50 LA tech CEOs, founders, executives, hackers, & investors you must follow on Twitter

Written by Garrett Reim
Published on Jan. 22, 2015

Step One: Login to Twitter

Step Two: Start Clicking Follow

 



Mike Jones

Follow @mjones //

Science Inc. & Myspace

CEO & co-founder

Startup studio & social network

Twitter profile:

CEO Science, Former CEO Myspace, Angel Investor, Entrepreneur, Former CEO Userplane, Tsavo Media

Handcrafted in LA — Design, Disruption, and Science — Medium https://t.co/yFfSALbeUH via @delicious

— Michael Jones (@mjones) November 11, 2014

 



Cameron Kashani

Follow @CamSKashani

Coloft & Startup Weekend

Founder & facilitator

Coworking

Twitter profile:

Mom. Entrepreneur. Community builder. Advisor... Helping passionate entrepreneurs. Facilitator @startupweekend. Previous: cofounded @coloft.

If you're a senior mobile dev in #LA looking for an awesome gig with a cool funded #startup, hit me up. #siliconbeach

— Cameron Kashani (@CamSKashani) December 30, 2014
 


 

Sophia Amoruso

Follow @sophia_amoruso

Nasty Gal

Founder & executive chairman

Online fashion retail

Twitter profile:

Founder & Executive Chairman @NastyGal. Bestselling Author of #GIRLBOSS.

 

Mentorship is a word we use more each day at Nasty Gal. "As long as you live, keep learn... https://t.co/xk8bReXzBo pic.twitter.com/cEDnShmEY9

— SOPHIA AMORUSO (@Sophia_Amoruso) January 12, 2015
 


Alex Capecelatro

Follow @AlexCapecelatro //

Yeti

CEO & founder

Travel discovery app

Twitter profile:

founder/ CEO of Yeti

 

Lessons Learned in App Design https://t.co/FkXssdjXbT

— Alex Capecelatro (@AlexCapecelatro) December 10, 2014

 



Bill Gross

Follow @Bill_Gross //

Idealab

CEO & founder

Incubator

Twitter profile:

Founder of Technology Incubator Idealab and 100 companies in last 30 years. Tweeting while on my quest for learning in life and at conferences.

"Last year there were 1.5 billion smartphones sold. That's more than all the PC's EVER!" Albert Wenger at #DLD15

— Bill Gross (@Bill_Gross) January 19, 2015

 



Sarah Ullman

Follow @thesillysully //

Maker Studios (formerly)

YouTube consultant

YouTube MCNs

Twitter profile:

"Somewhat silly, very Sully. writer of The Jungle & show-and-tell expert / formerly @makerstudios @paramountpics"

 

The Jungle: 2015 Predictions for the @YouTube Ecosystem - https://t.co/Gwu9k7KhqZ

— Sully (@thesillysully) January 10, 2015

 


 

 

Frank Addante

Follow @frankaddante //

The Rubicon Project

CEO & co-founder

Advertising technology

Twitter profile:

CEO/Founder/Chief Product Architect of @RubiconProject, Columnist for @Inc, Author of https://FounderBlog.com : follow me for entrepreneurial...

"Work-life balance is a myth. It’s one entity. More like work-life integration. Focus needs to be on being happy w. your whole life." #SGFUS

— FrankAddante (@FrankAddante) November 13, 2014

 



Peter Diamandis

Follow @PeterDiamandis //

X Prize Foundation

CEO & chairman

Twitter profile:

@XPRIZE, @SingularityU, @PlanetaryRsrcs & Author of Abundance... Passionate about innovation and creating a world of Abundance. Investor in @Humin.

 

Kodak filed bankruptcy 3 months before Instagram was purchased by FB. Here’s how to be the next Instagram, not Kodak https://t.co/aoiHvJjGmJ

— Peter Diamandis (@PeterDiamandis) January 16, 2015

 


 

James Borow

Follow @JamesBorow

SHIFT

CEO & co-founder

Social & mobile ad technology

Twitter profile:

Co-Founder/CEO of @SHIFTplatform.

 

Some of the best ads on mobile imo... https://t.co/5FRio7TEaJ

— James Borow (@JamesBorow) January 5, 2015

 


 

Brock Pierce

Follow @brockpierce //

Bitcoin

Investor

Crypto-currency

Twitter profile:

Investor in Blockchain enabling technology companies!

