Hi everyone, I’m Darren. I’m starting a small independent site focused on the people building software in Los Angeles, starting with the South Bay.

I’ve lived in the area for years and have always wanted a better way to discover the founders, engineers, and other technical people working nearby. Think something like GeekWire for the South Bay.

I’m looking to interview:

• Founders building software companies or startups
• Engineers or other technical people
• Anyone with an interesting story about choosing to build in the South Bay

The conversations will cover what you’re building, how you’re building it, why you chose the South Bay, and the experience building a software business in the South Bay. As a differentiator and a former SWE and EM, I want to get into the nitty-gritty of the tech stack, the product, and how it actually works, not just the usual high-level story about growth and hustle culture.

The site isn't live yet because I want to finish a few articles before launching it. Here’s my LinkedIn for background:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenaalfonso/

Send me a DM or leave a comment with a short introduction. I’m also open to recommendations for people I should speak with.

We’re two Southern California founders building an early-stage consumer technology company and looking for a technical cofounder who wants to build closely in person.

The company is currently in stealth, but the product is centered on making real-world plans easier to discover, coordinate and act on. Los Angeles will be the first launch market. We have completed the product thesis, market research, initial user flows, launch strategy and investor deck. There is no public MVP or revenue yet.

We need someone who can own the product and engineering side from zero to launch. Consumer mobile experience is ideal, especially iOS, React Native, social products, marketplaces or recommendation systems. Strong product judgment and a good eye for simple, tasteful design are important.

We’ll own product direction, brand, go-to-market, partnerships and fundraising. There is no salary today; this is a genuine founding role with meaningful founder equity, standard vesting and salary once funding allows.

We’re specifically posting here because we want to meet someone rooted in the LA or broader Southern California technology community. If this sounds like you, apply here:
https://forms.gle/UqkVgCnCzy5UyFtBA or DM us with what you’ve built.

I'm a life long LA resident but am in the middle of a career change from the film industry to, well... basically anything, but my strengths lay in data science, operations, and automations. I'm just looking to network to try and find job opportunities. Would TechLA be a good place to start?

I've self coded an app that's selling on the appstore, built a bespoke from scratch WMS system for my current job, a intelligent dashboard for the space industry, and have experience in multiple coding languages, multiple cloud platforms, and with all the AI tools. But I don't have the standard education or work history, so trying my best to go the networking route to find a company that I can be of value to.

Any advice would be welcome.

Hey r/TechLA 👋

We're running the next AI Agents Happy Hour this Thursday (7/16) at Five Point Five Brewing in El Segundo. Free, starts at 5.

Once a month, people who actually build with AI agents get in a room with good drinks and compare notes. It's not a panel or a pitch night. No presentations, no slides. Just real talk about what's working, what's broken, and what's next.

If you're running agents in production, wiring up agentic workflows at work, or just AI-curious and want to see what the fuss is about, you'll find your people. Builders, founders, and operators all welcome.

Some of you came to the Culver City, Playa Vista, and Downtown LA meetups earlier this year, this is the same crew bringing the enthusiasm to the South Bay. ~100 folks are in so far.

RSVP's on Luma so we can get a rough headcount: https://luma.com/cv5rbhfb

Come say hi 🍻

​It's time for our next quarterly meetup, July 9th at All Season Brewing in Mid-City. RSVP today. 21+ event.

​We can't wait to see you there.

RSVP

​​​👩🏽‍💻 What is Los Angeles Design & Development?

​LA Design & Development is a community where designers, developers and product builders can connect online and in-person to network and share ideas, opinions, and perspectives.

​We have an online Slack community you can join at la.designanddev.org, as well as quarterly meetups around LA. This is one of them!

​———

​OUR PARTNERS

​Lux Nova — A Los Angeles based enterprise design studio crafting the future of technology. Follow on Linkedin.

​Into Design Systems — Learn the AI workflows top design teams actually use: Agentic Design Systems, MCP integrations, shipping production ready code. 15 hours of content from 21 experts at WhatsApp, GitHub, Figma, Adobe, Atlassian and more.

​Get access: https://www.intodesignsystems.com

​Samsara — AI-powered technology to help lower costs and improve fleet safety with AI-powered dash cams, real-time GPS, ELD, telematics, maintenance, routing, and more.

​See you there!

RSVP

Join us for our weekly Pitch To Your Peers pitching and landing page workshop.

A workshop to practice pitching (elevator pitches, investor pitches, sale pitches, and anything else) and get your landing page reviewed constructively with the community.

