Illustration by Ian Hurley
What Are LA’s Hottest Startups of 2022? See Who VCs Picked in dot.LA’s Annual Survey
In Los Angeles—like the startup environment at large—venture funding and valuations skyrocketed in 2021, even as the coronavirus pandemic continued to surge and supply chain issues rattled the economy. The result was a startup ecosystem that continued to build on its momentum, with no shortage of companies raising private capital at billion-dollar-plus unicorn valuations.
In order to gauge the local startup scene and who’s leading the proverbial pack, we asked more than 30 leading L.A.-based investors for their take on the hottest firms in the region. They responded with more than two dozen venture-backed companies; three startups, in particular, rose above the rest as repeat nominees, while we've organized the rest by their amount of capital raised as of January, according to data from PitchBook. (We also asked VCs not to pick any of their own portfolio companies, and vetted the list to ensure they stuck to that rule.)
Without further ado, here are the 26 L.A. startups that VCs have their eyes on in 2022.
1. Whatnot ($225.4 million raised)
Whatnot was the name most often on the minds of L.A. venture investors—understandably, given its prolific fundraising year. Whatnot raised some $220 million across three separate funding rounds in 2021, on the way to a $1.5 billion valuation.
The Marina del Rey-based livestream shopping platform was founded by former GOAT product manager Logan Head and ex-Googler Grant LaFontaine. The startup made its name by providing a live auction platform for buying and selling collectables like rare Pokémon cards, and has since expanded into sports memorabilia, sneakers and apparel.
2. Boulevard ($40.3 million raised)
Boulevard’s backers include Santa Monica-based early-stage VC firm Bonfire Ventures, which focuses on B2B software startups. The Downtown-based company fits nicely within that thesis; Boulevard builds booking and payment software for salons and spas. The firm has worked with prominent brands such as Toni & Guy and HeyDay.
3. GOAT ($492.7 million)
GOAT launched in 2015 as a marketplace to help sneakerheads authenticate used Air Jordans and other collectible shoes. It has since grown at a prolific rate, expanding into apparel and accessories and exceeding $2 billion in merchandise sales in 2020. The startup sealed a $195 million funding round last summer that more than doubled its valuation, to $3.7 billion.
The Best of the Rest
VideoAmp ($578.6 raised)
Nielsen competitor VideoAmp gathers data on who's watching what across streaming services, traditional TV and social apps like YouTube. The company positions itself as an alternative to so-called "legacy" systems like Nielsen, which it says are "fragmented, riddled with complexity and inaccurate." In addition to venture funding, its total funding figure includes more than $165 million in debt financing.
Mythical Games ($269.4 million raised)
Seizing on the NFT craze, Mythical Games is building a platform that powers the growing realm of “play-to-earn games.” Backed by NBA legend Michael Jordan and Andreessen Horowitz, the Sherman Oaks-based startup’s partners include game publishers Abstraction, Creative Mobile and CCG Lab.
FloQast ($202 million raised)
FloQast founder Michael Whitmire says he got a “no” from more than 100 investors in the process of raising a seed round. Today, the accounting software company is considered a unicorn.
Nacelle ($70.8 million raised)
Nacelle produces docuseries, books, comedy albums and podcasts. The media company’s efforts include the Netflix travel series “Down To Earth with Zac Efron.”
Wave ($66 million raised)
A platform for virtual concerts, Wave has hosted performances by artists including Justin Bieber, Tinashe and The Weeknd. The company says it has raised $66 million to date from the likes of Warner Music and Tencent.
Papaya ($65.2 million raised)
Sherman Oaks-based Papaya looks to make it easier to pay “any” bill—from hospital bills to parking tickets—via its mobile app.
LeaseLock ($63.2 million raised)
Based in Marina del Rey, LeaseLock says it’s on a mission to eliminate security deposits for apartment renters.
Emotive ($58.1 million raised)
Emotive sells text message-focused marketing tools to ecommerce firms like underwear brand Parade and men's grooming company Beardbrand.
Dray Alliance ($55 million raised)
Based in Long Beach, Dray says its mission is to “modernize the logistics and trucking industry.” Its partners include Danish shipping company Maersk and toy maker Mattel.
Coco ($43 million raised)
Coco makes small pink robots on wheels (you may have seen them around town) that deliver food via a remote pilot. Its investors include Y Combinator and Silicon Valley Bank.
HiveWatch ($25 million raised)
HiveWatch develops physical security software. Its investors include former Twitter executive Dick Costollo and NBA star Steph Curry’s Penny Jar Capital.
Popshop ($24.5 million raised)
Whatnot competitor Popshop is betting that live-shopping is the future of ecommerce. The West Hollywood-based firm focuses on collectables such as trading cards and anime merchandise.
First Resonance ($19.4 million raised)
Founded by former SpaceX engineer Karan Talati, First Resonance runs a software platform for makers of electric cars and aerospace technology. Its clients include Santa Cruz-based air taxi company Joby Aviation and Alameda-based rocket company Astra.
Open Raven ($19 million raised)
Founded by Crowdstrike and Microsoft alums, Open Raven aims to protect user data. The cybersecurity firm’s investors include Kleiner Perkins and Upfront Ventures.
Fourthwall ($17 million raised)
When an actor faces the camera and speaks directly to the audience, it’s known as “breaking the fourth wall.” Named after the trope, Venice-based Fourthwall offers a website builder that’s designed for content creators.
