The Preccelerator® Program Virtual Demo Day kicks off on March 25th @ 3:30 pm, and you're invited to take part in the festivities.

Preccelerator cohort companies are early stage, and we work hand in hand with them throughout their term to know their market and users, foster their leadership skills, build and test their product, avoid legal pitfalls, ensure the defensibility of their products, acquire users and partnerships and prepare them for the fundraising process. Now it's time to showcase their efforts.

Preccelerator® Program Virtual Demo Day

March 25th, 2021 @ 3:30 PM

Company Line-Up

BevzBevz is a convenience store delivered to your door! Get your favorite liquor, beer, champagne, or wine delivered in 45 minutes or less! But Bevz is more than just another alcohol delivery app, we also offer mixers, sodas, juices, snacks, tobacco products, paper goods, grocery items, and more!

Bevz also provides professional services like event planning, bartending, and alcohol catering to make your next event a success! With only a few taps, a Bevz team member will help you set up a professional bar at your venue of choice, taking you from planning-mode to partying-mode!

Bevz is a one-stop shop delivered to your door in 45 minutes or less. Download the Bevz app to make your next big event – or cozy night in – simple, easy, and fast!

Visit https://bevz.com/

 

Blockforms

 

BlockForms is a platform built for Employee Benefit Insurance Brokers to transform the process of managing multiple insurance provider applications for their clients. BlockForms delivers an intuitive, reliable product that improves client engagement and employee performance by streamlining data collection and forms management. The encrypted, cloud-based application allows service teams to invite clients to complete simplified forms, automatically map responses to multiple insurance provider forms, edit forms, obtain electronic signatures, and send fully executed forms to insurance providers in one secure application. Simply put, BlockForms makes it fast and easy to sign-up customers, collect client data, and apply for coverage across multiple insurance providers.

Visit https://blockforms.co/

 

Breakthru

 

Breakthru microbreaks are restorative and self-paced, yet fast, flexible, and on-demand. They help people context shift, focus, and create, replacing former office rituals like midday walks to combat sedentary behavior. It’s proven that small moments of movement throughout the day have measurable well-being impact. Breakthru is a solution that has been in development for three years, with 2.5 million of research dollars coming from strategic partners. Its roll out is designed as not just an individual betterment tool but focused on the well-being of the group. At its core is the belief that people adopt healthier habits and thrive with support and accountability to a community. To encourage remote collaboration, Breakthru is designed to be shared in a meeting or given as a gift by a friend, colleague, or trusted leader within an organization. People take better care of themselves when they take care of each other, and we’re proud that we have a product that is useful to enterprise and employees today, as they navigate a new work landscape.

Keynote Speaker

Chacho Valadez

Backstage Capital

Chacho Valadez is a Principal at Backstage Capital and Chief of Staff to Founder and Managing Partner, Arlan Hamilton. Chacho went from helping retail customers in a Detroit Sprint store, to a Twitter connection and side projects with Arlan, to a full-time role at the firm working towards the mission of growing representation in tech. He has experience with running day-to-day operations at SMBs, business development, and sales. The son of a US immigrant, Chacho has a strong desire to highlight diversity, especially amongst the Latinx entrepreneur community. Chacho has been featured in Quartz, Inc, and Business Insider.

Click here to register for the Preccelerator® Program Virtual Demo Day on March 25th, 2021 @ 3:30 PM!

 

About the Preccelerator

The Preccelerator® Program is an accelerator for early-stage startups offered to select companies out of the Santa Monica office of Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP that provides initial capital, sophisticated legal services, interim office space, mentorship, a targeted curriculum, investment strategy counseling and access to a strategic perks portfolio with the objective of helping you grow your idea from business concept to funded startup. The Preccelerator® provides these benefits to as many as 5 promising young startups per term.  Visit www.preccelerator.com

While it seems that your fundraising journey may have been turned upside down because of COVID-19’s effects on the economy, rest assured there are still funders who are weathering the storm and actively looking for new deals. Although markets may change with the current economic circumstances, the process of fundraising and the criteria for creating a perfect pitch remains the same. Investors will be looking even more diligently into your specific market, competition, team domain expertise and the metrics of your company. At the Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP Preccelerator®, a Los Angeles based accelerator program for early-stage companies, we have a strong emphasis on fundraising technique and strategy. Audrey Delaney of StarMetrics, one of our recent cohort company founders, provides a window into what has made her fundraising journey successful. I’ll follow up with insights on how to apply her advice to your own investor pitch.

Heidi: How important is the role of “storytelling” in your pitch?

Investors hear or see hundreds, if not thousands of pitches per year, and a strong founder story about the pathos of your idea can set you apart from the noise, showcasing the “Why You,” the “Why Now” and “Why This” of your company without loads of data – but with a memorable narrative. The data is very important but comes later in a pitch. Ultimately, they are investing in “you.”

Heidi: When you started attending investor meetings to pitch your company, what was the one consistent piece of information you were asked most about?

While a large market by itself will not sell your product, if you are looking to be a venture-funded company, you will need to be addressing a market of hundreds of millions or $1B minimum. If your market is smaller, that’s totally okay – you can be a very lucrative small business, rather than a venture fundable business. I hear a lot that “we are taking a small sliver of a huge pie” or “we are going to get 2% of an enormous market,” but that’s not helpful to investors when fundraising — especially if not all of that market is relevant to your product or service.

It’s best to take a bottom-up approach in calculating your market. Show investors by your analysis that you have a great understanding of the market dynamics, the customer’s buying behavior, and what’s going to motivate a purchaser to adopt your product. Estimate potential sales in order to determine a total sales figure. Where will your products be sold? What are the sales of comparable products? How much of those current sales can your company steal from competitors?

Other information to have perfected in your pitch includes:

  1. Competitive Analysis - Never say “I have no competitors.” If there are no competitors – there is no market for your business. Define your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses compared to your company’s and where there are opportunities for your idea to flourish.

