10 Must-Know Tech Facts About LA's Silicon Beach

Beyond the glitz of Hollywood, Los Angeles has quickly emerged as a formidable player in the tech scene. A triad of eager startups, established industry leaders, and forward-thinking investors fosters a tech ecosystem that prizes creativity and pushes the boundaries of innovation.

Here are 10 facts about the LA tech scene that give us a glimpse into the future of technology:

1. Los Angeles is also known as “Silicon Beach.” Reflecting its northern counterpart of Silicon Valley, LA is home to a robust network of start-ups, major tech companies, and investment firms.
   
2. It is the third largest startup ecosystem in the U.S. and is the fourth largest ecosystem globally by funding, according to a report from Startup Genome.
   
3. LA has the most Bitcoin ATMs of any U.S. city. A high concentration of blockchain and cryptocurrency startups and investors in the region have accelerated mainstream adoption of crypto in the greater LA area.
   
4. The tech ecosystem is highly diverse. Along with a world class entertainment industry, LA has strong representation across a broad range of tech sectors, including aerospace, blockchain, cleantech, healthtech, and ecommerce.
   
5. The government is investing in LA aerospace. In the last year, LA county pulled in $3.5 billion in new direct contracts with the Department of Defense and received 36% of all national Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency contracts.
   
6. The U.S. Space Force has a command center in LA. Due to the region’s rich history in aerospace and defense innovation, the Los Angeles Air Force Base was selected in 2021 to serve as a field command site for the U.S. Space Force.
   
7. Over 375,000 tech workers are in LA. In 2024, LA was the third largest metro by net tech employment, trailing behind New York City and Washington, D.C.
   
8. It’s an esports epicenter. Top game developers have headquarters in LA and often host global esports competitions that draw millions of spectators online and in-person. You can expect to see Olympic esports in 2025.
   
9. LA is aiming to be the first major U.S. carbon-free city by 2035. The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), established by the City of Los Angeles, supports up to 50 cleantech startups each year.
   
10. LA is dotted with top universities, including Caltech, UCLA, and USC, which produce talented entrepreneurs and science, tech, engineering, and mathematics graduates that feed into a thriving tech ecosystem.