L.A. startups looking for a boost can now elicit the help of MuckerLab, a Santa Monica startup “accelerator” that launched last week to provide early stage companies with seed funding and mentoring.
Accelerators have become popular ways for technology communities to foster new startups. Y Combinator has been mentoring Silicon Valley startups since 2005, and TechStars has programs in Boston; New York; Seattle; and Boulder, Colo.
But similar programs are just now finding their way to Los Angeles. Erik Rannala, one of MuckerLab’s four co-founders, said it will help L.A.’s early stage tech companies find what they need to get going.
“Los Angeles has the potential to become a world-class tech market,” Rannala said. “But there has been a shortage of capital and resources. We want to try to help fill that gap.”
MuckerLab will select five to 10 companies to begin mentoring in January. During a three-month program, those companies will receive $21,000, office space at MuckerLab, legal support and adviser help. At the end, the companies will pitch their products or services to investors with the goal of finding more funding.
MuckerLab has teamed up with a number of local investors and entrepreneurs who will act as startup mentors. They include Matt Coffin, founder of LowerMyBills and Family Finds; Brian Lee, founder of ShoeDazzle; and Arnie Gullov-Singh, chief executive of Ad.ly.
MuckerLab co-founders came from across the tech spectrum. Rannala was previously an investor at Harrison Metal Capital; William Hsu was a senior vice president at AT&T Interactive; Greg Bettinelli is senior vice president of marketing at HauteLook; and Yan-David Erlich was founder of ChoiceVendor, which was acquired by LinkedIn.
“We all have been working in the Internet space for the past 15 or more years,” Rannala said. “The vast majority of the mentors are personal friends and professional contacts. They’re not receiving compensation to help.”
MuckerLab’s co-founders will finance the seed funding given to each startup. They plan to have two mentorship programs each year, one in winter and one in summer.
Rannala said Los Angeles has great potential for the tech world, but isn’t there yet.
“The ecosystem just isn’t as mature and fully formed,” he said. “It’s critical for a lot of these early companies to get started. We want to help these companies be successful.”
Changing Reality
What would happen if little blue aliens invaded your face?
That’s the premise of a new mobile game from Total Immersion, an L.A. company that uses a technology called augmented reality that embeds 3-D graphics into live video streams.
The new game, “SkinVaders,” uses Total Immersion’s augmented reality technology to upload a video of a gamer’s face to a phone or tablet screen and then embed moving images of cartoonlike aliens that appear to crawl over the face.
The game is free to download. Players win by tapping on the aliens and popping the eggs that they lay. The company has also launched a free version of its software, D’Fusion Studio, that lets developers create similar games and apps.
“SkinVaders demonstrates a world of possibility created by Total Immersion’s powerful augmented reality platform D’Fusion Studio,” said Bruno Uzzan, Total Immersion’s chief executive, in a statement. “Players are literally brought into the game as they fight the invasion of SkinVaders intent on taking over their face.”
Total Immersion also works with businesses to create augmented reality software and apps. For example, the company worked on an advertising campaign for a new Dior perfume. When a print ad for the scent was held up to a web cam on a computer, that ad turned into a virtual pop-up book on the screen.
The company also works with customers in the education, industrial maintenance and e-commerce industries.
Car Questions
A car-buying website geared toward women launched from Los Angeles last week.
VroomGirls.com is a website that provides car reviews, articles and driving tips from a female perspective.
The site was founded by automotive journalist Tara Weingarten and publicist Marjory Hawkins. Weingarten, who edits the site, and her editorial team are based out of Beverly Hills. Hawkins, the publisher, is in Austin, Texas.
Weingarten said the goal of the site is to address the questions that women have when buying a car.
“The industry is male-driven, yet women buy the lion’s share of new cars in America,” she said in a statement. “Nobody with credentials is specifically addressing women who are looking for a new car.”
Staff reporter Natalie Jarvey can be reached at [email protected] or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 230.
