LA Tech Updates: Triller Threatens Legal Action; XSET Gaming Partners with GHOST

Sam Blake

Sam primarily covers entertainment and media for dot.LA. Previously he was Marjorie Deane Fellow at The Economist, where he wrote for the business and finance sections of the print edition. He has also worked at the XPRIZE Foundation, U.S. Government Accountability Office, KCRW, and MLB Advanced Media (now Disney Streaming Services). He holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson, an MPP from UCLA Luskin and a BA in History from University of Michigan. Email him at samblake@dot.LA and find him on Twitter @hisamblake

LA Tech Updates: Triller Threatens Legal Action; XSET Gaming Partners with GHOST
Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash

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:

  • Triller Threatens Legal Action Over Metrics Estimates
  • XSET Gaming Crew Gets Its First Partnership Deal

    Triller Threatens Legal Action Over Metrics Estimates

    The Case for Triller: The TikTok Competitor Approaching Unicorn Status, And Getting Big Breaks

    TikTok competitor Triller has threatened to sue an analytics firm over its report that suggests Triller inflated its app-download figures.

    As the Chinese-owned TikTok faces a ban, Triller has positioned itself as the company's successor. Earlier this month the company issued a statement boasting it had been downloaded 250 million times and seen a 20x increase in the last week of July. But Apptopia pegged the number of downloads to 52 million. Sensor Tower, another third-party analytics firm, estimated 45.6 million.

    "We would have welcomed Apptopia with open arms had they just reached out to us, and helped them understand our numbers, and now they have just made themselves part of our TikTok litigation," Triller chief executive Mike Lu wrote to TechCrunch. "We will be pursuing a claim against them for spreading harmful, false and knowingly damaging information."

    Lu is referring to Triller's recently filed lawsuit against TikTok parent company ByteDance, claiming that the Chinese firm infringed on Triller's patent for syncing music and video.

    He went on to say that Apptopia, "clearly have allowed themselves to become a pawn of these giant conglomerates, especially those like TikTok."

    Triller executive chairman Bobby Sarnevesht told dot.LA late last month that tailwinds have inspired the company to pursue a $250 million fundraising round that would value Triller at $1.25 billion. India's ban on TikTok has helped boost Triller's performance in that country, Sarnevesht said.

    Influencers have reportedly been increasingly migrating from TikTok in the wake of President Trump's executive order that would effectively ban the app in the U.S. The president has created a Triller account of his own.

    XSET Gaming Crew Gets Its First Partnership Deal

    A month after FaZe Clan executives left to launch their own esports company, Boston-based XSET, they sealed their first large partnership with lifestyle nutrition brand GHOST.

    The two-year deal gives XSET's roster of streamers, gamers and celebrities access to beverages, supplements and protein. GHOST will also provide sponsorship of XSET's jerseys and esports events, and will develop branded products ranging from limited-edition beverage flavors to original content.

    XSET's CEO Greg Selkoe is trying to build a brand more inclusive and diverse than FaZe and its Southern California peers just as the nation is grappling with racial inequities. The company purposely went to the East Coast and its partnership with Chicago-based GHOST is reminiscent of FaZe Clan's business blueprint of building on top esports with merchandise, brand sponsorships and content development. That strategy has helped FaZe garner a $250 million valuation and 215 million social media followers.

    The deal comes after an earlier score for XSET, when the company signed 14-year-old female professional skateboarder Minna Stess. At the time, XSET co-founder and chief operating officer Marco Mereu described the move as "the embodiment of the kind of talent we want."

    Mereu's three other co-founders are chief executive Greg Selkoe, chief of merchandising and licensing Wil Eddins, and chief business development officer Clinton Sparks. Those three all previously worked at FaZe Clan, where they respectively served as President, VP of Apparel and VP of Business Development.

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    How AgTech Startup Leaf Wants To Modernize the Farming Industry

    Samson Amore

    Samson Amore is a reporter for dot.LA. He holds a degree in journalism from Emerson College and previously covered technology and entertainment for TheWrap and reported on the SoCal startup scene for the Los Angeles Business Journal. Send tips or pitches to samsonamore@dot.la and find him on Twitter @Samsonamore.

    green leaf drawing and rolling farm lands
    Evan Xie

    At least 50,000 acres in the state of California are estimated to be underwater after a record-breaking year of rainfall. So far this year, California has received nearly 29 inches of rain, with the bulk being dumped on its central and southern coasts. Farmers are already warning that the price of dairy, tomatoes and other vegetables will rise as the weather prevents them from re-seeding their fields.

    While no current technology can prevent weather disasters, Leaf Agriculture, a Los Angeles-based startup that launched in 2018, wants to help farmers better manage their properties by leveraging data.

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    Two LA Startups Participate in Techstars' 2023 Health Care Accelerator

    Decerry Donato

    Decerry Donato is a reporter at dot.LA. Prior to that, she was an editorial fellow at the company. Decerry received her bachelor's degree in literary journalism from the University of California, Irvine. She continues to write stories to inform the community about issues or events that take place in the L.A. area. On the weekends, she can be found hiking in the Angeles National forest or sifting through racks at your local thrift store.

    Two LA Startups Participate in Techstars' 2023 Health Care Accelerator
    Courtesy of Techstars

    Earlier this month, Techstars announced that their 2023 accelerator program will have two simultaneous cohorts–Techstars health care and L.A. As previously reported on dot.LA, Techstars has brought on board returning partners Cedars Sinai, United Healthcare, along with new partners that include UCI Health and Point32Health for its health care cohort.

    “For our healthcare program, this is the first time we've had multiple partners as sponsors,” Managing Director Matt Kozlov said. “This allows us to support and mentor a wider diversity of companies than we've been able to help historically.”

    The in-person program is taking place in Los Angeles and two out of the twelve companies accepted into the health care program are based in Southern California.

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    The Creator-To-Podcaster Pipeline Is Ready to Explode

    Nat Rubio-Licht
    Nat Rubio-Licht is a freelance reporter with dot.LA. They previously worked at Protocol writing the Source Code newsletter and at the L.A. Business Journal covering tech and aerospace. They can be reached at nat@dot.la.
    The Creator-To-Podcaster Pipeline Is Ready to Explode
    Evan Xie

    It’s no secret that men dominate the podcasting industry. Even as women continue to grow their foothold, men still make up many of the highest-earning podcasts, raking in massive paychecks from ad revenue and striking deals with streaming platforms worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

    But a new demographic is changing that narrative: Gen-Z female influencers and content creators.

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