 

The Price of Bitcoin Doesn’t Matter Right Now https://t.co/9mVEwZxIcg

— Brock Pierce (@brockpierce) January 15, 2015

 


 

Tracy DiNunzio

Follow @TracyDiNunzio //

CEO & founder

Tradesey

Online fashion retail

Twitter profile: 

CEO & Founder @Tradesy | Collaborative consumer | Insomniac | Happy skeptic

 

Geek Out: A Case Study: @Tradesy and @Ansible https://t.co/J8dwnBeyzQ

— Tracy DiNunzio (@TracyDiNunzio) October 29, 2014

 


 

Ashton Kutcher

Follow @aplusk //

LA startups

Angel investor

Investing

Twitter profile:

I make stuff, actually I make up stuff, stories mostly, collaborations of thoughts, dreams, and actions. Thats me.

 

It's been a huge year for @Shyp! Congrats, I'm proud to work with this company. https://t.co/r1kAgeP2jC

— ashton kutcher (@aplusk) January 1, 2015

 


 

Greg Cohn

Follow @gregcohn //

Burner

CEO & co-founder

Anonymous phone app

Twitter profile:

Co-founder & CEO of @burner.

 

New blog post: “Burner is a Burner is a Burner — not!” https://t.co/h6Nk2p0Cnt @burner

— Greg Cohn (@gregcohn) January 16, 2015

 


 

Jason Calacanis

Follow @Jason //

CEO, founder & angel investor

Inside, TWIST, Endgadget

Media & investing

Twitter profile:

Angel investor (@uber + https://angel.co/jason  ) // Writer // Dad // Founder: @Engadget, @Inside.com, @LAUNCH & @twistartups

The Official Definitions of Seed, Series A, and Series B Rounds https://t.co/28sUaWZ3i6

— jason (@Jason) January 19, 2015

 



Jason Nazar

Follow @jasonnazar //

Docstoc & Startups Uncensored

CEO, co-founder, & organizer

Document sharing

Twitter profile:

Co-Founder, Docstoc (spare time writer for Forbes, WSJ, BI)

 

It’s easiest to find your 1st set of customers by providing a product for niche audience that’s underserved https://t.co/IHMbdeZGnK via @WSJ

— Jason Lawrence Nazar (@jasonnazar) November 13, 2014

 


 

Meredith Perry

Follow @meredithperry //

uBeam

CEO & founder

Wireless charging

Twitter profile:

Founder @uBeam. Power-suckler on the teat of life. Uses a machete to cut through red tape.

 

Sometimes I sit in the office after everyone's left &stare @ the place in disbelief that we even have one.What a long strange trip it's been

— Meredith Perry (@meredithperry) December 6, 2014

 


 

Justin Choi

Follow @JustinCie //

Nativo & Cie Games

CEO & founder

Native advertising & mobile games

Twitter profile:

Founder and CEO: Nativo - Cofounder: Cie Games, Cie Digital Labs

 

Here's one way how publishers' needs around native is evolving. https://t.co/WaR0JMusCa

— Justin Choi (@JustinCie) January 12, 2015

 


 

John Tabis

Follow @johngtabis //

The Bouqs

CEO and founder

Online flowers

Twitter profile:

Founder & CEO @TheBouqs; love building great things; brand and consumer strategist; renaissance-y. https://Bouqs.com.

Want to attract and retain the best talent? I published a few tips via @Forbes. #recruiting #HR #startups https://t.co/2gvCboon1T

— John Tabis (@JohnGTabis) October 17, 2014

 


 

Paige Craig

Follow @paigecraig //

LA startups

Angel investor

Investing

Twitter profile:

adrenaline fueled angel investor, nomad, Marine...

 

Sweet idea for artists via Gigit... https://t.co/O4oJ0YOoo8

— paigecraig (@paigecraig) November 20, 2014

 


 

Amanda MacNaughton

Follow @amandamalia //

PromoJam (formerly)

Co-founder 

Social media marketing

Twitter profile:

Co-Founder of @PromoJam Social Marketing Platform, travel, fashion, friends, fun in the sun, entertainment, culture, wine&dine, yes U should, life is good

What’s So Scary About Smart Girls? https://t.co/xpyLx9eeV4

— Amanda MacNaughton (@AmandaMalia) May 13, 2014

 


 

Justin Wu

Follow @hackapreneur //

Sidevision & StartEngine

Co-founder & growth hacker

Online video & accelerator

Twitter profile:

Co-founder @sidevisiontv. & #GrowthHacker for @startenginela. Help startups with growth & user acquisitions. Would love to talk about it.

