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SoCal Venture Pipeline, Pacific Western Bank Partner on Getting Early-Stage LA Startups VC Funding
Kristin Snyder
Kristin Snyder is dot.LA's 2022/23 Editorial Fellow. She previously interned with Tiger Oak Media and led the arts section for UCLA's Daily Bruin.
The SoCal Venture Pipeline program is partnering with Pacific Western Bank to continue connecting early-stage startups with venture capital.
Now formally known as the SoCal Venture Pipeline powered by Pacific Western Bank, the program has matched new startups with investors since launching in 2021. Pacific Western will serve as its lead sponsor, joining continuing supporters Wilson Sonsini and KPPB LLP. The Pipeline originally only considered startups looking for Series A funding, but expanded to include seed funding in February. Alliance managing director Eric Eide said adding Pacific Western to the program will further help its startups navigate both Series A and seed fundraising.
“That's really been where we've seen a lot of founder demand,” Eide said. “The amount of founders applying has tripled since [adding seed funding]. There's a lot of interest, particularly amongst the VC community or network, to see high-quality, vetted deal flow.”
Since launching a year ago, the Pipeline has accepted 31 of its 247 applicants. As a rolling program, the selection committee reviews applications on a monthly basis. Companies must be tech-focused and based in Southern California. For Series A funding, Eide said they look for teams that have already raised $500,000 angel or seed investment and are looking to raise at least $4 million. He said companies have to show demonstrable traction at the seed level, have a compelling market opportunity, and have raised at least $250,000.
Eide said they work closely with the chosen founders to connect them to the Pipeline’s network of 200 venture capitalists. Joining the program as a new sponsor, Eide said Pacific Western Bank will help advise founders and secure capital. The Cove Fund venture partner JC Ruffalo, who volunteers to help the program’s founders, told dot.LA in an email that the Pipeline exposes venture capital firms to companies that they might not otherwise have a chance to connect with.
“The SoCal Venture Pipeline is supporting and building a legacy of tech and medtech innovation and growth which will create a more robust and stronger innovation ecosystem here in Southern California,” he said.
Pacific Western Bank SVP Mark diTargiani said the bank was drawn to the Pipeline’s wide reach across Southern California. For early-stage startups, the bank provides free banking services, high-yield checking accounts, and a bit of unsecured credit card debt. diTargiani said they have already begun giving advice to companies in the program and have also introduced new investors to the Pipeline.
“What we saw was an opportunity to help to build a community of early-stage startups throughout the L.A. ecosystem,” diTargiani said.
Despite the unstable market, there is plenty of capital for early-stage startups, diTargiani said. Though the funding environment has changed in recent months, Eide said people are still making deals—and the Pipeline’s investor network can help founders make important connections to get those deals.
“It's still a good time to be raising relatively even if it's a little bit different than the heady days of last year,” Eide said.
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Kristin Snyder
Kristin Snyder is dot.LA's 2022/23 Editorial Fellow. She previously interned with Tiger Oak Media and led the arts section for UCLA's Daily Bruin.
https://twitter.com/ksnyder_db
Netflix’s Trivia Show Experiment Is Part of Its New Frontier: Video Games
05:00 AM | April 01, 2022
Image courtesy of Netflix
When Netflix releases its new interactive show, “Trivia Quest,” on Friday, Netflix executive Andy Weil hopes that viewers will find themselves thinking about video games.
The 30-episode quiz show isn’t one of the streaming giant’s expanding roster of mobile games, but it’s easy to draw the connection. In “Trivia Quest,” viewers accumulate points and rescue kidnapped characters by correctly answering trivia questions. Users can watch the show—or “play the game,” to put it another way—on their phones and tablets, in addition to TVs and computers. Weil, Netflix’s vice president of comedy and interactive, wants the new show to bring attention to the company’s fledgling games portfolio.
“I think creating some awareness that your Netflix subscription doesn't just come with amazing television and movies—it comes with mobile games—I think would be a great byproduct of ‘Trivia Quest,’” Weil told dot. LA on Thursday.
Netflix, the streaming market leader with roughly 222 million subscribers, has moved to expand beyond traditional TV as it faces growing competition and slower-than-expected subscriber growth. On the gaming side, the company has bought three studios in six months, including Glendale-based Night School, and now has 16 mobile gaming titles under its belt.