  2. Revenue Model – How will you make money? Investors need to see a clear path to a return on their investment. Find recurring revenue. Don’t rely solely on data-driven revenue or ads. Make sure whatever the path to revenue – you showcase it clearly in your pitch.

  3. Use of Proceeds and Needs – Make sure that you ask for enough funding to give you 18 months of runway (12 for performance, 6 for cushion while you fundraise again). Have your cost analysis completed to show to investors if they ask. Investors want to know what their funds will be used for (i.e. marketing, tech development, team growth), but also why you need THEM specifically. How can they be a resource to you on an advisory level or what partnerships and introductions can they make for you?

Heidi: How did your presentation style change from your very first pitch until today? Did you have to overcome any performance fears or challenges?

The bottom line is that you need to be confident and convey passion about your idea. If you are not comfortable as a public speaker – practice in front of people until you are. One of the benefits of joining an accelerator like the Preccelerator, programs like Women Founders Network’s Fast Pitch, or participating in one-off pitch events – is that you gain all of the necessary training to become comfortable and confident with your pitch. Many VCs would be happy to also give you valuable feedback on both your pitch deck and pitch presentation that you can utilize when you go to fundraise. If you have warm intros to willing investors in your network - don’t be afraid to ask!”

Heidi: Finally, what is one piece of advice that you would give a founder just starting out on their fundraising journey?

Never stop learning. Surround yourself with individuals who have the experience and expertise that can take you and your company to the next level. Be coachable and heed guidance – but don’t bend like a reed in the wind with every different piece of advice. Be confident in your domain expertise and ability to build your idea!

To read the full article "An Insider’s Guide to Perfecting Your Investor Pitch" on WFN visit here. 
Heidi Hubbeling Leach

About the Author

HEIDI HUBBELING LEACH is the Chief Marketing Officer at Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP. Throughout her 12-year career with SA&M, Heidi has been a consummate team player with the firm's continued growth. Heidi’s experience in professional services marketing, relationship building, business development strategy and entrepreneurship has aided her in leading the Preccelerator Program, an accelerator program for early-stage startup companies housed out of the Santa Monica offices of Stubbs Alderton & Markiles.

While this program began as a marketing initiative for the firm, it has grown into a venture-backed accelerator over the past 7 years and has demonstrated the dedication that the firm has for startups in the LA ecosystem. As COO of the Preccelerator, Heidi sourced and provided due diligence for hundreds of applicants, developed the Program curriculum, a formal mentorship program with over 100 active mentors, and built a Partner Program with various strategic corporate partners. Utilizing her network and fundraising expertise, Heidi continues to provide investment strategy and introductions to capital for both Preccelerator cohort companies and SA&M clients.

SA&M Preccelerator Program Managing Director, Len Lanzi, and Stubbs Alderton & Markiles’ Partner Kevin DeBré, will be featured at UCLA’s First Friday event on February 7th at 9AM. They will be discussing “Building Companies and the Community: The Preccelerator.” First Friday is an early morning event that provides an opportunity for the campus and local communities to network.

To find out more about the event and to register:

About Len Lanzi
Leonard M. Lanzi has over 30 years of organization management and fund development experience. He has been serving as the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Venture Association since 2007. In his capacity at LAVA, Len works with the LAVA board of directors to direct the strategic plan and organize educational and informational programs within the venture-funded startup ecosystem in the greater Los Angeles region.

Len brings a well-rounded knowledge from such diverse human service organizations as the Community Kitchen of Santa Barbara, Court Appointed Special Advocates, Junior Achievement of Southern California and the Boy Scouts of America. To view Len’s full bio, visit here. 

About the Kevin DeBré:
Kevin leads the Intellectual Property and Technology Transactions Practice at Stubbs Alderton and Markiles, LLP, where he advises entrepreneurs and companies that use intellectual property to build their businesses. Kevin is the personal business attorney for several UCLA faculty members and represents a number of UCLA-founded companies in licensing intellectual property created on campus. He has been recognized by his peers for excellence in his practice, having been selected for Southern California Super Lawyers® for seven years.  Kevin is a frequent guest lecturer in undergraduate and graduate-level entrepreneurship courses at UCLA and other universities. To view Kevin’s full bio, visit here.

About First Friday:
First Friday is an early morning event that provides an opportunity for the campus and local communities to network. The group encourages you to kick off your day with exciting presentations on topics relevant to intellectual property and entrepreneurship at UCLA. To learn more about First Friday and more of UCLA’s Technology Development Group, click here.

 

Len Lanzi, former Executive Director of the Los Angeles Venture Association (LAVA) Joins Preccelerator team as Managing Director, effective January 1, 2020.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., January 13, 2020  – The Preccelerator® Program, a Santa Monica, California-based early-stage startup accelerator focused on technology and digital media startup companies, announced today that it has hired Len Lanzi, former Executive Director of the Los Angeles Venture Association, as its new Managing Director. The addition of Mr. Lanzi to the Preccelerator team will broaden the network and continue to strengthen its resources and commitment to the Southern California tech community that it has become well known for.

Len said the following in connection with his new opportunity, “I am looking forward to this new challenge as the Managing Director of the Stubbs Alderton and Markiles’ Preccelerator® Program. My world got smaller and bigger at the same time. I will be focusing on specific startups that are part of the Preccelerator® and my contacts and friends remain as relevant or more so in this new role.”

In 2018, Stubbs Alderton & Markiles expanded the Preccelerator office into a new space located at 1316 3rd Street Promenade, which both increased the co-working space for the in-house companies and increased the event space. That same year, the Preccelerator and Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP announced a change in the program, adding an investment of $50,000 into Preccelerator cohort companies.

