A new program, Make in LA, aims to develop entrepreneurs and accelerate their hardware startups in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, June 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A new startup accelerator launched today in Los Angeles. Make in LA is helping evolve the local innovation ecosystem with an emphasis on the hardware space.

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"Make in LA is building a community in Los Angeles dedicated to bringing innovative hardware companies to market," said Jordan McCollom, one of the three General Managers at Make in LA. The three-person team behind Make in LA brings experience from seed stage startups to publicly traded companies. McCollom is a maker himself with several crowdfunding successes, and was previously an operations leader at Bug-A-Salt.

"Our team is passionate about bringing ideas to market, developing diverse talent, and de-risking investments," said Noramay Cadena, General Manager at Make in LA. Cadena is an LA native holding three degrees from MIT in engineering and business, co-founder of the Latinas in STEM Foundation nonprofit and a former corporate technical leader at Boeing.

"With the backing of NEO Tech and its 40 years of industry experience, Make in LA is able to apply professional manufacturing tools and other resources directly into programs and startups to maximize their odds of success," said Shaun Arora, General Manager at Make in LA. Arora is an LA native, startup investor, and an executive at NEO Tech. NEO Tech, headquartered in Chatsworth, CA, is an established contract manufacturer for electronics and related hardware.

The accelerator program is currently taking applications for its first class in the Fall of 2015. The team is looking for "seed stage" startups that are hardware focused and technologically advanced. Accepted teams will work full time for four months out of a 20,000 sqft workspace in Chatsworth, CA. They will receive a $75,000 investment on day one and will have access to desk space, prototype equipment, top notch mentors, further funding and a structured and immersive curriculum to develop the entrepreneur and the business as they prepare to go to market.

Interested entrepreneurs, mentors and investors can visit www.MakeinLA.com to get involved.

About Make in LA
Make in LA is the Los Angeles epicenter of hardware startups. The accelerator empowers entrepreneurs and their business by making hardware not hard. They accept seed stage companies, cultivate innovation, and groom for execution. Learn more at www.MakeinLA.com or @MakeinLA

Contact
Shaun Arora, [email protected]

SOURCE Make in LA

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http://makeinla.com