Meanwhile, Netflix has continued its push into interactive programming with shows like “Trivia Quest” that blur the lines between TV and video games. In February, the company unveiled “Cat Burglar,” a Looney Tunes-style cartoon in which viewers answer trivia questions with the click of a cursor in order to advance the story. That title came from the creators of perhaps Netflix’s biggest interactive film to date, “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch,” which let viewers make decisions for the sci-fi movie’s characters, taking them down different plot paths toward various endings. On Wednesday, Netflix announced that it has an interactive rom-com on the way, too.
Trivia Quest | Official Trailer | Netflix
The streamer’s experiments with interactive storytelling is about finding ways to make subscriptions more attractive for consumers, Weil said. It’s also part of Netflix’s DNA as a “technology company,” he added—unlike, perhaps, some of its legacy media competitors who have more recently ventured into streaming.
“We have the technology to do this. We think that we can tell great stories doing it, or provide great experiences in the case of ‘Trivia Quest,’” Weil said. “So let's please our members, and use their money to give them great things.”
Starting Friday, “Trivia Quest” will launch a new episode every day throughout April, ending with 30 episodes that each feature 24 multiple-choice questions across categories including science, history, entertainment, sports, art and geography. Produced by Daniel Calin and Vin Rubino of Sunday Sauce Productions, “Trivia Quest” follows its hero, Willy, who rescues the animated citizens of Trivia Land from a villain “bent on hoarding all the knowledge in the world,” according to Netflix’s description.
Whereas previous interactive Netflix shows have taken viewers down different plot paths toward various endings, each “Trivia Quest” quiz has the same questions and a definitive ending, allowing viewers to compare final scores with their friends. Weil said the trivia idea came after his team discussed different possibilities for the software that powered the branching narratives of Netflix’s previous interactive titles.
“If you want to just passively watch TV and movies, we have that for you,” Weil said. “What interactive does is it allows you to interact and actually participate, which is I think a positive for those who want to do it.”
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Christian Hetrick
Christian Hetrick is dot.LA's Entertainment Tech Reporter. He was formerly a business reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and reported on New Jersey politics for the Observer and the Press of Atlantic City.
🔦 Spotlight
Hello, LA!
This week, tech headlines are buzzing with OpenAI's launch of Operator, a tool that promises to transform task automation, and TikTok’s major outage, which left millions disconnected. But closer to home, as wildfires blaze across Southern California, survival has become the focus—and technology is making it possible.
When the plume of smoke reappeared on the horizon, residents across Southern California turned to tools like Watch Duty. Over the past week, as flames surged, the app gained 600,000 new users in just one night, delivering critical, real-time information to help residents stay ahead of danger. Watch Duty, designed to provide wildfire updates, has proven to be much more than an alert system. It’s a lifeline.
The app integrates live data, satellite imagery, and community reports to send updates directly to users. Information includes fire locations, evacuation orders, and air quality indices, empowering quick, informed decisions. Its community-driven ethos—with contributions from locals, firefighters, and volunteers—ensures hyper-local and timely updates, filling gaps where traditional news outlets often fall short.
Image Source: Watch Duty
A New Era of Fire Alerts
Watch Duty redefines wildfire preparedness through technology and collaboration:
- Fire Detection: Monitors data from satellites, agencies, and ground sources to identify wildfires.
- Data Verification: A team of experts ensures reported activity is accurate.
- Real-Time Alerts: Notifications are sent within 60 seconds of detection.
- Community Contributions: Local residents provide photos and updates.
- User Notifications: Alerts include fire size, location, and evacuation details.
These features make Watch Duty an indispensable tool during wildfire season. In 2024, the app processed over 2 million alerts and supported 50,000 evacuations, with plans to expand predictive modeling by 2025 to anticipate threats before they escalate.
Innovations Reshaping Wildfire Management
Early Detection Leaders:
- AlertCalifornia: Operates over 1,000 cameras with machine learning to monitor high-risk areas.
- Pano AI: Uses cameras and sensors to detect smoke and alert responders.
- Torch Sensors: Deploys heat-detection sensors to identify anomalies early.
Image Source: Torch Sensors
Predictive and Analytical Pioneers:
- Chooch AI: Employs drones and computer vision to monitor fire hazards.
