silicon beach

SILICON BEACH

Silicon Beach, is the metropolitan area of the city of Los Angeles that extends from LAX airport, and includes the areas of Venice Beach, Santa Monica, to expand to the coast of Malibu. This area has been renamed because of its proximity to the sea and its beaches. The term Silicon is adopted by the homonymous Valley in the Bay Area, the term comes from silicon, due to the density of companies that produced silicon-based computer chips, in the area of San Francisco, then became the technological hub that we know well.

A more "economical" alternative and a milder climate than the Silicon Valley heaths is the not-so-distant county of Los Angeles.

Today in the Silicon Beach area there are over 500 start-ups, including the main technology companies: Google, Youtube, Amazon, Snapchat, Netflix...

 

Silicon Beach Map

The new turnout in the Los Angeles metropolitan area is due to a mix of cultures and industries that the area offers, which is not only technology as in the Bay Area but is also fashion, entraitainment, tourism, mobility and aerospace, thus attracting more new start-ups in different sectors.

This area has become increasingly attractive even for venture capitalists, in 2020 despite the global pandemic, tech companies in Los Angeles have continued to receive huge investments.

According to data compiled by Pitchbook Data Inc., last year the total venture capital investment in companies within the Los Angeles metropolitan area was over $12 billion, an increase of almost 30% compared to 2019.
(https://labusinessjournal.com/news/2021/jan/25/money-issue-2021-tech-not-slowing-during-covid/)

UCLA and USC also play a key role in Los Angeles, as do the University of Palo Alto in San Francisco, which periodically produces thousands of professionals in the field of new technologies. Important is also the holding of festivals such as, the Future Festival, which takes place every year in November in the metropolitan area of Los Angeles and which attracts several personalities from around the world interested in new technologies and the creation of new start-ups.

All of these elements are contributing to the expansion of this area since Google first opened its first office in Santa Monica. From there other large and small companies followed the giant and the area began to expand even beyond the area of the beaches. To date, Google is located in Venice in the extravagant Binoculars-shaped building of Frank Gehry, built between 1985 and 1991, which was originally to house the advertising  agency Chiatday.

 

binoculars frank gehry

The sectors in which digital innovation is impacting in the different fields in Los Angeles is very varied. In the first place we surely find the entertainment industry that merging with technology, gives life to products like Netflix. In second place, according to mediakix, we have the development of useful software in various fields from education to telecommunications, etc. Well-being and health, for which we have ascertained after the health emergency from covid-19 be essential to associate it with the technology. In Los Angeles in the field of health and well-being we have companies such as:

  • Headspace: an app that transmits guided meditation sessions;
  • Ritual: a vitamin start-up for women;
  • Puma Biotechnology: an international pharmaceutical company.

Silicon Beach Company

When it comes to investments, however, the analysts of mediakix break down, bringing social companies back in first place.

In Silicon Beach we also find an all-Italian start-up, LaserAid, from Campania, which uses laser technology to develop different systems for road safety and anti-fog.  It is an active laser light signalling system that creates two-dimensional and three-dimensional references in adverse weather conditions. These lasers are installed on the roads thanks to the help of street lamps, guard-rail or new jersey barriers.

To date, we can say that this area is in strong development both territorial and technological start-up and invested capital, which in the coming years will tend to grow.

What can I say, the next time you’re surfing there, bring an extra CV with you, you never know!