Lifecrowd Lauches Out of Beta, Aims to Help Users Find Local Activities
The first company to come out of the newly formed Los Angeles startup incubator/accelerator MuckerLabs, Santa Monica based Lifecrowd, just announced they will be opening up for business in three new areas, San Diego, Orange County and San Francisco in addition to Los Angeles, the original test market. 
LA has long been looked over when it comes to VC interest, as well as funding. In the first three quarters of 2011 alone, LA based companies received around $298.6 million in funding, which was less than a tenth of what companies in Silicon Valley raised in the same time period according to a Pricewaterhouse Coopers and the National Venture Capital Association.
The idea behind Lifecrowd is simple, as co-founder Bong Koh says, "We just help you meet new people and try new activities". Activities can range anywhere from sushi making to rock climbing and wine tasting, with the emphasis being on quality of the experience and not sheer volume of events. Koh goes on to say, "and the emphasis is on local, but also casual, intimate and social - those are the words we use to describe ourselves".
By focusing on quality Lifecrowd employs a number of curators as well as social filters using Facebook data to trim down activities with users experience in mind. They aim for groups between 8 and 10 people, large enough for socialization, without being overwhelming. The mashup video below shows a typical set of activities including grilling, line dancing and more. Users can find activities by neighborhood as well as activity type, and in addition they can review personalized recommendations based on Facebook filtering and interests.The site also lists a whole section on volunteer opportunities, great for those who want to help out their community, but don't quite know where to start or whats available.
So next time you are looking for something to do, or are tasked with organizing a dodgeball game, a wine tasting for friends, or looking to volunteer, Lifecrowd might be a great place to start.
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