This App Hopes to Give Homeless Outreach Workers Real-Time Data While They're on the Street

Eric Zassenhaus
Eric Zassenhaus is dot.LA's managing editor for platforms and audience. He works to put dot.LA stories in front of the broadest audience in the best possible way. Prior to joining dot.LA, he served as an editorial and product lead at Pacific Standard magazine and at NPR affiliate KPCC in Los Angeles. He has also worked as a news producer, editor and art director. Follow him on Twitter for random thoughts on publishing and L.A. culture.
This App Hopes to Give Homeless Outreach Workers Real-Time Data While They're on the Street
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Los Angeles invests hundreds of millions each year to alleviate homelessness, but the networks that underlie those efforts are often held together by legal pads and spreadsheets.

It took a person who's suffered through the system to try to update it, so that the homeless and their advocates can get what they need, when they need it.


Anthony Greco is one of the few people who can say he's been on most sides of the issue. He's lived on the streets, dealt with homeless family members and friends, he's worked in the shelters and counseled people dealing with substance abuse.

"I've literally been on every side of this problem in one way or another," Greco says. "I've been trying to get people into treatment in some way or another since I was seven years old."

The Get Help platform is a result of his lifetime of experience with substance abuse and homelessness. And it's been so effective that Los Angeles took it from beta to a basic tool in the city's plan to deal with one of its largest emergencies: Getting homeless people off the street during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anthony Greco is the founder of the Get Help app.

A Lifetime Getting People Help 

Greco grew up bouncing from house to house while his mother sought help at substance abuse clinics.

"When I was 15 years old, one day I came home from school and my mom and her boyfriend and that family had moved away out of town," Greco says, "and the house was empty except for all the stuff in my room."

That led him into his own struggle first with homelessness, then with substance abuse and finally into recovery and toward helping people in the same circumstances he'd once found himself in. Ultimately, he got his PhD in clinical psychology and worked with patients with substance abuse issues.

But at every step in his career, Greco found himself trying to solve the same problem: How do you match a person to the services they need at the moment they're willing to ask for help? Having real-time information is key, he says.

"There's a point when someone says that they want to get help," he says. "It's a simultaneous feeling of excitement and absolute dread at the same time, because on one hand, you're so excited that they want to get help and they want to go somewhere and then on the other hand the next thought is where am I going to go? Where am I going to call with how am I going to find an available bed? And it's a nightmare."

Once someone is willing to get help, the next question is where, and how? Greco describes calling rehab and shelter facilities as a child, as a homeless man and as a clinical psychologist to find a client or friend a bed, only to find that facilities were full or not accepting new residents, or that no one at the center seemed to have an idea of whether they had a place to stay.

Later, he encountered the same problem from the other end of the phone line when he was working at those same facilities.

"I remember getting calls, late at night," Greco says. "It was a mom on the other end of the phone wanting to know whether I have space for their son or daughter. And I didn't even know what our census was."

Had he known the headcount, he would have known how many available beds there were.


If Getting Shelter Were As Easy As Ordering an Uber

The idea for the app came when Greco, now a psychologist, found himself unable to get the same basic information he was seeking as a kid.

"I realized that it was just as difficult for a licensed clinical psychologist to get someone into treatment as it was for a seven year old."

Greco had pictured a simple app that would match the world of homeless needs to the world of resources available to them.

"I said, you know, there has to be an app for that," he says. "You can order a pizza at four o'clock in the morning, or a cheeseburger from Sonic and have it delivered from Pomona, but there's no tool to be able to find a bed for my friend."

Greco quickly realized that if he wanted to be able to offer immediate help, he needed more than a list of numbers; he needed accurate real-time data. Who had open beds right now, tailored to specific needs of individuals — with substance abuse problems, with mental health problems, with kids, with domestic abuse trauma, with medical needs?

He had a vision for the app, but he didn't have a background in tech or business. Luckily, as he searched for funding for the idea, he came across Michael Root, one of the early engineering pioneers at Riot Games, who quickly volunteered to be Get Help's CTO. The company registered as a public benefit corporation in 2019.

"I had no idea what I was getting into," Greco says.