In 2012 Stubbs Alderton & Markiles launched the first-of-its-kind Preccelerator® Program to provide select start-ups with co-working space, mentorship, sophisticated legal services, curriculum and access to a strategic perks portfolio with the objective of helping grow a founder’s idea from business concept to a funded company. Over the past seven years, 46 diverse companies have graduated the Program, and most have received funding, with over $16M invested in Preccelerator companies in the aggregate.

Scott Alderton, Managing Partner of Stubbs Alderton & Markiles and Chairman of the Preccelerator commented, “I have known Len for nearly 15 years, and worked alongside him on the Board of LAVA as he transformed that organization into the significant force within the technology ecosystem that it is today. The Preccelerator has reached an inflection point where it is now much more than a project of the law firm, it is a business of its own, and a meaningful contributor to the Southern California tech community. When we decided to hire a dedicated leader for the Preccelerator, I couldn’t think of any greater candidate for Managing Director than Len. He was our first and only choice for the job, and we are thrilled to be working with him.”

About Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP
Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP is a Southern California-based business law firm with robust corporate, public securities, mergers and acquisitions, entertainment, intellectual property and business litigation practice groups focusing on the representation of, among others, venture-backed emerging growth companies, middle-market public companies, large technology companies, entertainment, and digital media companies, investors, venture capital funds, investment bankers and underwriters. The firm’s clients represent a broad range of industries with a concentration in the technology, entertainment, videogame, apparel, and medical device sectors. The firm’s mission is to provide technically excellent legal services in a consistent, highly-responsive and service-oriented manner with an entrepreneurial and practical business perspective. These principles are the hallmarks of the firm. For more information, visit https://stubbsalderton.com.

About the Preccelerator® Program 
The Preccelerator® is a novel platform offered to select start-up companies out of
the Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP Santa Monica office that provides interim office space, sophisticated legal services, education, networking, mentorship and $500,000 in usable perks from Google Cloud for Startups, Amazon Web Services, and HubSpot among others, with the objective of helping grow a founder’s idea from business concept to funded startup. The program also retains more than 100 active strategic mentors providing free office hours and discounted services, and provides over 75-plus educational workshops and networking events each year. The Program expanded in 2017 to accept a greater number of companies in more formalized classes, depending upon where the companies are in their evolutionary growth and expanded benefits to accepted companies. To view Len’s full bio visit here. To apply to the Preccelerator, visit www.preccelerator.com/application.

Contact:
Heidi Hubbeling
Chief Marketing Officer,
Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP

818-444-4529

socal techStubbs Alderton & Markiles' Managing Partner, Scott Alderton, was featured this month on SocalTech Interviews series. In his interview with Ben Kuo, founder and editor of SoCalTech.com, Scott discusses the Preccelerator Program and its offerings, as well as his top pieces of advice for startup entrepreneurs.

Scott Alderton is a Founding Partner of the Firm, Managing Partner, and a member of the Firm’s executive committee.  Scott is co-chair of the Firm’s Venture Capital and Emerging Growth practice group. Scott is also Chairman and a Board Member of the Preccelerator.

Scott advises clients across a number of industries, including software, technology, digital media, interactive entertainment and video games, cyber security and life sciences.

Scott’s practice focuses on advising early stage to middle-market technology and emerging growth companies in all aspects of capital formation, venture capital and finance, corporate and securities laws, mergers and acquisitions, high technology, intellectual property, licensing, interactive entertainment and video games, the internet,digital media, manufacturing and distribution of goods in commerce and commercial contracts. Scott also regularly advises senior executive officers with respect to employment, compensation and equity incentives.  Scott is frequently referenced as one of the top “start-up” lawyers in Southern California, and with over thirty years of experience working with technology and emerging growth companies at all stages along their evolutionary path, is sought out for his business as well as legal advice.

Scott is a frequent speaker on matters relating to technology, intellectual property, capital formation, capital raising transactions and emerging growth companies, and was formerly an adjunct professor of law at Loyola Law school, teaching securities regulation.

To learn more about our Venture Capital & Emerging Growth practice, contact Scott Alderton at (818) 444-4500 or

For more information about the Preccelerator® Program visit www.Preccelerator.com.

SAM Venture Partners and the Preccelerator were featured this week in an article by the LA Business Journal entitled "Law Firms Find Fit with Venture Capital Funds."

"Several law firms in Los Angeles have created venture capital outfits that invest in early-stage startups and offer legal advice in exchange for equity stakes in the companies. These offshoots at firms such as Stubbs Alderton & Markiles and Manatt Phelps & Phillips are not necessarily huge revenue generators, lawyers at the firms said. But the venture capital initiatives — as well as accelerator and incubator programs tied to the operations — offer access to a pool of new clients, and relationships formed with executives at startups can lead to a steady billing stream down the line."

To read the full article, visit here.

For more information about SAM Venture Partners or the Preccelerator contact Heidi Hubbeling at

 

Preccelerator alumni RentSpree announced this week that as of 2019 their ground-breaking technology is now available and in the hands of real estate professionals across all 50 states. To overhaul an industry as old as real estate is no easy feat but that is exactly what they have done.

After first teaming up in 2017, zipLogix™ and RentSpree are now expanding their efforts to automate rental transactions. Since launch, the successful integration has benefited thousands of agents nationwide.

The improved relationship comes on the heels of the launch of an online version of the California Association of REALTORS® rental application and will entail exciting new integrations to address the growing US rental market.

To read the full press release visit here.

Los Angeles-based RentSpree is a real estate technology company that has created a proprietary platform allowing agents and owners to seamlessly screen and verify tenants. The award-winning tool automates the lease application process for agents by providing a 24/7, one-stop system for screening applicants. For more information visit www.RentSpree.com

For more information about the Preccelerator and its offerings, contact Heidi Hubbeling at 

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles was featured in the LA Business Journal following the exciting announcement of the expansion of its Preccelerator’s perks package. The law firm’s Preccelerator Program, which provides legal, financial and other support to early-stage technology and digital media companies, is boosting its investment in the incoming class of startups to $25,000 in cash and $25,000 in legal services, among other perks.

