Vetted Founders in the Los Angeles Metro

Britney Russ

Screened ReferencesStrong rec.

Executive product leader specializing in consumer technology and EdTech

Los Angeles, CA13y exp

“Senior product leader from Codecademy who has spent roughly a decade building and mentoring cross-functional organizations while leading major strategic pivots in education. Most notably, they repositioned Codecademy toward a new learner segment and launched an AI-native learning platform that tripled signup rates, while also creating new revenue streams like live learning and accessible AI workshops.”

“Engineering leader who built and scaled a distributed team (Serbia + US) to deliver an internal multi-tenant Kubernetes-based PaaS, moving a large org from manual ops-driven deployments to automated CI/CD with >99.97% uptime and 100% service adoption. Known for culture change (blameless post-mortems, clear intake via ticketing) and security-first platform practices (tenant isolation, Falco) supporting SOC2 compliance; also operates at exec level with stakeholder communication and fundraising.”

william chen

Screened

Executive game technology leader specializing in product innovation and live-service platforms

Los Angeles, CA27y exp

“Serial entrepreneur with multiple successful exits who has previously raised several rounds and worked with accelerators. Currently building an AI-powered life simulation universe with prompt-based creation and a self-evolving persistent world, backed by completed market research and an MVP in development.”

Steve Palley

Screened

Executive product leader specializing in marketplaces, consumer products, and health-tech

Los Angeles, CA21y exp

“Product leader with a rare mix of zero-to-one marketplace building, AI product development, and mission-driven consumer experience work. Led the creation of StoryLoom at Pixelberry/Nexon as a 'Roblox for writers,' is currently building a privacy-conscious AI concierge for a first responder coaching marketplace, and previously co-founded ApplyMap to deliver free AI-powered college guidance for underserved students.”

“Early-stage venture investor/operator profile with experience at Wedbush Ventures, focused on sourcing and qualifying founders through thesis-led outbound. Stands out for combining deep market research with proactive relationship building, including sourcing AI and commerce infrastructure opportunities that advanced into pipeline and investment committee discussions.”

“Engineering leader who has operated effectively in both a VC-backed startup and SAP, combining director-level org leadership with day-to-day technical depth. Notable for re-architecting integrations that produced a 3x revenue gain, leading a 90-engineer matrixed organization, and staying hands-on in GenAI, infrastructure, and full-stack problem solving.”

“Apparel product developer/sourcing manager at Linkwear Limited who led high-risk, low-MOQ launches (down to 50 pcs/style) by reverse-engineering samples into tech packs, aggressively vetting/negotiating suppliers, and managing production through QC and shipping. Demonstrated trade-risk hedging (Section 301) via parallel sourcing and hands-on supplier recovery by traveling to Wuxi to resolve a mill bottleneck.”

Benjamin Hudnut

Screened

Junior Live Events & Music Operations professional specializing in booking, touring, and community events

Los Angeles, CA4y exp

“Founder/director of the music and event production company Tuned In, personally driving outbound BD to book underground LA talent and produce 25 events, including a major Lunar New Year collaboration with Alice Longyu Gao. Also ran multi-channel voter/community outreach for the Frankie Carrillo campaign (door knocking, 1,000+ SMS) and built automation tools (Apple widget; AI image-to-CSV workflow at Live Nation) to improve operational efficiency.”

Benjamin Reicher

Screened

Director-level CG/Animation Technical Director specializing in Unreal and VFX pipelines

Los Angeles, CA9y exp

“Animation pipeline/cinematics specialist focused on Maya-to-Unreal workflows, known as the go-to person for resolving "impossible" fringe export and data-mismatch issues (FBX versions, OS differences, tool bugs). Worked on high-profile titles including Hogwarts Legacy (proprietary cinematics module), Fortnite cinematics, LEGO 2K Racers, and Judas, supporting shots end-to-end from cloth sim pre-roll to facial/body performance alignment.”

Jake Arena

Screened

Mid-level growth marketer and producer specializing in entertainment and live events

Los Angeles, CA4y exp

“Startup-minded operator and event-business builder who created an outbound pipeline from scratch at Beat Repeat using POS and ticketing data, driving 30% higher repeat attendance and 15% lower costs. Also founded Drinklink, a bar subscription service sold face-to-face, and showed strong market instinct by identifying and negotiating an early strategic partnership with Posh before it was widely established in Los Angeles.”

Sonia Jairath

Screened

Executive Talent Acquisition leader specializing in high-volume and executive hiring across media and tech

Los Angeles, CA20y exp

“Talent Acquisition leader (former Director of Talent Acquisition at Paramount Global) who has managed recruiter teams (1–7 direct reports) and can jump into high-impact executive searches. Experienced partnering with C-suite/EVP stakeholders and HRBPs on offer approvals and leveling/comp adjustments, and has implemented recruiting process/ATS workflows and team training programs across both startups and large enterprises.”