Several LA-based companies have gone public this millennium, but no IPO has been as highly anticipated as that of Snap Inc., the social media behemoth the likes of which we’ve previously seen only in Silicon Valley. Not to mention Dollar Shave Club’s $1B acquisition by Unilever in 2016 and Riot Games’ acquisition by Tencent in 2015. What can we anticipate as a result of these watershed events?

Will LA overtake New York as the second most interesting tech ecosystem after Silicon Valley?

Will we witness more venture funding and increased company valuations in the region?

What other benefits can entrepreneurs expect to see?

Our program will open with Chang Xu delivering a presentation she co-created with Upfront managing partner Mark Suster for the recent Upfront Summit, highlighting the current state of the venture capital industry as well as the unique qualities of LA Tech. Panelists Rebecca Kantar and Gene Sheridan will share their experiences and insight gained from successfully raising venture capital for their respective companies, and Chris Shoff will provide a lawyer’s perspective on the “dos and don’ts” of fund raising in the current environment. We’ll close the program by turning the mic over to our audience for an opportunity to query our speakers.