To read the entire article in LABJ visit here.

About the Preccelerator® Program
The Preccelerator® is a novel platform offered to select start-up companies out of
the Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP Santa Monica office that provides interim office space, sophisticated legal services, education, networking, mentorship and $450,000 in usable perks from Google Cloud for Startups, Amazon Web Services, and HubSpot among others, with the objective of helping grow a founder’s idea from business concept to funded startup. The program also retains more than 100 active strategic mentors providing free office hours and discounted services, and provides over 75-plus educational workshops and networking events each year. The Program expanded in 2017 to accept a greater number of companies in more formalized classes, depending upon where the companies are in their evolutionary growth and expanded benefits to accepted companies. To apply to the Preccelerator, visit www.preccelerator.com/application.

To learn more about the Preccelerator® Program, contact Heidi Hubbeling, COO at

[vc_row type="in_container" full_screen_row_position="middle" scene_position="center" text_color="dark" text_align="left" overlay_strength="0.3" shape_divider_position="bottom"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_position="all" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_shadow="none" column_border_radius="none" width="1/1" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid"][vc_column_text]The Preccelerator® has added a cash component and legal services to its already robust package of offerings for early-stage startups.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., November 8th, 2018 (Newswire.com) – The Preccelerator® Program, an early-stage startup accelerator focused on technology and digital media companies, announced today that, with its next class starting in January 2019, it will provide an unrestricted cash investment of $25,000 to each participant company, and will add to the already robust perks package $25,000 in legal services from Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP. The addition of the investment and services demonstrates a continued commitment to the Los Angeles tech community by Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP and the Preccelerator.

The cash investment and additional services will go into effect for Class 11 companies, with the class beginning on January 7th, 2019. The application period has been reopened for any founders interested in submitting their companies for review. The application deadline is December 4, 2018. You may submit your company application at www.preccelerator.com/application.

This announcement comes a few months after the expansion to the new Preccelerator office, located at 1316 3rd Street Promenade, which both increased the co-working space for in-house companies and increased event space. The Preccelerator remains strategically in the heart of Santa Monica to provide a technology hub that is close to many valuable educational and networking events, tech culture and other resources to facilitate company growth.

In 2012, Stubbs Alderton & Markiles launched the first-of-its-kind Preccelerator® Program to provide select start-ups with co-working space, mentorship, sophisticated legal services, curriculum and access to a strategic perks portfolio with the objective of helping grow a founder’s idea from business concept to a funded company. Over the past six years, 39 companies have graduated the Program, 27 of which have received funding, totaling over $12.5M in the aggregate.

Scott Alderton, managing Partner of Stubbs Alderton & Markiles and Chairman of the Preccelerator commented, “An investment component is a natural outgrowth to the already robust package we offer participating companies in the Preccelerator, and frankly, is long overdue. We continue to evaluate ways we can serve the technology community and obviously a cash investment goes a long way towards the likelihood that participants in the Preccelerator will ultimately raise a significant round and become successful. The success we are seeing in the Program gives us great confidence, so we are doubling down on our commitment.”

About Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP
Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP is a Southern California-based business law firm with robust corporate, public securities, mergers and acquisitions, entertainment, intellectual property and business litigation practice groups focusing on the representation of, among others, venture- backed emerging growth companies, middle market public companies, large technology companies, entertainment and digital media companies, investors, venture capital funds, investment bankers and underwriters. The firm’s clients represent a broad range of industries with a concentration in the technology, entertainment, videogame, apparel and medical device sectors. The firm’s mission is to provide technically excellent legal services in a consistent, highly-responsive and service-oriented manner with an entrepreneurial and practical business perspective. These principles are the hallmarks of the firm. For more information, visit https://stubbsalderton.com.

About the Preccelerator® Program
The Preccelerator® is a novel platform offered to select start-up companies out of
the Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP Santa Monica office that provides interim office space, sophisticated legal services, education, networking, mentorship and $450,000 in usable perks from Google Cloud for Startups, Amazon Web Services, and HubSpot among others, with the objective of helping grow a founder’s idea from business concept to funded startup. The program also retains more than 100 active strategic mentors providing free office hours and discounted services, and provides over 75-plus educational workshops and networking events each year. The Program expanded in 2017 to accept a greater number of companies in more formalized classes, depending upon where the companies are in their evolutionary growth, and expanded benefits to accepted companies. To apply to the Preccelerator, visit www.preccelerator.com/application.

To read the full press release, click here.

Contact:
Heidi Hubbeling
Chief Operating Officer, Preccelerator® Program

310-746-9803[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row type="in_container" full_screen_row_position="middle" scene_position="center" text_color="dark" text_align="left" overlay_strength="0.3" shape_divider_position="bottom"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_position="all" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_shadow="none" column_border_radius="none" width="1/1" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid"][vc_column_text]Preccelerator alumni company nēdl was voted one of Pepperdine’s Most Fundable Companies of 2018. All 15 winners are companies that rose to the top based on the viability of their business model, size of the addressable market, management team expertise, a board of advisors, and competitive advantage in their market.

To read the full article in Entrepreneur visit here. 

About nēdl
With over 274 million daily listeners in the U.S. alone, nēdl intends to shake things up for radio. Backed by the National Association of Broadcasters, nēdl (as in, the haystack) allows radio listeners to search live audio as easily as they search the web (by keyword) and also start their own live broadcasts to add their speech to the real-time search results. nēdl is the world’s first search engine for live audio. Radio listeners, who previously searched from station-to-station, can now easily access content on nēdl for free. nēdl is available as a skill on Amazon Alexa (“Open Needle Now”) and it is featured in the Apple App Store.

