So, Santa Monica is a good address for “green” businesses that trade in sustainability, but if one wants to venture into the capital markets and talk real money, one must go downtown, right? Did you know that none of the ten largest L.A. and Orange county-based venture capital firms are located in downtown Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Business Journal? And which Santa Monica-based firms are on the list?
Zag announced the appointment of Mark Miller as Executive Vice President of Dealer and Industry Relations, where he will oversee the build-out of the company’s dealer network and manage industry relations. Zag, based in Santa Monica, with offices in Sherman Oaks, Fullerton and Portland, Oregon., provides online car-buying capabilities aimed at consumers and dealers. Miller comes from CarsDirect.com, where he was Senior VP of Dealer and Industry Relations and guided development of that company’s nationwide Preferred Dealer Network since its launch in 1999. He is also a graduate of the National Automobile Dealer Association Dealer Candidate Academy. www.zag.com
TV Authority Santa Monica Audio/Video Showroom this month celebrated the grand opening of its 8,500 square feet of home technology retail space in a historic Santa Monica building at 408 Broadway. Jason Palmer, co-founder of TV Authority, said the company aspires to provide for customers “the magic of music, movies and art and that includes being an active part of our neighbors’ cultural lives.” To that end, the showroom is home to the Film Gallery, providing a year-round facility for a community of independent filmmakers to screen their projects through a series of festivals, invitation-only and open house events. www.tvauthority.com
Further to the point: Three of the top five venture capital firms (by amount of capital) on the L.A. and Orange county-based list are located in Santa Monica, including No. 1 and No. 2.
Edmunds.com, the online automotive information resource based in Santa Monica, announced its comparison of two rear-wheel drive luxury coupes that provide a combination of refinement, comfort and performance, and awarded top kudos to the 2006 BMW 650i Coupe (sticker price $81,140) over the 2007 Jaguar XK8 Coupe (MSRP $86,125). www.Edmunds.com
Meredith Lobel-Angel of the Santa Monica law firm Angel Law received special recognition among businesses and websites that reflect strong dedication to social causes in the community at the July 20 SheBusiness award ceremony presented by the nonprofit Small Business Technology Institute. Ms. Lobel-Angel, a Stanford graduate (B.A., M.A., J.D.), is the managing attorney of Angel Law, which is particularly known in the environmental and land use fields. www.angellaw.com
Rustic Canyon Partners of 2425 Olympic takes the top spot, with Clearstone Venture Partners of 1351 4th St. weighing in at No. 2 and Palomar Ventures of 100 Wilshire at No. 5 in the two-county area.
