How a Scrappy Startup Is Using the Pandemic to Take on a Big Competitor in the Valley

Ben Bergman

Ben Bergman is the newsroom's senior finance reporter. Previously he was a senior business reporter and host at KPCC, a senior producer at Gimlet Media, a producer at NPR's Morning Edition, and produced two investigative documentaries for KCET. He has been a frequent on-air contributor to business coverage on NPR and Marketplace and has written for The New York Times and Columbia Journalism Review. Ben was a 2017-2018 Knight-Bagehot Fellow in Economic and Business Journalism at Columbia Business School. In his free time, he enjoys skiing, playing poker, and cheering on The Seattle Seahawks.

How a Scrappy Startup Is Using the Pandemic to Take on a Big Competitor in the Valley
"This is nuts to me," said Mike Whitmire, co-founder and CEO of FloQast, which closed a $40 million Series C round led by Norwest Venture Partners earlier this year. "It's the weirdest battle that you would never expect L.A. to have, with just the 405 between us."

Los Angeles in general — and the San Fernando Valley specifically — are not exactly known for being hotbeds of enterprise software competition, but two of the world's leading providers of a niche type of accounting software are duking it out for market share and the competition is escalating during the coronavirus pandemic.

One is a startup that has raised $90 million in venture funding and the other is a publicly traded corporation with a market capitalization of $3.4 billion. Their headquarters are about five miles apart, the incumbent in Woodland Hills and the startup in Sherman Oaks.

"This is nuts to me," said Mike Whitmire, co-founder and CEO of FloQast. "It's the weirdest battle that you would never expect L.A. to have, with just the 405 between us."


FloQast, with 150 employees, closed a $40 million Series C round led by Norwest Venture Partners earlier this year at a $250 million valuation, according to Pitchbook. It is trying to nip away market share from Blackline, which was founded in 2001, and has 1,005 employees. They compete in an esoteric realm only accountants would know about: close management software. It helps companies automate the normally tedious process of closing their books every month to be able to generate more timely and accurate financial statements.

Blackline declined to make anyone available for this story.

A screencast of FloQast close management software's interface.

While many companies are hunkering down just trying to make it through to the other side of the pandemic, FloQast is using the crisis as an opportunity to raise the stakes against Blackline. Starting Wednesday, FloQast is giving the implementation of its software away for free to any Blackline customer through July, promising that once they sample FloQast they will never go back to Blackline.

"It's definitely an opportunity that has presented itself because of COVID-19," said Whitmire. "During good times people are happy to reimplement and will spend more money. Now that budgets are getting tighter people are looking more closely at what better options are being deployed."

Whitmire started FloQast in 2015 with $50,000 in pre-seed funding from the Amplify.LA accelerator after seeing the limitations of accounting software when he was an early employee at Cornerstone OnDemand, joining a year before it went public in 2011. He spoke to dot.LA this week on Zoom call with a virtual background of Kirk Gibson celebrating after his famous walk-off homerun the last time the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series in 1988. Whitmire loves sports and relishes playing a scrappy David to Blackline's slow-footed Goliath.

"I'm super competitive," he said. "We poach clients from them, we've taken 25 to date."

FloQast has had considerable success selling its services to sports teams, who he says often have relatively complicated accounting practices. An early contract with the Golden State Warriors led to deals with the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Washington Wizards, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Chicago Cubs.

The company also has deals with around 900 other companies, including well-known names like Zoom, Yelp, Zillow, Grubhub, and Lyft.

A screenshot of Blackline's enterprise software.

FloQast charges anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000 a year for a subscription, not an insignificant amount for companies trying to trim expenses in an uncertain environment. Whitmire makes the argument that his software saves substantial amounts of money in the long run. If that is not enough of a selling point, he is willing to offer struggling clients discounts or deferred payment until the crisis is over, which he says he can afford to do thanks to January's $40 million cash infusion.

"At times like these you need to be accommodating," said Whitmire. "We're in a position to do that. If a client needs a break in their billing, we can make that happen because of our balance sheet."

Of course, Blackline has a much bigger balance sheet, with $607 million cash on hand at the end of last year, but if Whitmire is nervous about so aggressively taking on such a bigger foe, he does not show it.

"It's been a lot of fun competing with them." said Whitmire. "They have a bullseye on us internally and I don't expect much to change."