For more about the Preccelerator® Program or to apply,  contact Heidi Hubbeling, COO at (310) 746-9803 or [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Preccelerator Company Lumenus and founder Jeremy Wall were featured this past week on Iot For All in an article discussing how AI takes wearables to the next level. The company started when the founder, Jeremy Wall, was almost killed while riding his bicycle. It was this life-changing event that pushed him to create products that use technology for something meaningful—to save lives. Today, Lumenus designs and produces apparel equipped with wearable LED lights for runners, bicyclists, and motorcyclists.

To read the full article visit here.

About Lumenus
Lumenus is an IoT safety company, building a Smart Lighting Hardware/Software platform using the Internet of Things to provide real-time safety alerts and create actionable insights for both consumers (bike/run/motorcycle) as well as industrial usage (high-risk vocational workers).

Visit www.lumenus.com for more information.

For more about the Preccelerator® Program or to apply,  contact Heidi Hubbeling, COO at (310) 746-9803 or

RentSpreePreccelerator Alumni Company RentSpree has just announced that they are partnering with the California Apartment Association (CAA). Together they offer a state of the art tenant screening platform to all CAA members.  RentSpree’s standardized process will help CAA’s 15,000+ members work more efficiently with the verification process, while simultaneously reducing exposure to regulatory risks.

Amidst an atmosphere where faxing has been the norm for many, the new service will allow CAA members to seamlessly access a full credit report and score, eviction history report, completed rental application and more with the click of a button on any device.

All CAA members will also be given access to RentSpree PRO, a premium service offering from RentSpree that helps landlords and managers handle the tenant verification process.  As part of the alliance, RentSpree will also be working closely with CAA to unveil a series of groundbreaking new features to provide unparalleled flexibility and convenience to members.

“As an organization that always puts our members’ interests first, we see tremendous value in the services RentSpree will provide for CAA members,” said CAA Senior Vice President Kevin Pellegrino. “Together, we will be able to deliver a platform that exceeds all current and future CAA member screening needs.”

“We are very proud to have CAA as a major partner where our combined efforts will provide CAA members with a technology platform that will significantly enhance their businesses,”  said RentSpree Chief Operating Officer Michael Lucarelli.  “Importantly, our solution makes it effortless for all CAA owners and managers to offer a digital screening process that most tenants expect in 2018.”

About RentSpree
RentSpree is a Los Angeles-based real estate tech company that has created a proprietary platform allowing landlords and property managers to seamlessly screen and verify tenants. The award-winning tool automates the lease application process for property representatives by providing a 24/7, one-stop system for screening applicants.

Visit www.rentspree.com for more information.

For more about the Preccelerator® Program or to apply,  contact Heidi Hubbeling, COO at (310) 746-9803 or

LOS ANGELES, Calif., March 28, 2018 (Newswire.com) – The Preccelerator ® Program, a Santa Monica, California-based accelerator program for early- stage startup companies in the digital media and technology space, announced today that it has added its ninth class of companies featuring three innovative startups.

In 2012 Stubbs Alderton & Markiles launched the first-of-its- kind Preccelerator® Program to provide select start-ups with co-working space, mentorship, sophisticated legal services, curriculum and access to a strategic perks portfolio with the objective of helping grow a founder’s idea from business concept to a funded company. Over the past five years, 37 companies have graduated the Program, of which 24 have received funding totaling over $11.2M.

Louis Wharton, President of the Preccelerator states, “Class 9 is representative of the diverse Southern California tech ecosystem, showcasing fintech, e-commerce and social connectivity.  We’re thrilled to partner with these founding teams as they accelerate development and deployment of their market solutions.”

Preccelerator® Program Class 9 companies include:

Payclub is the easiest way to organize and collect money with a group. Payclub can be used for any type of group, which we call “clubs.” Payclub enables you to manage the entire process directly from your phone with a few simple taps, empowering groups to come together and gain insight without the need for spreadsheets or outdated systems. Whether you are collecting for your club or organization, to planning that next getaway with friends, Payclub will help bring both your group’s finances and the people who matter most, together.  Based out of Los Angeles, CA, the team is founded by tech, financial, and sales veterans who had a deep need for a solution to managing funds together. It’s time to #JoinTheClub.

Loved lots offers the best in premium pre-loved baby goods in one safe and easy to use marketplace.  Buyers enjoy the best selection of top-of-the-line baby gear and Sellers benefit from a marketplace of Buyers who know the value of quality baby goods.  We've eliminated awkward cash exchanges and offer a variety of shipping and delivery options to fit your needs.  Rest assured with our Buyer and Seller Protection Programs and feel good knowing that a portion of each sale goes to help children and families in need.

Connect. Cook. Share. Creating a culinary delight for someone is one of the most genuine expressions of care. Fork & Spoon revolutionizes the dating app paradigm by combining the joy of a home cooked meal with the convenience of a mobile app. Realize or extend your passion for cooking and experience what it's like to Fork & Spoon.  Put a spark in your day by sharing your culinary adventure stories and even your #kitchenfails with our unique community. Welcome to a place where relationships start with the magic of sharing.

For more information about the Preccelerator® Program, visit www.preccelerator.com.

About Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP
Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP is a Southern California-based business law firm with robust corporate, public securities, mergers and acquisitions, entertainment, intellectual property, brand protection and business litigation practice groups focusing on the representation of, among others, venture- backed emerging growth companies, middle market public companies, large technology companies, entertainment and digital media companies, investors, venture capital funds, investment bankers and underwriters. The firm’s clients represent a broad range of industries with a concentration in the technology, entertainment, video game, apparel and medical device sectors. The firm’s mission is to provide technically excellent legal services in a consistent, highly-responsive and service-oriented manner with an entrepreneurial and practical business perspective. These principles are the hallmarks of the firm. For more information, visit https://stubbsalderton.com.