Ecommerce site drops social sharing and saw 11% increase in conversions. #growthhacking #growth #marketing https://t.co/uISV9mUoUn

— Justin Wu (@hackapreneur) January 20, 2015

 



Mark Suster

Follow @msuster //

Upfront Ventures

Partner

Investing

Twitter profile:

2x entrepreneur. Sold both companies (last to https://salesforce.com ). Now @UpfrontVC looking to invest in passionate entrepreneurs

— Mark Suster (@msuster) January 20, 2015

 



Gil Elbaz

Follow @gilelbaz //

Factual

CEO

Location data

Twitter profile:

Founder/CEO of Factual providing definitive, global data.

Proud of @factual's announcement today about new ad tools that help our partners put location data to use: https://t.co/OPEdZyGGjP

— Gil Elbaz (@gilelbaz) December 17, 2014

 



Dr. Pat Soon-Shiong

Follow @solvehealthcare //

NantHealth & NantMobile

CEO & founder

Healthcare & augemented reality

Twitter profile:

Chairman of the Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation, Institute for Advanced Health, Healthcare Transformation Institute, NantHealth & NantWorks

Learn how @solvehealthcare is bringing the impossible to life on 60 Minutes. https://t.co/nPtqUaYMct @drsanjaygupta @nanthealth @60Minutes

— Dr. Pat Soon-Shiong (@solvehealthcare) December 7, 2014

 


 

Peter Marx

Follow @pietromarx //

City of Los Angeles

Chief Innovation Officer

City government

Twitter profile:

My personal account. Views are my own. RTs are not endorsements. In addition, I hold the position of Chief Innovation & Technology Officer in the City of LA

LA #1 large digital city: "In the 21st century, digital must be the default for cities" @ericgarcetti https://t.co/eLCmLsry38 @LAMayorsOffice

— Peter Marx (@pietromarx) January 6, 2015

 


 

Richard Rosenblatt

Follow @demandrichard //

WhipClip & Demand Media

CEO & founder

TV clip sharing

Twitter profile:

Private and Public company internet entrepreneur and executive Let's talk business, social, and whatever is interesting at that moment

Twitter’s “while you were away” feature sums up a crucial dilemma - Is twitter changing that much? https://t.co/bqSYlq550d

— Richard Rosenblatt (@demandrichard) January 3, 2015

 


 

Richard Raddon

Follow @richraddon //

ZEFR

Co-CEO & co-founder

YouTube Video Rights

Twitter profile:

co-founder of @ZEFRinc + @MOVIECLIPS. love mixin it up with media, brands and tech on @YouTube. the future is upon us - great for fans - great for creators.

"Social can be an extraordinary vehicle for powering a brand’s business objectives." https://t.co/pITrXtM06m via @ZEFRInc #socialmedia

— Richard Raddon (@RichRaddon) January 12, 2015

 


 

Howard Marks

Follow @howardmarks //

Co-founder & angel investor

Activision & Startengine

Gaming & accelerator

Twitter profile:

Co-founder @Activision ($14B market cap) & @startenginela Investor in 60+ startups

 

A Proactive Approach to Addressing Unethical Behavior in the Workplace #startups #entrepreneur https://t.co/1lEWYc8Qt2

— Howard Marks (@howardmarks) January 20, 2015

 


 

Jerry Jao

Follow @jerryjao //

Retention Science

CEO & co-founder

Customer loyalty platform

Twitter profile:

ceo @retentionsci. 3 startups. world traveler (37 countries). optmistic. often laugh for no reason. random....

What I learned from @matt_hulett on how to hire right, grow the right team, and set a motivating culture for company https://t.co/xeVhatNuM8

— jerry jao (@jerryjao) January 13, 2015

 


 

Tara Roth

Follow @taranellroth //

Goldhirsh Foundation

President

Entrepreneurship non-profit

Twitter profile:

President @GoldhirshFdn @LA2050.

