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LA Tech Week 2025: Thursday’s Event Lineup

Grace Lee
LA Tech Week 2025: Thursday’s Event Lineup

Here's the Thursday, October 16th lineup for LA Tech Week 2025, organized by location so you can easily explore events that fit your goals and schedule. Dive in and see what’s happening near you!

ARTS DISTRICT

7:30 AM

  • The Crossover | Presented by Crosscourt + Silicon Valley Bank: *Invite Only*
    Crosscourt, Silicon Valley Bank

10:00 AM

  • The Experience Economy: Tech-Enabled Engagement + Consumer Connection: See Details Here
    FUZE Technology

BEVERLY HILLS

1:00 PM

  • Power of Partnership: Building Breakthrough Brands: See Details Here
    NINICO Communications

2:00 PM

  • AI in Animation Films & Verticals Workshop: See Details Here
    Stars Collective, Leyline Pro AI

3:00 PM - 6:00 PM

5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

  • Inside Hutton: Curated by The Agency Art House: See Details Here
    The Agency Art House

6:00 PM - 10:00 PM

  • Elevate Fall Soirée | Caviar Tasting & Champagne: See Details Here
    Elevate Collective, LLC

6:00 PM

6:00 PM

  • Manhattan Institute: Therapy or Indoctrination? The Battle Over Childhood Mental Health: See Details Here
    Manhattan Institute

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

6:30 PM

  • LightDAO in Action: Bridging Technology & Humanity: See Details Here
    Light Dao, EVOLVING POTENTIAL

BRENTWOOD

4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

6:15 PM

BURBANK

5:30 PM - 8:30 PM

CENTURY CITY

9:00 AM - 8:00 PM

  • A4LI Longevity Investors Summit: See Details Here
    The Alliance for Longevity Initiatives, Zuber Lawler LLP

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

  • From Startup to Exit: Navigating M&A with Confidence: See Details Here
    Fox Rothschild

1:00 PM

6:00 PM

  • The Future of Creator Finance: Instant Payments, Enterprise Scale
    Splitz App

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

6:30 PM

CULVER CITY

8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

9:00 AM

  • Resilience and Reinvention: Capital Strategies for a Shifting Landscape: See Details Here
    Cap Table Coalition, Sisters With Ventures, Emmeline Ventures

11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

  • Elevated Game: The Rise of the Athlete - Investor: See Details Here
    Elevated Sports Group, Improve Your Game

11:00 AM

11:00 AM – 2:00 PM

2:00 PM

  • Coeus Collective Pitch Competition
    Coeus Collective

6:00 PM

  • Prompt & Presence: The AI Marketing Salon: *Invite Only*
    Share Ventures

DTLA

5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

8:00 PM

EL SEGUNDO

4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

5:00 PM

  • Software for Hardware Panel & Happy Hour: See Details Here
    Space Happy Hour, Perkins Coie

5:00 PM

  • Navigating DC: How LA Defense Tech Startups Can Shape the Future of National Security: See Details Here
    APCO

6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

HAWTHORNE

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

HOLLYWOOD

8:30 PM - 2:30 PM

  • Hollywood 3.0 - Phygital Convergence @TCL Chinese Theatre: See Details Here
    Hollywood Broadcast Studios @ TCL Chinese Theatres, Caltech Center for Technology & Management Educations world-renowned AI/ML and executive education programs

11:30 PM

  • Anti-Age Science: Precision, Unlimited: See Details Here
    Monach Athletic Club, The Reason Longevity, AI Intelligence

12:00 PM – 3:00 PM

1:30 PM – 6:00 PM

  • Family Offices Investors Summit-Dinner-Tour: See Details Here
    Family Offices Investors Summit, QE Media, Lux Angeles Studios, BlackRock

KOREATOWN

5:00 PM

  • ¡Salud!: *Invite Only*
    Zócalo Health

LONG BEACH

9:00 AM

9:00 AM

  • Cars, Coffee & Vertical Software - Long Beach: See Details Here
    V1, Vacant.com, Grid