Whitmire hopes that the competitor across the 405 will decide to set its sights more on big companies who employ hundreds or even thousands of accountants. "We are good at mid market," he said. "They are good at enterprise. They have bigger fish to fry."

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Big Wins: Dodgers Take the Title ⚾, ChatGPT Levels Up🚀

🔦 Spotlight

Happy Friday, LA! It’s been a week of big wins, on and off the field. 🎉

⚾️ First up, let’s talk Dodgers. With a thrilling 7-6 comeback victory over the Yankees in Game 5, the Dodgers clinched their eighth World Series title, their first since 2020. The city is buzzing, and fans are ready to celebrate! A parade kicks off this morning at 11 a.m., starting at City Hall and winding down to Flower Street, with a ticketed celebration at Dodger Stadium for those wanting to keep the festivities going.

Image Source: Dodgers

💻 Meanwhile, in the tech, OpenAI just rolled out a game-changing update for ChatGPT. Plus and Enterprise users can now access real-time internet search, powered by Microsoft Bing, bringing ChatGPT's responses fully up-to-date. This means users can now ask about the latest news, hotspots, or recent LA startup announcements, and ChatGPT will pull in fresh, relevant answers directly from the web. Previously limited to information up to 2021, ChatGPT’s new browsing capabilities make it a valuable digital assistant for anyone needing real-time insights in fast-paced industries like tech and entertainment.

Image Source: ChatGPT

🔍 The real-time search feature also includes “Browse with Bing,” allowing ChatGPT to source information from multiple sites for detailed answers to complex questions. Whether you’re exploring the latest venture capital trends in LA or curious about the best local spots, ChatGPT’s new browsing power helps you stay ahead with the latest info. This leap forward in AI functionality makes ChatGPT even more versatile and powerful for everyone, from business owners to everyday users.

From the Dodgers’ World Series win to OpenAI’s latest ChatGPT update, there’s a lot to celebrate in LA this week. Here’s to champions, innovation, and a city that’s always pushing boundaries. 🌆✨


🤝 Venture Deals

LA Companies

  • Final Boss Sour, a Los Angeles-based gaming-themed snack company specializing in healthier sour snacks, has raised a $3M Seed funding round led by Science Inc. to expand its product offerings and operational capabilities. - learn more
LA Venture Funds
  • Smash Capital led a $50M Series B round for Read AI, a productivity-focused AI company, bringing its total funding to $81M. The company offers a platform that enhances meeting efficiency through features like note-taking, summarization, and transcription. Additionally, Read AI introduced "Read AI for Gmail," a free Chrome extension that integrates information from various applications, reducing the need to switch between apps. The funds will be used to increase the company's headcount in engineering, data science, and business teams. - learn more
  • Distributed Global participated in a $25M funding round for Nillion, a company that provides decentralized privacy solutions designed to secure sensitive data using advanced technologies like secure multi-party computation. - learn more
  • Act One Ventures participated in a $5M Seed funding round for Latii, a construction materials supply chain startup, to enhance its platform that connects contractors with suppliers, aiming to streamline procurement processes and reduce costs in the construction industry. - learn more
  • SmartGateVC participated in a pre-seed funding round for Ritual Dental, a company revolutionizing dental care by integrating advanced technology and microbiome science to provide personalized, preventive treatments. - learn more

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      Billion-Dollar Milestones and Snapchat’s New Features

      🔦 Spotlight

      Happy Friday Los Angeles!

      This week’s spotlight showcases LA’s thriving tech scene, featuring Snapchat’s latest feature updates and two local startups Liquid Death and Altruist, making TechCrunch’s Unicorn List for 2024.

      Image Source: Snap

      Snapchat’s recent fall updates bring fresh features, including a new iPhone camera shortcut for instant snaps, Halloween-inspired AI-powered Lenses, and Bitmoji costumes inspired by Mean Girls and Yellowstone. Bitmoji stickers now reflect trending Gen-Z expressions like “slay” and heart symbols for added flair in chats. Plus, the “Footsteps” feature on Snap Map allows users to track their past adventures privately, adding a nostalgic touch.

