SaaS investors bankrolling Los Angeles B2B companies in 2026

LA's SaaS sector raised $3.2B across 280+ deals in 2025. Most capital went to vertical SaaS and marketing tech companies. The ecosystem is smaller than SF but less competitive. You won't raise from Upfront Ventures or Mucker Capital without $500K+ ARR and strong unit economics showing clear path to profitability.

Quick list

Why LA works for SaaS fundraising

Los Angeles is the fourth-largest SaaS hub in the US after San Francisco, New York, and Boston. The city pulled $3.2B in SaaS investments during 2025, with vertical SaaS taking 35% and marketing tech getting 25% of deal volume. Average seed rounds hit $2.8M for B2B companies, 30% lower than SF but still competitive.

LA's advantage is lower burn rates and access to entertainment and media customers. Rent costs 40% less than SF, engineering salaries run 20% lower. Most LA SaaS investors expect leaner operations and faster paths to profitability than SF VCs. The downside is fewer late-stage investors - you'll need coastal capital for Series B and beyond.

Santa Monica hosts most SaaS VCs with Venice emerging for developer tools. LA investors move slightly slower than SF - expect 8-10 weeks from first meeting to term sheet. Marketing tech and vertical SaaS get funded easily here, horizontal infrastructure needs stronger traction.

Picking the right LA SaaS investor

Local presence helps but matters less for SaaS than consumer brands. Most LA deals happen over Zoom calls and product demos. However, investors like Upfront and Mucker prefer meeting founding teams in person for seed rounds. Remote pitches work fine if you've got $1M+ ARR and strong growth metrics.

Portfolio companies should include B2B software in adjacent categories. Check if they backed Looker, Honey, or Spokeo. Those relationships mean they understand LA's technical talent market and can intro you to design partners at Disney, Netflix, and entertainment companies. Upfront Ventures knows every VP Engineering in LA - that network matters for early customer development.

Check sizes in LA SaaS range from $1M for pre-seed rounds to $25M for growth stages. Seed rounds average $2.8M, Series A hits $8-12M. Marketing tech companies raise 20% more than vertical SaaS at seed stage. Most LA investors write $1.5-3M initial checks and reserve 2x for follow-ons. Upload your deck to Ellty and share trackable links with each investor. You'll see who actually digs into your sales funnel metrics versus just skimming your market size slides.

Local network includes access to media companies, entertainment studios, and retail customers. Upfront can intro you to Hulu and Disney decision-makers, March Capital connects you to enterprise buyers, Mucker opens doors at ecommerce companies. For B2B SaaS, these customer intros accelerate your sales pipeline significantly.

Follow-on capacity is limited in LA for late-stage rounds. Upfront and March have capital for Series B, but most funds tap out after Series A. Plan to raise your Series B from SF or NYC investors. Only 20% of LA SaaS companies raise Series B locally.

How to find and approach LA SaaS investors

Research local deals through Built In LA and TechCrunch LA coverage. Check which funds led rounds for Looker, Honey, and StackAdapt. Those investors are actively deploying in LA software companies. Crunchbase shows Upfront backed 18 LA SaaS companies in 2024-2025. Large pitch decks and content files should be shared efficiently instead of clogging email inboxes.

Leverage local ecosystem through LA Tech Week and Santa Monica tech meetups. Most LA SaaS deals come from warm intros through other founders, not cold outreach. Join SaaStr Local LA events - founders share which VCs respond quickly and which ones ghost after first meetings. The best path is getting introduced by portfolio founders who can vouch for your execution.

Build relationships first by attending Upfront Ventures' portfolio gatherings and Mucker Capital's demo days. LA SaaS investors want to see your product working and understand your go-to-market motion before discussing valuation. Share an Ellty link with your deck and product demo recording after initial calls. Track which investors spend time reviewing your customer acquisition costs and churn metrics versus skipping straight to team backgrounds.

Attend local events like LA Tech Week, SaaStr Local LA, and Santa Monica New Tech. These generate real deal flow - Upfront and Mucker source companies from these events regularly. Skip the generic startup mixers. March Capital and Bonfire host quarterly SaaS roundtables where you'll meet their investment teams and get honest feedback.

Connect with portfolio founders at Spokeo, StackAdapt, and other LA SaaS companies. They'll tell you Upfront expects $1M ARR before Series A, Mucker wants clear payback period under 18 months, Crosscut only funds companies with sales-led growth motion. This intelligence saves you from pitching mismatched investors.

Organize due diligence materials before investor calls. Set up an Ellty data room with your financial model, sales pipeline data, and customer cohort analysis. LA SaaS investors want to see CAC payback under 12 months and net revenue retention above 100% in early conversations. Sending 10 separate email attachments when they ask for metrics kills momentum and signals poor operational discipline.

Understand local pace - LA SaaS investors take 8-10 weeks from first call to term sheet. That's slightly slower than SF but faster than East Coast firms. They'll want to talk to 3-5 reference customers and understand your product roadmap deeply. When they request updated metrics, share refreshed dashboards through your Ellty link. You'll see which investors are actively monitoring your progress versus those who asked once and moved on.

