65 Promising LA Startups You Need to Watch Out, According to VCs

Every day in Los Angeles, another startup launches. Just like every aspiring actor in Los Angeles believes they are the next Brad Pitt, every startup founder believes they are the next multi-billion-dollar hit. There have been no shortages of hits founded in LA like Dollar Shave Club, Honey, SnapChat, Tinder, ZipRecruiter, Bird…and the list goes on. Yet, for every hit, there have been more flops that you will never hear of.

Interested in finding out about the LA startups that will be successes or flops? The best place to start is with the VCs who invest in them.

Leveraging our relationship, we emailed a dozen Los Angeles venture capital investors asking them to tell us the startups they believe are going to boom in the coming year. And, here’s what we have gathered.

The list of the most promising LA startups based on their success stories, and venture-backed funding they have raised so far.

Acre – An American luxury goods brand that designs and sells precious metals. Raised $1.8M
Altruist – A fintech company that develops a commission-free digital investment platform. The platform is designed to help independent financial advisors grow faster, cut costs, eliminate paperwork, and delight their clients. Raised $8.5M
Apollo – A unified engagement acceleration platform that gives reps the ability to dramatically increase their number of quality conversations and opportunities. Raised $9M
Arrive Outdoors – An outdoor travel company that partners with premium outdoor gear brands to offer their gear for rent on our platform. Arrive Outdoors make it possible to easily and sustainably experience the outdoors. Select and rent what you need and get it delivered to your door or destination. Raised $4.8M
Atticus – A new kind of law firm that helps you navigate the early stages of any serious legal issue. Atticus helps you choose the right approach, hire the right lawyer, and get on with your life.
BadVR uses virtual reality to craft immersive data experiences that help you see the whole picture and gain actionable insights.
Bespoke Financial is a licensed lender supporting cannabis companies. Raised $7M
Brainbase – A platform that helps brands manage and monetize their intellectual property. Raised $12M
ComunityMade – Creates a unique brand and retail experience with local manufacturing, a maker community, and their own brand of premium sneakers handcrafted locally in Los Angeles and gives locally with every purchase to build a stronger community. Seed
CreatorIQ – An intelligence-driven platform for enterprises to manage their ad campaign. Raised $40M
CREXi is a commercial real estate marketplace for lease, buy, and sale. It simplifies transactions for brokers with a suite of easy-to-use tools to manage the entire process from listing to closing. Bringing the traditional CRE sales process online, CREXi leverages the latest advances in technology to make transactions ultra-efficient. Raised $54M
dataPlor – Helps companies succeed in emerging markets by delivering high-quality small business intelligence. We provide reliable “boots on the ground” workforce capable of data verification and augmentation as well as market research on local businesses. Raised $2.8M
DogDrop – Offers complete flexibility for members to drop-off and pick-up their pups at any DD location and any time (6 am-10 pm). Raised $300K
Drinks.com – Disrupting the way wine is sold by leveraging its industry-leading digital reach and marketplace efficiencies to bring consumers the highest quality wine at the lowest prices, direct to their door. Raised $28.3M
Dronebase – An aerial data analytics company, which provides businesses with a platform to leverage the world’s largest Pilot Network to make better decisions about their most critical assets. Raised $26.5M
DropLabs – Develops audio-immersive technology and manufactures consumer electronics. DropLabs’ technology converts audio into vibrations you can feel from your feet through your entire body, transforming music, movies, and games into immersive, live experiences. Raised $18M
Elementary Robotics – A robotics startup that built a platform for applying machine learning to the logistics industries. Raised $17.5M
Enervee – The world’s first energy-smart data and commerce platform. The Enervee Score rates the energy efficiency of consumer electronics and home appliances from 0 to 100 (best). It’s a real-time comparison of how a product ranks compared to all others on the market as of today. Raised $5.4M
Ettitude – A direct-to-consumer sustainable lifestyle brand offering modern bedding, bath, and sleepwear products made from the world’s first CleanBamboo™ fabric. On a quest to make the world a more comfortable place, today and in 100 years, our innovative fabrics are feathery soft, extremely breathable, antimicrobial, and water-saving. Raised $1.7M
FanDragon Technologies provides secure ticket delivery solutions for venues, promoters, and fans. Raised $12M
Fernish – A furniture rental startup company that offers provides furniture as a subscription model to consumers living a mobile lifestyle. The company seeks to redefine the way the market sees furniture rental by positioning itself as a lifestyle brand. Raised $45M
