Los Angeles mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti paid us a visit today, signaling the prominence of Cornerstone in the emerging tech community in L.A. Usually playing second fiddle to northern California’s more-storied technology hub, Los Angeles’ "Silicon Beach" is swiftly developing as an important center for technology startups, Cloud-based technology, entrepreneurship and venture capital.
Adam Miller, Cornerstone’s CEO, introduced Garcetti to a packed house of Cornerstone employees in our shiny new meeting space. Garcetti is a long-serving L.A. city councilmember, now in a fierce run-off campaign ahead of a May 2013 election day.
Miller talked about the "rising tide of technology in L.A." and asserted that Garcetti, better than most politicians, understands the importance of a strong tech industry to the region’s future.
The candidate then talked to the Cornerstone audience about the future of L.A., pausing to joke that it was nice to be able to see the Pacific Ocean from his podium. If elected, Garcetti has big plans for Los Angeles, a city often held back by long-standing problems with its school system, transportation network and other challenges. But the job of a candidate is to spark hope and paint a picture of the future – and Garcetti is a compelling speaker in this regard.
Councilman Garcetti has a bright outlook for L.A., a city where over 200 different languages are spoken and citizens represent at least 144 countries of origin. It’s a city at the crossroads of Latin America and Asia-Pacific. In other words, it’s a global melting pot of cultures, talents and prospects. (A melting pot that has produced, among more notable achievements, the sublime Korean short rib taco, the councilman joked.)
He went on to remark that in the next decade technology will play a big role in the evolution of Los Angeles. "We don’t tell our tech story well enough," the councilmember said.
L.A. is home to a deep bench of intellectual capital, providing fuel for the growth of the types of new economies emerging here. Local university systems like USC, UCLA, and Pepperdine already offer programs that focus on entrepreneurship, startup businesses, and high tech. This type of education, in concert with the growing technology sector of Silicon Beach, gives fresh hope to students and recent grads facing confusing and all-too-often bleak prospects for employment.
"L.A. is where creativity lives and what Cornerstone is doing has that same depth," said Garcetti. This combination of intellectual capital and creativity make it "time for L.A. to fire on all pistons."
Cornerstone extends a warm thanks to Eric Garcetti for taking time out of a whirlwind campaign schedule to support the L.A. tech community.
