gaming

🎮 Riot Games' Valorant Finals Are Another Jewel In LA's Gaming Crown

Wil Chockley
WIl Chockley is a partner at 75 & Sunny, where he evaluates potential investment opportunities across sectors and works with founders to build their strategy and execute on their vision.
🎮 Riot Games' Valorant Finals Are Another Jewel In LA's Gaming Crown
Photo courtesy of Riot Games

🔦 Spotlight

🎮💥🔫 “USA, USA, USA!” If you wandered into the Kia Forum this past Saturday and listened to the cheers, you might have thought you had stumbled into a secret Olympic Games, and honestly you’d kind of be right.

That not-so-secret Olympics was the Valorant Champions Tour Grand Final, hosted by LA-based gaming giant Riot Games.

I was lucky enough to attend, and, as I sat in the sold-out crowd of 11,500 screaming fans, watching (real) fire erupt from the stage and (CGI) explosions and gunshots flash on the jumbotrons, I felt like a kid on his first day at a new school. Everyone around me seemed to know exactly what to do, and I was just sitting there, confused and overwhelmed, looking exactly like this emoji → 😮

For those of you not familiar with Valorant, it’s a first person shooter game (á la Call of Duty) where two teams of five compete to shoot each other or finish various tasks while avoiding being shot by the other team (sorry to all of the Valorant fans out there for butchering this description). Last month, more than 20 million people played the game, and over a million fans tuned in online to watch the Championship Finals live, according to Riot. While those numbers are obviously huge, Valorant is tiny compared to Riot’s flagship game League of Legends, which counted over 150 million players last month.

So why the “USA, USA, USA!” chant? For the same reason traditional pro sports teams are built around cities. People love cheering for the home team. Riot has organized the professional Valorant league (Valorant Champions Tour or VCT) into regional teams. Saturday’s eventual champion was the North American team, Evil Geniuses - an underdog who triumphed against the heavily favored Southeast Asian Paper Rex team. Fans couldn’t get enough of both sides, though “EG” was the definitely a little more hometown love.

These fans didn’t just come for the 3+ hour actual competition, though. Attendees started showing up more than four hours before the Grand Finals started, hanging out in the baking hot parking lot at the Riot-organized “Fan Fest” before watching the wildly impressive opening musical acts performing Riot-created music from the Valorant game. It was, dare I say it? A Riot of a good time.

So what does this all mean…

This competition is living proof of how gaming is now the largest category in entertainment, and it’s not even close. The industry’s estimated $192B in 2022 revenue is double the size of the TV and movie businesses, and more than 7x the size of the music industry.

It also demonstrates the strength of gaming as one of LA’s core tech sectors. Riot is an LA company, through and through. It was born out of founders Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill’s USC dorm room, opened its first office in Santa Monica in 2006, and maintains its headquarters on Olympic Blvd in West LA to this day. For more evidence of LA’s gaming prowess, look no further than our Around the Internet section below. 😎

🤝 Venture Deals

LA Startups

  • LA-based Trellis, a provider of state trial court data, raised $15m in Series B funding led by Top Tier Capital Partners, with participation from Okapi Ventures, Calibrate Ventures, Craft Ventures, Revel Partners and Sky Dayton - learn more
LA VCs
  • MFast, a financial services distribution network, raised a $6M Series A led by LA-based Wavemaker Partners, with participation from Krungsri Innovate, Headline Asia and insiders Do Ventures, JAFCO Asia and Ascend Vietnam Ventures - learn more
  • Pi-xcels, a startup that manufactures an NFC-enabled point of sale device that can issue interactive e-receipts, raised a $1.7M Seed Round led by LA-based Wavemaker Partners, and joined by Hustle Fund, Amand Ventures, and Black Kite Capital - learn more
  • TeamSense, a platform that helps manufacturers manage the attendance of their deskless workers, raised a $4M Seed Round led by LA-based Bonfire Ventures, with additional funds provided by Operator Collective - learn more
New LA Funds
  • Black Ostrich Ventures, an LA-based venture capital firm, has launched a $20 million pre-seed and seed stage fund to support African founders to grow their businesses in the cleantech, supply chain, ag-tech, and edtech sectors. The newly created firm says it will mainly support startups in Tanzania, Zambia, Morocco and Uganda, with check sizes ranging from $50,000 to $200,000. - learn more

⚒️ Open Roles

Operations Associate @ Techstars Space Accelerator

Techstars Space Accelerator is hiring a Los Angeles based Operations Associate. This role is responsible for the administrative duties and operational execution throughout the duration of the accelerator program. Logistics experience as well as familiarity with the early stage venture backed company ecosystem is preferred. A willingness to learn and comfort tackling new problems is a must.

