Los Angeles? At parties in Los Angeles people talk about a media deal they’re “closing”, what TV star is at the party, and some “gray hat” spam-like technique that made them an extra 100K last month. Folks in Los Angeles are shrewder business people, have better interpersonal skills, but are more full of shit and two faced, and struggle to build products that get virally adopted. Is there a difference between tech startups in Silicon Valley vs. Most emphatically, Yes !

Last week's angel investment report by the Angel Capital Association reported that investments by angel investors dropped nine percent in 2008, with a hefty percentage of angel investors--40 percent--expecting this year will be a down year. However, a quick check of local, Southern California angel investors finds that although angel investment is down, investors are still investing--albeit much more selectively. "Capital Capital efficient companies offering very competitive terms are still getting funded," says Al Schneider of the Tech Coast Angels , although it appears the group is much more sensitive about how it is investing in deals.

Ryan is now an angel investor and the CEO of Causecast , an interactive community for people and brands that want to leave a positive impact on the world. Angel investing What would you do if you built a tremendously successful internet company and sold it? I interviewed Ryan Scott to find out what

Entrepreneurs spend a lot of time researching their market and customers.  But, when it comes to raising money, they tend to approach anyone with a heartbeat!   The problem with this approach is that a large majority of the investors you pitch are simply not appropriate for what you are doing or where you are as a company.  So, any time you spend on them is wasted. 

These are FREE events, and my goal is to help contribute to the Los Angeles Technology Scene by bringing together various entrepreneurs, angel investors, venture capitalists, social media experts, and professionals in the technology field. Thursday, January 15, 2008 - 6:30pm - 8:00pm Cost: As planned, I’ll be hosting monthly presentations/conversations each month throughout 2009 on different topics for entrepreneurs. These events are put on in conjunction with our friends at DealMaker Media .   TO SIGN UP FOR THIS

Los Angeles, CA 90049 December 11th 2008 Tech Coast Angels Jeff Cohn, Tech Coast Angels Howdy Campers! Digital Family Reunion is bringing all of the LA Tech/Business/Media scene together next month, for a nice holiday party at the Skirball Center! It should be a blast having so many great LA communities together, sharing their thoughts and having some great holiday fun!

Marc and Ben are pretty visible angels--how did you connect with them? Raph Today, San Diego-based Metaplace (www.metaplace.com), which develops virtual world software, is announcing a funding round from Charles River Ventures, Crescendo Ventures, and high profile investors Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. We spoke with Raph Koster, the firm's CEO and founder, about the site and the new investment round.

Attendees: If you have review comments I'd be happy to consider them. Name: XING Community Los Angeles Sites: https://www.xing.com/net/la/ , www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=33803 gid=33803 (main), https://www.xing.com/ Self-description: "This forum is dedicated to all Los Angeles inhabitants, visitors of the area and business minded people from all around the world, who would like to explore business opportunities with L.A. This is will be a continually updating post. I'll be creating additional lists for educational, chamber of commerce, etc. Organizational representatives: please contact me directly for updates, etc.

Saturday, November 22, 2008 -- SIGGRAPH 2008 "Show and Tell". Video, Literature, Goodies and Stories from the 2008 International Conference and Exhibition in Los Angeles. See http://www.well.com/user/abs/SDSG/Mindtel2008/Mindtel2008.htmlhttp://www.well.com/user/abs/SDSG/Mindtel2008/Mindtel2008.html... htmlhttp://www.well.com/user/abs/SDSG/Mindtel2008/Mindtel2008.html...

We brought together Peter Cowen of Groundwork Equity , Mark Suster of GRP Partners , Rick Smith of Crosscut Ventures , and Richard Yen of Saban Ventures -- all of who will be on the judging panel for the Tech Coast Angel's Fast Pitch on February 24th, to give us a their hints and tips about pitching to venture capitalists. Between 2005 and 2008, there were lots of companies raising half a million, and selling for 15 million. For this morning's interview, we thought we'd try something different, and put together a virtual panel of venture capitalists to give us a few tips on pitching your company.