About the Preccelerator® Program
The Preccelerator is a novel platform offered to select start-up companies out of the Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP Santa Monica office that provides interim office space, sophisticated legal services, education, networking, mentorship and $350,000 in usable perks from Google Cloud for Startups, Amazon Web Services, and HubSpot among others, with the objective of helping grow a founder’s idea from business concept to funded startup. The program also retains more than 50 active strategic mentors providing free office hours and discounted services, and provides over 50-plus educational workshops and networking events each year. The Program expanded in 2017 to accept a greater number of companies in more formalized classes, depending upon where the companies are in their evolutionary growth, expand benefits to accepted companies, and will look to make strategic investments backed by strategic angel investors. To apply to the Preccelerator, visit www.preccelerator.com/application.

Contact:
Heidi Hubbeling
Chief Operating Officer, Preccelerator ® Program
310-746-9803

Congratulations to SAM Preccelerator company nēdl on their official launch on Amazon Alexa Echo devices and Alexa Cars including Toyota, Lexus, BMW, Mini and Ford. nēdl (like the haystack) is a search engine designed to make live streams discoverable to radio listeners. They turn every word you broadcast and note you play into a magnet to attract new listeners in real-time. Search for "Needle Now.." to find them and start your modern radio experience.

Find nēdl here.

About nēdl  
nēdl
 uses proprietary Speech Recognition to let you search within 100,000+ live news, sports, talk, and music broadcast streams to find what you want and listen to the stream or add your unique voice to the global real-time database for instant discovery. Visit www.findnedl.com

For more about the Preccelerator® Program or to apply,  contact Heidi Hubbeling, COO at (310) 746-9803 or

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles and the Preccelerator Program are proud to announce the launch of their Startup Superhero Video Series - featuring SA&M Attorneys, Preccelerator Mentors, and entrepreneurs on topics specific to entrepreneurship and lessons learned throughout the journey.

This week we're featuring Preccelerator Mentor Mark Wald as he talks about "Mentor Partnership & Financial Modeling with BallParq.io."

Mark is an innovative problem solver who values simplicity, efficiency, and collaboration between people and organizations, with strong experience in financial modeling and data analytics to inform and support quick decisions on complex issues. Specific experience developing, deploying, and supporting new technologies to thousands of retail locations using 3rd party logistics and service providers.  Professional specialties: Financial strategy & fundraising, sourcing business opportunities, conserving resources, enabling people, satisfying customers, analyzing complex data.

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To learn more about the Preccelerator Program, contact Heidi Hubbeling at .

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles and the Preccelerator Program are proud to announce the launch of their Startup Superhero Video Series - featuring SA&M Attorneys, Preccelerator Mentors, and entrepreneurs on topics specific to entrepreneurship and lessons learned throughout the journey.

This week we're featuring Preccelerator Mentor Andrey Kudievskiy as he talks about "Startup Teams & Tech."

IT executive, Serial entrepreneur, CEO and Founder at Distillery.com, and named one of the 25 Inspiring Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2017 by Inc. Magazine.  Andrey Kudievskiy started his career in tech at the age of 19 while working on his degree in computer science. Within five years Andrey had established his first company and played a key role in creating a successful cloud synchronization startup that was sold to a Fortune 500 company. A serial entrepreneur and talented developer in his own right, he is currently focused on enabling other entrepreneurs to build businesses and continuing Distillery’s expansion in the U.S. and international markets.

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Transcript

Speaker: Andrey Kudievskiy

Moderator: Heidi Hubbeling

Startup Superhero Series Featuring Andrey Kudievskiy on "Startup Teams & Tech"

Heidi: Tell me a little bit about yourself and your background and a little bit about Distillery.

Andrey: Absolutely! Distillery is a full-service software development company located here in Santa Monica. We like working with startups as well as enterprise clients. Now we are focusing on stack technology design and development. A little bit about myself, you can tell by my accent, that I came from Russia. Just a few years ago, not knowing anyone here in the States, I had a burning desire to build a business and to help other companies succeed in the area where I have a lot of knowledge and assist in technology. That’s how Distillery started  - and so far, we have been successful. This year we got on the Inc. 5000 list for the fastest growing companies in North America. I hope that we position ourselves for the next year as well.

Heidi: Congratulations on that, that’s a huge honor! You are one of the mentors of the program and Distillery, in the Los Angeles tech scene, is one of the premier agencies for startups. What do you like most of working with startups? I know you are one of the mentors of program. Distillery is one of the most well-respected agencies in Los Angeles and you work with a lot of entrepreneurs. What do you like most?

Andrey: Sure, I like working with startups because you can quickly see the value of the work you do. You can see the results of your work. When you meet someone, let’s say your friend on the street and you ask them to “hey can you show me your phone” and see the application I have developed and you can say “wow!” That is just pure happiness. That is when I feel my life is accomplished. Versus working with enterprises when you can work with them for years and years for one of the projects. When it’s released its just a small part of something huge, you don’t really feel like you’ve contributed enough.

Heidi: It doesn’t feel as impactful. When you work with younger stage startup you feel like you become part of their team. On that note, some of the advice that you give with startups. What advice do you give them when they are selecting a stack? What kind of stack do they need to select to be most successful?

Andrey: For technology stack as startups, what I like to say is that they don’t need to overthink it. All the companies who try to build something big in the beginning they go all in. They don’t test the market. They don’t really know what it is. It’s rather important to release something, test the market, see if people use it and then adjust as needed. When people do something enterprise scale for a startup, they spend months and months for development and end up being behind the time curve. So, they are late to the market. We try to build something at a scale you need right now. Something small, go to the market test it. Do the alpha version, the beta version do the public release later. Then at the end when you see that your idea is valuable, its fine to go and rebuild some of the parts. You will lose 50% of your time on building something with the right technology stack, but then this product will do better in the market.

Heidi: What are some of the pros and cons of hiring an internal vertical team versus hiring a team like Distillery, an outside tech team?