5:00 PM

MALIBU

3:00 PM – 5:30 PM

6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

  • Female Investors + Founders Mixer: See Details Here
    Reitler, Mercer Advisors, EisnerAmper

MAR VISTA

6:00 PM

6:15 PM

  • Smoov x Stars Align Founder Investor Matches: See Details Here
    Smoov, Stars Align

MARINA DEL REY

11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

  • Defense & Startup Innovation, DoD/ARL Collaboration: Unleashing American Drone Dominance: See Details Here
    Rhoman Aerospace, Army Research Laboratory, USC Information Sciences Institute

2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

2:30 PM – 4:30 PM

  • Inside the Minds Building the Robots: See Details Here
    USC Information Sciences Institute, Newmark

3:00 PM – 6:00 PM

4:30 PM – 6:30 PM

  • Silicon Beach Mixer: See Details Here
    USC Information Sciences Institute, Newmark

6:00 PM

  • NBA Foundation: *Invite Only*
    NBA Foundation

6:30 PM

7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

PASADENA

6:00 PM

  • Pasadena Tech Happy Hour: See Details Here
    Innovate Pasadena, Google Developers Group, City of Pasadena

PLAYA DEL REY

5:00 PM

PLAYA VISTA

9:00 AM

  • Tech Detox! "Meet & Greet in the Wetlands Hike": *Invite Only*
    Loyola Marymount University

SANTA MONICA

8:00 AM – 9:30 AM

  • AI for Acquisition: Real Talk Between Military and Tech: See Details Here
    Authorium

8:00 AM

  • The LA Grind and Polsinelli's Curated Coffee & Tech Mixer: See Details Here
    Polsinelli LLP, The LA Grind

8:00 AM

  • WebCongress LA: Future Ready: *Invite Only*
    WebCongress Inc.

9:30 AM

9:30 AM – 11:00 AM

  • VC & Founders Breakfast Mixer w/ Qapita, Remofirst: See Details Here
    Qapita, Remofirst

10:00 AM

10:00 AM

10:00 AM

11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

  • Female Founders & Funders: Official Treasure Hunt: See Details Here
    Sponstar, Jadeva, Arbitrum, Fabric VC, Moonwalker Capital

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

  • Building, Scaling & Funding HardTech - Lunch&Panel: See Details Here
    Conduit Venture Labs, Intent Software Development, Duro Labs, Second Order Effects

12:30 PM – 3:30 PM

2:00 PM

2:00 PM

2:30 PM

3:00 PM – 6:00 PM

  • Building Faster: AI for Architecture & Construction: See Details Here
    Blueprints AI

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

  • Citizens x Orrick x Deel - Pickleball: See Details Here
    Deel, Citizens Private Bank

3:00 PM

  • Branding In Public: See a Unicorn Rise And Leave With the Blueprint to Build Your Own: See Details Here
    Expert Dojo, Camino5

3:00 PM – 6:00 PM

  • Investing in the Future: A Conversation with Women Founders: See Details Here
    a16z speedrun, The 98

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

  • Top Gun: Defense Tech x Beach Volleyball: See Details Here
    Stell Engineering, Fulcrum Venture Group

3:00 PM – 6:00 PM

  • Hard Tech - Happy Hour: See Details Here
    Conduit Venture Labs, intent software development, duro labs, Second Order Effects

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

4:00 PM – 7:00 PM

  • Indra AI: Consumer Data, Reimagined - Understand What Matters. Act on it. See it Work.: See Details Here
    Indra Intelligence

4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

  • Exclusive Beach Club Party for Top Founders & Operators – Tinder x Wonder Ventures: See Details Here
    Tinder, Wonder Ventures

4:00 PM

4:30 PM

  • Building the Creator Economy: from capital to code: See Details Here
    Wells Fargo TMT Investment Banking, Pioneer Square Labs, Yamaha Music Innovations Fund, DLA Piper

4:45 PM

5:00 PM

  • Preccelerator Demo Day
    Stubbs Alderton & Markiles Preccelerator

5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

5:00 PM – 9:00 PM

  • Fintech Founders & Investors: See Details Here
    Rivonia Road Capital, Everywhere Ventures

