MuckerLab's Inaugural Demo Day Set To Unveil Nine Los Angeles-Based Tech Start Ups

LOS ANGELES, April 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MuckerLab, a startup accelerator focused on incubation-stage Internet software, services and media ventures in the Los Angeles market, today announced it will introduce nine new tech start-ups as part of its inaugural, invitation-only Demo Day on today starting at 1 p.m. As part of Demo Day, the start-up companies will officially present themselves, making their first public pitches to potential investors and press at the MuckerLab headquarters in Los Angeles.

In addition to presentations to hundreds of potential investors, the Demo Day will also feature opportunities for investors to meet companies one-on-one. Companies presenting at MuckerLab's Demo Day include:

• Instacanvas, a marketplace for social media art and artifacts.
• Laffster, a distribution and discovery platform for premium comedic content through YouTube, Laffster.com and beyond.
• Lifecrowd, a marketplace for social activities connecting people, interests and culture.
• Penango, browser-based encryption and security solutions for cloud applications.
• Surf Air, a membership-based, private airline that brings the ease and comfort of flying private to a new audience. 
• Retention Science, a big data retention-marketing platform for e-commerce.
• OttoLikes Lab, an interest curation engine that's pioneering an entirely new category of algorithms to provide consumers with ideas for online and offline products and services.
• Wallaby Financial, a network-branded (Visa) payment card that dynamically routes transactions across a consumer's existing credit cards to maximize rewards, cash back or savings. 
• Ecinity, an automated marketing solution for small to mid-sized businesses to attract new customers without paying for advertising and with no or minimal effort from the merchant.
  

"Demo Day is a great showcase of the depth and diversity of startup activity here in Los Angeles, with companies ranging from cloud security and encryption to payments to online content distribution," said MuckerLab Co-Founder Erik Rannala. "We are consistently impressed by the quality and sophistication of the entrepreneurs we meet every day here in the LA startup ecosystem and feel fortunate to be investors and advisors to the nine phenomenal businesses in our Winter 2012 cohort."

MuckerLab recruits Internet software, services, and media entrepreneurs through an open, but selective, application process, similar to the models employed by Y-Combinator and TechStars. Companies then go through a structured, three-month-long program and are provided funding, office space, curriculum and hands-on access to a deep mentor network of top-tier investors and entrepreneurs who can help them build, launch and grow their businesses. At the end of the program, companies present their businesses to potential investors at a Demo Day event.

MuckerLab, which officially launched in October 2011, was founded by Internet veterans Erik Rannala, William Hsu, Greg Bettinelli and Yan-David Erlich, who have all held roles in the Internet industry as operating executives, entrepreneurs and investors.  Collectively, they have founded numerous companies, operated companies at all stages and helped scale some of the most successful companies in the Internet industry, such as: eBay, Google, Green Dot, HauteLook, Linkedin, Live Nation Microsoft, AT&T, StubHub and TripAdvisor.  In addition to the partners, MuckerLabs consists of an extensive network of mentors, which includes many of the top executives, entrepreneurs, angel investors, and venture capitalists in LA and Silicon Valley.

For more information about the companies participating in the Demo Day, visit www.muckerlab.com/companies/.

About MuckerLab
MuckerLab is a startup accelerator focused on incubation-stage Internet software, services and media ventures in the Los Angeles market. Based on a mentorship-driven model, MuckerLab provides entrepreneurs with funding, puts them through a structured, three-month-long program and gives them access to a deep network of top-tier mentors and advisors. MuckerLab works side-by-side with Southern California's best technology entrepreneurs to enable them to build, launch, and finance their exceptional businesses, while helping to cultivate a more vibrant technology ecosystem in Los Angeles. For more information, go to http://www.muckerlab.com.

SOURCE MuckerLab