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- 🌴 The LA Grind: Week of January 26th
🌴 The LA Grind: Week of January 26th
Upcoming events, venture deals, LA opportunities, and more in Los Angeles this week.
Justin Gordon
January 26, 2026
Last week I spent a few days last week in SF, hosting the first couple of events for The SF Grind which went really well, and I’m excited to continue growing the newsletter and events in both LA and SF this year!
We have some amazing events coming up soon in LA and LA Grind Club members get:
Priority access to events
Discounts on public paid events
Member-only events with smaller, curated groups
Access to the private LA Grind Club WhatsApp
If you’ve been enjoying the newsletter and events, you can check out the Club here.
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].
⭐️ Featured Event ⭐️
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🌴 Upcoming Events I’m Hosting 🌴
🗓️ January 27: Startup Community Mixer. Santa Monica. 6 - 8 pm.
🗓️ January 29: Q&A with Marlon Nichols of MaC Venture Capital. Santa Monica. 8 - 10 am. Sponsored by Polsinelli and Clear Peak Accounting.
🗓️ 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.
🗓️ February 12: The LA Grind x Long Angle: NBA All-Star Weekend Kickoff Dinner Party. Hollywood. 6:30 - 10:30 pm.
🗓️ March 2: The LA Grind X SHIPAID: Curated E-Commerce Dinner. Hollywood. 6:30 - 9 pm.
👋 This Week 👋
🗓️ January 27: Building Fast Without Breaking Things, Founder Pre-Raise Readiness: Finance, Legal, Product. Venice. 5:30 - 8 pm.
🗓️ January 27: Westwood Tech Meetup. Westwood Village. 7 - 9 pm.
🗓️ January 28: Rally Los Angeles - Jan HIIT session. Santa Monica. 6 - 8 pm.
🗓️ January 28: Production Summit Los Angeles | Season 4. DTLA. 8 am. Use code: LAGRIND10731GUEST for complimentary registration.
🗓️ January 28: Startup Cafe: Noor Health. Venice. 8:45 - 10:30 am.
🗓️ January 28: ShelfMade Supper Club. Long Beach. 6:30 - 9:30 pm.
🗓️ January 28: AI Policy January Meetup. Mid-Wilshire. 6 - 8 pm.
🗓️ January 29: Planning Ahead: Preparing For Growth Strategy. Leimert Park. 5:30 - 8 pm.
🗓️ January 29: Female Founders After Hours. Santa Monica. 5:30 - 7:30 pm.
🗓️January 29: BioscienceLA Open House. Culver City. 6 - 8 pm.
🗓️ January 29: Cars & Capital | Presented by CarClub & Maserati. Santa Monica. 7 - 11 pm.
🗓️ January 31: Pasadena Tech Meetup. Pasadena. 1 - 3 pm.
Want to submit an event for consideration in the next edition? Fill out this form.
Top 5 LA Startup & VC Firm Jobs
HMI Designer @ Airhart Aeronautics
Customer Success Manager @ BlueCargo
Senior Associate @ Crescent Capital Group LP
Senior Community Association (HOA) Manager @ Assembly HOA
Electrical Engineer @ TransAstra Corporation
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!
L-Nutra, a nutri-technology company, raised a $36.5M Series D led by Mubadala Investment Company.
RiskFront Inc., an AI startup, has raised a $3.3M pre-seed led by Lytical Ventures.
Send any fundraising news for LA-based companies or funds, including your own, to [email protected].
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
Kato Restaurant. Refined, seasonal tasting menu inspired by Taiwanese and California flavors; a standout choice for chef’s-menu dining in LA.
Fun Events
See you next week,
Justin
P.S. Want to connect?
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