5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

5:00 PM

5:00 PM – 7:45 PM

5:00 PM

5:00 PM

  • AI Founders and Funders Happy Hour: *Invite Only*
    Databricks

5:00 PM

5:00 PM

5:00 PM

  • Reed Smith LLP® presents The Investor Dating Game™ by TCVN™ hosted at OneDigital®: *Invite Only*
    TCVN

5:00 PM

5:00 PM

  • Unplug + Align: A Serene Sound Bath by the Sea: See Details Here
    What to Where, Velvet Tones

5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

5:00 PM – 9:00 PM

  • Soundromeda presents the Future of Music: See Details Here
    Soundromeda, Crypto Fridays, New Friendship Tech

5:30 PM

5:30 PM

5:30 PM

  • LA CISO Dinner: *Invite Only*
    a16z

5:30 PM – 7:30 PM

6:00 PM

6:00 PM

6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

6:00 PM

  • Kara Nortman Fireside Chat presented by Mofo, host Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs SoCal: See Details Here
    Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs of Socal

6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

  • How to Influence Brand Visibility in the AI Era: See Details Here
    SUSO Digital, Moxie Communications Group

6:00 PM

  • AI Workflow Automation Happy Hour: *Invite Only*
    Aparavi

6:00 PM

6:00 PM

6:00 PM

  • Stripe x Favorited Present: From 0 to 1 - Insights on Scaling in LA and the Future of AI: See Details Here
    Stripe

6:00 PM

  • Building NextGen Healthcare 🏥: See Details Here
    HEALTHCARE *by design*, Axle Health

6:00 PM

6:00 PM

6:00 PM – 8:30 PM

6:00 PM

6:00 PM

  • ParadoxUniverse.com: IMMERSIVE, LIVE EXPERIENCE: See Details Here
    ParadoxUniverse.com

6:15 PM

6:30 PM

6:30 PM – 9:00 PM

  • Tech Meets Culture: Connect & Innovate with MaC Ventures: See Details Here
    MaC Venture Capital, Perkins Coie

6:30 PM

  • TBPN x Ramp: Founder & Finance Table: *Invite Only*
    Ramp, TBPN

6:30 PM

  • Influence & inspiration : Lessons From The World's Most Competitive Stage: See Details Here
    Expert Dojo, Camino5

6:30 PM – 9:00 PM

6:30 PM – 8:00 PM

  • Burnout Reset: A Nervous System Recharge + Connection Experience: See Details Here
    Tania Hansraj Hypnotherapy and Healing

7:00 PM

  • The Winning Stack: Cloud, Chips, and AI Agents: *Invite Only*
    Lola Vision Systems, Nvidia, Sherpa Clouds

7:00 PM

7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

7:00 PM

7:00 PM

  • Evoke Muse Round Table Series: *Invite Only*
    Evoke Muse

7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

  • LABEL IQ AI - THE NASDAQ FOR AI MUSIC - LIVE DEMO + AI ARTIST MEETUP: See Details Here
    LABEL IQ AI

8:00 PM

  • The Next Wave
    Wollen Labs

VENICE

9:00 AM

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

9:30 AM

  • Next Stop Europe – International Tech Breakfast: See Details Here
    NRW.Global Business, CMS

10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

3:00 PM – 6:00 PM

  • Business of Wellness, Building Brands for Longevity: See Details Here
    J.P. Morgan

4:00 PM – 6:30 PM

  • AI x Games: Playing with Inference Mixer: See Details Here
    Jam & Tea Studios, Clementine

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

5:00 PM

  • From Prompt to Protection: Creating & Securing AI Enhanced Works: See Details Here
    The Law Firm of Shivani Honwad LLC, Doniger Burroughs

6:00 PM

6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

6:00 PM

6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

6:30 PM

  • Expanding the Boundaries of Storytelling with GenAI: See Details Here
    Promise, Curious Refuge

VENICE BEACH

5:30 PM – 7:30 PM

6:00 PM

VIRTUAL (LA)

