Christian Hetrick is dot.LA's Entertainment Tech Reporter. He was formerly a business reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and reported on New Jersey politics for the Observer and the Press of Atlantic City. <br><strong><em><a href="https://dot.la/st/newsletters" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sign up for dot.LA’s daily newsletter</a></em></strong><em> for the latest news on Southern California’s tech, startup and venture capital scene.</em><br>Mobile games studio Scopely is investing $20 million in a new game developer called Burlingame Studios and plans to co-create a game with the company.<br><br>The investment is part of Culver City-based Scopely’s plan to expand its “ecosystem” of studios that it has built, bought or backed around the world, the company said Wednesday. The goal is to grow Scopely’s portfolio by pairing its expertise in game-making, technology and publishing with specialized teams from internal and external studios.<br>“We believe our ecosystem is extremely unique and are always energized when new partners see the value of our infrastructure and technology—specifically our platform Playgami—to make their fun, creative gameplay into a big business,” Scopely chief revenue officer and board member Tim O’Brien said in a statement. <br>Founded in 2011, Scopely has created popular mobile game titles such as “Star Trek Fleet Command,” “MARVEL Strike Force” and “Scrabble GO.” A unicorn valued at $5.4 billion, the company has raised $1 billion in funding to date and employs roughly 1,900 people, according to a Scopely spokesperson. As well as its Culver City headquarters, Scopely has operations in 17 cities around the world including Seoul, Tokyo, London and Boston.<br>Scopely did not share details about the game it will develop with Burlingame Studios. The new studio features a team of veteran gamemakers, many of whom worked together at CrowdStar—a mobile games developer that launched titles like “Design Home,” in which <a href="https://venturebeat.com/2016/11/15/crowdstar-launches-design-home-in-pursuit-of-female-mobile-gamers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><u>players decorate houses</u></a>, and “Covet Fashion,” a shopping and dress-up game. CrowdStar, based in the Bay Area city of Burlingame, was <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161103006727/en/Glu-Mobile-Acquires-Controlling-Interest-in-Crowdstar" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>acquired in 2017 by Glu Mobile</u></a>, which itself was <a href="https://venturebeat.com/2021/04/29/ea-completes-2-4-billion-acquisition-of-glu-mobile/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>bought by Electronic Arts</u></a> last year. <br>“Our team is excited to start a new adventure together as Burlingame Studios, and with Scopely, build on our collective track record of big wins,” McGill said in a statement. <br>Other Scopely investments include game software and venture capital company Animoca Brands and blockchain firm Polygon, as well as game studios Tag Games and Pixel Toys. In October, Scopely <a href="https://dot.la/sony-pictures-gsn-games-scopely-2655318543.html" target="_self" rel="noopener"><u>acquired GSN Games</u></a> from Sony Pictures Entertainment for $1 billion.<br> Christian Hetrick is dot.LA's Entertainment Tech Reporter. He was formerly a business reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and reported on New Jersey politics for the Observer and the Press of Atlantic City. <br> On this episode of the Behind Her Empire podcast, Daria Burke, a leader on fashion and technology, talks about reinventing yourself and switching careers. <br> Burke had a solid career working in marketing and analysis, working with major brands like Lancôme and Yves Saint Laurent.<br> <br>As her interest in beauty and fashion grew, she came across an early startup known as Rent the Runway, a clothes rental platform. She decided to take a risk (and a big pay cut) to join its female founders in building the company. <br> "I love that two women had come up with this really cool business model. It was very timely, because we had entered into the economic downturn, and we were very much in a recession. And I love that they were still wanting to offer these sort of Cinderella moments to women," said Burke. <br> She grew her team of two interns to 10 stylists in a year, handling the whole customer experience. Following her time at Rent the Runway, Burke went on to work at CVS and then Facebook, working on beauty strategy and retail partnerships respectively. <br> Burke moved to L.A. during the pandemic to accept what she called her dream job as chief marketing officer at JustFab. <br> “I had spent the last maybe five years really learning a lot more about personal development,” she said, adding that the concept of internal transformation was a good match for her experience in the fashion world “which is all about