The kids are alright

My adventures at UCLA for two tech events

The hope with the newsletter was a bit Pollyannish, a bit Field of Dreams. I thought if I built it and updated Muckrack, I’d start getting inbound pitches (the PR would come). That, um, hasn’t started, so I’m being more proactive: going to events when I can, and writing up what I see in the LA tech scene.

Refreshingly, it has changed a lot since I first moved to Los Angeles (and from what I hear from friends, events and launches have died down in SF, so there’s not much of a comparison anymore). When I first got to LA, the contrast was sharp. Networking in SF was a mix of marketing and PR people, but also engineers and others looking to start their own companies and understand the sweat equity involved. Events in LA were packed with Hollywood never-weres and wanna-bes looking to get into tech as a get-rich-quick way to fund their Hollywood aspirations. With Hollywood essentially dying, those people seem to have largely disappeared.

I’m grateful I came up in tech during its golden years, and I do wonder what the future looks like with a generation whose social skills were killed by COVID. But that’s another barrel of fishes.

So, proactively: I’ve started looking for events that fit my schedule. And with UCLA as the center of the LA universe (for those of us on the Westside), it’s a good gauge of what’s happening out there in technology.

Over the past few weeks, I ran over there for two separate events.

I didn’t take any pictures, so totally AI generated images from both events.

The first was sponsored by UCLA Anderson, a happy hour and networking event for its Venture Accelerator. First impression: UCLA has too many staircases. Second impression: the conversations with founders in the program, the mentors, and the programs themselves were genuinely impressive. I hope to profile some of the people and companies I met (ranging from pre-launch to early stage in CPG, biotech, and music), along with people on the market (project and product managers who both promised me candy. I was so that kid, but thankfully too shy.) Like the title says, the kids are alright. I’m bullish on what’s coming out of the Accelerator, and I think a good number of these companies can find funding and get traction.

The second event was at UCLA Nimoy Theater, which is itself an interesting space. It’s a former movie theater that was repurposed as a theater for performances. The AI + Live Arts Summit was hosted by the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Check out the agenda here. Check out the agenda here.

This one hit a few of my favorite subjects at a crossroads. I love art, having been lucky enough to grow up in a city and attend a school that focused on the arts and took us on museum trips. The afternoon was worth it (especially when I heard Will.i.am had cancelled his appearance).

I was expecting more tension between art and AI/technology, but it was the opposite. It was about how artists are embracing technology and AI, integrating it into their work.

There were genuinely interesting discussions: spatial research and art (got to hear Niantic talk, which was very cool); the fan experience and AI (focused on coursework that expanded fan experience in movies, though I think they missed the mark by not bringing in live sports); and an AI robot programmed with a wide range of books, language, and experiences that answered questions based on the artist’s research. That last one was fascinating. I didn’t get to talk to the artist more because he was inundated.

But focusing on the newsletter’s hope, I want to highlight the students’ work.

The student hackathon (sponsored by AMD, go kids!) focused on integrating art and AI, and how AI can reflect art and emotion back to others. Each group had a different take, and the cohort skewed overwhelmingly female, which is great on all levels. At the networking cocktail hour, I spoke with a handful of undergraduates and graduate students about what they’re working on, what they’re studying, and what they’re hoping for. The marriage of arts and technology resonated across the board, with an acceptance (not overly begrudging) that the art world is always changing and advancing, and they should too.

So yes, the kids are alright. I’m bullish on the future of technology in Los Angeles. I hope to bring more of that to readers in the newsletter (and get on a better cadence).