Solving Problems for Homeless People

Greco says it usually takes between 6 and 7 approaches (sometimes more) before someone who's experiencing homelessness will accept help — and often the kind of help people on the street are looking for isn't what street teams have to offer.

"The first service that they often will accept isn't a bed," says Greco, "but they'll accept a place where they can go get a meal."

Greco says it's critical to seize those moments, where a person is willing to ask for some kind of help, if only to build trust.

"It's about meeting the person where they're at," Greco says. "And that's what I do as a therapist."

In other words, he says focus on building trust, and provide people what they need, rather than what you think they need. Not everyone is looking for a shelter bed.

"That's where I operate from and where Get Help operates from," he says.

The app tries to reflect this by listing a range of services both big and small from shelter and sober living beds to food pantries, showers, laundry, storage facilities and health care services. All those services are what social workers call a continuum of care that will eventually lead to stability, he says.

Solving the Problem for Shelters

Greco at the Weingart Center in Los Angeles' Skid Row.

On the other end of the spectrum, Greco realized that if he wanted to be able to solve family members' 4 a.m. emergencies, he'd have to work with the shelters to get the data that would be crucial to getting their loved ones fast help.

What he quickly found was that many of these shelters and sober living facilities were using outdated tools to keep track of who was in their facility.

"They were still managing their inventory — and still are — is literally using yellow pads, sometimes whiteboards, Excel documents and email exchanges."

They reached out to the Weingart Center, one of the first shelters in Skid Row that specializes in providing emergency housing for people with mental illness. By the estimate of its current CEO, the company houses about 600 people nightly, and provides counseling, employment and other other services to thousands more. All of that requires an incredible amount of record keeping.

"In order to really run an operation," says Weingart's CEO, Kevin Murray, "you've got to do intake, you've got to assign room, you've got to assign food cards."

In addition, you have to make sure you're collecting the information that health insurers and the federal government require, as well as making sure you're tracking the basic needs — linen and toothbrushes, for example — of the people you're serving.

"Almost every provider is inputting this practice information in, you know, at least two, maybe multiple systems."

Greco's team met with Weingart to develop a data management system that could help them track that information.

"They actually sat down with our people at all levels to find out what they needed, and what would be helpful to them," Murray says. "We both sort of opened up to each other about what we wanted to do. And so we were participants in developing the system."

The result, Greco says, saved Weingart time and money by cutting down the number of steps that shelter staff had to take to do intake and reducing the number of data entry mistakes they made.

"Those errors result in billing errors," and those billing errors and mistakes can result in a place like The Weingart Center losing millions a year in funding opportunities.

It also made the information on how many beds the center had at any given time easily accessible, so that Get Help's app could make them available to service providers on the streets looking to get people housed.

"it's certainly, you know, added a lot of simplicity in our lives," Murray says.

From Pilot Test to a Citywide Crisis

An estimated 82,955 people fell into homelessness during 2019 in L.A County, and an estimated 52,689 people found the way out of homelessness in that time, according to the county's most recent data.Photo courtesy of Get Help

In late 2019, Get Help worked out a pilot program with a small faction of LAPD officers who patrol Skid Row and other areas to assist with routine clean ups of homeless encampments.

The officers in LAPD's Homeless Outreach and Proactive Engagement (HOPE) team downloaded the Get Help app and used it to direct the homeless folks they encountered to services in the area.

"The response was overwhelmingly positive," Greco says, adding that some officers reported it had changed the dynamic between some of their patrol and homeless in the area. Officers had real-time information they could offer to homeless folks, and their role went beyond enforcement to being able to offer assistance.

After six months, the plan was to expand the app's use in the city, when an even larger crisis hit.

"We had just got through a successful pilot with L.A. (city) and we're talking about expanding it, we were doing work on expanding to a different additional shelters, (and) we were starting conversations with L.A. County," Greco says, "And COVID-19 hit."

The city settled on an emergency plan to house vulnerable homeless people in recreation centers and other city facilities that had closed due to the pandemic.

