The 2nd Annual LA Tech Week.
This was the second year a16z has put on LA Tech week and after year one, there was certainly some room for improvement. It seemed like this year was slightly more organized and definitely more well attended.
The cool thing about LA tech week is there are SO many events you can make it your own experience and as with anything, you get out what you put in.
The Smoov team made it to 18 events in 6 days and we're going to show you what is was like over the course of the week with write-ups and video breakdowns for each day.
Here was our breakdown for Day 5 (& 6).
Event 1: The Future of AI: Pioneering Responsible Innovation
This event was in Beverly Hills at a huge house.
Artificial Intelligence, ever heard of it? Certainly the hottest topic in tech and possibly the hottest topic on planet earth right now.
After hearing loads of founders and investors talk about AI over the past week and then some this session was a great and unique insight into the topic from industry leaders from Google and Meta.
Seems like the biggest takeaway is to proceed with caution and keep humans benefits in mind.
Event 2: Venture Dynamics Panel & Mixer.
This event was in Santa Monica.
Interesting panel about working with municipalities and building a start up - building in partnerships with local government and then other general venture investing benchmarks.
Met some cool local investors who invited me to upcoming events in the area and Iliass and I made some cool new founder homies.
Event 3: USC X Crescent Fund: From Campus to Creation
This event was at a hotel in Culver City.
It's amazing to meet passionate students who are learning about entrepreneurship and excited to graduate and start their own business.
Ran into some old friends here and was able to see Spencer Rascoff for the third time of the week.
Event 4: LA Tech Week Closeout Event
This event was in Santa Monica on the 3rd street promenade.
Super hard to get access to this last one and for good reason as their special guests were literal childhood heros of mine... but I was able to get a wristband from my friends girlfriend who works at a VC in town and had a coworker who wasn't going - scrappy stuff.
Given that Blink 182 and Beastie Boys were two of my first CDs as a teenager, I was shocked to see Travis Barker and Mixmaster Mike come out at a tech event... so cool for me on a personal level. Not to mention that Mixmaster Mike DM'd me on Twitter after asking me to send him the video I took... like he knows the Beastie Boys, and we're chatting :DEAD:...
Had a good chat with Jeff from Mantis at the end of his event and am happy to have Smoov on their radar.
Bonus: Day 6, Event 1: Rooftop Angel City FC Watch Party and Innovator Panel
This event was in Venice.
Only event I went to on Saturday and well worth it. Was able to see Sophia Amoruso speak on a panel and finally meet IRL as we've been friends on twitter for a while. I think we're homies now.
Also met Maggie Sellers who I had never heard of before but has a great story and is now a big fan of what we're building at Smoov.
Check out the Day 5( and 6) video recap:
That's the day by day breakdown of LA Tech Week 2023. Stay tuned for a deep dive on the whole event and some tips/tricks for navigating the hectic week yourself if you choose to come next year. Plus a full video recap.
Best,
Tuck from Smoov
In honor of a successful LA Tech Week, use promo code "LATW!" for 35% off of your next purchase at the Smoov shop!
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