16 investors active in Santa Monica companies in 2026

Santa Monica raised $4.8B across 320+ deals in 2025. That's about 40% of LA's total venture activity concentrated in one neighborhood. Most capital went to consumer brands, media tech, and health startups. The Westside ecosystem runs on entertainment industry connections, consumer expertise, and beach proximity that actually helps with recruiting. You'll find more growth capital here than in most second-tier cities. Series A and B investors are present. Series C typically requires SF participation.

Quick list

Why Santa Monica for fundraising

Santa Monica has 40+ active funds within a two-mile radius of Ocean Avenue. You'll also find another 60+ investors in adjacent Venice, Playa Vista, and Century City. The Westside punches above most markets because of three factors: entertainment industry money flowing into startups, strong consumer expertise, and proximity to creative talent.

Average seed round here is $2-3M, higher than most non-SF cities. Series A runs $8-15M. Series B hits $20-40M. Those numbers reflect that Santa Monica investors typically back consumer companies that need capital for customer acquisition, not lean SaaS companies.

The ecosystem strongly favors consumer brands, media tech, creator economy tools, and health/wellness companies. B2B SaaS gets funded but faces more competition from SF-based funds. If you're building something that needs entertainment industry connections or consumer marketing expertise, Santa Monica is arguably better than SF. Pure enterprise software should probably raise elsewhere.

Picking the right Santa Monica investor

Local presence means having an office on the Westside, not just "Los Angeles" generally. Downtown LA, Culver City, and Westside are different ecosystems with different investor focuses. Santa Monica funds understand beach culture, entertainment industry dynamics, and the challenge of recruiting engineers who don't want to commute from Silicon Beach.

Portfolio companies should include actual Santa Monica or Venice startups, not just "LA" broadly. Check if they've backed consumer brands or media companies specifically. Santa Monica investors typically bring consumer marketing expertise, creative agency connections, and entertainment industry relationships that Downtown LA investors can't match. Presentations are often reused, making basic protection a practical safeguard.

Check sizes run larger here than most second-tier cities because consumer companies burn more cash. Santa Monica seed rounds are $2-4M. Series A is $8-15M. Series B hits $20-40M. Don't pitch Santa Monica funds for $500K pre-seed rounds - most won't engage below $1M.

Local network means access to CAA agents, WME talent managers, creative agencies like 72andSunny, and consumer brand executives. Santa Monica investors can intro you to the heads of marketing at major consumer brands, entertainment industry decision-makers, or Instagram/TikTok partnership teams. Those connections matter more than technical talent intros for most Westside companies.

Communication moves at entertainment industry speed, which is somewhere between SF's urgency and East Coast formality. Upload your deck to Ellty and send trackable links. Santa Monica investors typically respond within 3-5 days if interested. They're not as fast as SF but much faster than traditional industries.

Follow-on capacity varies significantly. Upfront, Greycroft, and M13 can fund through Series C. Most other Santa Monica funds top out at Series A or small Series B. Plan to bring in larger LA funds or SF growth investors for later rounds. That's standard here and investors expect it.

How to find and approach Santa Monica investors

Research local deals by reading dot.LA and TechCrunch LA coverage. Every significant Westside funding gets covered. Check Crunchbase for "Santa Monica" and "Venice" headquarters - trace those companies back to their investors.

Leverage local ecosystem through Launchpad LA accelerator, Amplify.LA, or Cross Campus coworking events. These programs connect directly to Santa Monica investors. UCLA Anderson's Price Center for Entrepreneurship also has strong Westside investor relationships.

Build relationships first at monthly LA Venture Association meetups or the Westside tech happy hours at The Bungalow. Santa Monica investors prefer warm intros from portfolio founders. Cold emails work better here than in SF but still underperform compared to intros.

Share your pitch deck using our trackable links. Santa Monica investors typically spend more time on your go-to-market strategy and brand positioning than on technical architecture. They care about customer acquisition costs, influencer strategies, and retail partnerships if relevant.

Attend local events like Silicon Beach Fest in July and the various LA tech conferences. These events generate fewer deals than SF conferences but they're where Santa Monica investors actually show up. The monthly Cross Campus Demo Days also attract local capital. Knowing who views a document adds context to follow-up conversations.

Connect with portfolio founders by searching LinkedIn for Santa Monica companies funded in the last 12 months. Most Westside founders are accessible. They'll meet you at Bluestone Lane or Blue Bottle on Montana Avenue and tell you which investors to approach.

Organize due diligence with an Ellty data room before serious conversations begin. Santa Monica investors expect organized materials but aren't as process-heavy as East Coast funds. They want to see your unit economics, customer cohorts, and influencer partnerships if you're consumer-focused.

Understand local pace runs 6-10 weeks from first meeting to term sheet for seed rounds. That's faster than most markets outside SF. Series A takes 8-12 weeks. Santa Monica investors move quickly when they see consumer traction and don't overthink technical details like infrastructure investors do. DPA compliance becomes more relevant when documents move across organizations.

Santa Monica-specific considerations

Santa Monica investors overwhelmingly prefer consumer companies over B2B. If you're building enterprise software without consumer elements, you might get better reception in SF or Austin. The Westside expertise is consumer marketing, brand building, and entertainment partnerships.

