Watch: Our Startup Pitch Showcase Featuring Ecommerce Companies

Annie Burford

Annie Burford is dot.LA's director of events. She's an event marketing pro with over ten years of experience producing innovative corporate events, activations and summits for tech startups to Fortune 500 companies. Annie has produced over 200 programs in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City working most recently for a China-based investment bank heading the CEC Capital Tech & Media Summit, formally the Siemer Summit.

Watch: Our Startup Pitch Showcase Featuring Ecommerce Companies

This week's virtual pitch showcase featured three emerging ecommerce startups founded in Southern California: Mi Terro, ettitude and Aptitud. FabFitFun Co-CEO and Co-Founder Michael Broukhim joined angel investor Spencer Rascoff for the discussion. dot.LA's Chief Host and Correspondent Kelly O'Grady emceed the event.

Watch below and subscribe to our newsletter and Youtube channel to get notified about our next event.



Copy of dot.LA Virtual Pitch Showcase: eCommercewww.youtube.com

Mi Terro is the world's only biotechnology company that rescues food waste and re-engineers it into sustainable fibers that can be used for fashion, medical, and packaging industries. Through their patent-pending technology, they have created the world's first sustainable apparel line made from excess milk. They are also creating food packaging film made from whey. They are replacing petroleum-based materials with protein-based materials made from food waste. Mi Terro is redefining the circular economy in which everything begins with food waste and ends as recyclable or biodegradable.

ettitude is a female-founded LA-based sustainable lifestyle brand offering home essentials that are soft on your skin and gentle on our planet. Using their proprietary CleanBamboo™ fabrics, ettitude's bedding,sleepwear, and bath range are as soft as silk, as breathable as linen, and at the price of cotton.

Aptitud (meaning "fitness" in Spanish) was created to enhance the home workout experience. Aptitud was founded by Arielle, Audra, and Riley during the COVID-19 pandemic. As workout junkies, we shared a passion for working out together and living a fit lifestyle. Transitioning from gyms and bootcamps to working out at our homes, we experienced the challenge of finding fashion-forward, elite fitness accessories. We have curated and hand-picked the most exclusive, high-quality fitness products to enhance your home workout lifestyle. Aptitud is more than just a fitness retail company, it is a community of women from all walks of life striving for health and wellness. IG & TikTok: aptitud.co


About the Judges

Michael Broukhim, Co-CEO & Co-Founder at FabFitFun

Michael Broukhim, Co-CEO & Co-Founder at FabFitFun 

Michael Broukhim is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of FabFitFun, a lifestyle brand that inspires happiness and personal growth through discovery. Backed by Kleiner Perkins, New Enterprise Associates and Upfront Ventures, FabFitFun is best known for its seasonal subscription box that delivers a curation of full-size products ranging from beauty and wellness to home and technology.

Prior to FabFitFun, Brouhim was Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Charlie (formerly, Opera New Media), where he directed digital strategies for celebrities, politicians, Fortune 500 companies, startups, and nonprofits. His clients included Samuel L. Jackson, Tumblr, Rudy Giuliani, Rachel Zoe, Pfizer Inc., and the Golden Globe Awards.

Broukhim was also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, where he taught undergraduate and graduate courses to film and business students. In 2015, USC recognized Broukhim as a finalist for the Steven J. Sample Teaching Award.

Broukhim is an active angel investor with an emphasis on working with Los Angeles based companies during their earliest stages.

Broukhim graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, where he served as Editorial Chair of the Harvard Crimson, co-founded the Leadership Institute at Harvard College, and won the Thomas T. Hoopes Prize for his research on ethical consumption. Broukhim continued his education at Stanford Law School earning his J.D. in 2013.

Spencer Rascoff, Co-Founder, Executive Chairman at dot.LA

​Spencer Rascoff, Co-Founder, Executive Chairman at dot.LA 

Spencer Rascoff is an entrepreneur and company leader who co-founded Zillow, Hotwire and dot.LA, and who served as Zillow's CEO for a decade. He is currently executive chairman of dot.LA and a board member at TripAdvisor. In the fall of 2019 Spencer was a Visiting Executive Professor at Harvard Business School where he co-taught the "Managing Tech Ventures" course. In 2015, Spencer co-wrote and published his first book, the New York Times' Best Seller "Zillow Talk: Rewriting the Rules of Real Estate."

Spencer is the host of "Office Hours," a monthly podcast on dot.LA featuring candid conversations between prominent executives on leadership, diversity and inclusion, and startups.

http://www.linkedin.com/in/annieburford
annie@dot.la
How to Navigate LA Tech Week 2026

🔦 Spotlight

Happy Friday, Los Angeles.

Next week, hundreds of tech events will take over the city, bringing founders, investors, engineers and creators together from October 12 through 18.

Calling LA Tech Week a conference does not quite capture the experience.

