🌴 The LA Grind: Week of February 2nd

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

Author

Justin Gordon
February 02, 2026

👋 I’m Justin. I run The LA Grind and The SF Grind and scout for Headline.

Happy Monday! I’m very excited to announce that RJR Partners is now the go-to U.S. recruiting partner for The SF Grind and The LA Grind so if you’re looking to build your team and want to work with an amazing team, check them out.

Sponsor Our NBA All-Star Weekend Kickoff Dinner Party (February 12th)

We're co-hosting with Long Angle, a trusted community for high-net-worth individuals, a curated dinner party the Thursday before NBA All-Star Weekend. 240+ confirmed attendees, 200+ waitlist.

This will be one of, if not the, biggest events of the year for The LA Grind. Private chef, open bar, curated art, and 240+ founders, investors, athletes, and creatives at a private residence in Hollywood.

Audience:

  • 117 founders (48%)

  • 55 investors (23%) representing hundreds of millions in Venture Capital

  • 60 founders who've raised outside capital

  • 27 companies doing $2M+ ARR

Available:

  • Presenting Sponsor

  • Supporting Sponsor

Reply to this email if interested in sponsoring.

Let’s get to it.

​Hiring for your startup?

RJR Partners are experts in helping startups scale their teams with high quality hires and they’re the go-to U.S. recruiting partner for The SF Grind and The LA Grind.

They specialize in startup talent acquisition from entry-level to C-suite, with a 5% candidate fall-off rate and 5-to-1 submission-to-placement ratio.

Their team of tech industry veterans sources directly through personal networks, so you only interview candidates who are genuinely well-suited for your roles. Contingency and retained search options available.

Upcoming Events

⭐️ Featured Event ⭐️

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

🌴 Upcoming Events I’m Hosting 🌴  

🗓️ 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 27: LA Grind Club Members Poker Night. Hollywood. 6 - 11 pm.

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

👋 This Week 👋 

🗓️ February 5: LA Tech Happy Hour. Marina del Rey. 6 - 8 pm.

🗓️ February 6: Lunch Club. Venice. 12 - 2 pm.

👀 Coming Soon 👀 

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

Top 5 LA Startup & VC Firm Jobs

Associate, Private Equity @ Ares Management

Sr. Full Stack Engineer @ Mintplex Labs

Electrical Engineer @ Turion Space

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 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!

Northwood Space, a provider of vertically integrated ground infrastructure for space missions, raised a $100M Series B led by Washington Harbour Partners and co-led by Andreessen Horowitz.

Origin, a provider of pelvic floor physical therapy and whole-body musculoskeletal (MSK) care for women, raised an undisclosed amount Series B led by SJF Ventures.

Oro, a social fintech platform helping employers offer homeownership and housing wellness as employee benefits, raised a $3M round led by Slauson & Co.

Curate, a provider of a hospitality platform empowering mobile ordering and loyalty experiences, raised a $10M round led by Kirk Brown.

Compa, a provider of AI-driven compensation intelligence solutions, raised a $35M Series B led by Jump Capital.

OpenDrives, a company that specializes in high-end video data management and workflow solutions, announced new funding led by IAG Capital Partners.

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

Majordōmo. David Chang’s LA restaurant in Chinatown, serving bold, upscale Korean- and Asian-inspired dishes with a California sensibility in a stylish, energetic space.

Fun Events

See you next week,

Justin

P.S. Want to connect?

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