It's not exactly common knowledge, but back in the early aughts Los Angeles was more of an infosec town than a tech town. Such firms have, in recent years, been more likely to open up new offices in cities like San Francisco, Boston or Washington, D.C.
But on Tuesday, a new L.A.-based cybersecurity firm called Open Raven announced it has raised $4.1 million in seed funding led by Kara Nortman, a partner at Upfront Ventures and backed by former Goldman Sachs chief information risk officer Phil Venables, who is is also on the company's board of directors; RSA's former chief strategy officer Niloo Razi Howe; and another cybersecurity firm, Signal Sciences, whose CEO Andrew Peterson also calls L.A. home.
Venture-backed startup SureSale is attempting to challenge the dominance of Carfax, a longtime industry standard in the used car market, with a more comprehensive certification akin to a manufacturer's guarantee that a vehicle is in good shape.
The Santa Monica startup, which certifies pre-owned vehicles with a background and 150-point inspection check, announced it secured $7 million in Series A funding this week led by Upfront Ventures with participation from Coffin Capital and Ventures.
- Upfront Summit will bring together top names in media, tech and finance from singer John Legend to Quibi CEO Meg Whitman
- Sustainability, climate change, white privilege and streaming are on the agenda
- The Takeaway: Upfront set to attract investors backed with billions in capital
Upfront Ventures kicks off its technology and startup conference on Wednesday, and 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.