It’s a chance to get amazing experience, broaden your network in ways you could never imagine, get exposure to some of the greatest up and coming companies and teams in the country. Historically, most associates end up being employed by one of the teams or by someone they met during the span of the three months. Many also go on to build their own companies. Apply directly here.

✨Featured Event✨

Plug In South LA is hosing its Accelerator Cohort 4 Founder Showcase on September 14th.

Hosted by our friends at Plug In, this event will showcase Early Stage Black and Brown Founders rolling out new service and platform solutions in Digital Health/Healthcare Tech, FinTech, Digital Media, PropTech, and EdTech.

🚀 For Early Stage Investors looking to diversify their portfolios with high-potential companies led by Black and Brown Entrepreneurs, this showcase is a must-attend. We also extend a warm welcome to the LA Tech community, including LPs, Corporate Executives & Foundations, and Family Offices.

🎟️ Secure your spot now and immerse yourself in a night of innovation, inspiration, and boundless opportunities. Register for the Plug In Accelerator Cohort 4 Founder Showcase here.


📅 LA Tech Calendar

Tuesday, September 5th

  • Tacos and Tech 🗽 - ScaleHealth’s monthly happy hour for tech and healthcare innovators.

Thursday, September 7th

Other events to add to the calendar

🗽 - Free

🌍 Around The Internet

Over the past few years, there has been a shift in startup dynamics that has resulted in a dispersion of funding across the country. This geographical redistribution of seed investments mirrors the evolving landscape of venture capital, propelled by trends such as remote work and the strength of emerging startup ecosystems.

Unsurprisingly the Bay Area stands as the preeminent force in startup funding taking the top spot for capital invested in 7 of the 10 verticals listed below. That being said Los Angeles had a strong showing in the first half of 2023 and dominated the gaming vertical. Total capital raised by gaming companies based in Los Angeles during in the first half of 2023 was nearly $85M, more than 4X the next leading market, Dallas/Fort Worth. 🎮👾🕹️

Read More

Source: Carta

📙 What We’re Reading

  • SEC Settles First NFT Enforcement Action, Against Media Company Impact Theory. - read more
  • Completion of the $2 billion automated people mover project at Los Angeles International Airport has been pushed back to fall of next year. - read more
gaming
los angeles tech news

Match Goes Niche With $100M Move

Grace Lee
Match Goes Niche With $100M Move

🔦 Spotlight

Hello Los Angeles,

It’s May, and LA is about to have one of its more important weeks.

The Milken Institute Global Conference 2026 returns to Beverly Hills next week, bringing together thousands of investors, operators, policymakers, and executives. It’s one of the few places where public markets, private capital, and tech actually overlap in the same rooms, and where you can usually get an early read on what capital is leaning into before it fully shows up in the data.

This year, one theme is already starting to surface. Platforms are getting more specific, not more broad.

This week’s news is a good example.

Match Group is investing $100 million into Sniffies, a fast-growing, location-based platform built for gay, bi, trans, and queer men. It’s a notable move for a company best known for mainstream dating apps like Tinder and Hinge, and it signals a deeper push into more niche, community-driven platforms.

Sniffies operates very differently from traditional dating apps. It’s more real-time, more map-based, and more focused on immediacy than long-term matching. In other words, it’s built around behavior, not profiles.

And that’s what makes the investment interesting.

For years, the dominant strategy in consumer platforms was scale, build one product that works for everyone. But what we’re seeing now is the opposite. The platforms that are gaining traction tend to be the ones that understand a specific audience deeply and build for how that group actually behaves.

Match leaning into that shift isn’t just about expanding its portfolio. It’s a recognition that growth is coming from focus.

And in a city like Los Angeles, that’s usually where things start.

