Los Angeles is one of the most famous cities in the world and is commonly seen as the absolute hub for movie stars and decadence. Despite this, the city is also one of the most important in the USA for startups, being ranked as the number four ecosystem in the United States. As a result of this, it should come as no surprise that there are numerous top startups in LA. With LA startups benefiting from a range of factors in their ecosystem.
One of the main factors that makes LA an incredible city for startups is the availability of startup funding in the city. As it stands, there are more than 120 VC firms that actually have their main HQ in the city, which highlights the potential opportunities. There's also a whole host of startup incubators and accelerators which help companies to get their early-stage ventures off of the ground.
The local government in LA are also heavily involved in the development of the local startup ecosystem. For example, the city was the first globally to implement an "Entrepreneurs in Residence Program" which embeds local entrepreneurs in the government, getting them support, exposure for their ideas and also helps the local government to tackle problems with innovative solutions.
1. Thrilling
Year Founded: 2018
HQ: LA, California, USA
Size: 1-10
Founders: Shilla Kim-Parker, Brad Mallow
Thrilling is an LA startup that was founded in 2018 and is currently based in the sunny city of LA. The company operates in the fashion market and has created a marketplace of curated vintage and secondhand clothing that is stylish and can still be enjoyed. The company partners with a wide variety of vendors to ensure that they can offer a huge number of clothing lines to their customers.
The team at Thrilling have done a great job of raising startup funding since being founded, raising funding from a total of nine investors in that time. The total amount of funding raised from these investors stands at $10.7 Million as it stands.
2. PlayVS
Year Founded: 2017
HQ: LA, California, USA
Size: 51-100
Founders: Delane Parnell
PlayVS is a startup in LA that was founded in 2017 and is still currently based in the city. The company works in the gaming market and provides the infrastructure for high schools to offer competitive e-sports opportunities to their students. This can spur students to pursue successful careers in e-sports and also provides an environment perfect for competitive fun, also facilitating progression opportunities through the college path.
The company has been incredibly successful in raising startup funding since being founded. With a total of $106.2 Million being raised in that time. This funding was achieved with the support of 28 investors.
3. DRESSX
Year Founded: 2020
HQ: LA, California, USA
Size: 11-50
Founders: Natalia Modenova
DRESSX is an LA startup that was founded in 2020 and is currently based in the California city. The company offers an online marketplace where customers can shop from a wide variety of different retail outlets through their platform. The company also has its own NFT marketplace which can be utilized for investing and other utilities.
The California startup has been very successful in raising startup funding since being founded, with the team managing to generate investment totalling $19.2 Million in startup funding. This funding was achieved with the support of 13 investors.
4. Bambee
Year Founded: 2016
HQ: LA, California, USA
Size: 101-250
Founders: Allan Jones
Bambee is a startup in LA that was founded in 2016 and is currently still based in the city. The company works in the HR market and offers a SaaS solution that allows them to outsource their HR functions to experts in the field who take annoying and time-consuming work against their customers. This is offered for the very low cost of $99 per month, which is much less than a company would have to pay for a dedicated HR team and is worth the time-savings.
The team has generated a large amount of startup funding since being founded, with a total of $63 Million being raised in that frame of time. This funding was achieved with the backing of ten investors.
5. LinearB
Year Founded: 2018
HQ: LA, California, USA
Size: 51-100
Founders: Ori Keren, Dan Lines
LinearB is an LA startup that was founded in 2018 and is currently maintaining its headquarters in the city. The company operates in the DevOps market and has created a platform that helps developers to identify inefficiencies in their coding, use automation to assist with operational goals and cut down on errors. They also offer tracking to assist with the management of project progress.
The team have been very effective at marketing their business to investors, with a total of $70.6 Million being raised since being founded. This funding was achieved with the support of seven investors.
6. Chaos
Year Founded: 2022
HQ: LA, California, USA
Size: 11-50
Founders: Bo Marr, Brett Cummings
Chaos Industries is a startup in LA that was founded in 2022 and is currently still based in the city. The company works in the defence and aerospace industries and helps its clients with engineering and technological innovations to improve upon existing systems and build completely new ones, pioneering the future of the defence sector.
The business has secured a large amount of startup funding since being founded, with the company raising a total of $70 Million in startup funding in that time. This funding was achieved with the support of six investors.