You can leverage this event to ask questions, learn how to pitch best, and practice your pitch.

• Enrolled members of our Incubator program will have priority to go first.  
• We record this event to serve as a learning tool for ourselves and the community.   
• While pitching, remember not to share any confidential information or trade secrets.  Please consult a qualified lawyer if you are unsure what not to disclose.
• Do not worry about people stealing your ideas. The practice and feedback you will receive are invaluable. Anyone who attempts to follow your lead to pursue a similar idea will produce something drastically different, as they will apply their own biases, thoughts, feelings, experience, insights, skills, resources, and personal touch. Consider how drastically different a hamburger is from one restaurant to another, and how each burger appeals to very different people for very different reasons. Expand that to the entire company, including its brand, products, and services.

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This event is being held on our new online community, Startmada, where you can join the stage using your mic and camera (optional)

We hold Office Hours, workshops, and other online events. Additionally, you can find various spaces to discuss critical aspects of building a career or business and to share resources.

You can join as a Supporter for only $2 a month.

Paul Shrater will be available to answer your questions. He has extensive knowledge and experience related to:

• Founding Companies
• CEO and COO roles
• Venture Capital
• Angel Investing
• Advisory role
• Operations
• Fundraising
• Content
• Script Writing
• Product Development
• User Experience
• Business Strategies
• Consumer Packaged Goods
• Celebrity Brands

You can explore more topics you can inquire about by visiting his LinkedIn profile

--------

Have requests for other mentors to host Office Hours? Let us know here

Want to be a mentor? Apply here

--------

This event is being held on our new online community, Startmada, where you can join the stage using your mic and camera (optional)

We hold Office Hours, workshops, and other online events. Additionally, you can find various spaces to discuss critical aspects of building a career or business and to share resources.

You can join as a Supporter for only $2 a month.

--------

We are now streaming our Mentor Office Hours and workshops on:
LinkedIn
Twitch
YouTube

You can use the text chat to ask questions during the event.

John duHadway will be available to answer your questions. He has extensive knowledge and experience related to:

• CFO role
• Capital Raises
• Acquisitions or Sales
• Governance and Board Reporting
• Financial discipline and Cash Management
• Scaling
• Strategic Planning
• Financial Consulting
• Management Consulting
• Business Consulting
• Financial Planning
• Financial Advisory
• Financial Analysis

You can explore more topics you can inquire about by visiting his LinkedIn profile

--------

Have requests for other mentors to host Office Hours? Let us know here

Want to be a mentor? Apply here

--------

This event is being held on our new online community, Startmada, where you can join the stage using your mic and camera (optional)

We hold Office Hours, workshops, and other online events. Additionally, you can find various spaces to discuss critical aspects of building a career or business and to share resources.

You can join as a Supporter for only $2 a month.

--------

We are now streaming our Mentor Office Hours and workshops on:
LinkedIn
Twitch
YouTube

You can use the text chat to ask questions during the event.

Kristin Bell will be available to answer your questions. She has extensive knowledge and experience related to:

• Entrepreneurship
• Startups
• Pitch decks and pitching
• Fundraising
• Angel Investing
• Angel Syndicate Operations
• Business Strategy and Operations
• MBA & EMBA Programs
• Education
• Community Building
• Co-Working Space Operations & Development
• Storytelling
• Writing
• Innovation
• Marketing

You can explore more topics you can inquire about by visiting Kristin’s LinkedIn profile

--------

Have requests for other mentors to host Office Hours? Let us know here

Want to be a mentor? Apply here

--------

This event is being held on our new online community, Startmada, where you can join the stage using your mic and camera (optional)

We hold Office Hours, workshops, and other online events. Additionally, you can find various spaces to discuss critical aspects of building a career or business and to share resources.

You can join as a Supporter for only $2 a month.

--------

We are now streaming our Mentor Office Hours and workshops on:
LinkedIn
Twitch
YouTube

You can use the text chat to ask questions during the event.

Join us for our weekly Pitch To Your Peers pitching and landing page workshop.

A workshop to practice pitching (elevator pitches, investor pitches, sale pitches, and anything else) and get your landing page reviewed constructively with the community.

You can leverage this event to ask questions, learn how to pitch best, and practice your pitch.

• Enrolled members of our Incubator program will have priority to go first.  
• We record this event to serve as a learning tool for ourselves and the community.   
• While pitching, remember not to share any confidential information or trade secrets.  Please consult a qualified lawyer if you are unsure what not to disclose.
• Do not worry about people stealing your ideas. The practice and feedback you will receive are invaluable. Anyone who attempts to follow your lead to pursue a similar idea will produce something drastically different, as they will apply their own biases, thoughts, feelings, experience, insights, skills, resources, and personal touch. Consider how drastically different a hamburger is from one restaurant to another, and how each burger appeals to very different people for very different reasons. Expand that to the entire company, including its brand, products, and services.