Below are this week’s venture deals and fund announcements across LA 👇


🤝 Venture Deals

    LA Companies

    • Illuminant Surgical raised an $8.4M seed round to accelerate the rollout of its real-time anatomical projection platform, which aims to give surgeons enhanced visibility during procedures. The company’s “Skylight” system is designed to project internal imaging directly onto the patient, improving precision and reducing risk, and the funding will support product development and early commercialization efforts. - learn more
    • Jupid raised $840K in early funding to support its AI-native accounting platform, which is designed to automate bookkeeping, tax filing, and compliance for small businesses directly within banking platforms. The company is building what it describes as an embedded “AI accountant” that integrates with financial institutions to streamline operations for entrepreneurs, and plans to use the funding to expand partnerships and accelerate product development as demand grows for automated financial tools. - learn more
    • Lumicup raised a $4.38M Series A to expand its product line and scale manufacturing as it looks to meet growing demand for its consumer health and wellness products. The company plans to use the funding to increase production capacity, invest in new product development, and strengthen its distribution as it continues to grow its footprint in the market. - learn more
    • Counterpart raised a $50M Series C to expand its AI-driven “agentic insurance” platform, which helps small businesses manage growing legal and employment risks tied to AI adoption. The round was led by Valor Equity Partners with participation from existing investor Vy Capital, bringing the company’s total funding to $106M, and the capital will be used to launch new insurance products, expand risk management capabilities, and scale its underwriting platform. - learn more
    • Nervonik raised a $52.5M Series B to advance its next-generation peripheral nerve stimulation technology, which aims to deliver more precise, personalized treatment for chronic pain. The round was led by Amzak Health with participation from Elevage Medical Technologies, U.S. Venture Partners, Lumira Ventures, Foothill Ventures, and Shangbay Capital, and the company plans to use the funding to accelerate clinical programs and move toward commercialization. - learn more
    • LighthouseAI raised an $8M Series A to expand its AI-powered platform that helps pharmaceutical companies manage state licensing and regulatory compliance. The round was led by Boxcars Ventures with participation from TGVP and existing investors, and the company plans to use the funding to enhance product development, improve service delivery, and support continued growth as it scales across the pharma supply chain. - learn more

    LA Venture Funds
    • MANTIS Venture Capital participated in Rogo’s $75M Series C, backing the AI platform as it builds autonomous financial agents designed to streamline complex workflows for banks and investment firms. The round was led by Sequoia Capital and included a mix of major financial institutions and venture firms, signaling strong demand for AI tools that can augment decision-making across high-stakes finance. - learn more
    • M13 participated in Chord’s $7M funding round, backing the AI commerce platform as it builds a “context layer” designed to unify fragmented data, tools, and workflows for retail brands. The round was led by Equal Ventures with participation from Chingona Ventures and CEAS Investments, and the company aims to help operators move beyond dashboards toward systems that can make real-time decisions and automate actions across the business. - learn more
    • Fika Ventures participated in Lumian’s funding round, backing the startup as it launches an AI-native Amazon agency designed to automate and optimize how brands operate on the marketplace. The company is focused on replacing traditional agency workflows with AI-driven systems that can manage everything from advertising to operations in real time, reflecting a broader shift toward automation in e-commerce. - learn more
    • Riot Ventures co-led True Anomaly’s $650M Series D, backing the defense space startup as it scales spacecraft, software, and autonomous systems designed for national security missions in orbit. The round values the company at around $2.2 billion and brings total funding to over $1 billion since its 2022 founding, and the company plans to use the capital to accelerate mission deployments, expand manufacturing, and grow its workforce as demand increases for space-based defense capabilities. - learn more
    • Clocktower Technology Ventures participated in Clarasight’s $11.5M Series A, backing the AI-powered travel and expense platform as it works to unify fragmented enterprise data into a single system. The round was led by AlleyCorp with participation from several travel and fintech-focused investors, and the company plans to use the funding to expand product development and scale go-to-market efforts as demand grows for AI-driven efficiency in corporate travel. - learn more
    • Halogen Ventures and Mucker Capital participated in SkyfireAI’s $11M seed round, backing the startup as it builds an AI-native platform for coordinating autonomous, multi-drone operations. The company’s software is designed for public safety and defense use cases, helping teams deploy and manage fleets of drones with greater speed and efficiency without increasing staffing, and it plans to use the funding to accelerate product development, expand its team, and scale deployments with government and mission-critical customers as demand grows for autonomous drone systems. - learn more
    • Matter Venture Partners led OpenLight’s $50M Series A-1, with participation from Acclimate Ventures, Catapult Ventures, and existing investors, backing the photonics company as it scales its next-generation chip platform for AI infrastructure. The funding brings total capital raised to $84M and will be used to accelerate global deployment of its silicon photonics technology across data centers, telecom, and other high-bandwidth applications. - learn more
    • Alexandria Venture Investments participated in Fathom Therapeutics’ $47M Series A, backing the biotech startup as it applies quantum chemistry and AI to design next-generation small molecule drugs. The oversubscribed round was led by Sutter Hill Ventures with participation from Chemistry and other investors, and the company plans to advance its platform, which simulates protein behavior inside living cells to accelerate drug discovery. - learn more

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      Netflix Doubles Down on LA

      Grace Lee
      Netflix Doubles Down on LA

      🔦 Spotlight

      Hey Los Angeles.

