Los Angeles hosted its first citywide Tech Week – a weeklong series of tech and innovation events organized by venture capital firm A16Z. #LATechWeek included exciting updates and opportunities to connect with others in the tech and venture ecosystem. AnnenbergTech and PledgeLA were proud to help host, plan, and attend several events with a focus on diversity and equity to highlight all that LA has to offer.
AnnenbergTech and PledgeLA got involved early in the week by co-hosting a Founder Health and Wellness Breakfast with Crosscut Ventures at the Annenberg Community Beach House, featuring sea-breeze ventilated breathwork classes, sound baths, and wellness brands from PledgeLA’s Founders Fund, including Coffee Del Mundo, Todo Verde, and Compton Health Bar.
PledgeLA advisory members also got in on the fun hosting a handful of events throughout the week. Austin Clements, the founding chair of PledgeLA and Partner at Slauson & Co. hosted Coffee on Slauson at Hilltop Coffee, providing a space for founders and investors of color to gather insights, network, and learn from one another. Alumni from both PledgeLA’s VC Internship and the Founders Fund programs also joined the event to build connections with tech leaders around the world.
Spencer Rascoff, advisory board member for PledgeLA, hosted two events, including Founder’s Guide to LA by dot.LA and an event with Pacaso, a property-tech startup. Spencer was also featured on Bloomberg News last week to talk about the LA Tech Hub and how LA is increasingly becoming the new place for Tech companies, startups and entrepreneurs to locate and continue their growth.
Qiana Patterson, PledgeLA’s Chair, and AnnenbergTech Program Manager Calvin Selth, also attended Wednesday’s Welcome Party hosted by A16z, Greycroft, and MaC VC.
On Friday, AnnenbergTech helped connect Halogen VC Founding Partner, Jesse Draper with BLCK VC and DiversityVC for an event titled “D&I in the VC Value Chain”, focusing on investors’ practices around diversity and its relationship to investment performance.
AnnenbergTech and PledgeLA look forward to expanding the number of events that highlight the city’s founders of color at next year’s LA Tech Week.