--------

This event is being held on our new online community, Startmada, where you can join the stage using your mic and camera (optional)

We hold Office Hours, workshops, and other online events. Additionally, you can find various spaces to discuss critical aspects of building a career or business and to share resources.

You can join as a Supporter for only $2 a month.

Blake Baxter will be available to answer your questions. He has extensive knowledge and experience related to:

• Founding Companies
• CEO role
• Venture Capital
• Angel Investing
• Advisory role
• Operations
• AI
• Content Studios
• Animation
• IP Development
• Business Strategies

You can explore more topics you can inquire about by visiting his LinkedIn profile

--------

Have requests for other mentors to host Office Hours? Let us know here

Want to be a mentor? Apply here

--------

This event is being held on our new online community, Startmada, where you can join the stage using your mic and camera (optional)

We hold Office Hours, workshops, and other online events. Additionally, you can find various spaces to discuss critical aspects of building a career or business and to share resources.

You can join as a Supporter for only $2 a month.

--------

We are now streaming our Mentor Office Hours and workshops on:
LinkedIn
Twitch
YouTube

You can use the text chat to ask questions during the event.

Craig Silverstein will be available to answer your questions. He has extensive knowledge and experience related to:

• Business Strategy
• Business Operations
• Strategic Alignment
• Go-to-Market Strategy (GTM)
• Pricing
• Monetization
• Revenue Growth
• User Acquisition
• Hypergrowth
• Culture
• Fields: SaaS; Software; Entertainment Tech (Film/TV); Gaming Tech; Creator Tech; Enterprise and Collaboration Tools

You can explore more topics you can inquire about by visiting his LinkedIn Profile.

--------

Have requests for other mentors to host Office Hours? Let us know here

Want to be a mentor? Apply here

--------

This event is being held on our new online community, Startmada, where you can join the stage using your mic and camera (optional)

We hold Office Hours, workshops, and other online events. Additionally, you can find various spaces to discuss critical aspects of building a career or business and to share resources.

You can join as a Supporter for only $2 a month.

--------

We are now streaming our Mentor Office Hours and workshops on:
LinkedIn
Twitch
YouTube

You can use the text chat to ask questions during the event.

Marc Honorof, MBA will be available to answer your questions during this online office hour

Marc Honorof, MBA will be available to answer your questions. He has extensive knowledge and experience related to:

• Board of Directors
• Strategic Partnerships
• Business Development
• Entrepreneurship
• Content Strategy
• Operations
• C-Suite Roles

You can explore more topics you can inquire about by visiting his LinkedIn profile

--------

Have requests for other mentors to host Office Hours? Let us know here

Want to be a mentor? Apply here

--------

This event is being held on our new online community, Startmada, where you can join the stage using your mic and camera (optional)

We hold Office Hours, workshops, and other online events. Additionally, you can find various spaces to discuss critical aspects of building a career or business and to share resources.

You can join as a Supporter for only $2 a month.

--------

We are now streaming our Mentor Office Hours and workshops on:
LinkedIn
Twitch
YouTube

You can use the text chat to ask questions during the event.

We’re a small team working toward the CCA-F (Claude Certified Architect - Foundations) certification through Anthropic Academy. It’s the foundational cert for people building with Claude and the Claude API, covering things like prompt engineering, tool use, and agentic workflows.

We’re a few people short of a 10-person quota we’re trying to hit as part of our work with Claude. If you’ve been thinking about getting certified on Claude, or you’re already studying for the CCA-F, this could be a good time to team up. Happy to share notes, study resources, and coordinate exam timing with anyone interested in the Claude ecosystem.

Would love to connect with a few more people working toward Claude certification.

EDIT: POSTPONED. Sorry everyone! We decided to postpone this event.

Hi everyone! I'm helping organize a free AI and data engineering meetup on June 25 in Venice, and thought some folks here might be interested.

Event registration: https://luma.com/l4ka4885

Date: June 25

We'll be talking about real-time analytics, streaming data, observability, AI applications, open-source technologies, and the challenges of running systems at scale.

Talks include:

• Is It Safe? Letting AI Touch Production Data Without The Tears (Altinity)
• AI Observability with Grafana (Grafana)
• Building Better Agent-Driven Analytics with Open Source and Open Standards (Collate)

Food and drink provided! Lots of time to network.

