Southern California accelerates with KPCB

The Viterbi Startup Garage, a new accelerator programme led by the University of Southern California’s (USC) engineering unit, has been launched.

The initiative, in partnership with venture firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) and United Talent Agency (UTA), is being set-up in order to entice spinouts from USC students and alumni into keeping their businesses local to Los Angeles.

Ashish Soni, executive director of Digital Innovation at USC, said: “We are very excited to provide our students world-class opportunities and resources by launching the first Los Angeles accelerator backed by a prominent University. We believe that KPCB and UTA are ideal partners, given KPCB’s unparalleled track record in identifying and advising phenomenal entrepreneurs, and UTA’s track record in providing early-stage companies strategic assistance across a number of categories.”

The involvement of UTA highlights a desire for innovation in the entertainment industry, driven by technology developed at USC.

Brent Weinstein, Head of Digital Media at UTA, added: “We have been proudly advising technology startups for many years, and the Startup Garage will give us an opportunity to be even more hands-on with inspiring entrepreneurs who are working on groundbreaking ideas. So many early-stage companies are media focused or media adjacent, that we feel Los Angeles is the ideal place to launch an accelerator in partnership with world-class partners like USC and KPCB.”