10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

12:00 PM

  • Democratizing Startup IP: Free Patents for Founders: See Details Here
    Idea Cleark (powered by Paximal)

1:00 PM

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

WEST HOLLYWOOD

3:00 PM

  • Ecos Group: *Invite Only*
    Ecos Group

5:00 PM

  • US-APAC Capital Bridges: Funding AI & Biotech in 2025–26: *Invite Only*
    Reynold Lemkins Group

5:30 PM – 8:00 PM

6:00 PM – 8:30 PM

  • Queer Tech IRL Launch Party hosted by JP Morgan and Build Momentum: See Details Here
    Build Momentum

6:00 PM

  • Game Changers: Sports, Tech and Entertainment Dinner: *Invite Only*
    Morgan Stanley Wealth Management

6:00 PM

7:00 PM

  • $10K Elevator Pitch Competition: See Details Here
    Hands On Angel LLC, KOO Capital

8:00 PM

  • The Frontier: VIP Reception: *Invite Only*
    Cerebral Valley, UBS

9:00 PM

10:00 PM

WESTSIDE

12:00 PM – 4:00 PM

  • ScentHaus: A Sensory Salon Experience Powered by Gallery AI: See Details Here
    GalleryAI

WESTWOOD

4:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Face to Face with Investors: See Details Here
TCA Venture Group, Bruin Angels, UCLA Anderson School of Management


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

Enjoy LA Tech Week 2025!

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Why Samsonite Just Paid $178.5M for BÉIS

Grace Lee
Why Samsonite Just Paid $178.5M for BÉIS

🔦 Spotlight

Hello, Hello.

This week, one of LA’s most recognizable consumer brands packed its biggest bag yet.

Samsonite Group has agreed to acquire an 85% stake in BÉIS for $178.5M, valuing the Los Angeles-based travel and lifestyle brand at approximately $210M. The deal is expected to close in Q4, pending regulatory approval.

Founded by actress and entrepreneur Shay Mitchell and incubated by LA-based Beach House Group in 2018, BÉIS has grown from a digitally native luggage startup into a profitable business that generated approximately $210M in sales last year. Along the way, it built the kind of fiercely loyal online following that legacy brands spend years and considerable marketing budgets trying to manufacture.

Image Source: BÉIS

That may be the most interesting part of this deal. Samsonite is not simply acquiring another luggage line. It is buying access to a younger, predominantly female customer base, a sophisticated direct-to-consumer operation and a brand that knows how to turn social media attention into actual sales. The suitcases are useful; the cultural relevance is the real carry-on.

BÉIS will continue operating as a standalone brand under CEO Adeela Hussain Johnson and its existing management team. Mitchell will retain a 15% ownership stake and continue guiding the company’s creative and product vision, while Samsonite brings the global distribution, sourcing and logistics infrastructure needed to take the brand further.

For LA’s startup community, the acquisition is another reminder that valuable technology companies do not always look like software companies. BÉIS built its advantage through digital distribution, community and an unusually sharp understanding of its customer. Now, one of the world’s largest luggage companies wants what it created.

Sometimes the strongest exit starts with knowing exactly what people want to pack.

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

🤝 Venture Deals

    LA Companies

    • Heaviside Industries raised a $60M Series B to accelerate the development and production of its autonomous precision munitions for U.S. and allied forces. The company also announced a strategic partnership with defense manufacturer Nammo, combining Heaviside’s autonomous weapons technology with Nammo’s expertise in propulsion, warheads and large-scale munitions production. - learn more
    • Alex Cooper and Matt Kaplan’s media company Unwell received its first outside investment from WTSL, giving the profitable business a $500M pre-money valuation. Unwell, which reaches a reported 70M women each month through podcasts, film and television, live events, consumer products and a creative agency, will use the capital to pursue acquisitions, make investments and expand into new business lines. - learn more
    • Neros raised a $250M Series C at a $2.5B valuation, with participation from LA-based Interlagos, MANTIS Venture Capital and Thiel Capital. The El Segundo defense startup will use the funding to scale its autonomous strike and interceptor drone programs, expand production and strengthen its domestic supply chain as demand grows from the U.S. military and allied forces. - learn more
    • FriskAI raised $3.6M from MaC Venture Capital to expand its observability and security platform for AI agents. The startup helps companies monitor what autonomous agents do in real time, giving teams greater visibility into agent behavior and helping them identify errors, risks and unexpected actions. - learn more
    • Diald raised $1M in follow-on funding led by Feedback Ventures, bringing its total funding to $4.75M. The company also launched a rebuilt conversational AI platform that lets commercial real estate investors create pro formas and evaluate zoning, permits, neighborhood sentiment and other property risks through plain-language prompts. - learn more