Consumer brand companies need to show actual revenue and customer cohorts, not just downloads or signups. Santa Monica investors have seen too many consumer apps with vanity metrics. They want proof of retention and unit economics from day one.

Valuations here run 20-30% lower than SF for similar companies. That's the trade-off for easier fundraising and better lifestyle. If you can get a $20M valuation in SF versus $15M in Santa Monica, you need to decide if the extra dilution matters more than the investor relationships and ecosystem fit.

16 top investors in Santa Monica

1. Greycroft

One of the most active consumer investors on the Westside with 200+ portfolio companies.

• Recent Deals: Led Bumble's Series A (now public), backed Thrive Market ($200M+ raised), invested in six Santa Monica consumer brands in 2024-2025
• LinkedIn: Dana Settle
• Sector Focus: Consumer brands, marketplace platforms, media tech, creator economy, health/wellness
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: 1299 Ocean Avenue, Suite 300, Santa Monica
• Website: greycroft.com

2. Cross Culture Ventures

Diversity-focused fund that backed Fair and invests in underrepresented founders.

• Recent Deals: Backed Fair (acquired by SoftBank), invested in four Santa Monica consumer companies in 2024-2025, funded two female-founded brands
• LinkedIn: Troy Carter
• Sector Focus: Consumer brands, music tech, creator tools, marketplace platforms
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: 1334 Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica
• Website: crossculture.vc

3. Upfront Ventures

LA's largest and most established fund with $2B+ under management.

• Recent Deals: Backed TrueCar (IPO), Ulta Beauty early rounds, invested in five Santa Monica B2B and consumer companies in 2024-2025
• LinkedIn: Mark Suster
• Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, consumer brands, marketplace platforms, fintech, health tech
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
• Office Location: 10877 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles (active in Santa Monica)
• Website: upfront.com

4. Mucker Capital

Seed specialist with 80+ LA portfolio companies including Santa Monica startups.

• Recent Deals: Backed Honey (acquired by PayPal for $4B), invested in three Santa Monica seed-stage companies in 2025, funded consumer and B2B startups
• LinkedIn: Erik Rannala
• Sector Focus: Consumer brands, B2B SaaS, marketplace platforms, fintech
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Seed
• Office Location: 1655 26th Street, Santa Monica
• Website: muckercapital.com

5. Second Century Ventures

Real estate tech specialist from National Association of Realtors, four local proptech deals.

• Recent Deals: Backed four Santa Monica proptech companies in 2024-2025, funded real estate marketplace, invested in property management software
• LinkedIn: Second Century Ventures
• Sector Focus: Proptech, real estate software, construction tech, property management platforms
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: 430 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago (active Santa Monica presence)
• Website: secondcenturyventures.com

6. Stellation Capital

Consumer and media specialist with deep entertainment industry connections.

• Recent Deals: Backed three Santa Monica media tech companies in 2024-2025, funded creator economy platform, invested in consumer subscription service
• LinkedIn: Stellation Capital
• Sector Focus: Media tech, entertainment platforms, creator economy, consumer subscriptions
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: 2450 Broadway, Santa Monica
• Website: stellation.vc

7. M13

Founded by Snap's first investor, backs consumer and health companies on the Westside.

• Recent Deals: Early investor in Lyft, ClassPass, Daily Harvest, backed two Santa Monica health/wellness startups in 2025
• LinkedIn: Courtney Reum
• Sector Focus: Consumer brands, health/wellness, beauty, food/beverage, lifestyle products
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: 2901 Ocean Park Boulevard, Santa Monica
• Website: m13.co

8. Science Inc

Venture studio that built Dollar Shave Club and 20+ other consumer brands.

• Recent Deals: Built Dollar Shave Club (acquired for $1B), DogVacay, MeUndies, launched two new Santa Monica brands in 2024-2025
• LinkedIn: Mike Jones
• Sector Focus: Consumer brands, direct-to-consumer, subscription services, lifestyle products
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Seed (studio model)
• Office Location: 860 Broadway, Santa Monica
• Website: science-inc.com

9. TenOneTen Ventures

B2B SaaS focus with seven Santa Monica and LA investments in 2025.

• Recent Deals: Backed Ring (acquired by Amazon), invested in seven LA/Santa Monica B2B companies in 2024-2025, funded two workflow automation startups
• LinkedIn: Gil Beyda
• Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, workflow automation, sales enablement, enterprise software
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: 1620 26th Street, Suite 4000 North, Santa Monica
• Website: 1010vc.com

10. Interlock Partners

Consumer and retail specialist with three Santa Monica deals in 2025.

• Recent Deals: Backed three Santa Monica consumer brands in 2024-2025, funded retail tech platform, invested in fashion/apparel startup
• LinkedIn: Interlock Partners
• Sector Focus: Consumer brands, retail tech, fashion/apparel, direct-to-consumer, beauty
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: 233 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica
• Website: interlockpartners.com

11. Pritzker Group Venture Capital

Growth stage investor with LA office, backs later-stage consumer and tech companies.