FIGS – Creates the highest quality medical apparel in the world. Raised $75M
Finli – a technology platform that provides integrated financial solutions for neighborhood schools and studios. Finli supports these business owners and instructors by taking care of everything behind the scenes so they can focus on what they do best. Raised $1.6M
For Days – a new OS for manufacturing and commerce. For Days is a basics apparel business designed for circularity. The company aims to drive positive impact by changing relationships with those pesky essentials that have an inherently limited lifespan and save the planet with clothes. Raised $2.8M
Frame – A mental wellness network offering a multi-dimensional approach to therapy. On the platform, you can participate anonymously in our therapist-lead digital workshops, or match one-on-one for video or in-person sessions. Seed
Happy Returns – Provides comprehensive return solutions for leading online and omnichannel retailers and their customers. Raised $25M
Hart.com – Focused on pioneering the movement known as Healthcare as a Service. By focusing on building the underlying platform: Hart enables systems, providers, payers, developers, and patients to build the future of healthcare.
Jinx – A dog wellness brand that primarily sells dog foods online. It delivers optimal nutritional health dogs who need to eat a high-quality protein medley from both animal and plant sources in the right proportions. Jinx online shop provides nutrition options with purposeful ingredients that they can recognize. Raised $5.6M
Kyoku – Offers personalized post-ride shakes made for consumers’ body type, riding style, and cycling goals from plant-based superfoods. The company’s mission to empower every individual to achieve his or her fitness goals through active nutrition. Raised $1.2M
Lambs – Produces stylish high-tech boxer briefs that block cellphone and wifi radiation to protect your health and fertility.
Medely – An on-demand platform for Healthcare professionals, like Registered Nurses and Techs to find Per Diem work. Seed
Mira – An operator of a mobile augmented reality company used to provide industrial-grade wearables and hands-free software technologies. Raised $12.7
MissGrass – A modern and elevated online magazine with captivating content and an e-commerce destination for modern cannabis consumers. They share stories about the women who inspire and curate products for the women who define us. Raised $4M
ModernAnimal – An innovative veterinary platform building a new kind of veterinary experience for animals and humans. The veterinary platform offers unlimited exams, in-app prescription requests & delivery, 24/7 virtual care, and more. Raised $13.5M
Mothership – A fast-growing startup modernizing the antiquated freight industry. We’ve redefined what’s possible by introducing ultra-reliable same-day delivery using our growing marketplace, route optimization algorithms, predictive dynamic dispatching, and unprecedented shipment tracking technologies.
NEXT Trucking – A technology platform connecting shippers with owner/operators and small fleets. It is building smart technology that matches truck drivers to their preferred loads, addressing the problem of carrier capacity. The company combines a freight marketplace with over 16,000 drivers, company-owned assets, and strategic partnerships. Raised $124M
Network Next – Enable game developers to create a better internet connection for their players – one that provides reduced latency, packet loss, and jitter. Raised $4.5M
Open Raven – A developer of data security tools. Open Raven is the modern data security platform that brings visibility and control to an organization’s data protection program. Open Raven deploys into your own cloud environment within minutes without the hassle of agents or time-consuming configuration. There is no fee for Community Edition, but we require a short call to make sure you’re successful with the deployment. Raised $19M
OrderMark – An online ordering management system for restaurants. Ordermark addresses a big and growing challenge for restaurants: online ordering services, which drive tremendous revenue to restaurants, each operate differently with their own technology and procedures for handling orders. Raised $30.6M
Outer – A direct-to-consumer outdoor furniture brand. Raised $4.5M
Pearl – A computer vision company focusing on solving challenging problems in the dental industry. Pearl’s AI-powered suite of dental laboratory tools enables dental professionals to organize scans by quality as well as instantly and accurately mark margins. Raised $11M
PlayVS – An eSports league that gives high school students the chance to compete for a state championship. Raised $96M
PocketList – Rental platform that shows exclusive info about places to rent months before they go on the market. Raised $2.8M
Pod – Social Media App that puts its user on the map and believes in the power of real connections. Raised $5M
Podcorn – Podcorn takes the pain out of finding and sponsoring on-demand audio shows. Podcorn make it easy for brands to connect to the right podcasters to create authentic messages that resonate and engage listeners across audio platforms. Raised $2.2M