Andrey: I think the ideal scenario is when there is a ­­­combination. A tech team that will help you on stuff and you have an extension. A company like Distillery who would just help you move faster. When you don’t have enough resources, you cannot move fast enough or maybe some parts of the projects are simply outside of your core expertise. That’s when bringing an agency would be meaningful. It would help you. Outsourcing everything and giving control to an agency doesn’t seem right to me.

Heidi: I think so, because when you outsource without having a technical strategist that is overseeing development internally. If you don’t have that person that is vested in your idea and you fully outsource then you just have somebody whose just project-based developing it. When they’re done, they walk away from the project and walk away from your idea.

Andrey: You must have a vision. You must be able to provide a clear direction. Of course, the digital part of it that you choose. They need to be comfortable adding something to your idea. Advising, according to their expertise what to do and what not to do. At the same time, I feel that getting a technical co-founder for the team really does miracles.

Heidi: Absolutely, so let’s go back to the Preccelerator a little bit. Not to be self-serving, but we really appreciate you as a mentor and you’ve provided great value thus far with your mentorship. What are some of your favorite things about working with the Preccelerator and working with our companies.

Andrey: Well, first thank you so much for having me. The Preccelerator is an amazing group of people and amazing group of potentially big startups and companies, that I see will really grow. To me the value is talking to those young entrepreneurs, seeing them to be in my shoes 5 years ago maybe three years ago depends on how fast they will grow. And exchange knowledge, bounce some ideas around. I also like helping people. That keeps me motivated. When I see that I prevented one person from making the same mistake that I made 5 years ago. That’s the best I can do.

Heidi: I think that’s the definition of true wisdom. When companies take advice from somebody that has already been through that cycle, through that path. Rather than making those mistakes on their own. That’s very valuable. Appreciate you being here and we will see you all at the next startup superhero series.

Andrey Kudievskiy
Distillery

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To learn more about the Preccelerator Program, contact Heidi Hubbeling at .

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles and the Preccelerator Program are proud to announce the launch of their Startup Superhero Video Series - featuring SA&M Attorneys, Preccelerator Mentors, and entrepreneurs on topics specific to entrepreneurship and lessons learned throughout the journey.

This week we're featuring Preccelerator Mentor Lisa Tsou as she talks about "Fundraising  Tactics."

Lisa Tsou provides independent strategy and solutions for entrepreneurs so they can grow their businesses to the next level. She is passionate about working with innovative entrepreneurs and startups to develop unique strategies to grow and fund their businesses. Whether you are a startup on the track for traditional venture-capital financing or an entrepreneur on a more offbeat path, she can collaborate with you to develop and implement a creative and practical strategy for success. Lisa also speaks regularly on issues related to startups, tech and women in business. She has been a featured speaker at events including The West Hollywood Women’s Leadership Conference, The SoGal Summit, The USC Graduate Women in Business Summit, Women Founders Network, and Bruin Entrepreneurs, and appeared in publications including The Huffington Post, CNBC, GenHERation and E The Magazine for Today’s Female Executive and the Business Rockstars program.

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Transcript

Speaker: Lisa Tsou

Moderator: Heidi Hubbeling

Startup Superhero Series-Intro with Lisa Tsou "Fundraising Tactics"

Heidi: Today we are featuring Lisa Tsou of the Winning Pitch and Lisa is one of our mentors here at the Preccelerator. She specializes in fundraising, pitch-investor decks, helping companies with their formal presentation as well as other kinds of strategies for fundraising. Tell us a little bit about yourself and thank you for being here.

Lisa: Thanks Heidi. I started working with startups back twenty years ago this year, when I graduated from law school. Spent many years on Wall Street doing Venture Capital, Ipos, mergers and acquisitions, all with tech and startup companies. Spent my whole career on startups and am now concentrating on the part I really enjoy which is the growth part of startups. Working with startups on their fundraising, their investor strategy and positioning for investors.

Heidi: All very important things, especially at this stage within the Preccelerator and other startup companies in this Los Angeles ecosystem. Going back to the fundraising and preparing the pitch presentation, what exactly are investors looking for when companies are starting that fundraising process?

Lisa: I think the best way to think about what investors are looking for is to think of it as a risk reward ratio. Basically, venture capitalists are looking for a really big reward and as small a risk as possible. They’re looking for things with really big markets or things a consumer or a business would be using with a lot of frequency. Something that can get really big and then they are trying to find things with as little risk with the really big as possible. Things that would be considered as something like a risk would be does your product work? Does the consumer like it? Things like what other competition might be out there? I like to think of it as that kind of ratio.

Heidi: That’s a great way to look at it. In a life-cycle of a company, especially with these early stage companies When is the right time to start fundraising? What are those key metrics?

Lisa: I’m going to say something that I know is going to sound really contradictory, but it’s a combination of as late as possible and earlier than you think. A lot of startups go “oh I should go out there and find a venture capitalist to fund me” without thinking through when do they really need the capital? Can they go a little longer? The longer you can go without outside financing, the stronger position you’re in. If you go very early, the venture capitalist is going to take a lot of your company control and you are not going to get as much capital as you would like. So, on one hand think as late as possible on the other hand, from that point start earlier than you think. It’s going to take longer to get in front of investors, get them comfortable with you and build that relationship. From that point when you think you need capital, I would say start certainly start six to nine months earlier than that.

Heidi: The due diligence process by itself once you actually have somebody who is interested in funding you can take four, six, eight months at that point. Also, figuring out whether or not venture capital funding is right for you, versus angel investors versus small business loans. Whatever funding that type of company might need depending on their scalability.

Lisa: Absolutely! Investors are going to ask questions and you may need to think things through or vet some other elements of your business before they will write a check.

Heidi: What are your tactics? What do you suggest to startups when they start looking for funding? How can they get in front of an investor or a VC?