    LA Venture Funds
    • Alexandria Venture Investments participated in Khartis Therapeutics’ $50M Series B, led by Forge Life Science Partners, bringing the San Diego biotech’s total funding to $95M. Khartis will use the capital to advance its lead oral treatment for thyroid eye disease and expand its pipeline of small-molecule immunology drugs. - learn more
    • Finality Capital Partners co-led Entravel Group’s $7.5M funding round alongside Ethereal Ventures, with participation from GSR, Varrock, G1 Ventures, Seier Capital, Veris Ventures, Funfair Ventures and WTG Ventures. The traveltech company will use the capital to expand its white-label hotel-booking infrastructure beyond crypto platforms and develop a stablecoin-powered system for settlement, treasury and working-capital financing. - learn more
    • Regeneration.VC participated in Clarity Systems’ $4.4M seed round, led by LMnT Ventures and joined by Humba Ventures and Massive Technology Ventures. Clarity uses X-ray imaging, computer vision and AI to detect counterfeits, product swaps and other forms of returns fraud in seconds without opening the package. - learn more
    • CIV participated in AGent Energy’s $11M Series Seed round alongside existing investor Zero Infinity Partners, with Spero Ventures and MassMutual Ventures co-leading and Intrepid Investment Management also joining. The Houston startup uses AI-powered hardware and software to turn largely idle backup generators into on-demand grid capacity during emergencies, and the new funding brings its total raised to $17M. - learn more
    • Smash Capital co-led CodeRabbit’s $143M Series C alongside Atomico, valuing the AI code-review company at $1.5B. CodeRabbit will use the funding to expand internationally and develop its new Agentic Change Management platform, which helps companies review, govern and monitor software created by both humans and AI agents. - learn more
    • Multiball Capital backed Soctera’s $4M seed round alongside Anorak Ventures, with additional participation from 9Yards Capital, Mana Ventures and Red Bear Ventures. The Cornell spinout will use the funding to develop heat-efficient power amplifiers designed to improve the range, signal quality and reliability of radar, electronic warfare, satellite and telecommunications systems. - learn more
    • WndrCo participated in Genera’s $10M seed round, which was led by First Round Capital and also included BoxGroup, Carpenter Capital and Success Venture Partners. Genera will use the funding to scale its AI platform, which automates the often labor-intensive process of deploying enterprise software, including customer discovery, data migration and system configuration. - learn more
    • M13 co-led Baselayer’s $20M Series A alongside Koro Capital, bringing the fintech startup’s total funding to approximately $47M. Baselayer will use the capital to enhance its AI-powered platform, which helps banks, fintech companies and government agencies automate business verification, risk assessment and fraud monitoring. - learn more

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      Two LA Startups Raised $2.37B to Build What AI Needs

      Grace Lee
      Two LA Startups Raised $2.37B to Build What AI Needs

      🔦 Spotlight

      Happy Friday, LA.

      The largest checks in tech are increasingly going toward companies trying to build their way out of America’s biggest physical constraints.

      This week, two Los Angeles startups raised a combined $2.37 billion in equity to tackle two particularly urgent ones: how the country manufactures critical hardware and where it will find enough electricity to power the AI era.

      Torrance-based Hadrian is building highly automated factories for defense and aerospace. El Segundo’s Valar Atomics wants to manufacture nuclear reactors at scale. Different industries, same underlying bet: the next generation of technology will depend on our ability to produce physical infrastructure much faster than we do today.

