Thursday, April 28, 2011

LaunchSpark Starts YCombinator-style Incubation Program

A local entrepreneur, Mike Khristo, is launching a new, Y-Combinator style incubation and acceleration effort, LaunchSpark, after becoming frustrated by the lack of a similar incubation effort in SoCal. Khristo, who said he is modeling the program after similar effort YCReject.com in the Bay Area, said he is hoping to run YC-style gatherings, learning, mentoring, and demo days but without the funding. Khristo is also hoping that the effort will see some of the success of YC Reject, founded earlier this month in the Bay Area by Allan Teruel, which recently scored backing of an angel investor. Khristo complains that there has been a lack of a Y Combinator style program in Southern California. Y Combinator provides incubation, mentoring, and funding to companies in Silicon Valley. Khristo says he is a co-founder of voyurl and SimpleAuth, and started his first company out of high school. LaunchSpark is targeting LA for the first program, with Orange County also in its plans.

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