- Data Blanket: Uses analytics to forecast fire behavior and assist evacuations.
- Rain: Leverages advanced atmospheric sensing and AI-driven technology to provide precise fire detection and tracking. Its real-time data on fire weather conditions and environmental factors helps agencies anticipate and respond to wildfires with greater efficiency.
- SCEPTER: Tracks air quality and wildfire emissions using AI and satellite data.
Image Source: Rain
A Vision for the Future
As Los Angeles continues to adapt to the realities of a changing climate, tools like Watch Duty, Pano AI, and AlertCalifornia are proving to be invaluable. These technologies are not just reactive measures; they represent a shift toward proactive disaster preparedness. The question now isn’t whether technology can help but how much more it can achieve in the years to come.
With the integration of predictive modeling, AI, and real-time data, there’s hope for a future where wildfires are no longer unpredictable forces of destruction. Imagine every household equipped with predictive wildfire maps, heat-detecting drones, and AI-driven tools to guide safety decisions. The innovations are here—it's up to us to support and scale them to ensure they reach the communities that need them most. Which company, which app, or which breakthrough will emerge as the next lifeline? The possibilities for a safer, more prepared Los Angeles feel closer than ever.
🤝 Venture Deals
LA Companies
- Favorited, a new livestream app positioning itself as an alternative to TikTok, has raised a $1.3M Pre-Seed from HF0, Soma Ventures, and several angel investors from the entertainment and social space. The platform, which participated in the a16z Speedrun accelerator program, offers features like streaks and leaderboards to boost user engagement. Favorited plans to use the funds to enhance its app's functionalities and expand its user base. - learn more
LA Venture Funds
- Overture VC participated in a $12M Series A funding round for Bedrock Energy, an Austin, Texas-based startup specializing in geothermal heating and cooling systems. Bedrock Energy plans to use the funds to advance its geothermal technologies and expand deployments in Colorado, Utah, and neighboring states. - learn more
- Navigate Ventures LLC participated in a $7.2M Series A funding round for XILO, a San Diego-based insurance technology startup that provides a quoting and sales automation platform to help independent insurance agencies convert the next generation of insurance shoppers; the funds will be used to scale operations, manufacturing, and commercial efforts for its acne products. - learn more
- Upfront Ventures participated in a $5.25M Seed funding round for 1up.ai, a New York-based company that automates knowledge for sales teams; the funds will be used to empower their growing customer base, including industry leaders like WalkMe, Gladly, and Deliveroo. - learn more
- MTech Capital participated in a $2.2M Pre-Seed funding round for Qumis, a Chicago-based AI platform designed to transform insurance knowledge work; the funds will be used to scale its AI capabilities, accelerate product development, and expand its customer base. - learn more
- TCG (The Chernin Group) participated in a $15M Series A funding round for the New York-based Men in Blazers Media Network, which specializes in soccer-focused media content, with the funds earmarked for expanding coverage ahead of the 2026 World Cup. - learn more
- Amboy Street Ventures participated in a SEK 304M Series B funding round for Gesynta Pharma, a Stockholm-based pharmaceutical company specializing in anti-inflammatory and pain-relief treatments, with the funds directed toward advancing a Phase II clinical trial of their lead candidate, vipoglanstat, for endometriosis. - learn more
LA Exits
- Bandy Manufacturing, a Los Angeles-based provider of aerospace fasteners and components, has been acquired by Novaria Group to enhance its portfolio and expand its capabilities in the aerospace and defense industries. - learn more
- Pangea, a company specializing in eco-friendly and sustainable products with a focus on innovative technology solutions, is being acquired by Nature's Miracle Holding Inc. to accelerate growth and capitalize on synergies in sustainability and tech-driven product development. - learn more
- Notisphere, a healthcare communication platform streamlining recall and alert management, has been acquired by Par Excellence Systems to enhance its capabilities in delivering efficient supply chain solutions for the healthcare industry. - learn more
- Cryogenic Machinery Corp., a North Hollywood, California-based manufacturer specializing in cryogenic pumps for industrial gas and energy applications, has been acquired by PSG, a Dover company, to enhance PSG's portfolio of specialized fluid handling solutions. - learn more
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