Scenes from TechZulu’s 2014 Startup Forecast

Two nights back, I was a panelist and purported pundit at TechZulu's Annual Startup Forecast in the heart of Silicon Beach.  Not sure the exact count, but it looked to me that 100-150 entrepreneurs packed the ROC with energized views of the LA-based startup scene.  Amplify/Accel’s Richard Wolpert, Google’s founding Adwords exec Heather Wilburn, Bitcoin aficionado and serial entrepreneur Brock Pierce, and Third Wave Ventures’ Babak Razi shared the stage with me, together with moderator and reporter Amanda Coolong who kept things lively.  And, “must see” Silicon Beach-based startup companies demo’d, including double bottom-line company Causora, adtech company Kiosked, and movie/premium video demand generation/distribution company Yekra (all companies I have come to know well and personally vouch for).  Attendees came early and stayed late -- everything you could hope for in this kind of event.  I have been to many such events, and this one stood out.  Great work by TechZulu’s head, Efren Toscano.

Here are some scenes from the event later in the night, after the crowd had somewhat dissipated.  From top to bottom, Yekra CEO Lee Waterworth (back to camera) laying out the company’s value proposition; TechZulu’s Efren Toscano waving; and me standing with Yekra’s husband and wife founding team Lee and Sonya Waterworth.