      Image Source: Liquid Death

      ICYMI, two LA startups joined the Unicorn Club—achieving valuations over $1 billion. Liquid Death, based in Santa Monica, is a canned water company with edgy branding and a humorous sustainability focus. Known for viral marketing and brand partnerships, it redefines bottled water as a lifestyle brand and environmental statement. In March, Liquid Death closed $67 million in strategic financing, raising its total funding to over $267 million and valuing it at $1.4 billion.

      Image Source: Altruist

      Altruist, a Culver City-based fintech platform, offers financial advisors streamlined tools to better serve their clients. With a user-friendly investment and account management platform, Altruist has gained strong traction in the finance world. In May, it announced a $169 million Series E funding round, bringing its total funding to over $449 million and earning a valuation of $1.5 billion.

      Together, Liquid Death and Altruist exemplify LA’s capacity for innovation across diverse sectors, from lifestyle branding to fintech. Whether reshaping financial tools or redefining sustainable branding, these companies showcase LA’s unique entrepreneurial spirit. Go LA!

      Check out TechCrunch’s 2024 Unicorn List here. And don’t miss Snapchat’s latest features—perfect for adding some fun, connection and maybe a few selfies this weekend!


      🤝 Venture Deals

      LA Companies

      • Freeform, a company bringing AI to metal 3D printing, raised $14M in funding from NVIDIA’s NVentures and AE Ventures to further develop its AI-powered 3D printing technology for industrial-scale production. - learn more
      LA Venture Funds
      • Anthos Capital participated in a $70M Series D round for Carbon Robotics, which develops AI-powered robotics for precision agriculture, and the funding will be used to accelerate the growth of its autonomous weeding technology. - learn more
      • Anthos Capital participated in a $3.5M seed round for Plasma Network, aimed at expanding access to USDT stablecoins on the Bitcoin network, with the investment supporting the network’s growth and efforts to enhance stablecoin accessibility through the Lightning Network. - learn more

      LA Exits


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          ⚖️FTC’s "Click to Cancel" Rule and Its Ripple Effect on Tech

          🔦 Spotlight

          Happy Friday Los Angeles,

          The FTC’s new “Click to Cancel” rule is shaking up subscription-based tech. Now, instead of navigating a maze of cancellation hurdles, users can cancel subscriptions as easily as they signed up—with a single click. This shift is a wake-up call for SaaS, streaming, and app-based companies, where once-hidden exit options often kept users around simply because canceling was a hassle.

          The rule also requires businesses to send regular renewal reminders, ensuring customers stay informed about upcoming charges. It's more than a cancellation button—it’s about transparency and giving users control over their decisions.

          For startups, the impact goes deeper than UX adjustments. Many have relied on "dark patterns," which subtly discourage cancellations by hiding the exit. Now, companies must shift toward building genuine loyalty by delivering real value, not by complicating exits.

          While this might affect retention rates initially, it could lead to more sustainable business models that rely on satisfaction-driven loyalty. Investors may start prioritizing companies that emphasize transparent, long-term engagement over those that depend on dark patterns to maintain retention metrics.

          The rule opens the door to more ethical UX design and a truly user-centered approach across the tech industry. It may even set a precedent against manipulative design in other areas, such as privacy settings or payment methods.

          Ultimately, the “Click to Cancel” rule presents an opportunity for the tech industry to foster trust and build stronger customer relationships. Startups and established companies that embrace transparency will likely stand out as leaders in a new era of customer-centric tech, where trust—not tricky design—is what retains users.

          As the tech landscape continues to evolve, LA Tech Week 2024 offers a chance to explore these shifts in real-time. Check out the upcoming event lineups to stay informed and make the most of your time:

          For updates or more event information, visit the official Tech Week calendar.


          🤝 Venture Deals

          LA Companies

          • Ghost, a company supporting top brands and retailers with streamlined logistics and fulfillment solutions, raised a $40M Series C funding round led by L Catterton to fuel its continued growth and innovation. - learn more

          LA Venture Funds
          • Assembly Ventures participated in a $27M Series A round for Monogoto, a provider of software-defined connectivity solutions that enable secure, cloud-based IoT and cellular network management on a global scale. - learn more
          • Angeleno Group participated in a $32M Series C round for REsurety, a company that recently launched an innovative clean energy marketplace aimed at providing better financial and operational insights to support renewable energy transactions. - learn more

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