🌴 The LA Grind: Week of April 27th

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

Author

Justin Gordon
April 27, 2026

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

Happy Monday! If you missed the big announcement last week, let me tell you… I’m hosting my first summit, Ambition, September 24th, 2026 in Santa Monica! 150 people, curated room, one main day with a VIP dinner the night before.

Our first confirmed speaker is Mehul Nariyawala Co-Founder of Matic (Series C, $60M raised in January). Previously co-founded Flutter, which Google acquired for $40M, and worked on Nest. Matic just earned a 10/10 from WIRED, the reviewer's first 10/10 in over a decade.

Tyler Denk, founder of beehiiv ($50M raised, on pace for $50M ARR in 2026), the platform I use and love, is confirmed for an exclusive Day Zero VIP dinner the night before, on September 23rd. More speakers announced in the coming weeks.

a16z Speedrun: Applications are open for the next cohort (SR007), with an investment up to $1M in your startup and $5M+ in perks. Deadline to apply is the end of day May 17, 2026. Apply now.

Heading to SF this week: I’m in SF this week for Startup Grind Global, Stripe Sessions, and am also hosting my own events. Big shoutout to Sophia at Aspire for the tickets.

Let’s get to it.

Your next hire is one of the most important decisions you'll make as a founder. Work with the firm that's helped some of the most dynamic companies find their best people.

Swish Talent Group is a boutique executive search firm founded on over a decade of in-house talent leadership.

Since its inception, Swish has partnered with businesses from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies to find the talent that drives their next stage of growth.

White-glove search. In-house expertise. Built for high performers, led by someone who’s hired them.

→ Learn more: swish-talent.com

Upcoming Events

🌴 Upcoming Events I’m Hosting 🌴  

🗓️ May 6: The LA Grind Dinner Club. Santa Monica. 7 pm. This is a special event where you’ll be matched with 5 others in the LA startup community for dinner. Then, we’ll all come together after at a location nearby.

🗓️ May 8: Members Poker Night. Hollywood. 6 - 11 pm. Reply to this email if interested in sponsoring.

🗓️ May 9: Startup Community Hike. Hollywood. 8 - 9:30 am.

🗓️ May 9: The LA Grind: Founder Topgolf. El Segundo. 1 - 3:30 pm. Sponsored by Polsinelli.

🗓️ May 13: The LA Grind: Curated Seed+ Founder Dinner. Westside. 6:30 - 9 pm. Reply to this email if interested in sponsoring.

🗓️ May 19: The LA Grind: Q&A with David Waxman, Partner at TenOneTen Ventures. Santa Monica. 8 - 10 am. Reply to this email if interested in sponsoring.

🗓️ May 27: The LA Grind: Members-Led Learning Session. Hollywood. 10:30 - 12 pm.

🗓️ May 29: The LA Grind One-Year Party. Hollywood. 6 - 11:30 pm. Looking for a sponsor for this event. Reply to this email if interested in sponsoring.

👋 This Week 👋  

🗓️ May 2: Creator Run Club. Venice. 10 am - 12 pm.

👀 Events Coming Soon 👀 

🗓️ May 6: AI Policy May Meetup. Mission Junction. 6 - 8 pm.

🗓️ May 7: API Silicon Beach 2026. Marina Del Rey. 5 - 8 pm.

Talk Shop Media is an LA-based tech PR agency that helps brands at any stage break through the noise and earn the coverage that actually moves the needle. From emerging startups to established names, they build and execute media strategies that get you in front of the right people, press, influencers, and beyond. If you're ready to turn your story into momentum, let's talk: talkshopmedia.com 

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!

Top 5 LA Startup Jobs

Additional Opportunities

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 10,000+ founders, investors, and operators.

Minish Technology, a dental health-tech company, raised a $22M round led by VIG Partners.

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

Featured Location

Private Offices in Echo Park. Designed for 2 to 6 person startup teams who want something quieter and more consistent than typical coworking. Part of Groundfloor.

Fun Events

See you next week,

Justin

P.S. Want to connect?

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.

Reply

or to participate.