 

Think coding isn't girly? Let it go. Check out what @DisneyInteract and @codeorg did to introduce #coding to girls: https://t.co/qwJ025Oe2B

— Tara Roth (@taranellroth) November 25, 2014

 



Greg Bettinelli

Follow @gregbettinelli //

Upfront Ventures

Partner

Investor

Twitter profile:

Partner @UpfrontVC.... Co-founder MuckerLab. Former CMO @HauteLook (now @Nordstrom), @eBay, @StubHub + @LiveNation. #LongLA

A monumental #LongLA moment. SpaceX Raises $1 Billion In New Funding From Google And Fidelity https://t.co/aSm2xob2pE

— Greg Bettinelli (@gregbettinelli) January 20, 2015

 


 

Jon Zweig

Follow @bruinengineer //

Ad Colony

Founder & former CEO

Advertising technology

Twitter profile:

Founder of Inc 500 @AdColony

 

AdColony leads the world in eCPM for Mobile Ad Networks https://t.co/THGpTKtmu9

— AdColony Founder (@bruinengineer) October 31, 2014

 


 

Cody Simms

Follow @codysimms //

Techstars

Managing director

Accelerator

Twitter profile:

Managing director @Techstars

 

//

Hear directly from all 10 CEOs of #DisneyAccelerator powered by @Techstars: https://t.co/b6DzksxnQg Congratulations to 10 great companies!

— Cody Simms (@codysimms) October 15, 2014

 


 

Bryce Maddock

Follow @brycemaddock //

TaskUs

CEO & founder

Outsourced customer support

Twitter profile:

Humble servant of today's coolest companies and most incredible people. @TaskUs

 

Wha wha WHAT?! % of entrepreneurs under 30 has dropped drastically in the past 15 years... https://t.co/qezlwzj8q1

— Bryce Maddock (@BryceMaddock) January 3, 2015

 


 

Jim Gilliam

Follow @jgilliam //

NationBuilder

CEO & founder

Non-profit organization

Twitter profile:

@NationBuilder Founder and CEO

 

Just released: Your annual report, created with @NationBuilder. https://t.co/hc0qlG8ujo

— Jim Gilliam (@jgilliam) December 23, 2014

 


 

Michael Heyward

Follow @michaelheywire //

Whisper

CEO & co-founder

Anonymous social network

Twitter profile:

Co-Founder/CEO @whisper

 

"I don't know what the key to success is, but i know the key to failure is trying to please everyone" https://t.co/QznRhvNoy2 (via @whisper)

— Michael Heyward (@michaelheywire) January 7, 2015

 


 

Yannis Yortsos

Follow @DeanYortsos //

Viterbi School of Engineering at USC

Dean

Academics

Twitter profile:

Lakers fan, soccer aficionado and player in a competitive over-50 league, & Dean of the Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California.

Half of last year's Viterbi Startup Garage companies raised significant angel funding- like @TagglerHQ https://t.co/6V8xgE9PFG

— Yannis C. Yortsos (@DeanYortsos) October 16, 2014

 


 

George Strompolos

Follow @gstrompolos //

Fullscreen

CEO & founder

YouTube MCN

Twitter profile:

CEO/Founder of Fullscreen. Formerly Google, YouTube, WIRED. I like curious people. Good friend IRL.

Why creative people say “No” https://t.co/0BdKYh1P50 via @kevin_ashton

— George Strompolos (@gstrompolos) January 3, 2015

 


 

Andrew Stalbow

Follow @stalbs //

Seriously

CEO & co-founder

Mobile games

Twitter profile:

Co-founder & CEO @seriouslyhq, a mobile entertainment start-up based in Santa Monica & Helsinki. First game @bestfiends out now! 

I just published “Entertainment Brands of the Future will be Built on Mobile First.” https://t.co/AmwfgnUgGV

— Andrew Stalbow (@stalbs) August 12, 2014

 


 

Steve Beauregard

Follow @gocoinceo //

GoCoin

CEO & co-founder

Bitcoin

Twitter profile:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sbeau

 

Digital wallets are not the same as blockchain #bitcoin @PayPal reminds Oz gov't regulators cc: @GoCoin https://t.co/EjuiJYiwGA

— Steve Beauregard (@GoCoinCEO) January 14, 2015

 


 

Brian Robbins

Follow @brianrobbinstv

AwesomenessTV

CEO

YouTube MCN

Twitter profile:

Prolific film and television director and producer. CEO at Awesomenesstv. Father of Miles and Justin...