      Goodbye Coachella, hello Stagecoach. The desert doesn’t stay quiet for long, and neither does LA’s entertainment machine.

      This week, that momentum showed up in a more permanent way.

      Netflix is expanding its footprint in Los Angeles with a major move to take over and invest in Radford Studio Center, a historic production lot in Studio City. The company is planning a long-term transformation of the site, with upgrades to soundstages, production offices, and infrastructure designed to support the next generation of film and television production.

      It’s a notable shift in a moment when production has been under pressure in California, with studios increasingly looking outside the state for cost advantages. Netflix going deeper in LA, and specifically into a legacy studio lot, signals a different kind of commitment. Not just to content, but to where that content actually gets made.

      And it comes at a time when the streaming wars have matured. Growth is harder, budgets are tighter, and the focus has shifted from scale at all costs to efficiency and control. Owning or operating more of the production environment gives Netflix tighter control over timelines, costs, and output.

      For Los Angeles, it’s a reminder of what still anchors the city. Even as AI, defense tech, and infrastructure startups continue to rise, entertainment remains one of the few industries where LA isn’t just competitive, it’s foundational.

      Different headlines each week, but a consistent theme underneath them. Whether it’s power, autonomy, or content, the companies that matter are investing in the layers they don’t want to outsource.

      And in this case, that layer is Hollywood itself.

      Below are this week’s venture deals, fund announcements, and acquisitions across LA 👇


      🤝 Venture Deals

        LA Venture Funds

        • UP Partners and Calm Ventures participated in Reliable Robotics’ $160M funding round, backing the autonomous aviation company as it advances pilotless flight technology for cargo and passenger aircraft. The round included a mix of new and existing investors, and the company plans to use the capital to accelerate certification efforts and expand deployment of its autonomous systems across commercial aviation. - learn more
        • Blue Heron Ventures participated in Tava Health’s $40M Series C, backing the company as it expands its tech-enabled mental health platform into a more integrated, full-stack system for providers, employers, and health plans. The round was led by Centana Growth Partners with participation from existing investors, and the company plans to use the funding to roll out new AI-powered tools and broaden access to care while reducing administrative friction across the system. - learn more
        • Vamos Ventures participated in Zócalo Health’s $15M Series A, backing the company as it scales its tech-enabled, community-based primary care model focused on high-need and underserved populations. The round was led by .406 Ventures with participation from existing and new investors, and the company plans to use the funding to expand its clinics and deepen partnerships with Medicaid programs as demand for accessible care grows. - learn more

        LA Exits
        • Studio71 has been acquired by Fixated as part of a broader deal in which German media company ProSiebenSat.1 sold its North American creator business, giving Fixated a large-scale network of creators and podcast operations and significantly expanding its footprint as it continues an aggressive roll-up strategy in the creator economy. The move signals continued consolidation in the space, with Fixated building a more vertically integrated platform across talent management, content production, and distribution. - learn more
        • Bonsai Health has been acquired by ModMed, bringing its AI-powered patient engagement platform into a broader healthcare software ecosystem. The deal is aimed at integrating Bonsai’s “agentic AI” capabilities into ModMed’s platform to automate patient outreach, fill care gaps, and improve scheduling across a network of nearly 50,000 providers. - learn more

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          A $26M Push Into Power in LA

          Grace Lee
          A $26M Push Into Power in LA

          🔦 Spotlight

          Hello, Los Angeles.

          Coachella Weekend 2 is here, which usually means LA is either heading back to the desert or happily staying put this time around. Back in the city, the focus this week is less about music infrastructure and more about something far more critical, power.

          That’s where this week’s news comes in.

          Critical Loop, a Los Angeles-based energy startup, raised a $26 million Series A to tackle one of the least talked about bottlenecks in tech right now, grid interconnection. In simple terms, it’s the process of getting power to where it’s needed, and increasingly, that process is too slow to keep up.

          Critical Loop is building modular microgrid systems that can be deployed in days instead of years, giving industrial operators, data centers, and other energy-heavy users faster access to power without waiting on traditional grid upgrades. The round was led by Conifer Infrastructure Partners and Hanover, with participation from Better Ventures, Climate Capital, Adapt Nation Capital, and Cyrus Ventures.

