SmartGateVC is establishing Hero House Glendale with the launch planned in Fall 2020 (subject to change due to COVID-19 developments). Hye Rise Investments and Armenian Engineers and Scientists of America (AESA) join the initiative as the strategic partners of Hero House Glendale.
Hero House Glendale will commence its operations with the launch of Gateway to LA (G2LA) — a 3-month acceleration program targeting overseas startups and serving as a gateway for them to expand operations to Southern California and the wider US market while leveraging the business development talent and opportunities in the LA area. SmartGateVC won a $500K award from the City of Glendale for the launch.
During the last few years, the tech landscape in Los Angeles has been going through a significant transformation. It is anticipated that during the next 10 years Los Angeles area will host more technology and tech entrepreneurs and will become the next big home for tech after San Francisco Bay Area. Hero House Glendale aims to serve the naturally-expanding needs of Glendale and the surrounding areas and become a significant player within the new paradigm. With this, Hero House Glendale goes beyond running only the startup program, and, with various partners, will focus on the following directions:
hosting and supporting technology companies year around, outside of G2LA;
consolidating local scientific and engineering potential around cutting-edge research projects;
developing further venture capital and angel investing culture in Glendale and its surrounding regions and establishing angel investors’ community around Hero House Glendale (SmartGateVC and Hye Rise will set the force for the establishment of an in-house VC infrastructure);
organizing and hosting various entrepreneurial, investing and technological events, as well as designing and running tech entrepreneurship programs for the youth and students from Glendale
Armenian Engineers and Scientists of America (AESA) will be hosted at Hero House Glendale and will play a key role in the activities aiming to unleash and consolidate Armenian scientific and technological potential in the U.S. Headquartered in Glendale, AESA brings together accomplished professionals from a wide range of disciplines in science and technology. It is focused primarily on addressing the professional, technical and scientific needs of fellow Armenians throughout the world. AESA will be a key partner in working with youth and students from Glendale and the surrounding regions in order to promote technology and make it part of Glendale’s DNA.
“AESA has formed a strategic alliance with Hero House to transform Glendale and beyond into a STEM hub incorporating AESA’s resources and network. This alliance is in line with AESA’s mission of enabling the Armenian STEM community to address global challenges through innovative solutions,” said Richard Ohanian, President of AESA.
Hero House Glendale will be located in a 7,000 sq. ft. area at 326 Mira Loma Ave. in Glendale, CA. The venue for Hero House Glendale is provided by Hye Rise Investments, a newly established investment group in Glendale. Hero House Glendale will also be supported by local leading tech companies ServiceTitan and DISQO; Silicon Valley-based Armenian organizations HyeTech and AGBU Silicon Valley Chapter; as well as local leading universities USC, UCLA and Caltech. Each of these partners brings a unique value to Hero House Glendale and the Glendale tech ecosystem. SmartGateVC also established perk partnerships with more than 20 world-renowned leading tech companies to provide various benefits for its portfolio and Hero House community. Total value of perks exceeds $500K per company.
Mane Yeganyan