

    7:00 AM

    MALIBU

    10:00 AM

    • Great Leaders Podcast & Profiles: See Details Here
      NEW MOON Impact Productions, Origin Studios

    12:30 PM

    MARINA DEL REY

    9:00 AM

    • Keeping Your Freedom as a Founder: Real Talk on Funding: See Details Here
      Lighter Capital

    10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

    • D-Wave Research Day & Hackathon!: See Details Here
      USC Information Sciences Institute, D-Wave

    4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

    • The Sky is Not the Limit: All About Aerospace: See Details Here
      Sunstone Management, USC Viterbi Startup Garage

    PASADENA

    10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

    11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

    • Deep Tech Entrepreneurship Pillars of Pasadena Tech: See Details Here
      Innovate Pasadena, Pasadena SBDC, City of Pasadena

    PLAYA VISTA

    9:00 AM

    12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

    • Vision to Venture - AI Media Showcase powered by Google AI: See Details Here
      Google

    SANTA MONICA

    7:00 AM – 8:30 AM

    • Signal Run : RTC x Wildwood VC: See Details Here
      Run Tech Club, Wildwood Ventures

    7:30 AM

    8:45 AM – 10:45 AM

    9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

    • Slash Burn Rates & Scale Your Startup: See Details Here
      Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA)

    9:00 AM

    • Driving a Digital Ecology Relay: What is at Stake: See Details Here
      The PORT GLOBAL, GLOBAL PORTAL INSTITUTE

    9:30 AM – 11:30 AM

    10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

    • The Enduring Value of Inclusive Capital: See Details Here
      Founders Registry. Nervana

    10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

    10:30 AM

    11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

    • Advisors to Investors Lunch: Venture Capital for enterprise leaders: See Details Here
      Collinear Capital, Worlds

    12:00 PM

    • Powerhouse Capital & a16z speedrun Investor Lunch Mixer: See Details Here
      Powerhouse Capital, a16z, speedrun

    2:00 PM

    • Where Robotics Meets Heart - Embedding Family Values in a Future with AI: See Details Here
      Trove, Puerto Rico Blockchain Association, MindfulBytes

    2:00 PM

    3:00 PM

    3:00 PM

    3:00 PM

    • Workshop: Create An Enterprise Chatbot and Unlock the 70% of Data Data You’re Not Using: See Details Here
      Aparavi

    4:00 PM

    5:00 PM – 10:00 PM

    5:30 PM

    5:30 PM – 9:30 PM

    6:00 PM – 8:30 PM

    • USC Alumni Founders & Investors: See Details Here
      USC Alumni Entrepreneurship Network, Techstars

    6:00 PM

    • Social Currency Series/Greenlit presents PitchPop: See Details Here
      Social Currency Series, Greenlit

    6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

    6:30 PM

    6:30 PM – 10:00 PM

    6:30 PM

    • Lets get the LA Bioeconomy brewing: See Details Here
      Founders, Friends & Fermentation, Saku Biosciences

    7:00 PM – 11:30 PM

    7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

    7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

    7:00 PM

    7:00 PM

    • Liquid Equity 2: The Premiere Gathering for Founders, Creator
      Coeus Collective

    7:00 PM

    7:00 PM

    • For the Love of Tech | Speed Dating for Tech Professionals: See Details Here
      Feathr, Los Angeles Fun Events

    7:00 PM

    SOUTH LA

    3:00 PM

    TORRANCE

    9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

    • The Future of Space & Security Panel: See Details Here
      Northwood Space, Anduril Industries, Impulse Space, Astranis

    VENICE

    9:00 AM – 10:45 AM

    9:00 AM – 11:30 AM

    11:00 AM

    11:30 AM – 2:30 PM

    12:30 PM

    • Creative Partners: Human + AI Storytelling: See Details Here
      Othelia, Primordial Soup

    2:00 PM – 3:45 PM

    5:00 PM

    • EarthHouse: Critical Minerals, Mobility & Modern Power: See Details Here
      The Strategye Group, Alpha Sierra One

    6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

    6:00 PM

    • Pizza+Soda: *Invite Only*
      Schmoozd , The KINN

    7:00 PM

    VENICE BEACH

    2:00 PM – 6:30 PM

    5:00 PM

    8:30 PM – 2:00 AM

    VIRTUAL (LA)

    2:30 PM – 4:00 PM

    3:00 PM

    • Government of Alberta: ProcurementAsCode // Done in 60 Seconds: See Details Here
      Government of Alberta

    4:00 PM

    • Stop Hitting Yourself 🥊: See Details Here
      Stop Hitting Yourself, HOWDY, Company Policy, Snowbird Global

    WEST HOLLYWOOD

    3:00 PM – 6:00 PM

    6:00 PM

    WESTSIDE

    5:00 PM

    5:30 PM – 8:30 PM


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

    Enjoy LA Tech Week 2025!

    Download the dot.LA App


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