The Non Fungible Token Company ($15 million raised)
The Non Fungible Token Company creates NFTs for musicians under the name Unblocked. Its investors include Jay Z’s Marcy Venture Partners and Shawn Mendez.
Safe Health Systems ($15 million raised)
Backed by Mayo Clinic Ventures, Safe Health develops telehealth software and offers tools for enterprises to launch their own health care apps.
Intro ($11.6 million raised)
Intro’s app lets you book video calls with experts—from celebrity stylists, to astrologists, to investors.
DASH Systems ($8.5 million raised)
With the tagline “Land the package, not the plane,” DASH Systems is a Hawthorne-based shipping company that builds hardware and software for automated airdrops.
Ettitude ($3.5 million raised)
With a focus on sustainability, Ettitude is a direct-to-consumer brand that sells bedding, bathroom textiles and sleepwear.
Afterparty ($3 million raised)
Along similar lines as Unblocked, Afterparty creates NFTs for artists and content creators such as Clay Perry and Tropix.
Heart to Heart ($0.75 million raised)
Heart to Heart is an audio-focused dating app that “lets you listen to the story behind the pictures in a profile.” Precursor Ventures led the pre-seed funding round.
Frigg (undisclosed)
Frigg makes hair and beauty products that contain cannabinoids such as CBD. The Valley Village-based company raised an undisclosed seed round in August.
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One Santa Monica-based company, B2U Storage Solutions, has found a solution: transforming these batteries and those from other car manufacturers into storage for solar energy, effectively creating an 8.5 megawatt solar power plant in the Lancaster desert. The stored solar energy can then be sold to the grid to power the region in the evenings, when the demand for electricity is high and energy from the sun isn't available.
With a state ban on the sale of new gasoline-powered cars set to take effect by 2035, millions of electric vehicles are expected to be sold in California in the coming years. It's created a headache for policymakers who are grappling with how to regulate the disposal of these batteries.
Worried about the glut of batteries, state Assemblymembers Brian Dahle and Phil Ting wrote legislation that was signed into law in 2018 aimed at creating a plan. The Lithium-Ion Car Battery Recycling Advisory Group, consisting of car manufacturers, the salvage industry, recyclers and nonprofits and facilitated by the California Environmental Protection Agency, are studying what regulations should be in place when it comes to the disposal of EV batteries.
"With California continuing to expand its rollout of zero-emission vehicles, it is critical that we as a state prepare for the large-scale battery recycling necessary to accommodate the transition to greener technology," said Mark Isaac Isidro, legislative director for Assemblyman Tom Lackey, a co-author of the bill whose district includes Lancaster.
Recycling lithium-ion batteries can be tricky because they are comprised of metals like lithium, cobalt and nickel that are difficult to recycle. The battery cells are also glued together with strong adhesives, making it hard to separate them. It is often cheaper to mine new metals.
But energy storage is one solution.
B2U CEO Freeman Hall is making a pitch that the batteries should be given a second life before they're recycled.
"We're helping gain that trust with the [original equipment manufacturers] because they're such an important voice in how the rules will get written on lifecycle management and we want to make sure that they understand that reuse is a very good place to go when risk is managed appropriately," he said. "And we think we can be the leading reuse provider for batteries in second life stationary storage and we think that we have a good business model to manage that risk at scale."
Hall said his business sits at the intersection of two big societal and environmental needs: transforming the power sector into renewable energy and transitioning the transportation sector toward electrification.
Maria Xylia, a research fellow at SEI - Stockholm Environment Institute and co-author of a report called "Beyond the Tipping Point: Future Energy Storage," agrees. Batteries are often considered useless for cars after they reach 80% of their battery capacity, she said.
"So that means that you have a whole lot left which is not applicable for car vehicle applications, but it's great for stationary storage and all these other opportunities, so why waste this opportunity?," she said. "It's a great way of handling the question of what you do with batteries and improving even more the environmental benefits from electrification in the transport market."
And investors are watching. B2U recently closed a nearly $10 million Series A raise that will help it expand its capacity at the Lancaster site and to bring on another site in Southern California by the second or third quarter of next year. The round was led by the power division of Japanese trading conglomerate Marubeni.
By this time next year, Hall plans to produce about a total of 50 megawatt hours with both projects.
The Lancaster array contains about 500 batteries. By early next year, Hall expects that number to reach 1,000.
Hall said the typical cost of recycling a battery is $500 to $700. If the batteries can be reused, it will reduce the cost of recycling.
"We can pay for those batteries rather than OEMs having to pay for the recycling," he said.
B2U purchases the batteries from manufacturers like Nissan, typically when they're at 65% of their capacity or greater. Hall said he's looking at salvage yards as another supplier; that's generally where cars end up that can no longer run because of powertrain issues, for example.
The batteries are kept in their original casing, eliminating the need to repurpose them, and placed into large cabinets that are wired to each other, using the company's proprietary technology, to create a large-scale energy storage system.
The batteries slowly charge during the day and once the sun goes down, B2U sells the energy to the grid when wholesale market prices are more expensive.
Aging studies conducted by B2U show that each battery can run for about 2,000 cycles before they are no longer useful. Each day is about 1 cycle, resulting in an additional five and a half years of use.
"Things are working very well. We're making pretty good money and we do believe we're proving our thesis that our proprietary technology using these second-life batteries is going to be a lower cost and we will be able to sort of demonstrate the reliability and performance over time of the solution," Hall said.
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