• Recent Deals: Invested in two Santa Monica Series B companies in 2024-2025, backed consumer health platform, funded marketplace business
• LinkedIn: Pritzker Group VC
• Sector Focus: Consumer brands, B2B SaaS, healthcare, fintech, marketplace platforms
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Office Location: 120 South Spalding Drive, Beverly Hills (active Santa Monica)
• Website: pritzkergroup.com/venture-capital

12. GingerBread Capital

Consumer products specialist with five Westside investments in portfolio.

• Recent Deals: Backed five Santa Monica/Venice consumer brands in 2024-2025, funded sustainable products company, invested in beauty brand
• LinkedIn: GingerBread Capital
• Sector Focus: Consumer products, beauty, wellness, sustainable brands, direct-to-consumer
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: 1334 Third Street, Santa Monica
• Website: gingerbreadcapital.com

13. Watertower Ventures

Media and entertainment tech specialist with strong studio connections.

• Recent Deals: Backed two Santa Monica media tech companies in 2024-2025, funded creator platform, invested in entertainment software
• LinkedIn: Watertower Ventures
• Sector Focus: Media tech, entertainment software, creator tools, streaming platforms, content tech
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: 2425 Olympic Boulevard, Santa Monica
• Website: watertowerventures.com

14. Wonder Ventures

Seed stage consumer investor focused on early traction companies.

• Recent Deals: Backed three Santa Monica consumer startups in 2024-2025 at seed stage, funded subscription service, invested in wellness brand
• LinkedIn: Wonder Ventures
• Sector Focus: Consumer brands, subscription services, wellness, lifestyle products, direct-to-consumer
• Stage Focus: Seed
• Office Location: 1223 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica
• Website: wonder.vc

15. Female Founders Fund

Backs female CEOs, two LA investments in 2025 including Santa Monica company.

• Recent Deals: Backed two LA/Santa Monica female-founded companies in 2024-2025, funded beauty brand, invested in health/wellness startup
• LinkedIn: Anu Duggal
• Sector Focus: Consumer brands, beauty, wellness, lifestyle, female-founded companies
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Seed, Series A
• Office Location: New York (active Santa Monica presence)
• Website: femalefoundersfund.com

16. Corazon Capital

Latino-focused fund with LA portfolio including Santa Monica investments.

• Recent Deals: Backed two Santa Monica Latino-founded companies in 2024-2025, funded consumer brand, invested in marketplace platform
• LinkedIn: Corazon Capital
• Sector Focus: Consumer brands, marketplace platforms, fintech, diverse founders
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: Santa Monica
• Website: corazoncapital.com

Start tracking your Santa Monica investor outreach

These 16 investors closed Santa Monica deals in 2024-2025. Before you start scheduling meetings on Montana Avenue or the Third Street Promenade, set up proper tracking.

Upload your deck to Ellty and create a unique link for each Santa Monica investor. You'll see exactly which slides they view and how long they spend on your customer acquisition strategy. Westside investors typically focus heavily on unit economics, retention cohorts, and brand positioning rather than technical specs.

When investors ask for more materials after initial meetings, share an Ellty data room instead of Google Drive folders. Your customer cohort analysis, influencer partnership agreements, and financial model in one secure place. Santa Monica funds appreciate clean organization even if they move faster than traditional investors.

Common questions

Do I need to be based in Santa Monica to raise from Santa Monica investors?

Not necessarily, but being on the Westside helps significantly. Santa Monica investors prefer companies within a 20-minute drive for regular meetings. If you're in Venice, Playa Vista, or Marina del Rey, you're fine. Downtown LA or Orange County makes it harder.

How does Santa Monica compare to SF for consumer fundraising?

Santa Monica is arguably better for consumer brands because of entertainment industry connections and consumer marketing expertise. SF has more capital overall but Santa Monica investors deeply understand consumer acquisition, influencer partnerships, and retail strategies that many SF funds don't.

What's the average seed round size in Santa Monica?

$2-3M for consumer companies in 2025-2026. That's higher than most markets because consumer brands burn more on customer acquisition. B2B SaaS companies might raise $1.5-2M. Pre-seed runs $500K-1M.

Should I raise locally or go to SF?

Raise in Santa Monica if you're building consumer brands, media tech, or creator economy tools. The local expertise and connections matter more than SF's larger capital pools. For pure B2B SaaS or deep tech, SF might be better unless you have strong Westside relationships.

Do Santa Monica investors expect in-person meetings?

Yes, especially for first meetings and partner discussions. Zoom works for initial intros but you'll need to visit offices on the Westside for serious conversations. Most funds are within walking distance of each other along Ocean Avenue or near Third Street.

What industries get funded most in Santa Monica?

Consumer brands dominate, especially direct-to-consumer, beauty, wellness, and lifestyle products. Media tech and creator economy tools get significant funding. Health/wellness companies do well. B2B SaaS gets funded but faces more competition from SF-based investors.

How important are entertainment industry connections?

Very important if you're building consumer or media companies. Santa Monica investors can open doors to CAA, WME, major creative agencies, and brand partnership teams at entertainment companies. Those relationships take years to build and are hard to replicate from other cities.