Rael – Makes natural and organic period products that don’t sacrifice comfort or performance. Raised $20.3M
Religion of Sports – Founded by Tom Brady, Michael Strahan, and Gotham Chopra, Religion of Sports creates best-in-class content and is building a brand focused on human/emotional storytelling in and around the world of sports. Raised $13M
RepairSmith – Provides the world’s most convenient car repair and maintenance. For the first time, car owners can choose to get their repair delivered to their driveway or drop it off at our shop.
Saucey.com – An e-Commerce company that handles the fastest, easiest, and most reliable on-demand alcohol delivery service. Raised $10M
ScaleFast – A digital commerce solution that simplifies and streamlines e-commerce for inspirational brands. Scalefast uses a powerful combination of Artificial Intelligence and e-commerce expertise. Raised $32M
ServiceTitan is the service management software that helps leading home services businesses generate more leads and close more sales. Raised $326M
Shippabo – An ocean freight booking & managing application that provides shippers better visibility & automation. Raised $3M
Sidecar Health – A provider of innovative health care insurance plans. Sidecar Health is changing health insurance. Traditional insurance sits between patients and their doctors, which leads to increased costs, adds unnecessary procedures, and results in surprise bills patients can’t afford. Raised $38M
Stackin – The simplest entry point into finance with over one million subscribers and a mission to empower people to improve their financial lives via text message. Stackin’ provides the necessary tools & curated products for a younger generation of consumers to build healthy financial habits over time in a fun, entertaining. Raised $23.6
SwoopApp – A developer of a private transport booking mobile application designed to connect customers with vehicles that accommodate large and mid-sized groups. Raised $3.2M
Tapcart – A mobile commerce SaaS platform that integrates directly with Shopify, enabling brands to build native mobile apps for their eCommerce stores. Raised $15M
Vana – Explore verified cannabis and CBD products that fit your lifestyle and your purpose. On Vana you can explore products, locate dispensaries, and shop hemp CBD online. All cannabis products and businesses listed on Vana are licensed and verified compliant. Raised $7.7M
Versed Skin – a cosmetic company that offers a clean skincare brand in retail and direct-to-consumer channels. The company combines community-powered development with retail know-how to incubate and scale the next generation of vertical beauty brands.
Vertebrae – provides 3D & augmented reality (AR) commerce solutions for the world’s largest retailers. Vertebrae’s technology enables web-based 3D & AR product visualization and try-on experiences that drive measurable results. Raised $10M
Vive Organic – An organic, function-focused line dedicated to providing the highest quality wellness shots. It has assessed hundreds of farms around the world, and exclusively source their ingredients from the top tier of organic farms. Raised $20M
Wave.tv – a sports media company for the next generation of fans. Through a portfolio of media brands, covering a wide array of fandoms and genres, WAVE.tv entertains modern-day sports fans with the programming they love, produced for the digital platforms where they spend the most time. Raised $38.8M
WaveXR – Focus on interactive virtual experiences with a mission to help artists make money at the intersection of gaming and entertainment. Raised $42M
Well App – A powerful communication tool that allows front offices to have two-way text conversations with patients, using existing office phone numbers. The platform is designed from the ground up to make patient communications more intuitive across the enterprise.
Whistle – Connects people via SMS and popular messaging apps.
Who Gives A Crap – Develops forest friendly toilet paper, paper towels, and tissues. Seed
WeeCare – Empowers caregivers to create sustainable home daycare businesses, while making affordable, quality childcare accessible to all families. The WeeCare platform provides caregivers, educators, and parentprenuers the tools and support needed to start a licensed home daycare, fill to capacity, and effortlessly manage operations. Raised $5M

Have we missed any? Email them to us at hello@lastartups.com … let’s grow this list together.

John Diep

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Founder, Editor-In-Chief // A native Angeleno. John studied engineering at UCLA; founded Schmoozd, an offline social tech networking event in LA with 30,000 subs; ran a startup accelerator (StartEngine). Worked for several major brands like Toyota, DIRECTV, Hitachi, ICANN, and Raytheon. A mentor at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) Entrepreneur School, Dr. David Choi. And advises a dozen local LA startups building amazing tech in various industries; and invested in some. // Let's Connect: john@lastartups.com