4/3/14 Another Story from last year. Recognize the
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Photos, Fashion, and Film: Debut Day for Three Tech Companies
The Beverly Hills Porsche dealership is home to many beautiful cars, but on Wednesday, April 2 it hosted the debut day for three tech companies. The packed cocktail networking event highlighted Democratique, BondIt, and Upper Street Marketing.
The startup and innovation mentality was sewn throughout the event. Anticipation was palpable, fueled further by the adult beverages provided by Bob and Stacy’s Cocktails to Go, a selection of delicious pre-mixed drinks in foldable plastic canteens. (We highly recommend the Margaritas.)
The organizers then attempted to quiet down the buzzing crowd with a keynote from Oleg Pariser, who besides being a founder of a startup Joucee, is also the Senior Scientific Applications Software Engineer at the Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He spearheads on current and future Mars surface missions. Translation: he’s the guy who navigates the Mars Rover.
Afterward, three new companies were unveiled — one each in the trifecta of photos, fashion, and film:
Photos
Upper Street Marketing acquired MagMo, a technology start-up built with the goal of strengthening the conversation between well-known brands and their audiences online. It categorizes itself as a photo-sharing tool that allows users to create short stories with pictures and text that are then published through social media channels.
Fashion
Bitzio/Democratique acquired emerging fashion brands with unique offerings, solid talent, and quantifiable growth potential. Currently positioned to acquire E-Motion Apparel, Sahaja Knits, Cleo Jewelry by Design, and ZMJ Denim, the team leverages established distribution channels, mentoring, and streamlined operations to avoid pitfalls of inexperience and lack of capital.
Film
BondIt is the first-to-market, cash-flow solution for independent feature film and theater productions using union members. Translation: Unions require a security deposit before production begins, and then hold deposits until after production has wrapped, which causes cash-flow issues. BondIt covers these deposit amounts and allows the production team to utilize their cash for other means. It isn’t that glamorous, but in a city that runs on Hollywood, it’s an innovative solution to empowering independent films and productions.
Noted regulars at the event included Curtis Estes (Northwestern Mutual, the L.A. Suitcase Party), Adam Berns (Brainrush, Neural ID), Kent Purdy (Commercial Capital Plus, The Film House), Stephane Fymat (Smartplane, The Perlan Project), Sterling Hawkins (Oishii Creative, Center for Advancing Retail & Technology), and our columnist Stephen Meade hosting.