      Hadrian raised $1.37 billion in Series D funding, bringing its valuation to $7.87 billion. The company plans to use the capital to open new factories, expand research and development, and increase its capacity to produce critical defense, aerospace and industrial systems.

      Hadrian’s pitch is straightforward, if wildly ambitious: America needs to relearn how to build things and build them quickly.

      Its factories combine skilled workers with AI, robotics and proprietary software to manufacture precision components and, increasingly, complete mission-critical systems. Its customers include defense giants such as Lockheed Martin and RTX, along with newer players like Anduril.

      The company has come a long way from simply making aerospace parts. Hadrian is positioning itself as a piece of America’s industrial infrastructure, offering manufacturers a way to rapidly scale domestic production at a time when wars abroad, strained supply chains and growing defense demands have made the country’s manufacturing gaps increasingly difficult to ignore.

      Investors are clearly buying the argument. The new round comes just over a year after Hadrian raised $260 million, suggesting that “reindustrialization” has officially graduated from venture capital buzzword to billion-dollar investment thesis.

      Meanwhile, roughly 15 miles away in El Segundo, Valar Atomics is moving even faster than its enormous ambitions suggested.

      When we last wrote about Valar, the company was reportedly raising $450 million at a $2 billion valuation and racing to prove that nuclear energy could move on AI’s timetable. Now, it has closed a $1 billion Series B led by Sequoia Capital, secured an additional $200 million credit facility and reportedly reached a $6 billion valuation.

      Valar is developing standardized, factory-built nuclear power plants designed to avoid the enormous costs and decades-long construction timelines associated with traditional nuclear projects. Its goal is not merely to build a working reactor, but to eventually manufacture fleets of them.

      That ambition also sounds considerably less theoretical than it did when we first covered the company. In June, Valar’s Ward 250 reactor achieved a self-sustaining nuclear reaction. Just one week later, the company demonstrated the reactor generating electricity to power an Nvidia Blackwell system. Valar now says the new funding will help it move from proving its technology works to producing reactors at scale.

      The timing is no coincidence. AI’s enormous appetite for electricity is forcing the tech industry to confront a basic reality: the cloud still has to plug into something. Training models and operating massive data centers will require far more reliable power, and nuclear energy is rapidly becoming one of Silicon Valley’s favorite answers.

      Hadrian and Valar may be solving different problems, but their unusually large rounds point to the same shift. AI can design, predict and automate, but it cannot manufacture a missile component or generate a megawatt of electricity on its own. That requires factories, energy systems, supply chains and a great deal of capital.

      For years, venture-backed companies competed to build the software layer. Now, some of the biggest bets are being placed on the infrastructure underneath it.

      The future may run on AI. But first, someone has to build what keeps it running.

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

      🤝 Venture Deals

        LA Companies

        • Endeavor Optical Networks emerged from stealth with $10.75M in seed funding from General Catalyst and Andreessen Horowitz to develop a satellite network that uses lasers to move data between continents. The startup plans to use the capital to build an optics lab, hire engineers and conduct ground testing ahead of a demonstration satellite launch targeted for late 2027. - learn more
        • Actualyze AI emerged from stealth with a $7M seed round backed by Storm Ventures, Canaan Partners, Morado Ventures and AME Cloud Ventures. Its platform gives enterprises a central control layer for managing AI usage across teams and applications, helping them enforce security policies, track spending, route requests between models and maintain audit trails. - learn more
        • Blaze.tech raised $8.5M in pre-seed funding led by Friale, a healthcare-focused venture firm founded by the family behind HCA Healthcare. The company helps digital health startups, providers and payers turn AI-generated prototypes into HIPAA-compliant software for uses including e-prescribing, EHR integrations, telehealth and auditing. - learn more