Jimmy Kim oversees emergency operations for Los Angeles's recreation and parks department. He was tasked with creating the shelters, developing a system for keeping track of its inhabitants, and keeping them safe.

"The systems that we're using are so archaic," Kim says. "You know that saying, 'time is money', right?"

At first the city relied on regular manual headcounts, pen and paper and Google docs to keep a tally of those staying at its sites. It quickly found that process was inefficient.

"And so we came across (the app) in the mayor's office," says Kim. "They actually introduced us to the folks over at Get Help as part of a pilot program."

The app allowed them to streamline the process, and provided the mayor's office with real time information on the number and location of beds occupied.

"The quicker we could get them (registered), the quicker we could get people in," Kim says. "And then the less time they have to spend on doing registration, the more time they could spend on doing more important things."

The system proved a success, allowing Kim to keep track of registrations and discharges at the 24 shelters the agency oversaw, and allowing his staff of around 94 employees access to real-time data on who was where.

"I actually want to take that and use it for our normal shelters as well because it'll help us streamline that process and get real time usable data," Kim says. "You know, literally at the tip of your fingertips."

The department is now thinking about configuring the app to do contract tracing for shelter residents who come down with COVID-19, and it's thinking about expanding beyond the homeless emergency function, to other emergencies that require rapid sheltering — such as wildfires and earthquakes.

"Now, we're having those conversations," says Kim, "because I think it will help us streamline and get data a lot quicker… And if you have real-time data, you can make better decisions that way."

Meanwhile, Get Help is available to individuals, organizations and outreach workers in Apple's App Store and Google Play. His team is working with several large local shelters and sober living facilities and the county to expand the data available in Get Help's app that can be used by families, street teams and concerned residents looking for immediate help.

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Biometrics, Crypto, and Comfort: New Tech Lands in LA

🔦 Spotlight

Happy Friday, Los Angeles!

This week, it's all eyes, quite literally, on LA's latest tech headlines.

Image Source: World

First up, World has officially touched down in the U.S., launching its ambitious biometric crypto project in six cities, including right here in Los Angeles. Cofounded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, World is betting big on a future where proving you're human is just a blink away. Their tool? An orb-shaped device that scans your eyes to create a "World ID," a decentralized digital passport built for the AI era. Verified users can then claim Worldcoin, a cryptocurrency aiming to become the first truly global digital currency. To tie it all together, World has rolled out the World App, a wallet to manage your ID and crypto and World Chain, a new blockchain designed to prioritize real people over bots. The ambition is bold. The stakes are high. And the question still lingers: How much privacy are we willing to trade for convenience?

Image Source: Lyft

Meanwhile, Lyft is rolling out the red carpet, or perhaps a comfortable seat cushion, for LA’s senior citizens. The rideshare giant just launched Lyft Silver in Los Angeles, offering older adults personalized support, live phone assistance, and specially trained drivers. It's a savvy play into an often-overlooked demographic, combining technology and empathy to serve a growing market of tech-savvy seniors. Will Lyft’s new approach give them an edge in LA’s competitive rideshare market? Stay tuned, and maybe text your grandma… she just might become Lyft’s latest power user.


🤝 Venture Deals

LA Companies

    • True Classic, a Los Angeles-based apparel brand known for its better-fitting basics, has received its first institutional investment from 1686 Partners. This strategic partnership aims to accelerate True Classic's global expansion and diversify its product offerings to include women's and children's lines. The investment will also support enhancements in supply chain, logistics, and omnichannel retail operations, positioning the brand for continued growth in the global market. - learn more
    • Chaos Industries, a Los Angeles-based defense technology startup, raised $275M in a Series C round led by Accel and New Enterprise Associates, valuing the company at $2N. The company develops advanced detection, monitoring, and communication systems for defense and commercial sectors. The funds will be used to expand product development, grow the team, and scale manufacturing operations. - learn more
    • Apex, a Los Angeles-based spacecraft manufacturer, raised $200M in Series C funding to scale production of its productized satellite bus platforms. The company will use the funds to expand operations at its 50,000-square-foot facility and increase manufacturing capacity to meet demand from government and commercial customers. Apex aims to accelerate delivery timelines and support national security initiatives like the U.S. Department of Defense’s Golden Dome program. - learn more
    • Deferred, a technology-driven Qualified Intermediary, has raised $3.6M in seed funding to modernize and democratize 1031 exchanges for everyday real estate investors. The funding round was led by B Capital and Fika Ventures, with participation from strategic investors. Deferred's platform offers AI-driven compliance, robust fund security, and a no-fee exchange model, aiming to make tax-deferred real estate transactions more accessible, secure, and efficient. The funds will be used to expand access to 1031 exchanges, ensuring that every investor, not just institutional players, can leverage this powerful wealth-building tool. - learn more

