As one of the founding fathers of the L.A. tech scene, Brian Lee is used to having entrepreneurs pitch him on ideas. What does he look for? It's not so much a business plan or even an idea. He says he goes off a vibe.
That's how he ended up being the first investor in the deal-finding browser add-on Honey, which was bought late last year by PayPal for $4 billion in what ranks as the biggest acquisition L.A. has seen to date.
The owner of consumer rewards site Swagbucks bought the digital coupon-cutter company CouponCause Monday, expanding its e-commerce brands as it bulks up its consumer data and analysis business.
Parent company Prodege did not disclose terms of the deal on Monday but said it will absorb the Santa Monica-based company at its El Segundo headquarters where it keeps a live tracker of gift cards redeemed from around the world.
Los Angeles is in the midst of a once-in-a-generation moment.
Last year, Schroders Global Cities Index ranked Los Angeles as the most economically vibrant city in the world and the best city for investment. Our metropolitan economy is the world's third largest in economic performance. And in six years we have cut the unemployment rate by more than half.