Sunset Ventures

Our 2025 VC Fellows landed at Goldman Sachs & Coinbase. 2026 cohort is open. Apply now! We launched the Emerging VC Fellowship program last year through the Emerging LA community. It started as a stealth pilot for cohort 1, then opening cohort 2 to the public. The response to our launch last year exceeded all expectations. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱? With 250+ applicants and another 100+ students on the waitlist, we saw a wide range of interest across CSUF, USC, UCLA, UCSD, Caltech, Georgetown, Harvard, and Penn. Fellows have already started to see early signs of success!A few have landed at top firms, funds, and local startups: → Coinbase , Goldman Sachs , Pathway Capital Management , Hybron The team helped the community host nearly 50 events and launch a new initiative for Emerging Angels. The community can co-invest in our syndicate. Fellows got to work on investments in today’s hottest companies: → Anthropic , SpaceX , Perplexity , Databricks , Cursor , xAI In short, it was a great year… …but I am confident this year will be even better. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲? This year, we continue to test new ideas. Starting with the rollout of two specialized tracks: 1. O͟p͟e͟r͟a͟t͟i͟o͟n͟s͟ ͟T͟r͟a͟c͟k͟: Designed as an entry-level track to help break into VC by learning how to manage a portfolio, community, and platform 2. I͟n͟v͟e͟s͟t͟m͟e͟n͟t͟ ͟T͟r͟a͟c͟k͟: Designed for MBAs and finance professionals with investing experience who want to apply their skills to venture capital The fellowship is for students and early-career professionals with a connection to Southern California (from San Diego up to Santa Barbara). Tag someone you know who is a good fit 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 (𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗪 𝗜𝗡 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧): • Applications for Cohort 3 are now open • Deadline: Jan 23 (no exceptions) • Decisions by Feb 6 (after case study & presentation) -- 🚨 Operations Track: read more details & apply in comment below ↓ 🚨 Investments Track: read more details & apply in comment below ↓ (You may apply to both) Leave a comment letting us know you applied!

Want to meet founders & VCs during LA Tech Week? Pick one event and I've got you covered. First off, I confess that I messed up. Clearly, this update is late and was supposed to go out last week. But I came down with the flu, got knocked out for a few days, and had to reset. The timing worked out, though, because I'm back and ready for the biggest LA TECH WEEK by a16z yet. Over 1,500 events are happening citywide, more than double last year's launch. And I am ready to help you navigate #LATechWeek If you've been before, you know the two big challenges: • Hard to know which events are actually worth attending • Hard to get approved unless you already know the hosts I can help with both. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜'𝗺 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 ✅ A shortlist of the events that matter most ✅ Direct access to the organizers and hosts I know ✅ A chance to skip the gatekeepers if you're serious about showing up If you're traveling in, new to the scene, or just trying to figure out where to plug in, I've got you. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵-𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: 𝟭. 𝗠𝗼𝗻, 𝗢𝗰𝘁 𝟭𝟮 - 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 KINO (event is over, but sign up to attend future sessions!) 𝟮. 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀. 𝗢𝗰𝘁 𝟭𝟰 – 𝗦𝗮𝗮𝗦 + 𝗔𝗜 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 & 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 NachoNacho A relaxed mixer for founders, builders, and investors creating the next generation of AI products. 𝟯. 𝗪𝗲𝗱. 𝗢𝗰𝘁 𝟭𝟱 – 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗩𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 TwelveLabs & NOA A fireside chat on how generative AI is reshaping video intelligence, storytelling, and media workflows. 𝟰. 𝗪𝗲𝗱. 𝗢𝗰𝘁 𝟭𝟱 – 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 & 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 Ionova Life Science and ŌURA A deep dive into how Oura is redefining personalized wellness and building the next era of consumer healthtech. 𝟱. 𝗙𝗿𝗶. 𝗢𝗰𝘁 𝟭𝟳 – AI LAX Summit 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 Google I will be closing out the week in a big way! ** Speaking on a panel about LA's Ecosystem of VC, AI & Startups panel with OpenAI , AI LA, Alliance for SoCal Innovation. It is one of the most anticipated sessions of the week, and it is nearly full! ___ 👋 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽: → 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟭 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 you would 100% show up at if approved → 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁, links in blog page below 👇 Then... I'll work to get you added, or share a referral code personally Note: I cannot control every list, but I will do everything I can to help real people get into real rooms. ----- LA Tech Week is not about gatekeepers. It is about participation, connection, and momentum. P.S. → Already signed up to one, comment where I should look for you! → Visiting LA & a friend of mine? Text me and let's meet! Let's make this week count. See you out there.

Celebrating the first ever Chief Design Officer of America, Mr. Joe G.. Joe is the voice of American design. There is no one better for this role. Joe and his teams work will benefit all Americans. Excited for the years ahead. #americabydesign 🇺🇸

We just hit half a million jobs in the USA that sponsor visas! This is 6.8% of all 7.2 million open jobs in the United States. This is a huge technical feat and super proud of our team for being able to source, verify, and update all of these jobs in real-time. Because everyone loves statistics, roughly 5% of the population is on a temporary visa. Despite immigration being such a hot political issue, it turns out companies want to widen their talent pool and hire the best from around the world. If you're looking to move to the USA, or are already here and want to change jobs but need visa sponsorship, Migrate Mate was literally made for you.