    LA Venture Funds

    • Village Global participated in Stately Bio's $12M seed funding round. Based in Palo Alto, Stately Bio is a biotech startup developing an AI-powered live-cell imaging platform that enables non-invasive, real-time analysis of cell behavior, enhancing regenerative medicine and cell therapy development. The funds will be used to scale the platform and expand its pipeline of stem cell-derived therapies. - learn more
    • Riot Ventures participated in True Anomaly's recent $260M Series C funding round. Based in Centennial, Colorado, True Anomaly develops advanced spacecraft and software systems for U.S. national security missions, including its flagship Jackal vehicle designed for close-proximity operations in orbit. The funds will be used to support upcoming space missions, expand manufacturing capabilities, and grow the company's workforce. - learn more
    • Navitas Capital led a $10.5M Series A funding round for Field Materials, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based startup that automates construction material and equipment procurement using AI. Field Materials' platform leverages proprietary large language models to process vendor quotes, delivery slips, and invoices, integrating the data into major construction accounting systems. This approach reduces purchase order and invoice processing time by 90%, improves margins, and helps construction companies secure volume pricing. The funds will be used to double Field Materials' team and triple its revenue in 2025, accelerating the delivery of AI capabilities to meet growing demand in the construction industry. - learn more
    • Bold Capital Partners participated in Near Space Labs $20M Series B funding round. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Near Space Labs deploys helium balloon–lifted "Swift" robots to capture ultra-high-resolution aerial imagery from the stratosphere. The company plans to use the funds to expand its fleet and increase coverage, aiming to provide 7cm-resolution images to 80% of the U.S. population twice annually. - learn more
    • Alexandria Venture Investments participated in a $15M Series A funding round for Hoofprint Biome, a Raleigh, North Carolina–based agtech startup. Hoofprint Biome develops enzyme-based feed additives aimed at reducing methane emissions from cattle while enhancing productivity. The company plans to use the funds to advance product development, conduct on-farm trials, and prepare for commercial launch. - learn more
    • Finality Capital Partners participated in a $25M seed funding round for Miden, a privacy-focused blockchain protocol spun out of Polygon. Miden leverages zero-knowledge technology to offer fast, confidential transaction processing tailored for large institutions handling sensitive payment flows. The funding will support the development of Miden's ecosystem and developer tools, with plans to launch its main network by the end of the year. - learn more
    • Overture VC participated in Glacier's $16M Series A funding round. Glacier, a San Francisco-based startup, develops AI-powered robotic systems designed to automate and enhance the efficiency of recycling processes at material recovery facilities (MRFs). The funds will be used to expand Glacier's operations, deploy its technology to more MRFs across the U.S., and further develop its AI and robotics capabilities to improve recycling rates and reduce environmental impact. - learn more
    • Powerhouse Capital and Rideback participated in a $10M funding round for Cheehoo, a Los Angeles-based startup developing AI-powered tools to streamline 3D animation workflows. Cheehoo's platform integrates with industry-standard software like Maya and Unreal Engine, offering features such as AI-assisted character animation, speech-to-motion capabilities, and real-time collaboration tools. The company plans to use the funds to enhance its technology and expand its reach to a broader range of creators, from major studios to independent animators. - learn more
    • Village Global participated in P-1 AI's recent $23M seed funding round. Based in Henderson, Nevada, P-1 AI is developing an artificial general intelligence (AGI) platform named Archie, designed to automate engineering tasks for physical systems. The company plans to use the funds to advance Archie's capabilities, starting with applications in data center cooling systems, and eventually expanding into sectors like industrial systems, automotive, and aerospace. - learn more
    • TenOneTen Ventures led a $3.3M seed funding round for Domos, a startup developing an AI-powered workforce to streamline property management operations. Based in New York City, Domos' platform automates routine communications and workflows, enabling property managers to focus on higher-value tasks. The funds will be used to expand the company's engineering team and further develop its AI capabilities to enhance efficiency and resident experience. - learn more
    • Leap Venture Studio participated in a $1M seed funding round for Buddy Bites, a Hong Kong-based dog food brand that donates to shelters with every order. The funds will support Buddy Bites' expansion in Hong Kong, Singapore, and the UK, with plans to enter Taiwan and launch new products later this year. Additionally, Buddy Bites joined Leap Venture Studio's 12-week accelerator program, gaining mentorship and access to a network of industry experts to further its mission of providing premium dog food while supporting animal shelters. - learn more