Lisa: It’s a combination of research and somehow wrangling a warm introduction. The research part being finding the right VC or investor depending on their situation. That makes sense for them. How big a check the investor generally writes and the industries they may be comfortable with investing in. Doing that research which will take time and then wrangling your warm introduction to get to them. A lot of investors are not going to be receptive just cold email or blind submissions to them. Working your way through your network, which may be a five or six step process to finding the person who knows a person, who knows a person, who knows a person, to getting in-front of that investor.

Heidi: That’s very important. So, you have been a value and a resource to the Preccelerator program. What are some of your favorite things about being a mentor here, about the program and working with the companies?

Lisa: I really enjoy working with the Preccelerator. As I said I was an attorney at one point doing this kind of work. It’s fun being around really smart people like at Stubbs Alderton and the other mentors who are also awesome. I just love working with the companies. I think you put together a really smart batch of companies who are doing a lot of interesting things in different industries. It’s always fun to come over here and hangout for a couple of hours and see what they’re doing and see if I can help them.

Heidi: I am proud of them! It was great to have you here and we will see you guys next time at the Startup Superhero Series.

Lisa Tsou
The Winning Pitch

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To learn more about the Preccelerator Program, contact Heidi Hubbeling at .

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles and the Preccelerator Program are proud to announce the launch of their Startup Superhero Video Series - featuring SA&M Attorneys, Preccelerator Mentors, and entrepreneurs on topics specific to entrepreneurship and lessons learned throughout the journey.

This week we're featuring Preccelerator alumni Andrew Cheeseman, as he talks about "Empathy in Entrepreneurship."

Andrew is a proven leader in both sales and marketing in startups and large organizations PLUS a successful startup with an exit.  He is passionate about turning customers’ experiences into revenue and retention. He has deep experience in the software market and loves to build relationships.  Andrew’s gift is to inspire leaders to innovate. Combining creativity, leadership, and technology, he also develops game-changing solutions and products with and for industry leaders.  Andrew grows businesses through innovation, partnerships, and sales, to create profitable new revenue.  He creates vision, influences stakeholders to secure funds, and organizes teams to drive business.   He instigates growth through product and market innovation, and through building internal and external networks.

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Transcript

Speaker: Andrew Cheeseman

Moderator: Heidi Hubbeling 

 

Startup Superhero Series - Empathy in Entpreneurship 

Heidi: So, we want to talk a little bit about your entrepreneurial journey today. What made you take the wild leap into entrepreneurship?  

Andrew: Well, I had been interested in being a creator of things for a long time. Also, I am interested in impact, areas that have a lot of impact. My particular passions are for mind, body, health and community and connectiveness. I was really excited about creating things that could incorporate all these together. 

Heidi: What are some of your favorite things? What do you really love about it?  

Andrew: Apart from those things, the creation the impact and the passions -  I have some interests as well. I love people and what you can do with connecting people. I love creating systems. My belief is that you can’t really grow unless you can delegate. You can’t really delegate unless you have system in place. I just love that stuff. 

Heidi: I think it’s one of those lessons that we all learn. It’s one of those things that can direct us to successes, the organizations and being able to create those systems in place to get you to that next level.  Let’s talk a little bit about Team(You). Talk to us about what Team(You) is and along the journey with Team(You), what was your proudest moment?  

Andrew: Team(You) is a system that addresses one of the issues that is happening in schools. Its widespread. The problem is around learning and apathy and teacher retention. These are all interrelated. Team(You) is a system that addresses those, by creating a culture of empathy vs. apathy. It’s a software based system where students earn points for things like empathy and kindness and service. You asked about what are my most proudest, moments. I think my proudest moment was when we got our first school up and running. Just seeing those points roll in. Realizing, whereas the norm in the industry is about 15% user adoption we had 98% user adoption, we are very proud of that. 

Heidi: You guys really entered a time in the market, where you could really make a difference. It was before there was legislation involved that required incentive based learning as a positive reinforcement. You really had an impact from the start.  

Andrew: Exactly, it was. In fact, we - as of the end last semester, had 30,000 students enrolled who were collectively engaged in the system for 2.2 million hours per month.   

Heidi: Wow, that is very exciting. So, you had those successes. Along your full entrepreneurial journey what’s an important lesson that you learned? What is something you can give back as a lesson of wisdom for other entrepreneurs? 

Andrew: I think the biggest lesson is this lesson around empathy. My company is based on empathy which gave me a particular lens to look at, not just my customers, but the actual business. What I came to realize is how deep the importance of empathy is. Not only for customers, of course and understanding what their journey is, but also for employees. Empathy for developers, meaning when I develop something new for the software, I am thinking of everyone who will have to interact with that change. Customer service, investors, empathy for everybody whose involved. I think the big learning, ultimately, is if you look at business through the lens of empathy you can discover things that you never knew existed. It’s one of many lenses of course, but empathy is the interesting learning that I got from this experience.   

Heidi: Yeah, I think that’s so important, even when it comes to practical aspects such as product development, you mention how users are going to use the platform. Empathy on the side of investors or on the side of other strategic partners that you’re going to have. Other team members, right? Your core employees, I think that, that is such a foundational characteristic. 

Andrew: It is and just to take the customer service example, empathy for the customer service staff is critical. Done the right way, if we position the customer service the right way to customers, investors, partners, and everybody else means that, that role other than just a supporting role becomes the critical role. That means that job is really satisfying because you are executing and carrying out a really important role. It only happens for empathy in that role or people in that role.  

Heidi: Finally, going back to the Preccelerator. You were early, early on in the Preccelerator Program. What is one of the biggest values that a program like the Preccelerator has had for you? 

Andrew: There are, of course many different values. From a place to have meetings, to the expert legal advice, but I would say probably the biggest one is the impact that mentors have had on me. I have had some amazing feedback and support from some of the mentors.

Heidi: Yes, they are a core value of this program, it wouldn’t work without them. We really appreciate you being here.  

Andrew Cheeseman
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcheeseman/

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To learn more about the Preccelerator Program, contact Heidi Hubbeling at .

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