"AI creates slop... It can’t make you laugh, cry, or feel!" These AI films will prove you wrong. The Runway AI Film Festival returns for its third year, showcasing the fusion of AI and filmmaking. This year’s lineup features 10 groundbreaking short films that were made using AI to push the boundaries of storytelling. These 10 were selected from over 6,000 submissions worldwide. I am blown away that there have been thousands of AI-generated films already. Leaders from the traditional media industry are leaning into this new creative movement and participating as judges in the festival. • Co-founder & CEO, Runway :  Cristóbal Valenzuela • Dean, USC School of Cinematic Arts: 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗗𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘆 • Vice Chairman, Lionsgate : 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀 • Co-Founder & CEO, Tribeca Enterprises: jane Rosenthal • Co-founder, Wonder Project: Jon Erwin • Renowned Filmmaker: Gaspar Noe    I look forward to watching with 20+ community members from Emerging LA on Aug 20th at a local IMAX. Come join us if you are interested in seeing for yourself! --- Two of the films on the list have premises that caught my attention. 𝟭) “𝗧𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗹 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲” (𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘅 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿) Jacob Adler’s narration guides us through “total pixel space,” suggesting every memory, moment, and universe already exists within the digital grid. A cosmic journey where pixels become poetry, showing how AI can move us beyond the screen. 𝟮) “𝗝𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗕𝗜𝗥𝗗” (𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿) A͟n͟d͟r͟e͟w͟ ͟S͟a͟l͟t͟e͟r͟ uses AI to turn satire into something unexpectedly tender. A chicken in prison rehab sounds absurd - until it makes you laugh, reflect, and feel. What starts as absurd comedy unfolds into sharp, emotional commentary on freedom and control. --- Bring a +1 (movie nights are better with friends & family) Shout out to our community partners Anthony Giuliani & Soyoung Lee at TwelveLabs, The AI Collective, David Li from NOA Odyssey for making AI movie night possible! Event details and ticket link are in the first comment below.

Kraftful has been acquired by Amplitude: https://lnkd.in/gn4dHREx Our AI product will form a core new part of the Amplitude platform. Here’s how we got here... 6 years ago, we set out to help teams build products users love. Stepping off the Y Combinator demo day stage, our journey was filled with macro headwinds, setbacks, and pivots. It was a slog. But we learned so much. We finally landed on something truly special two years ago: helping product teams listen to users at scale. Over 50K product builders came to rely on Kraftful. We got named Most Innovative Company by Fast Company, featured on Masters of Scale, and got product awards. It was magical to see people from every type of tech company, retail brands, financial institutions, and beyond sign up every day because they heard great things from other products folks. Last quarter, we hit record ARR growth — 87%! Things really started taking off. But as a founder, you always want the greatest opportunity for your baby. Talking with Spenser, Curtis, Jeffrey, Francois, David, James, and other Ampliteers, I realized there’s a bigger opportunity together. AI has unlocked an entirely new way for teams to perfect products with insights from every feedback channel and user behavior. Together, we’ll make that vision a reality. And frankly, it had to be Amplitude. Back when we started Kraftful, we piped our early data into every analytics platform, hunting for the best insights. Amplitude stood out. Long before they IPO’d and emerged as the clear market leader (Nasdaq: AMPL), it was already obvious in their product, catching the eye of product legends Elena and John. Amplitude was simply built with the same care and taste that defined our own product journey at Kraftful. With this next chapter, I've been reflecting. The solo founder journey is not for the faint of heart. You're fundraising, building, selling, marketing, hiring, all at once. There's no cofounder to step in when you're tired or sick. Eventually, the biggest unlock is building an incredible team and I’m fortunate to have worked with the best team. Proud of what we built together and excited to continue at Amplitude. We also don’t talk enough about how family is involved in building a startup. When I shared the news with my son, his response was, “You can’t sell, I have so many great memories of Kraftful!” It makes sense, he was just two when we started. Never known life without Kraftful. His baby sister was born during our record growth month. I took a single day of mat leave before diving back into putting out fires. I’m so grateful for incredible support from Peter, my parents, sister, and the rest of my circle ❤️ Kudos to Thomas, Vinay, Tyler, Andrew, Elizabeth, Darah, Pavan, Larry, Trista, Megha, Manaan, Sandeep, William, Sean, Nicholas, John, Kelly, Rachel, Robyn, Brynn, Claire, Jess, Jack, Ryan, and other Ampliteers for the warm welcome. Here's to our next chapter!

I’ll pay anyone $10K for any referrals that lead to an offer. Our team is growing quickly, and we’re looking to hire the top 0.1% builders and operators who are just as obsessed as we are. With a team of three, we scaled to a $1 million annualized run rate in just a few months. We are now hiring two key founding members to help us reach $10 million within the next year. We’re disrupting a massive, overlooked industry and have a clear path to building a $10 billion company in record time. Know someone exceptional? Please connect them with us: 1. Founding Engineer: https://lnkd.in/e54pkg2S 2. Head of Operations: https://lnkd.in/e5e9msPJ Email referrals to sean@collectwise.com. If we hire your candidate, you earn $10K.

Sunset Ventures is grateful to work with Maddie + Boost VC team! Don’t miss #DeepTech demo day!! 👇🚀

SPILL is launching an equity crowdfunding round after raising $5M in venture funding. The platform saw a 282% spike in signups from Q3 to Q4 2024 and is on track for $1M in annualized revenue. Kenya T. Parham has been promoted to chief growth officer as Spill expands its reach. My story on how Spill is expanding and what this means for its future: https://lnkd.in/eci9Phvj