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    From Metro Rails to Blended Wings: LA’s Transportation Era

    🔦 Spotlight

    Hello Los Angeles,

    Move over Coachella, hello Stagecoach. With crowds headed east, LA might feel a little quieter this weekend, but beneath the surface, the city is busy making moves that could shape the future of travel.

    Image Source: Metro

    First up: a major milestone at LAX.

    This June, the new LAX/Metro Transit Center Station will officially open, finally linking Metro's C and K Lines to a new ground hub near the airport.

    It marks the first real rail connection to LAX in the airport’s history, a major step for a city that has long been synonymous with gridlock.

    While the fully Automated People Mover system connecting the station to the terminals is still under construction and expected to open in 2026, the launch of the transit center is a critical piece of LA’s broader infrastructure upgrade ahead of the 2028 Olympics.

    Even if most travelers will still rely on cars or rideshares for now, it is a sign that even the most car-centric corners of the city are starting to shift.

    Image Source: JetZero

    Meanwhile, in Long Beach, a local aerospace startup is aiming to transform air travel altogether and just got a major boost.

    JetZero, a stealthy aviation company based in Long Beach, announced a new investment from United Airlines to advance its radical new aircraft design: the blended wing body.

    Unlike traditional tube-and-wing planes, JetZero’s blended design integrates the wings and fuselage into a single structure, reducing aerodynamic drag and dramatically improving fuel efficiency.

    United's investment is more than just financial support. It is a strategic bet on JetZero’s vision for cutting long-haul flight emissions in half, a critical goal as the aviation industry faces mounting pressure to decarbonize.

    JetZero plans to have its first full-scale prototype flying by 2027, and if successful, it could set a new blueprint for the next generation of commercial aircraft.

    For Los Angeles, it is another reminder that some of the boldest ideas shaping the future of mobility are being built right here in our own backyard.

    Planes, trains, and a city learning to move a little differently. Just another week in LA.

    🤝 Venture Deals

    LA Companies

    • Durin, an El-Segundo startup aiming to automate drilling for critical minerals exploration, has secured $3.4M in a pre-seed funding round led by 8090 Industries. The company is developing a sensor-equipped drilling rig capable of drilling 300 meters deep, gathering data to build an automation model. The funding will support the development of this technology, with the goal of enabling unattended drill rigs within two to three years. - learn more
    • Altruist, a Los Angeles-based custodian and software platform for registered investment advisors (RIAs), raised $152M in a Series F round led by GIC, bringing its valuation to $1.9 billion. The platform streamlines account opening, trading, reporting, and billing for over 4,700 advisors. The new funding will be used to accelerate product development, expand the team, and scale enterprise capabilities. - learn more
    • Sesh, a superfan engagement platform that connects artists with fans through interactive experiences, exclusive content, and live events, has raised $7M in funding led by Miura Global. The funds will be used to expand platform capabilities, onboard more artists, and enhance technology for deeper insights and engagement opportunities. - learn more
    • Khloud, a new consumer brand founded by Khloé Kardashian, has raised $12M in an oversubscribed funding round with participation from Jessica Bixby, Serena Ventures, William Morris Endeavor (WME), and Shrug Capital. The Los Angeles-based company is debuting with a protein-rich popcorn made from whole-grain corn and its proprietary “Khloud Dust” seasoning, delivering 7 grams of protein per serving. The funds will be used to expand into additional snack categories and scale retail distribution, beginning with a Target launch on April 29. - learn more

