Silicon Breach is the official blog of Startup Minds, a privately funded seed fund and accelerator based in West Hollywood, California. We are dedicated to building disruptive tech companies. This blog seeks to serve as an informative and entertaining resource for entrepreneurs in Los Angeles and beyond.
27
Feb
We are excited to announce that we will be co-sponsoring TechZulu & Digital LA’s Black & Red Bash, taking place tomorrow night in Santa Monica! We will be joining Silicon Beach’s finest to celebrate the five year anniversaries of BOTH awesome organizations. Join us?
04
Dec
Miguel McKelvey is fascinated by design. Earning his degree in architecture and graduating Magna Cum Laude from The University of Oregon, McKelvey has had a successful track record as both a designer and entrepreneur. His passion for designing spaces that inspire led to his latest entrepreneurial endeavor, a chain of co-working communities known as WeWork. Spanning nine locations across the country, with seven in the New York City area alone, WeWork is a unique co-working experience. Their one of a kind offices boast creatively designed layouts that foster a sense of openness and collaboration. Perhaps this is the reason they attract such a diverse roster of clients. In any WeWork community you can find designers, PR professionals, filmmakers, and programmers all coming together bound by their entrepreneurial drive and determination.
After building Green Desk, a popular eco-friendly co-working space in New York City, McKelvey and his co-founder Adam Neumann sold that company after just one year. Using the profits from Green Desk, the two entrepreneurs decided to build WeWork. WeWork is not just about providing work space for budding entrepreneurs, it is about facilitating a community of like-minded individuals in spaces that foster change-making. In just under three years, WeWork has expanded to nine locations and over 3000 members and they are showing no sign of slowing down. WeWork opened it’s Hollywood location earlier this year and it has become a hub of activity for the much neglected startup warriors who live far from the single digit streets of Santa Monica which serve as the mecca for us Silicon Beachers. Its friendly staff, led by Eyad Zahra, ensure that all WeWork members and visitors are taken care of. Whether it be a normal day at the office, a communal hike in the Hollywood Hills, or at the recent Silicon Beach Fest conference they recently hosted, it’s clear that WeWork is quickly becoming a prominent fixture in the LA startup scene. We caught up with Miguel to learn more about WeWork’s story and how his own personal motto of “always be interested” has led him to entrepreneurial success.
06
Oct
Recently, the team at StartupMinds has become fascinated with Twitter. Every day brings us another group of accomplished and dynamic individuals to our list. They include VC’s, entrepreneurs, Silicon Beach celebrities, and tech geeks alike. If only we had some forum where we could share the stories of some of these followers. Oh wait… WE DO! Enter: Nice To Tweet You - a new column where we interview one of our special followers to gain a better understanding of their unique point of view on entrepreneurship, investing, and innovation.
The first to catch our attention was Meredith J. Powell. A founder/investor/adviser, Powell’s experience lies in fashion and e-commerce. Founder and CEO of Powell & Co., a wholesale showroom with a reported $45M in-house retail sales across 3,000 stores, she is a self-described startup creative. Powell has gone on to advise Salemarked and Wantering, and has recently become a mentor at Vancouver-based Launch Academy. Powell’s whimsical online presence, passion for Silicon Beach, and impressive resume were all we needed to reach out to learn more.
04
Oct
Our team has been building and investing in companies since 2004, and consequently have sat through A LOT of pitch meetings. While there is no shortage of good ideas, there is a shortage of entrepreneurs who deliver those ideas confidently and in convincing ways. Pitch Perfect is an opportunity to peek into the board room to get a look at the best recently-launched companies in Silicon Beach.
Jonathan Eppers launched his company RadPad just last week, and we already are feeling the heat that its buzz is generating. And with good reason. Eppers, a former product guy at Myspace, eHarmony, and Edelman, has spent the past several years developing a keen understanding of what makes a great user experience. RadPad is Eppers’ attempt to impart that wisdom on the rental sector of the real-estate industry, a market that he asserts has seen a lack of innovation in recent years.
Check out how Eppers and his team plan to help you find your next rad pad.
25
Sep
“You have to be a fighter, you have to be a warrior, and if not, you should go do something that is a little less disruptive. I’m bringing it, I’m not sleeping. If the other guy is sleeping, I am going to kick his ass.”
-Travis Kalanick, Uber CEO
We hear a lot of pitches here at StartupMinds, and lately a lot of them have included some sort of reference to Uber. VC’s and entrepreneurs would be foolish not to liken their products/services to this unique brand of startup. Uber has done more than disrupt the once narcoleptic transportation industry; they have truly revolutionized smartphone economics.
The truth is however, there is only one Uber, and its LA branch is one of the company’s fastest growing markets. In a town where everyone likes to feel fancy, Uber’s town-car and SUV service has caught on like wildfire. Forget the sleek vehicles and courteous drivers. You had us at free water and candy.
The ever-expanding company hasn’t flinched in the face of regulatory issues and the rise of seemingly stiff competition. We watched as the company’s badass CEO Travis Kalanick delivered a clear message to the audience at TechCrunch Disrupt earlier this month: Get out of Uber’s way, or they will run you over. Literally.
Our team caught up with LA’s Community Manager Cat Sampson, and like the majority of Uberites, she is a force to be reckoned with.
20
Sep
Our team is so excited to launch StartupWarrior, a column that will highlight hardworking innovators working at some of the hottest startups in Silicon Beach. Working at a startup is tough. In the age of ‘Googlefied’ workplaces, among the foosball tables and kegerators, it is easy to forget that startup culture is not all fun and games. These awesome amenities and flip-flop culture are rewards for the sleepless nights, stressed out weekends, and other sacrifices we make to ensure we take our businesses to the next level.
The dedicated employees that we will feature are just some of those on the front lines of innovation. They are using their varied work experience and unmatched passion to truly revolutionize the way we interact with each other and with society. These are their stories.
ShoeDazzle’s Cherie Park and Jenny Neymark are no exception. A graduate of Cornell University and UC Santa Barbara respectively, Cher & Jenny call themselves “startup sisters” bound by their love of entrepreneurship, product design, and shoes (obviously). Cher left a successful investment banking career to pursue her passion for fashion and e-commerce while Jenny left a successful career in corporate branding to pursue UI/UX design at ShoeDazzle.
From what makes a great product manager to what excites them about intuitive design, we caught up with Cher and Jenny to see what makes this warrior duo tick.
