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- 🌴 The LA Grind: Week of December 22nd
🌴 The LA Grind: Week of December 22nd
Upcoming events, venture deals, LA opportunities, and more in Los Angeles this week.
Justin Gordon
December 22, 2025
👋 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 Holidays! A big focus of mine in 2026 is growing The LA Grind Club and as I plan for 2026 with The LA Grind more broadly, I’d love your feedback:
What would you most want The LA Grind to help you with in 2026? |
Let’s get to it.
Weekly events. Curated groups. Real relationships for founders, operators, and investors in Los Angeles.
You will meet people like:
A venture-backed founder who just raised a multi-million dollar seed round
A bootstrapped founder doing hundreds of thousands in revenue and another doing millions
An investor who has made 100+ investments into athletes, creators, and entrepreneurs
Operators and executives with experience at public companies and high-growth startups
More than 50 members and growing. Join us!
⭐️ Featured Event ⭐️
Want your event featured here with a longer blurb? Sign up here.
🌴 Upcoming Events I’m Hosting 🌴
🗓️ December 29: Members Coffee & Co-Working. Hollywood. 8 am - 12 pm.
🗓️ January 9: Members Coffee Meetup. San Marino. 8 - 9 am.
🗓️ January 13: Members Coffee Meetup. Santa Monica. 8 - 9:30 am.
🗓️ January 20: Pre-Seed to Series A Founders Dinner. West Side. 6:30 - 9 pm.
🗓️ January 21: Members Coffee & Co-Working. Hollywood. 8 am - 12 pm.
🗓️ 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.
🗓️ January 30: Members Poker Night. Hollywood. 6 - 11 pm.
🗓️ February 7: LA Startup Community Hike. West Hollywood. 8 - 9:30 am.
🗓️ February 19-22: Curated Temecula Founder Retreat. Looking for 1 or 2 sponsors. Reply to this email if interested.
🗓️ February 27: Members Poker Night. Hollywood. 6 - 11 pm.
👋 This Week 👋
🗓️ December 22: Free Day Office. Pasadena. 9 am - 5 pm.
🗓️ December 22: WeAreLATech: LA Tech Community Morning Holiday Walk 🌊🚶 Santa Monica Edition. 10 - 11 am.
🗓️ December 22: Startup seed and pre-seed funding through grants. Lawndale. 6 - 9 pm.
🗓️ December 23-26: Data Analytics Certification 4 Days Classroom Training. Fox Hills. 5 pm.
🗓️ December 24: Dinner with Entrepreneurs. Culver City. 7 pm.
Want to submit an event for consideration in the next edition? Fill out this form.
Top 5 LA Startup & VC Firm Jobs
Graphic & Web Designer (Mid-Level) @ Splash Inc.
Creative Strategist @ Pearpop
Senior Software Engineer @ MindFort
Senior Program Manager @ Approach Venture
Investor Relations Analyst @ B Capital
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 7,500+ 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!
Luminit, a Torrance-based provider of holographic optical technologies for Defense, Aerospace, Automotive and Industrial applications, received $2M in Growth Facility from Hum Capital.
Fixated, a provider of a digital talent and content company for entertainment, received an investment from Eldridge Industries.
Radiant, an El Segundo-based company which specializes in portable, mass-produced nuclear microreactors, raised over $300M in funding in a round led by Draper Associates and Boost VC.
Synergetics.ai, a creator of an AI Agent Wallet and a decentralized Agent Commerce infrastructure, received a strategic investment from Taisu Ventures.
Ember LifeSciences, a provider of cold chain technology, raised $16.5M in Series A funding in a round led by Sea Court Capital.
Strada, a software startup for file access for video content production teams, received an investment from OWC.
YSE Beauty, the skincare brand founded by entrepreneur Molly Sims, has closed a $15 million Series A funding round led by Silas Capital.
NeuroSigma, Inc., a bioelectronics company, announced completion of an approximately $1M investment led by Checkmate Capital.
Fixated, the creator management and content studio, secured a $50M investment from Eldridge Industries.
Send any fundraising news for LA-based companies or funds, including your own, to [email protected].
Featured Location
Petit Trois. A beloved French bistro known for its warm, intimate atmosphere and expertly executed classic French dishes. It’s a go-to spot for lunch, dinner, or casual drinks, and a longtime local favorite thanks to its consistently excellent food and lively, welcoming vibe.
Fun Events
See you next week,
Justin
P.S. Want to connect?
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