Founder Fest LA
Event details
Founder Fest LA · October 12, 2026 · Los Angeles, CA.
Date: October 12, 2026
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Founder Fest LA
LA Tech Week Kickoff Event
Main Event + VIP Dinner
Event + Dinner
Meet The Speakers
Valeria Martinez — Principal at VamosVentures. Valeria is a Principal at VamosVentures and a board member of SomosVC. She joins Founder Fest LA’s VC/investor panel to share her perspective on venture investing.
Laurel Mintz — General Partner at Fabric VC. Laurel is a General Partner at Fabric VC and the founder of Elevate My Brand. She brings experience in venture investing, brand strategy, and marketing for companies across fundraising stages to Founder Fest LA's VC panel.
Bunim Laskin — Founder at Swimply. Bunim founded Swimply, the marketplace that lets people rent private swimming pools by the hour. He turned a neighborhood pool-sharing idea into a business connecting pool owners with people looking for a place to swim.
Max Tuchman — Co-founder at Caribu (acquired by Mattel). Max co-founded Caribu, the interactive video-calling platform for children and families that was acquired by Mattel. A former White House Fellow, she holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School.
Saba Karim — CEO & Co-founder at Stealth (Physical AI). Saba is the CEO and co-founder of a stealth physical-AI startup. Previously, he co-founded Favs and led startup pipeline at Techstars, bringing both founder and investor experience to the panel.
The Day
October 12
4:00–4:30 PM — Networking, open bar and live DJ
4:30–5:30 PM — Founder panel. AI token spending, raising rounds of capital, GTM techniques that have been working, product-market fit, and more — with Bunim Laskin, Maxeme Tuchman, and Saba Karim.
5:30–6:00 PM — VC panel. Deploying capital, true "value add," down rounds, liquidation preferences, due diligence, and more — with Valeria Martinez, Laurel Mintz, and one more speaker to be announced soon.
6:00–6:30 PM — 5 startups pitch to the VCs live
6:30–7:00 PM — Open networking. The DJ turns up the music.
7:15–9:00 PM — VIP dinner. Dinner at a nearby restaurant.
Venue
A Hidden Gem in West L.A.
Los Angeles
We’re transforming this 3,000-square-foot LA space into a hub for founders: standout panels, live pitches, a DJ, a dedicated content room, an open bar, and networking that goes beyond the handshake.
Choose Your Access
Three ways into the room, with increasing access through the VIP dinner.
GA — $124. Benefits: Access to full event; Networking; Live pitches; Open seating; Open bar
MVP — $239. Benefits: Includes everything from GA; Front row seating for discussions; Guaranteed pitching; Skip the line at the bar; VIP section access; Onsite office hours with selected speakers; $500 in Kamp Cash
VIP — $438. Benefits: Includes everything from MVP; Customized content shooting on site; Free investor deck analysis by Kami our AI bot; Private VIP dinner after the main event with speakers and VIPs; $1,000 in Kamp Cash
Event Sponsor
Supporting Founder Fest LA.
Founder Fest Comes To LA.
The main event runs from 4:00–7:00 PM, followed by a VIP dinner from 7:15–9:00 PM.
Ticketed