Thursday, April 15, 2010
LaunchpadLA Names Second Class
Los Angeles-based Launchpad LA, the startup mentoring effort spearheaded by GRP Partners' Mark Suster, is announcing this afternoon that it has selected 10 startups for the second season of the program. According to the group, it has selected AccessDNA, AwesomeBox, Circle Street, DataPop, Gendai Games, Gyroscope Technologies, Laughstub, MovieClips.com, Para Ti Novia, and ShopNation as participants in its six-month long program, which connects startup entrepreneurs with venture capitalists, experienced entrepreneurs and executives.
Suster said in an interview that the group went through 120 submissions from companies, and 25 in-person interviews, before picking the ten firms to participate. The firms get one-on-one mentoring from experience entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, and the program was open only to companies who had not not already raised institutional venture capital, and were located in or are willing to relocate to Los Angeles. Luanchpad LA's last class had thirteen companies, of which eleven received venture funding and where one was acquired. Suster said that new mentors participating in this program are Adam Bain of the Fox Audience Network, and Kerri Pollard of Commission Junction.