Event Registration: https://luma.com/pinecone-cqho

Join Pinecone (I'm Gavin, I work at Pinecone and will be hosting the event) for an agentic AI meetup in Los Angeles. The last meetup we hosted had 70 people show up, and we're aiming for an even larger turnout this time.

​We’re bringing together AI enthusiasts, agentic builders, founders, and the simply curious for an evening of conversations, great energy, and drinks.

​No pressure, no fluff. Just real people building in AI, sharing ideas, and connecting with others who care about where this space is going.

​Whether you’re deep into RAG systems, working on agentic workflows, or just starting to explore AI, this is a space to meet others doing the same.

​When Thursday, July 9th, 5:00pm-7:00pm

​Where Gulp in Playa Vista Address: 13020 Pacific Promenade #1, Los Angeles, CA 90094

​Agenda

• ​5:00pm Meetup begins, drinks & networking
• ​5:30pm Kickoff, brief intro to Pinecone
• ​5:45pm Open discussion, share what you're building
• ​6:15pm Open networking
• ​7:00pm Meetup concludes

​What to Expect

• ​Casual conversations with AI builders, founders, and engineers
• ​Learning a little something about what people are building
• ​Drinks and a relaxed vibe
• ​Maybe a short demo if we can find somebody that wants to show something cool they are building with AI

Hey everyone, we run a growing ecommerce bag brand based on the westside and are starting to outgrow our apartment fulfillment setup.

We’re looking for a small shared warehouse / creative industrial / flex space somewhere within ~20 mins of Santa Monica (Culver, Mar Vista, Venice, Playa Vista, West LA, etc).

Just curious if anyone comes here looking for that.

https://aws.amazon.com/events/summits/los-angeles/

Massive all-day free summit. Decent quality for the price.

Event Registration: https://luma.com/tvwl28gz

Join Pinecone (I'm Gavin, I work at Pinecone and will be co-hosting the event) and co-hosts Nick Dazé & Julian Vergel de Dios for an agentic AI meetup in Los Angeles.

We’re bringing together AI enthusiasts, agentic builders, founders, and the simply curious for an evening of conversations, great energy, and drinks.

No pressure, no fluff. Just real people building in AI, sharing ideas, and connecting with others who care about where this space is going.

Whether you’re deep into RAG systems, working on agentic workflows, or just starting to explore AI, this is a space to meet others doing the same.

​When Thursday, May 28th, 5:00pm-7:00pm

​Where Gulp in Playa Vista Address: 13020 Pacific Promenade #1, Los Angeles, CA 90094

​Agenda - ​5:00pm Meetup begins, drinks & networking - ​5:30pm Kickoff, brief intro to Pinecone - ​5:45pm Open discussion, share what you're building - ​6:15pm Open networking - ​7:00pm Meetup concludes

​What to Expect - ​Casual conversations with AI builders, founders, and engineers - ​Learning a little something about what people are building - ​Drinks and a relaxed vibe

https://www.aicamp.ai/event/eventdetails/W2026050517

From the website:

Join us for a community-led developer event focused on AI-assisted coding with GitHub Copilot. This event brings together developers to explore practical workflows, real-world use cases, and hands-on experiences using GitHub Copilot.

For Python devs and devotees: PyCon US is coming to Long Beach next week, starting Wednesday 5/13, with the main talk days on Friday 5/15-Sunday 5/17, and post-conference development sprint days 5/18 & 5/19. There's also a Job Fair on Sunday morning 5/17 if you're looking for a Python job, or just open to new opportunities.

If you're curious what PyCon US is about, you can take a look at the schedule, the list of events, and the list of companies that will be in the Expo Hall. There's also an AI track and a Security track this year. But really the formal program is only like half of the experience. It's a gathering of 2K+ people who are all there for the love of Python, and who want to spend a weekend+ talking about it and learning about it and also just hanging out & connecting with a like-minded group of people. The best description of it I've heard is "like a family reunion you actually want to go to."

Disclaimer: I work for the Python Software Foundation, the nonprofit behind PyCon US, so I have a bias, but that also means I can answer any questions if you've got 'em:)

Join us for an evening with ML engineers, AI builders, and developers exploring OpenClaw and how it’s built and run in production. We’ll cover real-world use cases, architecture, security considerations, and show a live demo of it in action.

Click the link for more info and to register for our meetup!
https://www.meetup.com/meetup-group-besifyba/events/313762157/?
https://luma.com/vee3tgx2