I recently did a Q&A with the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). It was a great interview and we talked about the usual suspects, attribution, MarTech, AdTech, etc., but also spent a good amount of time discussing the LA tech scene. The conversation reminded me just how powerful the LA tech scene is right now, and how thrilled I am that Conversion Logic lives here in Santa Monica.
Here are six reasons that the LA tech scene rivals the best in the country.
· Deep roots. When most people think of LA, they think entertainment – and they’re not wrong. But entertainment now thrives on a foundation of digital technology. Companies like Maker Studios (acquired by Disney), plus Amazon and YouTube, have studios in LA. In addition to our entertainment-driven tech community, there is a strong bedrock of AdTech and MarTech going back to the early days of Overture, to Rubicon, OpenX etc., and now Conversion Logic.
· Amazing talent. Along with these great companies and our world-class universities comes a very talented community of engineers, scientists and product leaders. Whether drawn to Silicon Beach, the weather or lifestyle, LA attracts best-in-class talent from all over the world. We built our team right here at home, from engineering to data science and product. It’s a self-perpetuating ecosystem: brilliant people live here, which builds successful companies, who do interesting things (like solve very complex attribution challenges), which attracts more best-of-the-best tech talent.
· Tremendous innovation. To that point, there is some incredible innovation happening in LA, specifically in MarTech and AdTech. It is inspiring and exciting to watch our peers and partners driving world class innovation, from big consumer B2C brands like SnapChat to our friends in B2B.
· Sense of community. The LA tech community is rooted in a spirt of collaboration and partnership. We are cheering for and helping one other get ahead. Sometimes that means professional partnerships or alliances, sometimes it means informal happy hours where we share best practices and lessons learned. Regardless, there is a strong sense that we are here to help each other grow – and that is definitely unique and refreshing in a tech culture.
· Money. Let’s be honest: money matters. The VC and Angel community is robust in LA, and driven to support local start ups. More funds means more resources, which means more people can work on more amazing stuff.
· Lifestyle. Life is better in the sunshine. The whole “work hard, play hard” thing may be a cliché, but it’s true, and it sets LA apart from our gloomier counterparts. People want to live here. They want to merge work and play and thrive in a community that offers the best of pretty much all worlds. When people burn out in New York, when they can’t afford the Bay Area, when Austin is too dry and Denver is too landlocked, they come to LA. And we snap them up, and our community gets that much stronger.