    LA Venture Funds

    • Anthos Capital co-led a $20M funding round for Theo, a New York-based crypto trading infrastructure startup. Theo enables retail investors to access institutional-grade trading strategies—such as high-frequency arbitrage and cross-chain funding rate optimization—through strategy-specific vaults, eliminating the need for technical expertise. The platform operates on a custom validator network that facilitates real-time execution across centralized and decentralized exchanges, enforcing margin requirements and system-wide overcollateralization. The funds will be used to expand Theo's validator infrastructure, integrate with additional financial platforms, and grow its user base. - learn more
    • Pinegrove Capital Partners participated in a $70M Series B funding round for Nourish, a New York-based startup offering AI-powered, insurance-covered virtual nutrition counseling. Nourish connects patients with registered dietitians to manage chronic conditions like obesity and diabetes, boasting a network of over 3,000 dietitians across all 50 states. The funds will be used to expand its provider network, enhance AI tools, and deepen partnerships with healthcare organizations. - learn more
    • Mantis VC participated in Chainguard's $356M Series D funding round. Based in Kirkland, Washington, Chainguard secures software supply chains by offering tools like secure containers, virtual machines, and libraries for open-source development. The funding will be used to expand product offerings, grow the go-to-market team, and support its expanding customer base. - learn more
    • Clocktower Technology Ventures participated in a $30M Series C funding round for Steadily, a landlord insurance provider based in Austin, Texas, and Overland Park, Kansas. Steadily offers tailored insurance solutions for rental property owners, serving policyholders across all 50 U.S. states. The funds will be used to expand operations, enhance technology, and grow the team, aiming to streamline the insurance process for landlords. - learn more
    • Blue Bear Capital participated in Ocient's recent $42.1M Series B extension, bringing the Chicago-based data analytics company's total funding to $159.4M. Ocient specializes in high-performance, energy-efficient analytics solutions for large-scale, complex data and AI workloads, leveraging its proprietary Compute Adjacent Storage Architecture® and Megalane™ technology. The new capital will be used to advance the development and delivery of energy-efficient solutions for costly, complex, and operationally burdensome data and AI workloads. - learn more
    • Group11 participated in Healthee's $50M Series B funding round, supporting the New York-based company's mission to simplify health benefits through AI. Healthee offers an AI-powered platform that helps employees and employers navigate complex healthcare systems, enhancing user experience, reducing costs, and improving care outcomes. The funds will be used to expand Healthee's product suite, scale go-to-market operations, and accelerate the development of its AI-powered tools. - learn more
    • Sum Ventures participated in Irrigreen's $19M Series A funding round. Headquartered in Edina, Minnesota, with operations in San Francisco, Irrigreen develops robotic irrigation systems that utilize digital mapping and AI to optimize water usage for residential lawns. The funds will be used to advance product development, expand manufacturing in the U.S., and enhance the company's smart lawn care solutions. - learn more
    • Ventek Ventures participated in Recce's $4M funding round. Based in San Francisco, Recce offers data-native code review tools designed to enhance data validation in AI and software development workflows. The funds will be used to advance Recce's open-source toolkit and launch its collaborative SaaS platform, Recce Cloud, aiming to streamline data validation processes across the software lifecycle. - learn more
    • B Capital led an $87M Series C funding round for Omnidian, a Seattle-based provider of performance assurance services for residential and commercial solar and energy storage systems. Omnidian offers comprehensive protection and performance plans, ensuring optimal operation and maintenance of clean energy assets. The funds will be used to scale core operations, expand into high-potential markets like Australia and Europe, and explore new product lines such as electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and commercial energy storage solutions. - learn more
    • Overture VC participated in PHNX Materials' $2.5M seed funding round. Based in the U.S., PHNX Materials has developed a process to purify coal fly ash by removing impurities like sulfur and carbon, making it suitable for use in concrete production. This approach not only repurposes industrial waste but also reduces the carbon footprint of concrete by replacing a portion of cement. The funds will be used to scale PHNX's purification technology and expand its operations to meet the growing demand for sustainable construction materials. - learn more