7. EthSign
Year Founded: 2019
HQ: LA, California, USA
Size: 1-10
Founders: Houyao Li, Xin Yan, Jack Xu
EthSign is an LA startup that was founded in 2019 and is still maintaining its headquarters in the city. The company is bringing the world of electronic signatures to the blockchain, allowing for decentralized and consensus-based agreements that can be permanently stored and checked later for validity. This eliminates a large number of privacy concerns that are present with current electronic signing.'
The team at EthSign have been very effective in raising startup funding to further develop their project. Since being founded, the company has raised a total of $12.7 Million in startup funding. This funding was achieved with the support of 44 investors.
8. Camino Financial
Year Founded: 2014
HQ: LA, California, USA
Size: 101-250
Founders: Sean Salas, Kenneth Salas
Camino Financial is an LA startup that was founded in 2014 and is currently based in the city of LA. The company operates in the FinTech market and helps its customers with their finances by providing digital loans for both businesses and individuals. These loans are priced at lower rates and the company also leverages their technology to ensure that customers have the best possible lending experience.
The team at Camino Financial have done a great job of raising funding for the company since it was founded. In that time, the business has managed to raise a total of $170.4 Million in funding from a group of nine investors.
9. Papaya
Year Founded: 2016
HQ: LA, California, USA
Size: 51-100
Founders: Eynat Guez, Ruben Drong, Ofer Herman
Papaya is a startup in LA that was founded in 2016 and is currently headquartered in the city of LA. The company works in the FinTech market and has developed an app that makes it easier for customers to pay their bills. All they need to do is upload their bill payments and they can manage all of the payments through their app, instead of having to go to each website to pay.
Papaya has been very successful in raising startup funding since being founded, with the company managing to raise a total of $65.1 Million in startup funding. This funding was achieved with the support of 14 investors.
10. SpectrumAi
Year Founded: 2021
HQ: LA, California, USA
Size: 11-50
Founders: Ling Shao
SpectrumAI is an LA startup that was founded in 2021 and is currently headquartered in the city of LA. The company operates in the wellness and healthcare markets and aims to help parents get access to critical therapies and treatments for ABA. This helps children with learning disabilities around the world to get access to the care that they need.
The team at Spectrum have done a great job of enticing investors to back the mission of their company. Since being founded, the company has managed to raise a total of $29 Million in startup funding which was achieved with the support of five investors.
11. Blockdaemon
Year Founded: 2017
HQ: LA, California, USA
Size: 101-250
Founders: Konstantin Richter
Blockdaemon is an LA startup that was founded in 2017 and is still based in the California city. The company operates in the blockchain market and is behind the development and creation of institutional grade infrastructure for the blockchain market. The company is helping to drive the widespread adoption of blockchain technology by making the core of the technology more accessible.
The team has managed to achieve a mammoth amount of funding from investors to grow their project. At the time of writing, the company has managed to raise a total of $431.3 Million. This funding was achieved through an unknown number of investors.
12. Gamma
Year Founded: 2020
HQ: LA, California, USA
Size: 51-100
Founders: Grant Lee, James Fox, Jon Noronha
Gamma is an LA startup that was founded in 2020 and is currently based in the city of LA. The company operates in the marketing sector and the company helps marketers by giving them a platform that allows them to create new, great content with a single click using a range of templates and without the need for coding. Gamma makes design simple, easy and removes the headaches.
Since being founded, the company has seen good success in raising funding from investors. At the time of writing, the startup has managed to raise a total of $7 Million in startup funding, with this funding being achieved from the help of eight investors.
13. Jump
Year Founded: 2020
HQ: LA, California, USA
Size: 11-50
Founders: Unknown
Jump is an LA startup that was founded in 2020 and is still maintaining its headquarters in the city. The company works in the events market and helps events organisers by offering their end-to-end fan experience solution. Their offerings allow organisers to get more people into their venues, find ways to get them closer to the action of the events and to create better overall experiences for fans.
The team at Jump have been very effective in raising startup funding since being founded, with the company raising a total of $30 Million in funding from a single round at the time of writing. This funding was achieved with the support of six investors.
14. Modern Animal
Year Founded: 2019
HQ: LA, California, USA
Size: 1-10
Founders: Steven Eidelman
Modern Animal is an LA startup that was founded in 2019 and is currently based in the city of LA. The company aims to create better vet care for pet owners across the world. This is achieved through their 24/7 virtual care support, which means people can always get the help they need. Users also don't have to pay any fees at the time of use, only having to pay a smaller annual subscription to use their services.
The team has managed to do a great job in raising funding to improve their services and expand their business. The company has managed to raise a total of $89 Million in startup funding since being founded, with this funding being achieved with the support of 13 investors.
