The LA Grind: Week of September 22nd

Upcoming events, venture deals, LA opportunities, and more in Los Angeles this week.

Author

Justin Gordon
September 22, 2025

👋 I’m Justin. I run The LA Grind, host the Just Go Grind podcast, and scout for Headline. I’ve lived in LA since 2018, earned my MBA from USC (✌️), and I’m probably out running when I’m not writing this.

I’m exploring hosting a founder retreat and I’d love your feedback.

The first option would be a more accessible gathering within a two hour drive of Los Angeles, a chance to step away from the day to day, connect deeply with other ambitious founders, and mix meaningful conversations with fun experiences. Think group workshops, shared meals, outdoor activities, and plenty of time to relax and connect.

I’m also considering a highly curated premium experience for select founders, which could take place at a luxury property or destination. Prices would be all-inclusive of lodging, food, and activities. You would just need to cover travel to get there.

Would you join a founder retreat?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Let’s get to it.

Safeguard Your Startup’s IP Now.

I’ve gotten to know Marc Hankin from HPL Law in the past few months and can say he is one of the most genuine, supportive people you will meet. While I have not worked with him as my attorney yet, I have seen firsthand how much he cares about helping founders protect what they are building.

Marc and his team at HPL Law advise inventors, startups, and growth-stage companies on patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and licensing across California, the US, and beyond.

Their IP Check-Up helps you:

  • Confirm ownership is in your company’s name

  • Make sure assignments are signed and recorded

  • Stay on top of renewals and maintenance fees

  • Get one clear dashboard of assets, numbers, evidence, and owners

Before your next fundraise, launch, or M&A conversation, know exactly where you stand.

Email Marc E. Hankin at [email protected] to get started. Learn more at HPL’s website.

Upcoming Events

🌴 Upcoming Events I’m Hosting 🌴 

🗓️ September 27: Startup Community Hike. West Hollywood. 8 - 10 am.

🗓️ October 1: Members Coffee Meetup. Santa Monica. 8 - 9:30 am.

🗓️ October 2: The LA Grind: Curated Founder & Investor Dinner. More details still being finalized. Tentative date. This is a special dinner experience with a private chef and curated group. Looking for 1 or 2 sponsors.

🗓️ October 14: Curated Beachfront Dinner. Join us during LA Tech Week for an intimate evening connecting 60 top founders and investors at a stunning private beachfront residence in Santa Monica. Thanks to Polsinelli, AE Studio, Relay Human Cloud, and Talk Shop Media for sponsoring!

🗓️ October 16: The LA Grind and Polsinelli's Curated Coffee & Tech Mixer - #LATechWeek. Room for 1 more sponsor. Santa Monica. 8-10 am.

🗓️ October 21: Members Breakfast. Santa Monica. 9 - 10:30 am.

🗓️ October 22: Members Coffee Meetup. San Marino. 8 - 9:30 am.

🗓️ October 28: Seed to Series B Founder Dinner. Thank you to Kind Heart, a world-class design studio, for sponsoring! I have room for 1 more sponsor for this curated VC-backed founder dinner.

🗓️ November 12: Seed to Series B Founder Dinner. Reach out of you’d like to sponsor this dinner.

🗓️ December 11: The LA Grind: Startup Community Holiday Party. Early bird tickets now available!

👋 This Week 👋 

🗓️ September 25: Aerospace Meetup. El Segundo. 6 - 8 pm.

🗓️ September 25: VS Code Dev Days. Playa Vista. 6 - 9:30 pm.

🗓️ September 27: Founders Running Club. Santa Monica. 7 - 9 am.

🗓️ September 27: Women in AI Coffee Social. Culver City. 8 - 9:15 am.

🗓️ September 27: AI LA Life Summit 2025. Culver City. 10 am - 7 pm.

Coming Soon

🗓️ September 30: Orrick's LA Happy Hour Series. Arts District. 5:30 - 7:30 pm.

🗓️ October 16: Paw'ffice Hours - #LATechWeek. Century City. 6 - 8 pm.

Want to submit an event for consideration in the next edition? Fill out this form.

LA Grind Club

The LA Grind Club is where ambitious, kind people in the LA startup community come together. Members get free access to at least two private events each month, discounts on other event tickets, and additional perks.

We are now 37 members strong with a diverse mix of VC-backed founders, bootstrapped builders, operators from leading tech companies, and community leaders driving LA’s startup scene.

Current perks (If you are a member, reply to get access):

  • $50/hour off legal services with Weinberger & Logan PC, who offer legal support for small businesses, start-ups, and investors.

  • 15% discount on engineering design services with Austin Allen. Austin offers by-the-hour hardware prototyping services for entrepreneurs and startups, specializing in electrical + mechanical design, and firmware development.

  • 3 months free with an annual subscription to CloudGo.ai, your AI-powered backend engineer, giving you fully customizable infrastructure from the start.

Join the LA Grind Club anytime, cancel anytime.

If you want to offer a deal to members, please reply to this email.

Top 5 LA Startup & VC Firm Jobs

Chief of Staff @ Clocktower Group

👋 Hiring? Message me about featuring your role in this newsletter.

💼 Looking for a job? Job board coming soon!

Investment Opportunity

Know a founder or investor in Los Angeles who is raising capital or searching for a co-founder? Reply to this email with more details that I could share in this newsletter for 5,000+ founders, investors, and operators.

The LA Grind’s first Community Partner is Marc Hankin of HPL Law!

Marc advises inventors and high-growth teams on patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and licensing. Before your next fundraise, launch, or M&A chat, know where you stand by talking with Marc, who you can reach at [email protected].

Marc can often be found at startup events in LA and has been one of the biggest supporters of The LA Grind since its inception!

Community Partners are trusted pros who support our startup ecosystem and get consistent visibility across events and this newsletter.

Divergent Technologies, a 3D-printing and manufacturing company for the automotive industry, raised a $290M Series E led by Rochefort Asset Management.

MarqVision, an AI-powered brand protection and anti-counterfeiting platform, raised a $48M Series B led by Peak XV Partners.

Modern Animal, a tech-enabled veterinary clinic operator, raised $46M in funding led by Addition, True Ventures, and Upfront Ventures.

Send any fundraising news for LA-based companies or funds, including your own, to [email protected].

Featured Location

The Courtyard Kitchen. I went here for the first time a couple of years ago, they’ve since remodeled, and it looks amazing! Worth checking out.

Fun Events

See you next week,

Justin

P.S. Want to connect?

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.

Reply

or to participate.