    LA Exits

    • Maza, a fintech startup catering to Spanish-speaking consumers in the U.S., has been acquired by Flex for $40M. Originally focused on helping immigrants open bank accounts and obtain ITINs, Maza shifted its services toward small business owners, such as landscapers and construction subcontractors. This pivot aligned with Flex's mission to provide comprehensive financial tools for business owners. Post-acquisition, Maza will rebrand as Flex Consumer, with its founders assuming executive roles within the combined company. The merger aims to accelerate their shared roadmap in delivering integrated financial solutions. - learn more
    • Moondust Management, a talent agency known for representing creators in travel, lifestyle, wellness, and purpose-driven content, has been acquired by Fixated, a digital entertainment platform. This acquisition aims to enhance Fixated's capabilities in content creation and brand partnerships by integrating Moondust's expertise and creator network. - learn more
    • ClaimShark, a provider of payment integrity solutions, has been acquired by Lyric, a leader in healthcare payment accuracy and integrity solutions. ClaimShark's innovative tools, including the Virtuoso command center and Replay audit platform, will be integrated into Lyric's AI-driven Lyric42 platform. This acquisition aims to enhance payment accuracy, transparency, and efficiency across the healthcare ecosystem by streamlining and simplifying healthcare transactions to eliminate waste. - learn more

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    This Week in LA: Robotaxis, Reels & a $100K Challenge

    🔦 Spotlight

    Happy Friday, LA,

    It’s Coachella Weekend 2, which means fewer cars on the road, easier restaurant reservations, and just enough quiet to hear the next wave of innovation humming through the city. This week, we’re watching more driverless cars roll in, Instagram remix your Reels feed, and a $100K climate challenge call for startups. Let’s get into it.

    🚕 Zoox Is Bringing Its Robotaxis to LA

    Image Source: Zoox

    Amazon-owned Zoox just announced that its futuristic, steering wheel–less robotaxis are heading to Los Angeles. The company has begun mapping the city as it gears up to launch a fully autonomous ride-hailing service. These aren’t retrofitted Teslas; they’re bidirectional vehicles built specifically for autonomy, with no front, no back, and no driver seat.

    It’s Zoox’s first major push beyond Northern California and Las Vegas, and it's a signal that LA is being positioned as a proving ground for next-gen transportation. As the city preps for the 2028 Olympics, Zoox is hoping to help LA reimagine what mobility looks like without a human behind the wheel.

    👀 More on that here:Zoox’s LA Expansion

    💬 Instagram’s New “Blend” Feature

    Image Source: Instagram

    Instagram just announced “Blend,” a new feature that creates a private Reels feed curated for you and a friend based on your shared interests. It’s like a personalized explore page, but just for two. Think Spotify Blend, but with more memes and fewer breakup ballads.

    It’s currently in testing, but if rolled out broadly, Blend could change how creators build community and how content spreads in smaller, more intimate algorithmic circles.

    🔥 LACI Launches the LA Resilient Rebuilding Cup

    100 days after the Palisades and Eaton fires swept through parts of LA, the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) is launching a new initiative: the LA Resilient Rebuilding Cup. It’s a pitch competition aimed at finding startup solutions to help LA rebuild stronger and greener.

    Up to $100,000 in prizes and piloting funds are up for grabs. Finalists will pitch live on July 10 in Downtown LA, and selected winners will get the opportunity to bring their technologies to fire-affected communities. Focus areas include fire detection, renewable energy, air quality, mental health tools, resilient construction, and more.