external transformation. And it's important, and we feel amazing when we look right. And we often get to feel like our best selves, you know, when we get to represent ourselves the way that we want to. That's super important.” <br> She added that she’s found that there are always forces tempting us not to listen to ourselves. <br> "I think as women, women of color, there are so many messages being drilled into us that you have to work twice as hard," said Burke. <br> Burke suggests that budding leaders stop aspiring to perfection, and cease trying to control things. <br> "Why do you feel like this needs to be perfect in the first place?" she asked. <br> Burke has expanded into venture capital, becoming an angel investor. She’s also joined the executive board of “Fast Company,” a business publication.<br> <em>Want to hear more of the Behind Her Empire podcast? Subscribe on </em><a href="https://www.stitcher.com/show/behind-her-empire" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Stitcher</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behind-her-empire/id1514068478" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Apple Podcasts</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6hn08EnS8Vh3RLMZVqpjyM" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Spotify</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-behind-her-empire-63368006/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>iHeart Radio</em></a><em> or wherever you get your podcasts.</em> <br> <em>dot.LA Engagement Fellow </em><em>Joshua Letona </em><em>contributed to this post.</em> <br> Yasmin is the host of the "Behind Her Empire" podcast, focused on highlighting self-made women leaders and entrepreneurs and how they tackle their career, money, family and life. <br> Each episode covers their unique hero's journey and what it really takes to build an empire with key lessons learned along the way. The goal of the series is to empower you to see what's possible & inspire you to create financial freedom in your own life. <br>In Los Angeles—like the <a href="https://news.crunchbase.com/news/global-vc-funding-unicorns-2021-monthly-recap/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">startup environment at large</a>—venture funding and valuations skyrocketed in 2021, even as the coronavirus pandemic continued to surge and supply chain issues rattled the economy. The result was a startup ecosystem that <a href="https://dot.la/startups-in-los-angeles-2649633594.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">continued to build on its momentum</a>, with no shortage of companies raising private capital at billion-dollar-plus unicorn valuations.<br><br>In order to gauge the local startup scene and who’s leading the proverbial pack, we asked more than 30 leading L.A.-based investors for their take on the hottest firms in the region. They responded with more than two dozen venture-backed companies; three startups, in particular, rose above the rest as repeat nominees, while we've organized the rest by their amount of capital raised as of January, according to data from PitchBook. (We also asked VCs not to pick any of their own portfolio companies, and vetted the list to ensure they stuck to that rule.)<br>Without further ado, here are the 26 L.A. startups that VCs have their eyes on in 2022.<br>Whatnot was the name most often on the minds of L.A. venture investors—understandably, given its prolific fundraising year. Whatnot raised some $220 million across three separate funding rounds in 2021, on the way to a $1.5 billion valuation.<br>The Marina del Rey-based livestream shopping platform was founded by former GOAT product manager Logan Head and ex-Googler Grant LaFontaine. The startup made its name by providing a live auction platform for buying and selling collectables like rare Pokémon cards, and has since expanded into sports memorabilia, sneakers and apparel.<br>Boulevard’s backers include Santa Monica-based early-stage VC firm Bonfire Ventures, which focuses on B2B software startups. The Downtown-based company fits nicely within that thesis; Boulevard builds booking and payment software for salons and spas. The firm has worked with prominent brands such as Toni & Guy and HeyDay.<br>GOAT launched in 2015 as a marketplace to help sneakerheads authenticate used Air Jordans and other collectible shoes. It has since grown at a prolific rate, expanding into apparel and accessories and exceeding $2 billion in merchandise sales in 2020. The startup sealed a $195 million funding round last summer that more than doubled its valuation, to $3.7 billion.<br><br><br>Nielsen competitor VideoAmp gathers data on who's watching what across streaming services, traditional TV and social apps like YouTube. The company positions itself as an alternative to so-called "legacy" systems like Nielsen, which it says are "fragmented, riddled with complexity and inaccurate." In addition to venture funding, its total funding figure includes more than $165 million in debt financing.