15. Plai Labs
Year Founded: 2023
HQ: LA, California, USA
Size: 51-100
Founders: Chris DeWolfe, Aber Whitcomb
Plai Labs is a startup in LA that was founded in 2023 and is currently based in the California city. The company is developing new technological solutions for companies to assist them with a proven track record in providing solutions for social media and game mechanics to build the future infrastructure of the Web 3.0 ecosystem.
The team at Plai Labs have been incredibly successful in raising startup funding since being founded, with the company raising a total of $32 Million in startup funding. Interestingly, this funding was achieved with the support of a single investor.
16. Orange Comet
Year Founded: 2022
HQ: LA, California, USA
Size: 51-100
Founders: Dave Broome, Edward Loew, Gloria Estefan, Kurt Warner, Paul Camiuso, Will Meris.
Orange Comet is an LA startup that was founded in 2022 and is currently based in the California city. The company operates in the blockchain market and is creating the new ecosystems for the Web 3.0 market, by designing fun experiences and gaming opportunities. They have their own marketplace where NFTs can be bought and sold.
The team at Orange Comet have done very well in securing startup funding in the time they have been operating. In that time, the company has managed to raise a total of $7 Million in startup funding. This funding was achieved with the support of an unknown number of investors.
17. Spotter
Year Founded: 2019
HQ: LA, California, USA
Size: 101-250
Founders: Aaron DeBevoise
Spotter is a startup in LA that was founded in 2019 and is still headquartered in the city. The company operates in the FinTech market and helps content creators by providing the best financial solution for them. They have facilitated more than $600 Million that has been delivered to content creators and have created more than 400 partnerships through YouTube.
Spotter has managed to raise a huge amount of startup funding in the four years it has been operating. In total, the company has managed to raise a figure of $230.6 Million in startup funding, with this funding coming from the support of six investors.
18. Macro
Year Founded: 2015
HQ: LA, California, USA
Size: 11-50
Founders: Charles King
Macro is a LA startup that was founded in 2015 and is currently based in LA, California. The company operates a multimedia platform that aims to make the voices of black creators and other persons of colour heard. They have helped to produce a number of feature films and TV shows, winning a number of Oscars and being nominated for numerous others, they are breaking ground in the entertainment industry.
The team has been very effective in raising startup funding since the company was founded, with a total of $9.3 Million being raised by the company at the time of writing. This funding was achieved with the support of four investors.
19. NineSixteen
Year Founded: 2020
HQ: LA, California, USA
Size: 101-250
Founders: Aditya Mugali, Sumant Yerramilly
NineSixteen is a startup in LA that was founded in 2020 and is still headquartered in the city. The company has made it possible for items from a range of retail outlets to be available to buy all in one place. The company places emphasis on sustainable items and aims to foster great relationships with its communities as well as improving the state of the fashion market on a social level.
Despite the success of the business, it has not yet publicly sought any startup funding to grow its operations. It is unclear if this will change in the future.
20. Emotive
Year Founded: 2018
HQ: LA, California, USA
Size: 101-250
Founders: Brian Zatulove and Zachary Wise
Emotive is an LA startup that was founded in 2018 and is currently based in the sunny city. The company operates in the e-commerce market and develops solutions to help its customers to better connect with their own customers. This is achieved through the adoption of their conversational marketing platform which is delivered through SMS. This platform improves channels of customer communication.
The company has seen great success when attempting to raise startup funding to grow the business. Since being founded, Emotive has managed to raise a total figure of $78.2 Million in startup funding, with this funding coming from the support of 14 investors.
21. Solyent
Year Founded: 2013
HQ: LA, California, USA
Size: 11-50
Founders: Rob Rhinehart, Matt Cauble, John Coogan, David Renteln
Solyent is an LA startup that was founded in 2013 and is currently based in the city. The company works in the food and beverage industry and provides a range of healthy and delicious drinks aimed at people that are in a time crunch. Their items range from protein bars and shakes, to fruit smoothies and much more.
The company has managed to make a huge amount of money from startup funding since being founded, with the company raising a total of $133.3 Million in funding from a group of eight investors.
FAQs
How Many Startups Are There in LA?
There are currently more than 4000 VC backed startups in LA.
What is the Average Investment in LA Startups?
The average Seed Round in LA is worth $1 Million and the average Series A is worth $7 Million.
What Startup Industries Are The Strongest in LA?
The strongest startup industries in the city are E-Commerce & Retail, Marketing & Sales and Social & Leisure.
