The LA Grind: Week of September 8th

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

Author

Justin Gordon
September 08, 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.

A few quick updates from me:

  • I had the crazy idea to create a physical guide to LA Tech Week and I’m looking for sponsors to make this happen. Premium design, 1,000 copies, distributed to VCs, founders, and operators prior to and at the beginning of LA Tech Week. Reply to this email if you’d like more details.

  • The first LA Grind Dinner Club launches this week and there is still time to book your seat!

  • My friend Jess is selling her beautiful Venice home. Interested? Contact Matt Altman at the number provided in the listing.

This week’s poll:

If I create a physical guide to LA Tech Week, would you want a copy?

The guide would be free, paid for by sponsors.

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 10: The LA Grind Dinner Club. Get matched with 5 people in the startup community for dinner. Meet up after dinner at a second venue with other groups from The LA Grind Dinner Club. We already have 2 tables full of people, would love to get another!

🗓️ September 11: Rooftop Sunset Soirée. ​Join us for sunset drinks on a Venice rooftop with a curated group of founders, CEOs, investors, and media. Co-hosting with CapV, sponsored by Howdy.

🗓️ September 16: The LA Grind: Curated Founder & Investor Dinner. More details still being finalized. This is a special dinner experience with a private chef and curated group. Looking for 1 or 2 sponsors.

🗓️ September 24: Startup Community Mixer. Early-bird pricing is available. Thanks to our sponsors HPL Intellectual Property Law and A.J. Dorn.

🗓️ 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, and Relay Human Cloud for sponsoring! Room for 1 more sponsor. 

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

👋 This Week 👋 

🗓️ September 8: LA GenAI Meetup. Pasadena. 5-7 pm.

🗓️ September 9: LA n8n meetup. Venice. 6-8:30 pm.

🗓️ September 10: Creators for Climate: From Idea to Impact. Central LA. 9:30 am - 4:30 pm.

🗓️ September 10: LA Tech Happy Hour. Marina del Rey. 6-8 pm.

🗓️ September 11: SSC Contracting Executive Forum. El Segundo. 8:30 am - 6 pm.

🗓️ September 11: Creators & Capital. Arts District. 5-8 pm.

🗓️ September 14: Product & Design - Hike & Talk. Culver City. 8:30 - 9:30 am.

Coming Soon

🗓️ October 14: Pitch Live during LA Tech Week. For Pre-Seed and Seed Founders, this is a new live pitch event, hosted by Gunderson Dettmer and Alpha Edison, debuting during #LATechWeek, designed to spotlight LA’s boldest pre-seed and seed-stage startups. Apply by September 15th.

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

Top 5 LA Startup & VC Firm Jobs

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

💼 Looking for a job? Job board coming soon! (For real)

Co-Founder & Investment Opportunity

Daniel de Boulay, a Sony Pictures alumni, is looking for a co-founder and also raising capital for his company, Oakridge, which is adapting books for media adaptations. If interested, email him at [email protected].

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 4,500+ founders, investors, and operators.

Prorata.ai, a generative AI company building a search and summarization tool for publishers, raised a $40M Series B led by Touring Capital.

Magic Mind, a mental-performance shot maker, raised $12.4M in funding led by BFG Partners.

Botcopy, a conversational AI startup, raised a $2.2M round of funding.

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

Featured Location

Blind Barber - Highland Park. I just went here for Sitch’s launch party last Thursday and it was so fun. A cool little neighborhood speakeasy worth trying out.

Fun Events

See you next week,

Justin

P.S. Want to connect?

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