Nibletz StaffEveryone wants to be the next Silicon Valley. Across the world, startups are trying to recreate the feel and success of the Bay Area.
350 miles south of the Valley, Los Angeles is already well-known for gorgeous beaches, perfect weather, and Hollywood. But, in the recent years the area–dubbed Silicon Beach–is making a name for itself in the tech world.
For one thing, there are currently 30 incubators in LA. (A few of them gave us some suggestions for getting in to the accelerator program here.)
There are also well-known, outspoken advocates for the area, like VC Mark Suster.
But, let’s not forget the acquisitions. One common test for an ecosystem’s maturity is the number and dollar amount of acquisitions. With last month’s Facebook acquisition of Oculus Rift for $2B, Silicon Beach is holding its own.
No place is really the next Silicon Valley, though. Every city is unique and, when they’re doing it right, bring their own flavor to starting up.
In LA, the average founder age is 38, four years older than their Silicon Valley peers.
Startups from Silicon Beach are also less likely to raise VC money. In 2013 Silicon Valley raised $12 billion from venture capitalists, compared with only $1.7 billion raised in Los Angeles. Whether this is by choice or necessity is a little harder to know.
Check out LA startup MovieLaLa’s infographic below for more details on the emerging Silicon Beach.
