Spring Tech Watch: 14 Los Angeles Companies to Track

 

Spring is blooming in Los Angeles. Whether you’re admiring the Huntington Library’s flora and fauna, taking a sunset hike at Griffith Park or watching a game at Dodgers Stadium, it might also be a good time to catch up on the movers and shakers in your local tech scene. Built In Los Angeles curated 14 noteworthy companies to get you started.

With nearly 4,000 venture-backed startups, Los Angeles was recently crowned the third-largest startup market in the United States. As a result, many of the city’s tech employers are unveiling upgrades to the breadth, depth and inclusion of their culture and perks.

The LA-based companies we featured are special in many ways, but all 14 have one thing in common: They are unique, people-first organizations well worth keeping on your radar in the spring season ahead.

 

 

What Anduril does: Recently named one of Fast Company’s 10 most innovative robotics companies of the year, Anduril creates tech-enabled products and solutions for the U.S. military and its allies. Founder Palmer Luckey is best known for designing the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset and founding its manufacturing company Oculus VR, which was acquired by Facebook in 2014 for $2.3 billion. 

 

 

Bringing tech to the front lines: More than 20 percent of Anduril employees are military veterans, and Lead Drone Technician Jayson Zorola is currently serving in the Army National Guard. He told Built In LA in November 2022 that his role at Anduril gives him the opportunity to combine his passions for aviation and technology. 

“Anduril has been a fantastic outlet to exercise these skills from my time in the service,” Zorola said. “More importantly, Anduril has broadened my horizons and re-introduced me to command-line interface, and I’ve learned multiple programs that are daily tools in my technician toolbox such as Jira and NetSuite.”

 

 

 

What Vast does: Vast develops artificial gravity space stations with the goal of enabling large populations of humans to someday live and work in outer space permanently. The Long Beach-based company announced in February that it had acquired Launcher, a space tug startup. 

 

 

Expanding horizons: In September 2022, Colin Smith, an engineer on Vast’s team, told Built In LA that he joined the aerospace company because he saw the possibility and potential that came with creating artificial gravity space stations. 

“Building huge steel structures is a solved problem,” Smith said. “Getting them to orbit is just becoming possible thanks to an emerging capability for super heavy lift, and sending even novice crews to space is now easy.”

 

 

 

What FloQast does: With two of three founders being former CPAs, FloQast was created by accountants for accountants to automate workflows through a cloud-based operational platform. Some big-name clients include Zoom, Shopify, DocuSign and Roblox. 

 

 

Authentic approach: Senior Director of Talent Acquisition Melissa Hooven-Powell told Built In LA that she loves FloQast for its relevant mission and standout benefits. 

“As a company built by accountants, for accountants — literally — we’ve experienced the problems we hope to solve firsthand,” Hooven-Powell said in December 2022. “But that authenticity extends beyond just accounting experience. HR has developed a list of perks and benefits that genuinely support FloQasters.”

 

 

 

 

What HopSkipDrive does: HopSkipDrive provides alternative transportation to school and extracurricular activities for youth with special needs, children in foster care and those experiencing homelessness. The company was started in 2014 by three working moms — Carolyn Yashari Becher, Joanna McFarland and Janelle McGlothin — who struggled to get their children to and from their schools and activities. 

 

 

Motivating mission: Trish Donahue, VP of legal and policy, said the company’s mission is its “not-so-secret sauce” that encourages teams to perform at their best. 

“A ride from HopSkipDrive can be the key factor that allows a child to show up to school alongside her peers,” Donahue told Built In LA in September 2022. “It can be the key factor that allows a child to get to his piano lesson or soccer practice. Access is everything for a child — we can help make that happen for hundreds of thousands of kids across the country.”

 

 

 

What Tapcart does: Tapcart creates no-code mobile shopping apps for Shopify brands such as Fashion Nova and Chubbies. The Santa Monica-based company was founded in 2017 to enable any brand to design and manage its own e-commerce platform without the help of developers. 

 

 

Positivity is key: When hiring someone to join Tapcart’s go-to-market team, Senior Vice President of Sales Ray Carroll looks for a number of key qualities. The most important one, he told Built In LA in August 2022, is to “have a glass-half-full mindset.” 

“We optimize for candidates who have natural enthusiasm, positivity and zest for life,” Carroll explained. “If you’re not excited about living every day to the fullest, it’s probably going to be difficult for you to influence and excite merchants in this market.”

 

 

 

What Reformation does: Reformation is a clothing company that focuses on sustainability in fashion. A certified climate neutral company, Reformation uses recycled fabrics and repurposed vintage clothing to create limited-edition collections. 

 

 

People-first management: After being hired at Reformation about a year ago, Digital Platforms Product Manager Aude Bidoli spoke with Built In LA about how happy she was to find a workplace where managers were truly supportive of their teams. 

“The Reformation team is the first I’ve been a part of that is committed to investing in people and staffing in order to achieve our ambitious goals,” Bidoli said in March. “For the first time, I know I have a whole team behind me.” 

 

 

 

 

What Pluto TV does: Pluto TV is a free online television service that broadcasts hundreds of live channels and thousands of on-demand movies. In partnership with more than a dozen major media companies, including Apple TV, Fire TV and Roku, the Los Angeles-based company offers a wide range of programming.