There is never time. What's really standing between your hobby & your dream career https://t.co/fIJzbyFyl3 by @janeporter00 via @FastCompany

— Brian Robbins (@BrianRobbinsTV) January 17, 2015

 


 

Brian Mullins

Follow @mrlaserbeam //

DAQRI

CEO & founder

Virtual reality

Twitter profile:

Founder and CEO of DAQRI, where everyday I work alongside the most awesome team of people changing the way we interact with technology.

It's a huge day for @DAQRI as we launch an entirely new kind of Augmented Reality device, great coverage via @WSJ https://t.co/1MnBK65iEl

— Brian Mullins (@mrlaserbeam) September 5, 2014

 



Michael Slavin

Follow @privlo //

Privlo

CEO & founder

Online home loans

Twitter profile:

CEO of Privlo - challenger of status quo, addicted to making markets and life more efficient. Privlo is accomplishing this for real estate finance. Follow us.

This is exactly why Privlo is in business. "Why Banks Can't Lend To Ben Bernanke" https://t.co/c5irZPtDAC via @forbes #homeloan #mortgage

— Michael Slavin (@Privlo) December 4, 2014

 

Jon Ferrara

Follow @Jon_Ferrara //

Nimble

CEO & founder

CRM

Twitter profile:

Pioneer & creator of #CRM solutions, CEO - Nimble, Founder of GoldMine. Interests; #SocialSelling, Social Business, Customer Lifecycle, Acquisition...

4 Tips To Raise #Sales Networking Up A Notch In 2015 by @Nimble https://t.co/svE33R5phu

— Jon Ferrara (@Jon_Ferrara) January 19, 2015

 


 

Kevin Winston

Follow @kevinwinston //

Digital LA & Silicon Beach Fest

CEO & founder 

Tech community organizer

Twitter profile:

Founder / CEO of @DigitalLA; Creator of Silicon Beach Fest @SBFestLA #SBF. Formerly at MySpace, FOX, Sony, McKinsey. World Traveler. I create fun events.

If u call yourself a movie fan / aficionado interested in new experiences and haven't been to @RegalLALIVE to try 4DX, I doubt you.

— kevinwinston (@kevinwinston) November 9, 2014

 


 

Mike Stone

Follow @mixmakermike

MakersKit

CEO & co-founder

DIY consumer goods

Twitter profile:

Expert Trouble Maker

 

How MakersKit went from selling zero to 45,000 DIY kits in one year https://t.co/xqyaH2FOHZ via @BuiltInLA

— Mike Stone (@mixmakermike) July 3, 2014

 


 

Jill DaSilva

Follow @dasilva_jill //

General Assembly

UX Instructor

Education

Twitter profile:

UXDI Instructor @GA; Sr. Mgr, UX and Design; Director of Product Development; Project Management; Creative Team...

So excited about flying @VirginAmerica again. Definitely a top user experiences. #UX pic.twitter.com/au0TXvzTbt

— Jill DaSilva (@dasilva_jill) November 11, 2014

 


 

Abhi Nemani

Follow @abhinemani //

City of Los Angeles

Chief data officer

Government

Twitter profile:

chief data officer, city of los angeles. technological optimist and political philosophy nerd. writer, speaker, maker. fmr @codeforamerica, @google.

"Bad procurement policy is just one reason the United States has begun to lose its technological edge...." https://t.co/m99PFOL1g9

— abhi nemani (@abhinemani) January 18, 2015

 


 

Nanxi Liu

Follow @nanxi_liu //

Enplug

CEO

TV displays for social media

Twitter profile:

CEO @Enplug. Founder @NanolyB. I'm here to build.

 

4 Ways to Attract and Retain World-Class Engineers (on a Startup Budget) https://t.co/xrZOax2yrO

— Nanxi Liu (@nanxi_liu) January 6, 2015

 


 

Jim Andelman

Follow @jimandelman //

Rincon Venture Partners

Managing partner & co-founder

Investing

Twitter profile:

Co-founder and Managing Partner at Rincon Venture Partners

 

"If overfunded, it's tempting to solve issues with money that should be solved w/ culture" says @hunterwalk . Or with hustle #postseedconf

— Jim Andelman (@jimandelman) December 2, 2014
 
 
 

Want to work in LA tech?

Find tech jobs here on Built In LA’s job board.

 

Have a tip for us or know of a company that deserves coverage? Email us via [email protected]

Explore Job Matches.