🌴 The LA Grind: Week of January 19th

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

Author

Justin Gordon
January 19, 2026

👋 I’m Justin. I run The LA Grind 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.

Happy Monday! We’ve had a pretty crazy response to The LA Grind x Long Angle NBA All-Star Weekend Kickoff Dinner Party coming up in February. 125+ confirmed attendees and another 30+ pending. As always, LA Grind Club members will get priority RSVPs. We have limited spots, become a member to lock in yours. Reply to this email to inquire about sponsoring the event.

Community Partners: You know who else gets priority RSVPs? Community Partners. They also get featured in the Community Partners section of this newsletter every week, going out to 8,500+ subscribers. Become a Community Partner.

SF Expansion: One more thing before we dive in. I’ll be in SF this week hosting 3 events. If you want to stay plugged in to what’s happening there, sign up for The SF Grind newsletter. 

Let’s get to it.

Clear Peak Accounting is a CPA firm with experience across top accounting firms and high-growth startups, helping founders, tech employees, and investors stay tax-compliant and plan proactively.

They support individuals and businesses with tax return preparation, outsourced accounting, and year-round tax planning – especially around R&D credits, equity compensation (ISOs, NSOs, RSUs, ESPPs), entity structuring (including new side hustles), and exit events, among many other areas.

If you want a CPA who’s responsive, tech-forward, and focused on strategy (not just filing), they’re onboarding a limited number of clients for tax season. Book a complimentary consult here or email [email protected].

Upcoming Events

⭐️ Featured Event ⭐️

Want your event featured here with a longer blurb? Sign up here.

🌴 Upcoming Events I’m Hosting 🌴 

🗓️ January 21: Members Coffee & Co-Working. Hollywood. 8 am - 12 pm.

🗓️ January 27: Startup Community Mixer. Santa Monica. 6 - 8 pm.

🗓️ January 30: Members Poker Night. Hollywood. 6 - 11 pm.

🗓️ February 1: Startup Community Basketball. DTLA. 10:30 am - 12:30 pm.

🗓️ February 7: LA Startup Community Hike. West Hollywood. 8 - 9:30 am.

🗓️ February 8: The LA Grind Super Bowl Party. Hollywood. 3 - 8 pm.

👋 This Week 👋 

🗓️ January 22: AI, Art & Us. Venice. 6:30 - 8:30 pm.

👀 Coming Soon 👀 

🗓️ January 28: Production Summit Los Angeles | Season 4. DTLA. 8 am. Use code: LAGRIND10731GUEST for complimentary registration.

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

Managing your equity in a spreadsheet might work, until you’re raising your next round, onboarding new hires, or navigating your first SAFE.

Fidelity Private Shares’ free cap table template can provide you with a clean start. And when you’re ready to ditch the manual updates, they’ll help you scale with confidence.

  • Free to download for startup founders and operators

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  • Easy migration to the Fidelity Private Shares (FPS) platform when you’re ready to scale

Special Opportunity: Applications are now open for the next cohort of Community Business Accelerator, delivered by Grid110 in partnership with FOUND/LA. Apply here.

Top 5 LA Startup & VC Firm Jobs

Investment Opportunity

ORBES is training space robots on Earth for a fraction of the cost. Their patent-pending product ORB is a free-flying robot to spot problems before they become catastrophic on space stations and national security satellites.

Their team comes from Orbit Fab, USC Rocket Lab and NASA JPL and is raising a $2M pre-seed, backed by Techstars and Hallstone Ventures. Reach out to CEO Anna Shaposhnik to learn more: [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 8,000+ founders, investors, and operators.

Marc Hankin of HPL Law 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!

Slips, a peer-to-peer betting company, raised a $3.5M Seed Round led by Las Olas Capital and Sunset Bay Capital.

Monnai, an identity and risk data infrastructure company, raised a $12M round led by Motive Partners.

Hadrian, a developer of automated factories for aerospace and defense, raised expanded capital at a $1.6 billion valuation in a round led by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc.

No Agent List, a tech-forward real estate platform redefining access, control, and transparency in property transactions, secured $10M in a private investment.

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

LA Grind Club

Monthly members-only events, priority RSVPs, and discounted tickets are just a few of the perks of becoming an LA Grind Club member.

Join 60+ founders, operators, and investors gathering weekly to build real relationships in LA (And have a lot of fun doing it).

Featured Location

Providence. Classic LA fine dining with seafood-focused seasonal tasting menus in an elegant setting.

Fun Events

See you next week,

Justin

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