Presented by Andreessen Horowitz, Tech Week is a decentralized collection of panels, workshops, demonstrations and gatherings hosted independently by startups, venture firms and technology companies. There is no convention center or central stage. The programming stretches from Santa Monica and Venice to Culver City, Downtown, El Segundo and beyond.

In other words, the city is the venue.

AI remains the dominant theme for 2026, appearing across enterprise software, healthcare, finance, media and the creator economy. The schedule also reflects industries where Los Angeles has built a particular advantage, including aerospace, defense, robotics, advanced manufacturing, entertainment and consumer technology.

That range is what makes LA Tech Week distinct. It brings together the software companies shaping what comes next with the industries that already define Southern California.

The challenge is deciding where to show up.

Our advice: apply early and organize your schedule by neighborhood. Crossing from Santa Monica to Downtown may look manageable on a calendar created by someone who has never driven in Los Angeles.

To help you spend more time meeting people and less time crossing the city, we have organized each day’s events by location:

You can also browse the complete official LA Tech Week calendar.

Plan carefully, but do not fill every minute. The best conversation of the week may be the one that was never on your calendar.

More from this week’s LA startup and venture scene below.

🤝 Venture Deals

    LA Companies

    • El Segundo-based Gallatin AI raised a $50M Series A from new and existing investors including 8VC and Silent Ventures, bringing its total funding to $70M. The defense technology startup will expand its engineering team and advance Navigator, an AI platform that helps U.S. military units coordinate vehicle readiness, supplies, medical logistics and other mission-support operations. - learn more
    • Pasadena-based quantum computing startup Oratomic raised a $475M Series B at a $5.4B valuation, just three months after its Series A. ARCH Venture Partners, Spark Capital, Khosla Ventures, Index Ventures, General Catalyst and Bezos Expeditions co-led the round, bringing Oratomic’s total funding to $775M as it works toward a commercially viable, fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2030. - learn more
    • Torrance-based Fortastra raised a $30M Series A led by First In, with participation from Upfront Ventures, Space Capital, Rsquared, Side Door Ventures, ATX Ventures and existing investors. The company will use the capital to develop its next-generation maneuverable spacecraft, expand its engineering and operations teams and scale production of systems designed to protect critical assets in orbit. - learn more
    • Parallel Systems raised a $100M Series C led by AVP, with participation from Hillspire, Agility Global, Cobalt Capital, Anthos Capital, Congruent Ventures, Riot Ventures and Collaborative Fund. Founded by former SpaceX engineers, the company will use the funding to scale production and commercial deployment of its autonomous, battery-electric Panther rail vehicles, which are designed to make short-haul freight more competitive with trucking. - learn more
    • Gaming studio Gardens Interactive secured more than $35M in a Series B led by Lightspeed, with participation from Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, Accel, Innovation Endeavors, Zenith Capital and other investors. The company will use the funding to launch and operate its debut social role-playing “strandbox” game, an evolving multiplayer world shaped by players’ actions and interactions. - learn more
    • Outer Spaces raised an $8M pre-seed round led by Upfront Ventures, with participation from Unlock Venture Partners, Mucker Capital and Genius Ventures. The startup is developing outdoor furnishings with integrated solar panels and batteries, turning backyards into sources of clean energy and backup power. - learn more
    • Furientis raised a $25M seed round led by Benchmark at a reported $125M valuation, following a $5M pre-seed announced in May. The defense startup will use the capital to scale production of lower-cost missile interceptors designed to be assembled quickly with readily available components, with a long-term goal of producing 1,000 systems annually at each factory. - learn more
    • Hiyo raised a $20.8M Series B led by Constellation Brands, with returning investor Live Nation also participating. The nonalcoholic beverage company will use the funding to expand its adaptogen- and nootropic-infused social tonics across more than 13,000 retail locations while growing its presence at hospitality venues and live events. - learn more
    LA Venture Funds
    • Navitas Capital participated in Vesta’s $30M Series B, which was led by Conversion Capital and included backing from several major mortgage lenders and financial institutions. The company will use the funding to scale its AI agents across mortgage origination, automating tasks such as application reviews, underwriting decisions and closing-document checks. - learn more
    • MTech Capital led Nettle’s oversubscribed $4.8M seed round, with participation from Project A Ventures, Sure Valley Ventures, Portfolio Ventures and Ventures Together. The insurtech startup will use the funding to expand across the U.S. and Europe while growing its AI platform, which helps commercial insurers identify property risks, accelerate inspections and generate reports. - learn more
    • Bonfire Ventures doubled down on Santé by participating in the company’s $15M Series A, which was led by FINTOP and included other returning investors. The New York startup will use the funding to expand its AI-powered operating system for independent wine and liquor stores, which combines point-of-sale, e-commerce, payments, inventory and marketing tools in one platform. - learn more

    LA Exits

    • Winnow Solutions was acquired by Marina del Rey-based Spring Labs, with financial terms undisclosed. Winnow’s attorney-built library of more than 100,000 state and federal regulatory requirements will become a core part of SpringGRC, helping financial institutions connect changing laws directly to their compliance policies, controls and workflows. - learn more

      Download the dot.LA App

      LA Tech Week 2026: Sunday’s Event Lineup

      🔦 Spotlight

      LA Tech Week 2026 closes Sunday with one final day of events across Los Angeles. We have organized the remaining lineup by neighborhood so you can finish the week with a few last conversations before everyone returns to their regularly scheduled inboxes.

