Week of December 12, 2022

A LIFELOQ START-UP FOR BLUE ECONOMY

EWDD administers and provides financial support to several incubators in the City of Los Angeles through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). The incubator and accelerator programs contribute to the City's innovation landscape by supporting the creation and growth of start-ups.

One of these incubators includes the Blue+ Ocean Accelerator powered by Braid Theory, which supports start-up businesses in the Blue Economy, including companies focused on port efficiencies, aquaculture and fisheries, ocean observation, water and energy, and other sustainable ocean solutions. The Blue Economy refers to an economic system or sector that seeks to conserve marine and freshwater environments while using them in a sustainable way to develop economic growth. This week, we feature Braid Theory start-up LifeLoq. 

Tired of seeing workers get injured due to outdated safety technology and reading about industrial accidents such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill, engineers Nélson Abreu and Reza Bashiri sought to create a tech solution. So, they came up with LifeLOQ, a patented digital lockbox outfitted to ensure worker safety in maritime and other industrial environments. The LifeLOQ box offers digital solutions such as storing critical codes needed to bring businesses back online or in situations where radio communication fails, offering a system to help key team members keep in touch on-site. 

To launch their idea, LifeLOQ joined Braid Theory’s LA Blue 60-day pre-accelerator program in January 2022, along with other science and engineering-led solutions in shipping, logistics, transportation, ocean sustainability, and energy-water nexus. During the program, LifeLOQ was guided by experts and advisors through deep customer engagement, continuously refining their business model. Via customer interviews, Abreu and Bashiri learned to focus greater attention on compliance concerns while maintaining their product’s life-saving and downtime-saving features.

WOMAN-LED AUTO SHOP DRIVES FORWARD

Jessica Rosales has been an inspiration to several women entrepreneurs for launching her own body shop, J & M Auto Body, which has been in operation in North Hollywood since January 2018.

At the peak of the pandemic, Jessica’s business was not considered essential. She was forced to temporarily shut down her business, causing her to lose money, contracts and reduce her employees' work hours. This is when Jessica reached out to the North Valley BusinessSource (BSC) for support. 

The BSC business consultants assisted her with applying for the LA Regional COVID Relief Fund, which awarded her a $15,000 grant, and the City of LA’s Comeback Checks Program which awarded her a $5,000 grant. With the financial assistance, she was able to cover COVID-19-related business expenses and payroll. 

J & M Auto Body is located in LA City Council District 2.

LA:RISE HELPS YOUTH COOK UP NEW SKILLS

Zachary (pictured left) moved to Los Angeles from out-of-state seeking new opportunities; however, he experienced homelessness while trying to adapt to his new surroundings and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic did not help his goals and plans. 

Fortunately, he sought support services at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, where he immediately connected with the employment department. With the help of Youth Employment Coordinator David Solano, Zachary was enrolled in the LA:RISE program.

Through LA:RISE, Zachary was then enrolled in a 300-hour culinary arts program to receive culinary training. While in the program, Zachary learned commercial kitchen skills and received workforce readiness trainings, which helped boost his confidence and skills in the workplace. He also completed the last portion of his internship at the LA LGBT Center's Liberation Cafe. 

"Being a part of the culinary arts program with LA:RISE, it was great. I learned a lot from the experience. Working in the kitchen was pretty cool,” Zachary said. “Joining the program definitely had a positive impact on me. My advice for anyone experiencing similar situations and wanting to seek change is to be open-minded, take it seriously, do the work but don't be hard on yourself either. Overall, trust yourself and the process."

Upon completion of the program, Zachary enrolled in school to complete his GED and found housing through a transitional living program, He also was recently hired for a job in the retail sector, an area where he welcomes taking on new challenges and opportunities to develop his professional skills.