Monday, December 08, 2014

VENICE BEACH - Changing From Bohemian to Tech

"Replacing surf shops with startups, tech boom makes waves in bohemian Venice Beach" PBS NewsHour 12/4/2014

Excerpt

STEVE GOLDBLOOM (NewsHour):  In San Francisco, computer programmers are like rock stars.  Here in Los Angeles, the rock stars are the rock stars.  But now that’s starting to change, as more entrepreneurs are trading in the high costs of Bay Area living for sunnier space right here in Venice Beach.  They even have a name for it, Silicon Beach.

But as is the case in San Francisco, the tech boom brings with it both prosperity and its share of problems.

CHAD BILLMYER, CEO, Panjo:  We’re a marketplace for auto, sport, and hobby enthusiasts.

FARBOD SHORAKA, CEO, BloomNation.com:  It’s awesome to be by the water and working at the same time.

CHAD BILLMYER:  Three hundred and sixty-five days a year, I can walk to work.  Right?  It’s going to be sunny.  It’s going to be 70.

STEVE GOLDBLOOM:  L.A. Times tech reporter Paresh Dave covers Silicon Beach.

PARESH DAVE, The Los Angeles Times:  The West Side of Los Angeles has always been sort of a young, hip district.  And things like the weather and being close to the beach, to some, it was attractive.  And I think that’s what got it started.

STEVE GOLDBLOOM:  Entrepreneur Erik Rannala decided to relocate to L.A. from the bay area.  He co-founded Mucker Capital, the first start-up accelerator to arrive in Silicon Beach.  They nurture and invest in young start-up companies.

ERIK RANNALA, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Mucker Capital:  I have seen a lot of these buildings switch over from, you know, not tech companies to tech companies.

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