 

 

In the news: In February, Pluto TV announced a number of new channels and programs that began airing in March. Users are now able to tune into the “ROCKY” channel to view any of the six movies from the beloved boxing drama franchise starring Sylvester Stallone. The streaming service also added 2,000 on-demand episodes from CBS and Paramount Media Networks series, including select seasons of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “Key & Peele” and “Bar Rescue.” 

 

 

 

What Sure does: Through its SaaS infrastructure and embedded insurance programs, Sure helps customers leverage APIs to streamline the end-to-end insurance lifecycle. Founded in 2015, the company says it is on a mission to make digital insurance available to every consumer. 

 

 

In the news: In March, the insurance technology company launched Retrace, a digital tool that embeds one-click insurance and protection at the point of sale for e-commerce businesses. 

“We’re starting with the first of its kind one-click return shipping protection, but the sky’s the limit,” CEO and Co-Founder Wayne Slavin said in a statement. “We have set our sights on a variety of other products spanning travel insurance to warranty protection and beyond.”

 

 

 

What Atmosphere does: Atmosphere offers more than 60 ad-supported television channels that focus on short-form, audio-optional content. With channels such as the PGA Tour, X Games and Red Bull TV, Atmosphere programming plays in nearly 50,000 locations, including bars, restaurants, gyms and medical waiting rooms. 

 

 

In the news: In February, Atmosphere raised more than $65 million in Series D funding for a total valuation of $1 billion. Around the same time, Co-Founder and CEO Leo Resig announced that he would transition to the role of chief innovation officer and co-executive chairman, alongside his brother and Co-Founder John Resig. The Resigs then promoted Blake Sabatinelli from chief operating officer to CEO. 

“I am looking forward to concentrating full time on the product and platform innovations that will continue to keep Atmosphere on this incredible trajectory,” Leo Resig said in a statement. “Blake’s operational expertise and proven leadership capabilities will continue to keep us on course and poised for our next phase of growth.”

 

 

 

What Puffco does: Based in Los Angeles, Puffco produces a line of clean, sleek portable vaporizers. Forgoing fibrous wicks, glues and plastics in the airpath, Puffco products ensure a flavorful, toxin-free consumption experience. 

 

 

Puff, puff, passion: Chief Revenue Officer Emily Weaver shared what it takes to land a role on the Puffco sales team. 

“The skill new hires need to be successful on Puffco’s sales team is passion and drive for connecting with the customer, brand and products,” Weaver told Built In LA in December 2022. “We also look for candidates who ask open-ended questions that indicate a willingness to learn and desire to build rapport.”

 

 

 

 

What Core Digital Media does: Founded in 1999, the Playa Vista-based digital media company helps people make informed financial decisions. Through its brands, including LowerMyBills, Refily and QuickenCompare, Core Digital Media helps consumers save money on recurring expenses such as mortgages, insurance premiums and credit card fees.

 

 

Balancing in-person and remote collaboration: In September 2022, Senior Vice President of Marketing Yvette Ramos spoke to Built In LA about the company’s hybrid model, which asked employees to work from the office at least two days a week. 

“We believe in a balance of uninterrupted focus time, collaboration and culture,” Ramos said. “We feel this hybrid model is a perfect blend of on-site collaboration and remote-focused work.”

 

 

 

What Cie does: An innovation lab and accelerator, Cie partners with corporate leaders to evaluate their existing models and create new opportunities. Through collaborations with entrepreneurs and businesses, the company also launches new ventures, such as Cie Games and Titan. 

 

 

Engineering without ego: VP of Engineering Steve Adams characterized the tech team culture at Cie as “resourceful.” 

“They fill gaps, find creative ways to ship quality products and use multiple programming languages and frameworks — all without having an ego!” Adams told Built In LA in September 2022. “This all adds up to the team driving quickly toward business goals by cutting through the noise.”

 

 

 

What Inspire does: Every time a customer uses electricity in their home, Inspire generates the same amount of clean, renewable energy and adds it to the grid. A subsidiary of Shell Global, the Santa Monica-based energy company allows consumers to be part of creating a net-zero carbon future.

 

 

Inspiring work-life balance: Lead Product Designer Eva Sanchez told Built In LA that the people team at Inspire is always looking for ways to put employees first, through offerings such as unlimited time off, wellness days and flexible schedules. 

“I am grateful to work at an understanding company that fosters a healthy culture and work-life balance,” Sanchez said in February 2022. “It’s a mutual dance between the impact I have on the company and the investment they make in me every day.”

 

 

 

What Tebra does: Tebra is the result of a 2021 merger between PatientPop, a healthcare marketing and medical practice management software, and Kareo, a medical software developer. The Corona del Mar-based healthtech company provides independent healthcare practices with digital tools and support. 

 

 

Customer-centric culture: Daire Manning, vice president of go-to-market operations and enablement, told Built In LA that the clients —  healthcare providers and patients — always come first at Tebra.  

“The aspect of our company culture that best reflects our mission is our customer obsession,” Manning said in November 2022. “My team is an internal-facing one, but our customers and the patients who are their customers are always front of mind for us.”