    Startups have until May 30 to apply.
    📍 Apply here


    🤝 Venture Deals

    LA Companies

    • Parallel Systems, a Los Angeles-based company developing autonomous battery-electric railcars, has raised $38M in a Series B funding round led by Anthos Capital, with participation from Riot Ventures and others. The funding will support the commercialization of its technology, including the launch of its first commercial pilot in Georgia. This pilot, approved by the Federal Railroad Administration, will test self-propelled intermodal flatcars over a 160-mile stretch, aiming to offer a more efficient and sustainable alternative to short-haul trucking. Parallel Systems plans to use the funds to scale production of its Generation 3 vehicles and expand operations in the U.S. and Australia. - learn more

    LA Venture Funds

    • Bonfire Ventures led a $7.5M seed funding round for 1Fort, a New York-based startup that automates commercial insurance workflows for brokers using AI. Village Global and others participated in the round. 1Fort's platform streamlines the insurance process by automating tasks such as application completion, quote retrieval, and policy binding, helping brokers secure better coverage for clients more efficiently. The funds will be used to enhance the platform's AI capabilities, expand the team, and grow partnerships with carriers and brokers across the U.S. - learn more
    • Strong Ventures led an ₩800 million pre-Series A funding round for LunchLab, a Seoul-based B2B startup offering corporate lunch subscription services. LunchLab provides daily lunchbox deliveries and post-meal dish collection for companies, streamlining office meal logistics. The funds will be used to expand production capacity, enhance delivery operations across Seoul, and improve their proprietary ordering app. - learn more
    • CIV participated in Crux's recent $50M Series B funding round, supporting the company's mission to streamline financing for clean energy and manufacturing projects. Crux, based in New York, operates a capital markets platform that facilitates transactions such as transferable tax credits and debt financing, aiming to enhance liquidity and efficiency in the clean economy sector. The newly acquired funds will be utilized to expand Crux's network of market participants, enhance its software infrastructure, and scale its operations to meet the growing demand for clean energy financing solutions. - learn more
    • Finality Capital Partners participated in the $11M seed funding round for Optimum, a startup incubated at MIT and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Optimum is developing a decentralized memory layer for Web3, utilizing Random Linear Network Coding (RLNC) to enhance data storage and propagation across blockchain networks. The funds will be used to advance Optimum's technology and expand its team to address scalability challenges in decentralized systems. - learn more
    • TIME BioVentures participated in Phantom Neuro's recent $19M Series A funding round. Based in Austin, Texas, Phantom Neuro is developing a minimally invasive neural interface called Phantom X, designed to enable intuitive control of prosthetic limbs and robotic exoskeletons. The new funding will support the company's first human trials, preclinical testing, regulatory submissions, and expanded research and development for broader applications of its technology beyond prosthetic limbs. - learn more
    • Veridical Ventures participated in a $2M seed funding round for SlashExperts, a San Francisco-based B2B platform that connects prospective buyers with existing customers to facilitate authentic peer conversations. This approach aims to build trust and expedite sales processes. The funds will be used to enhance the platform's features, ensuring seamless and effective connections between buyers and users. - learn more
    • F4 Fund participated in Boby.ai's $1.25M seed funding round, supporting the Istanbul-based startup's mission to develop AI-powered mobile applications. Boby.ai, founded by Gökçe Nur Oğuz, Onur Olgun, and Berat Oğuz, focuses on creating user-friendly AI tools for end-users, such as their flagship app Mozart.ai, which enables users to generate personalized music using AI. The funding will be used to expand the team and develop new AI-based mobile products. - learn more
    • Riot Ventures and Impatient Ventures participated in Blue Water Autonomy's recent $14M seed funding round. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Blue Water Autonomy is developing fully autonomous, unmanned ships designed to operate on the open ocean for extended periods. The company plans to use the funds to expand its engineering team, accelerate ship testing, and integrate various payloads onto its platform. - learn more
    • Aliavia Ventures led a $1M pre-seed funding round for InsightWise, an AI-powered platform based in Sydney, Australia, designed to streamline the consulting process by automating tasks such as proposal development and strategy creation. The funding will be used to enhance the platform's capabilities and support expansion into the U.S. market. - learn more

    LA Exits

    • Pex, a leading provider of digital rights technology, has been acquired by Vobile, a global leader in digital content protection and transaction services. This acquisition enhances Vobile's services for the music industry and strengthens its position as a global solution provider for digital audio content. - learn more

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