Grid110 Unveils 20 Companies Selected for Fall 2019 Programs

Earlier this summer, we celebrated Grid110's 5th year of programs at our annual summer soirée. It’s become an tradition to bring our team, alumni, partners, supporters and friends (old and new) together to celebrate the collective work done towards pursuing our mission: to foster the most thriving, inviting & inclusive community for entrepreneurs in Los Angeles. Over the summer, we received a record number of applications for our two Fall programs and spent the past few months reviewing, assessing and interviewing the most diverse and dynamic group of applicants yet. We’re excited to finally announce the companies selected for our Fall programs.

Celebrating the LA startup ecosystem at our 5th annual summer soirée in June. PC: Tommy P Photography.

Meet The Companies

The Fall 2019 Cohorts + Grid110 Team!

Our Residency Program is designed for early stage companies that are typically post-launch and have evidence of traction/validation in the form of users, revenue or funding.

The 5 companies selected for Residency Program Cohort 7 are:

• Gladeo: founded by Michelle Cho and Grace Cho, Gladeo is a career navigation platform that leverages the power of video storytelling and technology to help underserved youth find and pursue their dream career.
• MVN 2: founded by Whitney Lewis and Jesse Lucas, MVN 2 is a platform that connects mobility challenged patients with access to drivers who provide door to door assistance.
• Perfect Tux: founded by Steven Burton, Perfect Tux throws out the traditional tux rental model in favor of reasonably priced, unique and trendy items for purchase.
• Therapy Lab: founded by Dr. Chandler Chang, Therapy Lab is a mental wellness and therapy practice offering science-based treatments customized for clients. We offer affordable care for clients and high-quality training experiences for therapists in a space designed for community.
• Zygo: founded by Sheera Goren and Charlie Melvoin, Zygo is the first wireless headset for underwater streaming audio with a companion app of guided workouts. Our mission is to transform the solitary sport into an entertaining and community-driven form of exercise, starting with proprietary hardware and scaling through engaging content — a now proven model in fitness in all land-based activities.

Our I2P program first launched 2 years ago to support ideation and concept stage entrepreneurs. The program has since evolved to support entrepreneurs anywhere across the idea to product spectrum, helping to provide critical direction, support and validation.

The 15 companies selected for I2P Cohort 6 are:

• Rozu: founded by Ranika Morales, Rōzu, Japanese for “rose,” is a sparkling rose water made by women for women; think Perrier or San Pellegrino, but made with organic roses from the lush rose valleys of Bulgaria. It’s like having a vacation (or spa) in a bottle.
• Jimaye: founded by Jimaye Nguyen, Jimaye is a versatile men’s swimwear e-commerce brand. Our reversible swim briefs and multi-functional swim shorts combined with unique and fun prints, help our customers showcase the beauty and uniqueness they have on the inside, on the outside
• Rawlogy: founded by Marek Bowers, Rawlogy is the go-to source for sustainable self-massage products and holistic self-care education for the outdoor community. Designed to keep bodies limber and strong, our trail-ready cork balls and rollers relieve pain in a natural, non-chemical way.
• Nuleep: founded by Grace Park, Isidro Perez and Luis Reyes, Nuleep builds a visual career journey with your lifestyle! Find jobs that excite you and refer your friends to awesome jobs using Nuleep!
• BroglieBox: founded by Julia Broglie and Dustin Belt, BroglieBox is a mental wellness box, delivered to your doorstep. Every three months, a new box arrives filled with full sized items, tools, and resources for mental health and stress relief.
• Shop Latinx: founded by Brittany Chavez, Shop Latinx is a Latinx-centered e-commerce marketplace.
• Megilla: founded by Nathan Firer, Megilla is an online video-storytelling platform designed for the senior demographic. The easiest place to tell your life story & build your legacy.
• Therapy for Latinx: founded by Brandie Carlos, Therapy for Latinx makes it easy to find a culturally informed therapist near you. Mental health can be challenging, finding a therapist shouldn’t be.
• Menarche: founded by Chelsea VonChaz, Menarche is a marketplace for your period. The first ever one-stop shop for menstrual care place for your period.
• From Your Village With Love: founded by Salima Saunders, From Your Village With Love creates gifts that nourish and support new moms as they navigate their first few months with a new baby. These gifts also serve as a reminder that mom’s community and family is with her, even if they cannot physically be there.
• Volume: founded by Joyce Chung and Terence Brasch, Volume is a ready to drink, social experiment in a can.
• Whizz Technologies: founded by Robert Logan & Keith Crudupt, Whizz Technologies helps gig drivers to find places to “go”!
• JamPacked Storage: founded by Jameela Bahar, JamPacked Storage is an on-demand wardrobe storage service in the Los Angeles County that aims to create high quality, yet affordable and convenient storage solutions for individuals who need their wardrobe items stored away.
• Doulaworks: founded by Rachel Adler, Doulaworks partners with companies to provide support to every working parent from pregnancy through back to work.
• Pantriful: founded by Justin Liwag, Pantriful is your own smart personal grocery shopper. We create unique grocery lists tailored to you and deliver them to your doorstep.

Here’s an updated overview of Grid110 by the numbers (including the companies selected for our Fall programs):

• Cohorts: 13
• Companies: 126 (39 Residency, 87 Idea to Prototype)
• Founders: 69% Female, 60% POC
• Verticals: companies focus on a variety of industries that include (but are not limited to) health/wellness, SaaS, e-commerce, AI, AR, CPG, fashion, sports, social impact, mobility, beauty, media.
• Post-Program Success: 2 companies acquired, 8 accepted into accelerator programs (Y Combinator, Techstars, Quake Capital, MuckerLab, XRC Labs, AngelPad), 75+ local jobs created and a combined $15m+ in funding raised post-program. Companies have also gone on to double their revenue YOY, expand distribution channels and scale their businesses (and teams) right here in Los Angeles.

About Grid110

Founded in 2015 as an economic and community development non-profit aimed at supporting the growth of the startup ecosystem in Downtown Los Angeles, Grid110 began as a collective of 7 entrepreneurs who all shared a similar vision of Downtown LA as the next innovation hub. Since the inception of the first program, we have now provided 126 early stage startups with access to free office space, mentoring and other critical resources through cohort based programs. We do not currently provide any funding (yet…), but companies also do not give up any equity or pay fees to participate in the program. Our mission is to foster the most thriving, inviting & inclusive community for entrepreneurs in Los Angeles. Many thanks to our extraordinary partners who help us make all of this possible: The Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti, LA Economic Workforce Development Department, FOUND/LA, Nixon Peabody and Cross Campus.

We’re always looking to expand our efforts. If what we’re doing at Grid110 resonates with you, please reach out to explore collaborative partnerships. We’re also actively seeking grant invitations and open to discussing potential sponsorship, consulting and enterprise program opportunities. You can also connect with us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.