[ibimage==37153==Original==none==self==ibimage_align-center]
Three of LA's rapidly growing startups made Inc's 30 under 30 list, released today.
Culver City-based Enplug's twenty-something founders came in second and this group literally lives and breathes their work. They lived together while launching their product. The digital billboard sold to restaurants and bars, among other venues is unlike a static billboard — it’s highly social. People can send over multiple forms of media such as Twitter posts and photos to be displayed on the Billboard in real time. This makes the billboard experience far more interactive for advertisers, and more entertaining for venues to host.
Inc said of Enplug, "Digital signage is boring. Enplug wants to change that by making signs interactive, with curated social media posts from customers."
Santa Monica-based
PlayQ builds online games amassing millions of downloads. Founder and Techstars alum Joe Aigboboh has turned down several acquisition offers while he continues to grow his product.
Inc said of PlayQ, "As a member of the inaugural class at Techstars, Joe Aigboboh built two online games that amassed more than three million downloads within their first three months. Plus, he received multiple seven-figure acquisition offers, all of which Aigboboh turned down. His company, PlayQ, based in Santa Monica, California, hasn’t taken any outside money since Techstars’ $10,000 seed investment, he says. After Techstars, Aigboboh’s friend and classmate Ryan Komori, 29, joined PlayQ as a co-founder and helped transition it to focus on mobile and tablet games. Since then, the company has released four more games, including Charm King, that have been played for a combined 200 million hours. "
[ibimage==37142==Original==none==self==ibimage_align-center]
West Hollywood-based
LSTN is part of the socially conscious consumer goods movement, donating hearing aids to those in need with every pair of headphones they sell.
Inc said of LSTN, "In 2012, the market for headphones was exploding--but Bridget Hilton, already a music-industry veteran, couldn’t find any that appealed to her. “There was nothing that had a cool look that wasn’t cheesy,” she says. “It was all plastic and neon.” So she launched West Hollywood–based LSTN Headphones, with ear cups made of recycled wood. In 2013, Inc. featured them in our Best in Class gift guide, and Esquire put the headphones on its “Want List” for their “reclaimed wood and top-quality sound,” calling them “the best case of upcycling we’ve ever seen.” Last year, LSTN had sales of $2 million, through retailers such as Nordstrom, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Brookstone; in 2015, it’s shooting for $5 million. Next up: a wooden Bluetooth speaker."