LA SaaS investors vs other markets

LA SaaS investors strongly prefer capital-efficient growth over blitz scaling. If you're planning to burn $500K+ monthly with no path to profitability, SF is better. LA VCs expect leaner operations - most portfolio companies stay under $200K monthly burn until $5M ARR.

Deal timelines run 8-10 weeks in LA versus 6-8 in SF for qualified companies. LA investors do deeper customer reference checks and financial diligence. Competition is moderate - you're pitching against 50-60 other B2B companies at any given time versus 200+ in SF.

Marketing tech and vertical SaaS get 60% of LA funding. Developer tools and infrastructure need stronger metrics - expect to show $2M+ ARR before Series A for infrastructure plays. Horizontal SaaS struggles unless you have enterprise logos or exceptional growth rates.

17 top SaaS investors in Los Angeles

1. Upfront Ventures

Upfront is LA's largest and most active SaaS investor with $2B under management and they expect capital-efficient growth from day one.

• Recent Deals: Looker Series B (pre-Google acquisition), TrueCar growth rounds, Movable Ink Series C (2024)
• LinkedIn: Mark Suster
• Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, Marketing tech, Vertical SaaS, Infrastructure
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: Santa Monica, California
• Website: upfront.com

2. Mucker Capital

Mucker backs early-stage B2B and marketplace companies with exceptional founder-market fit.

• Recent Deals: Honey growth rounds (pre-PayPal $4B acquisition), Chirp seed round, multiple LA SaaS startups
• LinkedIn: Erik Rannala
• Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, Marketplaces, Fintech, Vertical SaaS
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Seed, Series A
• Office Location: Santa Monica, California
• Website: muckercapital.com

3. Crosscut Ventures

Crosscut invests in LA software companies with focus on marketing tech and vertical SaaS.

• Recent Deals: StackAdapt Series A (2018), Sidecar Health investments, LA B2B platforms
• LinkedIn: Brian Garrett
• Sector Focus: Marketing tech, Vertical SaaS, B2B platforms
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: Santa Monica, California
• Website: crosscut.vc

4. March Capital

March backs growth-stage B2B software companies and infrastructure platforms.

• Recent Deals: Tradeshift $240M Series E (2018), Sisense growth rounds, enterprise software platforms
• LinkedIn: Sumant Mandal
• Sector Focus: Enterprise SaaS, Infrastructure, B2B platforms, Cybersecurity
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Growth
• Office Location: Santa Monica, California
• Website: marchcp.com

5. Bonfire Ventures

Bonfire focuses on capital-efficient LA software companies with clear monetization strategies.

• Recent Deals: Spokeo growth rounds $50M+ valuation, Tapcart Series A, data intelligence platforms
• LinkedIn: Jim Andelman
• Sector Focus: Vertical SaaS, Data platforms, B2B tools
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: Santa Monica, California
• Website: bonfire.vc

6. Greycroft

Greycroft invests in B2B software alongside consumer brands with bi-coastal presence.

• Recent Deals: Scopely early investments, B2B platform companies, marketing software
• LinkedIn: Dana Settle
• Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, Marketing tech, Data platforms
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: Santa Monica, California
• Website: greycroft.com

7. TenOneTen Ventures

TenOneTen backs technical founders building vertical SaaS and B2B infrastructure.

• Recent Deals: Scopely early rounds, Gigster investments, vertical SaaS platforms
• LinkedIn: Gil Beyda
• Sector Focus: Vertical SaaS, B2B infrastructure, Developer tools
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: Santa Monica, California
• Website: 1010vc.com

8. Cota Capital

Cota invests in infrastructure and developer tools with focus on technical founders.

• Recent Deals: Elastic pre-IPO rounds, infrastructure platforms, developer tools
• LinkedIn: Bobby Yazdani
• Sector Focus: Infrastructure, Developer tools, Cloud platforms, Data infrastructure
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Growth
• Office Location: Santa Monica, California
• Website: cotacapital.com

9. Kayne Partners

Kayne backs growth-stage software companies with proven business models.

• Recent Deals: Multiple LA software growth rounds, B2B platforms, enterprise software
• LinkedIn: Michael Stark
• Sector Focus: Enterprise SaaS, B2B platforms, Vertical SaaS
• Stage Focus: Series B, Growth, Late-stage
• Office Location: Los Angeles, California
• Website: kaynepartners.com

10. Clearstone Venture Partners

Clearstone invests in technology infrastructure and B2B software platforms.

• Recent Deals: Rubicon Project pre-IPO (2014), adtech platforms, infrastructure software
• LinkedIn: Masha Khusid
• Sector Focus: Adtech, B2B platforms, Infrastructure
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B
• Office Location: Santa Monica, California
• Website: clearstone.com

11. Toba Capital

Toba backs LA software companies in marketing tech and adtech sectors.