        LA Venture Funds
        • Canon Capital participated in Oligo Security’s $60M funding round alongside Ballistic Ventures, Greenfield Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Red Dot Capital Partners, TLV Partners and other investors, bringing the cybersecurity company’s total funding to $140M. Oligo will use the capital to accelerate product development and expand its global go-to-market operations as it helps organizations detect and block software exploits in real time. - learn more
        • Matter Venture Partners participated in Volta’s seed and Series A financing alongside Azora, Andreessen Horowitz, Altimeter, NVIDIA and Michael Dell’s family office, valuing the AI infrastructure startup at $2.4B. Emerging from stealth, Volta plans to use the backing to develop and operate large-scale AI data centers, supported by a $5B infrastructure financing program with Azora and a $10B European compute partnership. - learn more
        • Cedars-Sinai participated in Cirrus Therapeutics’ expanded seed financing through its Intellectual Property Company, bringing the ocular immunology biotech’s total funding to $14.7M. Cirrus will use the backing to advance its gene and cell therapy pipeline, including a lead treatment for geographic atrophy, while a new collaboration with Singapore Eye Research Institute and Duke-NUS will support research, clinical development and expansion across Asia-Pacific. - learn more
        • Strong Ventures made a follow-on investment in Ready Robust Machine’s ₩13.4B Series B, which was led by Quantum Ventures Korea and brought the heavy-equipment technology company’s total funding to ₩22.9B. The company develops energy-recovery systems for hydraulic machinery and will use the capital to build out mass production, expand its data services and enter the Japanese market. - learn more

        LA Exits

        • Artium has been acquired by global consulting firm AlixPartners, bringing its expertise in building enterprise-grade AI agents for clients including BNY Mellon, Mayo Clinic and eBay to a broader global platform. The company will continue operating as a distinct team under the name Artium by AlixPartners, retaining its founders, employees, methodology and research relationships. - learn more

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          How Replify Found Its Niche and an Acquirer

          Grace Lee
          How Replify Found Its Niche and an Acquirer

          🔦 Spotlight

          Hello LA,

          This week’s startup story began three years ago with an AI assistant built for almost any small business. It ended, or perhaps graduated, with an acquisition by one of the fitness industry’s largest technology providers.

          ABC Fitness has acquired Replify, an AI platform that manages customer communication for gyms and wellness businesses across phone, text, email and chat. Its virtual agents can answer questions, qualify leads, schedule tours and classes, follow up on missed calls and run outbound campaigns. Financial terms were not disclosed.

          Before Replify found its footing in fitness, it was HeyLibby, a general-purpose AI assistant founded in 2023 by former Zillow colleagues Spencer Rascoff, Tony Small and Anna Rodriguez. The company was incubated inside Rascoff’s 75 & Sunny Labs and initially set out to help small businesses turn incoming messages into qualified leads.

          That broad vision gave HeyLibby a large potential customer base, from real estate agents and contractors to hairstylists and event planners. But as the team searched for product-market fit, one industry’s problem stood out. Gym and wellness employees were often too busy helping customers in person to answer every call, text or email, leaving prospective members waiting and potential revenue on the table.

          That insight reshaped the company. HeyLibby narrowed its focus to fitness and wellness, raised a $4.5M seed round in 2025 and later rebranded as Replify. It went on to work with brands including Gold’s Gym and UFC Gym, proving that its AI agents could do more than answer routine questions. According to the company, customers have captured up to 10 times more leads and shortened sales cycles from roughly 30 days to as little as three to five days.

          ABC Fitness became a natural next step. The company provides software to more than 30,000 fitness businesses serving over 40 million members worldwide. By adding Replify to its platform, ABC can offer gyms an always-available AI front desk while bringing Replify’s technology to a much larger global customer base.

          Replify’s journey offers a useful lesson amid the rush to build AI products for everyone. The company began with a broad promise, identified a customer with a specific and expensive problem, and built deeply around that need. Gym owners did not need another flashy chatbot. They needed someone to answer the phone when the front desk could not.

          Sometimes the smartest AI strategy is simply picking up the call.

