While most of us are counting down to the days of summer, these LA tech companies are already warming up by raking in fresh capital, launching new products and making key hires. Catch up on the latest local tech news with the Built In LA Weekly Refresh.
Chaos Industries raised $70M. Defense and space manufacturer Chaos Industries pulled in significant capital from 8VC, Alpha Wave Global and other investors. This is the company’s first capital raise, according to Crunchbase. Chaos was founded last year and plans to officially launch this year, according to its website. [Crunchbase News]
Pluto was featured in the Built In Future 5 series. Pluto, a cryptocurrency investment platform, rounds out our quarterly feature highlighting five up-and-coming tech companies. Pluto was created for young, novice traders looking to diversify their digital investments. The free platform allows users to create their own trading strategies and share them with others. Having launched in 2021, Pluto is used by about 6,000 people and has grown its user count by about 10 percent each month. [Built In LA]
LA Tech Quote of the Week
“We have lots of experience doing this with League of Legends, but when we started Believer, we knew we’d need to level up if we want to achieve what players truly deserve here.” — Michael Chow, CEO of The Believer Company
The Believer Company launched with $55M. The game developer is co-founded by former Riot Games executives Michael Chow and Steven Snow. The Believer Company intends to develop a next-generation open-world game that brings players together. The $55 million raise comes from Lightspeed Venture Partners, a16z and others. Believer plans to use the funds to scale its team to 50 people this year and create its first title. [Built In LA]
Birdy Grey hired a new COO. With more than 20 years of experience leading retail brands and startups like Abercrombie & Fitch, Steve Zawada will serve as Birdy Grey’s new COO. According to Birdy Grey CEO and co-founder Grace Lee, Zawada will “play a critical role” in helping the company grow. Birdy Grey is a direct-to-consumer online brand that sells bridesmaid dresses for less than $100. In addition to hiring Zawada, the company is looking to fill roles on its design, operations and product teams. [PR Newswire]
Lettuce Grow rolled out a new product. The LA-based company, which develops products to help people grow their own produce, launched a new product last week. The Farmstand Nook is the second version of the company’s flagship product and will make it easier to grow produce indoors, Lettuce Grow said in a statement. The Farmstand Nook allows users to grow 20 plants across four levels and features a built-in LED grow light. Lettuce Grow is actively hiring. [Business Wire]