• Recent Deals: SteelHouse growth rounds, adtech platforms, marketing software
• LinkedIn: Mark Mullen
• Sector Focus: Marketing tech, Adtech, B2B SaaS
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: Santa Monica, California
• Website: tobacapital.com

12. Wavemaker Partners

Wavemaker invests in B2B software and fintech platforms across LA and Southeast Asia.

• Recent Deals: LA B2B SaaS startups, fintech platforms, vertical SaaS companies
• LinkedIn: Paul Santos
• Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, Fintech, Vertical SaaS
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: Los Angeles, California
• Website: wavemaker.vc

13. GRP Partners

GRP backs internet infrastructure and B2B software with long-term holding periods.

• Recent Deals: OpenX growth rounds $1.2B valuation, adtech infrastructure, B2B platforms
• LinkedIn: Mark Suster
• Sector Focus: Internet infrastructure, Adtech, B2B platforms
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Growth
• Office Location: Los Angeles, California
• Website: grpvc.com

14. Rincon Venture Partners

Rincon invests in infrastructure and B2B software with technical founding teams.

• Recent Deals: Infrastructure companies, B2B platforms, developer tools
• LinkedIn: Dave Fleckenstein
• Sector Focus: Infrastructure, B2B SaaS, Cloud platforms
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: Santa Monica, California
• Website: rinconvp.com

15. Fika Ventures

Fika backs technical founders building developer tools and infrastructure platforms.

• Recent Deals: LA developer tools startups, infrastructure platforms, open source companies
• LinkedIn: Eva Ho
• Sector Focus: Developer tools, Infrastructure, Open source
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Seed
• Office Location: Los Angeles, California
• Website: fika.vc

16. M13

M13 invests in B2B platforms alongside consumer brands with focus on automation.

• Recent Deals: B2B automation platforms, workflow tools, vertical SaaS
• LinkedIn: Courtney Reum
• Sector Focus: B2B platforms, Automation, Workflow tools
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: Santa Monica, California
• Website: m13.co

17. Science Inc

Science builds and invests in software companies from their startup studio model.

• Recent Deals: Built multiple LA software companies, B2B platforms, SaaS tools
• LinkedIn: Mike Jones
• Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, Marketing tech, Vertical SaaS
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Seed, Series A
• Office Location: Culver City, California
• Website: science-inc.com

Start tracking your LA SaaS investor outreach

These 17 investors closed 200+ LA SaaS deals in 2024-2025. Before you start pitching Santa Monica funds, set up proper tracking.

Upload your deck to Ellty and create a unique link for each LA SaaS investor. You'll see exactly which slides they review and how long they spend on your unit economics and go-to-market strategy. LA SaaS investors typically focus heavily on CAC payback periods and net revenue retention - your analytics will show which investors care most about growth efficiency versus pure revenue growth.

When Upfront or Mucker asks for your sales pipeline data, customer cohort analysis, and financial model, share an Ellty data room instead of scattering files across email threads. Your MRR growth, churn analysis, and sales metrics in one secure place with view analytics. You'll know which investors are seriously evaluating your business model versus those who looked once and deprioritized your deal.

Common questions

Do I need to be based in LA to raise from LA SaaS investors?

Not required and many LA SaaS deals happen with remote teams. Location matters less for B2B software than consumer businesses since investors evaluate product and metrics regardless of founder location. However, being in LA helps for building relationships and attending portfolio events. If you're remote, focus on Upfront or March - they back distributed teams regularly.

How does LA compare to SF for SaaS fundraising?

LA investors expect more capital-efficient growth and faster paths to profitability. SF investors tolerate higher burn rates for faster growth. LA writes smaller seed checks ($2.8M average vs $4.5M in SF) but companies typically give up less equity. Raise in LA if you're building efficient SaaS businesses, SF if you need large war chests for aggressive expansion.

What's the average seed round size for LA SaaS companies?

$2.8M for B2B SaaS companies with early traction, $1.5M for pre-revenue companies with strong teams, $4M+ for companies with $500K+ ARR and strong growth. Marketing tech companies raise 20% more than vertical SaaS. First-time founders without B2B sales experience rarely raise above $2M in LA.

Should I raise from LA investors or go straight to SF?

Raise in LA if you value capital efficiency and want investors who respect sustainable growth. LA VCs provide strong support for go-to-market strategy and customer development without pushing blitz scaling. Go to SF if you need larger rounds ($5M+ seeds) or you're building horizontal infrastructure requiring massive capital. Most successful LA companies raise seed locally then go to SF for Series B.

Do LA SaaS investors expect in-person meetings?

Not always - many LA investors take Zoom calls throughout the process. However, Upfront and Mucker prefer meeting founding teams in person for seed rounds to assess team dynamics. Plan to visit LA for 1-2 days once you're in serious diligence. Series A rounds typically require in-person meetings with the full partnership.

What ARR do I need before raising seed rounds in LA?

Most LA SaaS investors will fund pre-revenue companies if you have strong founder backgrounds and clear ICP validation. However, having $20K+ MRR significantly improves your chances and valuation. Marketing tech companies can raise with $10K MRR if growth is strong. Infrastructure and developer tools typically need $50K+ MRR or exceptional founder pedigree before seed rounds.