      ARTS DISTRICT

      12:00 PM

      CARSON

      12:00 PM

      CULVER CITY

      9:00 AM

      • Women in Cleantech & Sustainability Hike and Network: See Details Here
        Women in Cleantech & Sustainability

      6:00 PM

      • Founders pitch competition: See Details Here
        Biomorphix solutions, Nightingale regenerative

      HOLLYWOOD

      10:00 AM

      4:00 PM

      • AI International: Film, Music Video & Micro-Drama: See Details Here
        AI International Film Festivals

      MID CITY

      1:00 PM

      OTHER

      12:00 PM

      • ORGANIC LIFE LABS™ PRESENTS THE ALIGNMENT LAB: The Science of human performance: See Details Here
        The Blue Room Collective

      SANTA MONICA

      8:00 AM

      1:00 PM

      6:00 PM

      SOUTH LA

      2:00 PM

      • Future Builders : Family STEM Day: See Details Here
        Black L.A. Tech Week (Community Collective)

      VENICE

      10:00 AM

      12:00 PM

      • How to Raise Funds to Fund Any Business Using Digital Products.: See Details Here
        DN Events

      VIRTUAL

      5:00 PM

      WEST HOLLYWOOD

      3:00 PM

      Each session provides unique opportunities to gain insights, network, and explore various fields of tech innovation. For updates or more event information, visit the official Tech Week calendar.

      Download the dot.LA App

      LA Tech Week 2026: Saturday’s Event Lineup

      🔦 Spotlight

      LA Tech Week 2026 heads into the weekend Saturday with more opportunities to learn, meet fellow builders and explore what is being created across the region. Browse the day’s events by neighborhood below and find the gatherings worth leaving the house for.

      ARTS DISTRICT

      5:30 PM

      BEL AIR

      5:00 PM

      CULVER CITY

      10:00 AM

      1:00 PM

      4:00 PM

      DOWNTOWN

      11:00 AM

      2:00 PM

      • South Asians in Space, Physical AI: See Details Here
        american south asian network

      5:00 PM

      7:00 PM

      HOLLYWOOD

      8:00 PM

      INGLEWOOD

      10:00 PM

      LONG BEACH

      10:00 AM

      12:00 PM

      LOS FELIZ

      8:30 AM

      • Griffith Observatory Hike with Longevity Cities & Don't Die LA: See Details Here
        Longevity Cities

      MALIBU

      5:00 PM

      MARINA DEL RAY

      9:30 AM

      • The Brazen Capital Walk: Connecting Women, Capital & Opportunity: See Details Here
        BrazenEra

      6:00 PM

      • Build an AI workflow editor, natively in Angular: See Details Here
        Workflow Builder

      SANTA MONICA

      7:00 AM

      • Founders Running Club Run in Santa Monica: See Details Here
        Founders Running Club, MongoDb

      9:00 AM

      • MOLTEN - Spatial hackathon (ElevenLabs, AssemblyAI, Rokoko, Datafeel...): See Details Here
        Field Lab

      2:00 PM

      3:30 PM

      6:00 PM

      7:00 PM

      SOUTH LA

      7:00 PM

      THE VALLEY

      7:30 PM

      UCLA

      11:00 AM

      USC

      9:00 AM

      10:00 AM

      10:30 AM

      VENICE

      8:00 AM

      • Open Air Health Tech: See Details Here
        Open Air Health Tech, Bowshock, Govitamins App

      10:00 AM

      10:30 AM

      11:00 AM

      12:00 PM

      6:00 PM

      • Bots, Bytes & Bubbles Benefit: See Details Here
        Distinguished Minds Institute dba thinqueBytes®

      VIRTUAL

      9:00 AM

      • Ask a VP of Sales: Live GTM Office Hours for Early-Stage B2B Founders: See Details Here
        Kat Rucker Consulting Group

      11:00 AM

      WEST HOLLYWOOD

      11:00 AM

      • The 10x Engineer Showed Up. The 10x Organization Didn't.: See Details Here
        Workflow Builder, Tentaro

      3:00 PM

      WESTSIDE

      11:00 AM

      2:00 PM

      • Graphic Design & Digital Printing Meetup: See Details Here
        Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More of West LA

      7:00 PM

      WESTWOOD

      12:00 PM

      Each session provides unique opportunities to gain insights, network, and explore various fields of tech innovation. For updates or more event information, visit the official Tech Week calendar.

      Download the dot.LA App

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