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Blockchain Health, Edtech at LAUSD and What LA VCs See Ahead: dot.LA's Weekly Wrap-Up

dot.LA's Weekly Los Angeles Tech Wrap-Up

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L.A. startups had a big week. Beautycounter was minted a unicorn, Triller made two acquisitions and hired a new CEO. SpaceX amended its recent funding round by over $300 million and announced a contract with NASA to bring astronauts to the moon. We released a new VC survey that sees good things for the coming quarter.

Here are our top stories for the week:

Thanks to a sizzling startup scene and a receding pandemic, Los Angeles investors are feeling more optimistic this spring than they did at the end of last year. They're expecting robust hiring, increasing valuations and a quick recovery of the U.S. economy, according to our quarterly poll of the top VCs in Los Angeles.

It is a great time to be a startup founder, with soaring valuations and investors tripping over themselves to get a piece of startups. New data show 315 Los Angeles startups raised a total of $6.7 billion in the first quarter — a 75% increase in deal value over the same quarter last year. 

This month, Los Angeles students and teachers are returning to classrooms with a new tool in their box: tech. Laptops, tablets, cameras and educational software became a cornerstone of education during the pandemic, and they're not going anywhere.

Culver City.-based MeWe has a new CEO. Veteran tech and Hollywood executive Jeffrey Edell has big plans to shift the social media upstart from a haven for conspiracy and user privacy into a place to engage around entertainment. We talked with him about his plans

The health care industry is looking for data security solutions. Beverly Hills-based Apotheka Systems thinks the answer is the blockchain — and it has been quietly working with the Department of Veteran Affairs to develop a more secure system.

Five new virtual monuments dot L.A., collaboratively developed by Santa Monica-based Snap and the L.A. County Museum of Art. The project, "Monumental Perspectives," uses augmented reality to create interactive monuments to L.A. and L.A. culture. Here's how to see them.

Meet Beautycounter, maker eco-friendly skin-care products and cosmetics. It was founded by CEO Gregg Renfrew, who said she got the idea after struggling to find cosmetics that were both free of toxins and effective. In a boost for L.A.'s health and beauty sector, its parent company was acquired by a massive private equity firm and joined the unicorn club this week

From the heart of the convergence between tech, media and entertainment in Los Angeles, dot.LA is pleased to announce "Intersect," a first-of-its-kind summit convening this new super-sector, held live virtually on Wednesday April 28. Apply to attend!