Only a few blocks removed from the hustle and bustle of Third Street Promenade and the beautiful beaches of Santa Monica, a new type of attraction brought visitors from across the country.
Silicon Beach Fest, an event showcasing the variety of tech startups in Los Angeles, brought entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and more from all parts of the US and several foreign countries to share advice, pitch new ideas and network.
Various panels took place on topics ranging from social media to investment strategies, all led by experts in the field. Whether you were a budding young CEO of your own startup or simply had an idea for a new product, everyone found something to learn.
About 30-40 startups were actually given the opportunity to pit
ch their ideas to a team of investors. Each startup had three minutes to sell their idea to a collection of venture capitalists, accelerators, and angel investors. Those who scored the highest moved on to the finals where they were given an additional two minutes and more time to be questioned by the judges.
In the end, DoubleBeam – a mobile retailing “something†– took home the grand prize of $5,000, though the true prize was in the crowd of interested investors.
Each night, after a days’ worth of speakers and presentations, everyone was given a chance to kick back, relax, and network together over food and drinks. The energy was tangible as innovators of all ages exchanged business cards and spoke of how to better Los Angeles’ future in the land of tech startups.
By the end of the night one thing was certainly agreed upon: Why start a business anywhere that’s not 80 degrees and sunny every day?