          The timing here matters. Between AI infrastructure demands, electrification, and a broader push toward domestic energy resilience, power is quickly becoming a gating factor for growth. You can build the data center, the factory, or the next big thing, but none of it works if you can’t turn it on.

          That’s what makes companies like Critical Loop worth watching. They’re not building the flashiest part of the stack, but they’re solving for the piece everything else depends on.

          And in a city that knows a thing or two about scaling ambition quickly, that might be the most important layer of all.

          Below are this week’s fund announcements across LA 👇


          🤝 Venture Deals

          LA Venture Funds

          • Anthos Capital participated in Wealth.com’s $65M Series B, backing the AI-powered estate and tax planning platform as it scales across financial institutions. The oversubscribed round included new investors like Titanium Ventures and Pruven Capital alongside existing backers, and the company plans to use the funding to expand product development, pursue acquisitions, and grow its enterprise footprint as demand rises for AI-driven wealth management solutions. - learn more
          • Anamika Ventures participated in Sage Haven’s $3M pre-seed round, backing the AI-powered messaging and calling app designed to create a safer communication environment for kids. The round was led by Anamika Ventures alongside Fabric Ventures and a group of early-stage investors, as the company launches a platform focused on preventing cyberbullying through real-time AI moderation and parent oversight tools. - learn more
          • MANTIS Venture Capital participated in Factory’s $150M Series C, backing the AI startup as it builds autonomous software engineering systems for enterprise teams. The round was led by Khosla Ventures and included firms like Sequoia Capital, Blackstone, Insight Partners, and NEA, valuing the company at $1.5 billion. Factory plans to use the funding to invest further in product development and global expansion as demand grows for AI-driven tools that can automate large portions of the software development process. - learn more
          • Rebel Fund participated in Uplane’s $4.5M seed round, backing the AI startup as it looks to replace traditional marketing agencies with a platform that automates ad creation, testing, and budget optimization. The round was led by Play Ventures with participation from Y Combinator, 20VC, and Multimodal Ventures, and the company says its technology can improve return on ad spend by automating performance marketing workflows. - learn more
          • Alexandria Venture Investments and Presight Capital participated in Alloy Therapeutics’ $40M Series E, backing the biotech infrastructure company as it scales its AI-powered platform for drug discovery and development. The round included a mix of new investors like 8VC and JIC Venture Growth Investments alongside returning backers, valuing the company at $1 billion and underscoring continued interest in platforms that combine AI, data, and lab services across the biopharma lifecycle. - learn more
          • Finality Capital Partners participated in HYFIX’s $15M seed round, backing the semiconductor startup as it builds American-made chips designed to power drones and autonomous robots. The round was led by Craft Ventures with participation from Catapult Ventures, Multicoin Capital, and Sky Dayton, and the company is developing an integrated system-on-a-chip to replace fragmented hardware stacks and reduce reliance on foreign components. - learn more
          • Rainfall Ventures participated in Stendr’s $5.4M pre-seed round, backing the Norwegian defense tech startup as it builds an AI-native platform for drone detection and counter-drone operations. The round was co-led by Rainfall alongside ACME Capital and Skyfall, with additional participation from Antler, StartupLab, and other early-stage investors, and the company plans to use the funding to accelerate development of its multi-sensor technology and expand engineering capabilities. - learn more
          • Slauson & Co. participated in Slate Auto’s $650M funding round, backing the EV startup as it works to bring a lower-cost electric pickup truck to market. The round was led by TWG Global and comes as the Bezos-backed company prepares to begin production, targeting a more affordable segment of the EV market with a customizable truck expected to launch later this year. - learn more
          • Navitas Capital co-led Primepoint’s $10M seed round, backing the AI startup as it builds a platform that reads and connects complex construction drawings to streamline project workflows. The round also included investors like Penny Jar Capital, NextView Ventures, GS Futures, and Aglaé Ventures, and the company plans to use the funding to expand its platform and grow adoption among large commercial contractors. - learn more
          • Alexandria Venture Investments participated in Neomorph’s $100M Series B, backing the biotech company as it advances its molecular glue degrader platform targeting previously undruggable diseases. The round was led by Deerfield Management with participation from Regeneron Ventures, Longwood Fund, and Binney Street Capital, and the company plans to use the funding to support ongoing clinical trials and expand its broader drug development pipeline. - learn more

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