You don’t need to move to Silicon Valley to have a career in technology, at least if the 250 local companies presenting at today’s TechFair Los Angeles are to be believed. Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office is hosting the Downtown fair with a goal of matching up companies like Uber, Tesla, Tinder and Snap to meet with local talent. Over 13,000 people registered in advance to walk through the free event.
“There have been big events before, Jason Nazar, the CEO of Comparably and one of the fair’s organizers, told USA Today, “but never one where the average person can walk in the door and directly meet the top execs from the companies.”
The Bay Area has dominated the tech industry scene in California and worldwide for years, but Los Angeles is rapidly gaining. Our region is currently ranked second in high-tech employment, driven in particular by the headquarters of giants like Snapchat and Disney’s Maker Studios. Huge growth in the largely SoCal-based video game industry is also a factor.
Nationally, L.A. ranks third after San Francisco and New York in tech jobs, but city leaders are hoping that events like TechFair Los Angeles will help narrow the gap. Mayor Garcetti has stated a goal to meet or exceed New York’s tech sector by the end of 2017.
TechFair Los Angeles takes place January 26 from 11am to 8pm at Magic Box at the REEF, 1933 S Broadway.
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