L.A.’s StartEngine hosts Demo Day for first class of start-ups

It was Demo Day at Los Angeles accelerator StartEngine, which showcased the 10 tech start-ups in its freshman class.

The start-ups pitched their business plans and products in five-minute presentations to investors with the hope of securing additional financing. The event on Tuesday drew more than 200 people, including investors from Rustic Canyon Partners, IdeaLab, GRP Partners and Tech Coast Angels.

“You’ve never seen this in L.A. because it’s never happened before,” said entrepreneur and StartEngine Co-Chair Howard Marks, who co-founded Activision.

StartEngine has created a $15-million investment fund and promises to “help start-ups succeed in 90 days.” The accelerator provides up to $20,000 in seed funding, one-on-one mentoring, legal services and financial advice, and courses on design, technology and entrepreneurship.

It is accepting applications for its spring class, which begins April 3. Applications are due March 31.

Several accelerators and incubators -- including StartEngine, Science, MuckerLab and upStart.LA -- are working to strengthen the growing tech ecosystem in the Los Angeles area, which has been dubbed Silicon Beach.

Here are the 10 start-ups in StartEngine’s first class, which graduates next week:

BrandStand: Measures consumer sentiment and enables users to promote their brand preferences.

GonnaBe: Connects like-minded people based on interest, location and time.

Hypemarks: Helps users discover the best of the Web by exploring curated and filtered recommendations from friends.

Outlisten: Syncs multiple videos via waveform, creating a new online concert experience.

PageWoo: Creates mobile landing pages for mobile advertisers.

PROnoise: Provides tools for emerging artists to make money and get attention.

Sandalbay Life: Empowers consumers to manage their personal health.

Starbates: Rewards users with loyalty points at the businesses they frequent, such as restaurants and retail stores.

ThrdPlace: Enables members to create and support community projects.

WELINK: Enables users to instantly connect with everyone in their immediate vicinity.

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