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

          🤝 Venture Deals

            LA Companies

            • Dimension raised a $1.65M seed round backed by Science Inc., UpscaleX, OpenSky, Long Run Capital, 1864 Fund and others. The profitable social-commerce company will use the funding to launch Seller OS more broadly, an agentic AI platform that automates TikTok Shop operations for brands and agencies. - learn more
            • Procode raised a $10M Series A led by Health Velocity Capital, bringing its total funding to $14M. The AI-powered medical billing company will use the capital to acquire two additional billing businesses and expand its platform beyond plastic surgery and dermatology into all surgical specialties and ambulatory surgery centers. - learn more
            • Antares raised $470M in Series C financing, including $370M in equity and $100M in debt, in a round co-led by Paradigm and Caffeinated Capital. The nuclear energy company will use the capital to commercialize its autonomous microreactors, with an electricity-producing model planned for 2027 and initial deployments at U.S. military installations beginning in 2028. - learn more

            LA Venture Funds
            • Wilshire Lane Capital participated in Ellis’ more than $10M seed round, which was led by First Round Capital and included Kearny Jackson, 645 Ventures, Harlem Capital, Khosla Ventures and others. Founded by Cadre founder Ryan Williams, Ellis has emerged from stealth with an AI-native operations platform that helps private credit managers reconcile fragmented data and automate workflows such as portfolio monitoring, investor reporting and compliance; the funding will support team growth and further product development. - learn more
            • Rebel Fund participated in Dili’s $15M Series A, led by Khosla Ventures, bringing the AI compliance company’s total funding to $21.7M. Dili helps energy, construction, infrastructure and manufacturing companies identify compliance issues by reviewing project data in real time, and will use the funding to expand its team and broaden its platform into additional audit and waste-detection workflows. - learn more
            • B Capital led ChipAgents’ $60M Series A2, which brought the semiconductor AI startup’s expanded Series A financing to $134M. ChipAgents will use the funding to scale customer deployments, expand its engineering and go-to-market teams and further develop its AI platform, which automates complex chip design and verification workflows. - learn more
            • StoryHouse Ventures participated as a returning investor in Henry AI’s $16.5M Series A, led by FirstMark Capital with backing from Thomson Reuters Ventures, Y Combinator and others. The commercial real estate AI company will use the funding to expand its engineering and product teams and scale Henry Deal, a platform that automates underwriting, offering materials and other back-office work throughout a transaction. - learn more
            • Walkabout Ventures and Bungalow Capital co-led Discern’s $10M Series A, bringing the company’s total funding to $17.5M. Discern provides a software-based registered agent service that automates state filings and compliance tasks, and will use the capital to scale its platform following fourfold annual recurring revenue growth in 2025. - learn more
            • Starshot Capital participated in Quercus Biosolutions’ oversubscribed $5M seed round, which was led by Serra Ventures and included several climate, agriculture and grower-backed investors. The agtech startup will use the funding to expand its pipeline of AI-designed proteins for fighting herbicide-resistant weeds, begin regulatory work and explore applications targeting fungi, insects and other crop pests. - learn more
            • B Capital co-led Flourish Health’s $26M Series A alongside F-Prime and Cherryrock Capital, bringing the youth mental health provider’s total funding to $46M. Flourish will use the capital to expand its psychiatrist-led, in-home care model nationwide, hire and train clinicians and further develop its AI-enabled platform for coordinating care. - learn more
            • Powerhouse Capital participated in European Technology Network’s $1.6M seed round alongside Axel Springer, a LADbible co-founder and angel investors from OpenAI and DeepMind. The London-based tech media startup will use the funding to open a larger studio, expand its team, launch a newsletter and increase its livestreamed programming from two shows per week to five. - learn more

            LA Exits

            • Saltair, the Los Angeles body-care brand founded by model and entrepreneur Iskra Lawrence, is selling a majority stake to private equity firm TSG Consumer. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the deal will support Saltair’s expansion across e-commerce, retail and new products, while Lawrence transitions into the role of chief community advocate. - learn more
            • Digital marketing agency GR0 plans to acquire Ultimate AI’s enterprise deployment division and use the team’s technology to launch a new company called GR0 AI. The platform will deploy AI agents across brands’ customer data, commerce and marketing systems to personalize outreach, recover abandoned sales and generate measurable revenue; financial terms were not disclosed. - learn more

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