According to a Forbes report last April, both the viewership and dollars behind women’s sports at a collegiate and professional level are growing. In 2022, the first 32 games of the NCAA tournament had record attendance levels, breaking records set back in 2004, and largely driven by the new and rapidly growing women’s NCAA tournament. WNBA openers this year saw a 21% spike in attendance, with some teams including the LA Sparks reporting triple-digit ticket sales growth, about 121% over 2022’s total. In 2023, the average size of an LA Sparks crowd swelled to 10,396 people, up from 4,701 peop ..read more

As the curtains close on yet another exhilarating week of innovation and collaboration, we look back at the remarkable success of LA Tech Week. The event brought together brilliant minds, visionary entrepreneurs, and pioneering tech enthusiasts from all corners of the globe, transforming the California coast into a hub of creativity and forward-thinking. Throughout the week, lively conversations, fruitful collaborations, and valuable insights were exchanged, forging new partnerships and fueling the future of tech. The vibrant networking events provided the perfect platform for people to conn ..read more

This is the web version of dot.LA’s daily newsletter. Sign up to get the latest news on Southern California’s tech, startup and venture capital scene. Digital marketing agencies have already had to upend their practices to keep up with TikTok’s swift trend cycle. Now, they’re facing another challenge: AI. On Thursday, marketing experts and AI founders gathered in Playa Vista to discuss how the emerging technology will disrupt the industry. Benjamin Lin, the founder of AI software platform Melodize.ai, who primarily works with ecommerce companies to create AI-generated short-form video ads an ..read more

L.A. Tech Week has brought venture capitalists, founders and entrepreneurs from around the world to the California coast. With so many tech nerds in one place, it's easy to laugh, joke and reminisce about the future of tech in SoCal. Here's what people are saying about the fifth day of L.A. Tech Week on social: #LATechWeek has been on ???. Yes the events are super cool at amazing venues. But, I’m blown away by the people. I’ve met so many founders building generative AI companies from the ground up. I’m so bullish on LA right now?. LA is for builders #longLA Thanks @rpnickson ? pic.twitte ..read more

At Lowercarbon Capital’s LA Tech Week event Thursday, the synergy between the region’s aerospace industry and greentech startups was clear. The event sponsored by Lowercarbon, Climate Draft (and the defunct Silicon Valley Bank’s Climate Technology & Sustainability team) brought together a handful of local startups in Hawthorne not far from LAX, and many of the companies shared DNA with arguably the region’s most famous tech resident: SpaceX. “It's very clear that climate is no longer a niche issue,” said speaker Lauren Faber O’Connor, former chief sustainability officer for the City of L ..read more

A local logistics platform raised fresh funding to put toward product development, infrastructure and sales and marketing initiatives, while a San Diego-based fintech company closed its Series C funding round to expand its investment in AI which will empower high-growth SMB and mid-market finance leaders. *** Venture Capital Curri, a Ventura-based logistics platform, raised a $42 million Series B funding round led by Bessemer Venture Partners. San Diego-based financial platform Mosaic raised a $26 million Series C funding round led by OMERS Ventures. AHARA, a Los Angeles-based startup focuse ..read more

“Moves,” our roundup of job changes in L.A. tech, is presented by Interchange.LA, dot.LA's recruiting and career platform connecting Southern California's most exciting companies with top tech talent. Create a free Interchange.LA profile here—and if you're looking for ways to supercharge your recruiting efforts, find out more about Interchange.LA's white-glove recruiting service by emailing Sharmineh O’Farrill Lewis (sharmineh@dot.la). Please send job changes and personnel moves to moves@dot.la. *** LeaseLock, a lease insurance and financial technology provider for the rental housing industr ..read more

This is the web version of dot.LA’s daily newsletter. Sign up to get the latest news on Southern California’s tech, startup and venture capital scene. 1212 Santa Monica was jam packed with roughly 700 founders and VCs on Wednesday night. As music pumped through the speakers, attendees of SUPERCHARGE LA: Access to Capital & Cocktails mingled throughout the two-story restaurant tasting sliders and tacos from chef Luca Maita. The passionate crowd, clustered in the hollowed-out center space, along the balcony lining the walls and spilling onto the promenade was full of excitement. When Gramm ..read more

Last year, global venture capital investment in esports dropped by more than 40%. Investors have been rapidly selling off teams and franchises, and the industry has witnessed a consistent decline in ad spend. This has prompted many critics to coin the term “esports winter,” referring to a fall-off in the industry, an indication that VCs believe their investments didn’t achieve success as expected. A recent article in The New York Times highlighted two major esports leagues that recently divested from their teams: Madison Square Garden sold its team CounterLogic Gaming to NRG in April, while ..read more

L.A. Tech Week has brought venture capitalists, founders and entrepreneurs from around the world to the California coast. With so many tech nerds in one place, it's easy to laugh, joke and reminisce about the future of tech in SoCal. Here's what people are saying about day four of L.A. Tech Week on social: Day two of #LATechWeek was so much fun at the @dotLA event—I ran into old friends and somehow I keep running into my H-Town people. The music and vibes by @dnice were so dope! @Techweek_ #techweek23 ???? pic.twitter.com/77E6EbfoGk — Christina ? (@Themetamaven) June 8, 2023 It was terr ..read more