<br>Seizing on the <a href="https://dot.la/are-nfts-good-investments-2656404355.html" target="_self" rel="noopener">NFT craze</a>, Mythical Games is building a platform that powers the growing realm of “play-to-earn games.” Backed by NBA legend Michael Jordan and Andreessen Horowitz, the Sherman Oaks-based startup’s partners include game publishers Abstraction, Creative Mobile and CCG Lab.<br>FloQast founder Michael Whitmire says he <a href="https://dot.la/floqast-unicorn-2653875008.html" target="_self" rel="noopener">got a “no”</a> from more than 100 investors in the process of raising a seed round. Today, the accounting software company is considered a unicorn.<br>Nacelle produces docuseries, books, comedy albums and podcasts. The media company’s efforts include the Netflix travel series “Down To Earth with Zac Efron.”<br>A platform for virtual concerts, Wave has hosted performances by artists including Justin Bieber, Tinashe and The Weeknd. The company says it has raised $66 million to date from the likes of <a href="https://dot.la/warner-music-group-wave-2652865337.html" target="_self" rel="noopener">Warner Music</a> and Tencent. <br>Sherman Oaks-based Papaya looks to make it easier to pay “any” bill—from hospital bills to parking tickets—via its mobile app.<br>Based in Marina del Rey, LeaseLock says it’s on a mission to eliminate security deposits for apartment renters.<br>Emotive sells text message-focused marketing tools to ecommerce firms like underwear brand Parade and men's grooming company Beardbrand.<br>Based in Long Beach, Dray says its mission is to “modernize the logistics and trucking industry.” Its partners include Danish shipping company Maersk and toy maker Mattel.<br>Coco makes small pink robots on wheels (you may have seen them around town) that deliver food via a remote pilot. Its investors include Y Combinator and Silicon Valley Bank.<br>HiveWatch develops physical security software. Its investors include former Twitter executive Dick Costollo and NBA star Steph Curry’s Penny Jar Capital.<br>Whatnot competitor Popshop is betting that live-shopping is the future of ecommerce. The West Hollywood-based firm focuses on collectables such as trading cards and anime merchandise.<br>Founded by former SpaceX engineer Karan Talati, First Resonance runs a software platform for makers of electric cars and aerospace technology. Its clients include Santa Cruz-based air taxi company Joby Aviation and Alameda-based rocket company Astra.<br>Founded by Crowdstrike and Microsoft alums, Open Raven aims to protect user data. The cybersecurity firm’s investors include Kleiner Perkins and Upfront Ventures.<br>When an actor faces the camera and speaks directly to the audience, it’s known as “breaking the fourth wall.” Named after <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BreakingTheFourthWall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the trope</a>, Venice-based Fourthwall offers a website builder that’s designed for content creators.<br>The Non Fungible Token Company creates NFTs for musicians under the name Unblocked. Its investors include Jay Z’s Marcy Venture Partners and Shawn Mendez.<br>Backed by Mayo Clinic Ventures, Safe Health develops telehealth software and offers tools for enterprises to launch their own health care apps. <br>Intro’s app lets you book video calls with experts—from celebrity stylists, to astrologists, to investors.<br>With the tagline “Land the package, not the plane,” DASH Systems is a Hawthorne-based shipping company that builds hardware and software for automated airdrops.<br>With a focus on sustainability, Ettitude is a direct-to-consumer brand that sells bedding, bathroom textiles and sleepwear.<br>Along similar lines as Unblocked, Afterparty creates NFTs for artists and content creators such as Clay Perry and Tropix.<br>Heart to Heart is an audio-focused dating app that “lets you listen to the story behind the pictures in a profile.” Precursor Ventures led the pre-seed funding round.<br>Frigg makes hair and beauty products that contain cannabinoids such as CBD. The Valley Village-based company raised an undisclosed seed round in August.<br> Do you know something we should know about L.A. tech or venture capital? Reach out securely via <a href="http://signal.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Signal</a>: +1 917 434 4978. <br> Harri is dot.LA's senior finance reporter. She previously worked for Gizmodo, Fast Company, VentureBeat and Flipboard. Find her <a href="https://twitter.com/HarrisonWeber" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on Twitter</a> and send tips on L.A. startups and venture capital to harrison@dot.la. <br>© <span id="copy__date"></span> dot.LA All rights reserved<br><br><a href="https://dot.la/scopely-invests-gaming-studio-2656899846.html">source</a>
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