👋 I’m Justin. I run The SF Grind, The LA Grind, and scout for Headline. I live in LA but spend a lot of time in San Francisco meeting founders, hosting gatherings, and enjoying the wonderful city. If I’m not writing this, I’m probably out on a run.
Happy New Year! I’m very excited to get things rolling in SF in 2026 after launching this newsletter in December. We’re fast approaching 1,000 subscribers and have our first couple of events for the year coming up in a couple of weeks!
Shoutout: Neon, the beautiful drop-in work & event space, which is raising a community round on Wefunder to expand! I’ve hosted events there multiple times and I’m a big fan of what Teddy is building.
Let’s get to it.
National law firm trusted by founders and high-growth companies
Polsinelli has a strong technology and emerging growth practice supporting founders from formation through fundraising and scale. They work with startups across San Francisco, Los Angeles, and major innovation hubs nationwide.
I’ve personally worked with Ephraim Hintz from their team, and he’s excellent if you ever need a warm intro or trusted guidance on anything legal.
Reply to this email if you want to sponsor this newsletter.
🌁 Upcoming Events I’m Hosting 🌁
🗓️ January 22: The SF Grind: Curated Founder Dinner. San Francisco. 6 - 8 pm.
🗓️ January 23: The SF Grind: Startup Community Coffee Meetup. Cow Hollow. 8 - 10 am.
👋 This Week in SF 👋
🗓️ January 5: YC W26 Kick-off Party (hosted by Kernel & Mintlify). Dogpatch. 6 - 9 pm.
🗓️ January 6: 2026 SVB Crypto Market Insights. Financial District. 5 - 8 pm.
🗓️ January 6: Conversation Café. Mid-Market. 6:30 - 8 pm.
🗓️ January 7: SF AI Engineers: January w/ Databricks, Robinhood, and Suki Presenting. Design District. 6 - 8 pm.
🗓️ January 8: Batter Up x H-On Dream SF! Mission District. 6 - 9 pm.
🗓️ January 8 : Leopard.FYI SF Talent & People Leaders. SoMa. 6 - 8 pm.
🗓️ January 8: Voice AI Builders Meetup with Modal & Phonic. Mission District. 6 - 8 pm.
🗓️ January 9: JPM kickoff: deeptech x neurotech pregame. SoMa. 7 - 10 pm.
🗓️ January 10: NFX Bio Pre-JPM Networking Run. Financial District. 10 - 11:30 am.
🗓️ January 10: Burner Phone 101: Build Your Own Travel Burner (Hands-On Workshop). Mid-Market. 10:30 am - 6:30 pm.
🗓️ January 10-11: Hackathon. SoMa. 10 am - 7 pm.
🗓️ January 11: Bay Area Life Science Hikers. Main Post. 9:30 am - 12:30 pm.
January 11: Healthcare Investor Brunch. Union Square. 11 am - 1:30 pm.
🗓️ January 11: Bridging Discovery to Clinic: How AI and Digital Technologies Are Transforming Therapeutics. El Embarcadero. 2 - 4 pm.
🗓️ January 11: Dream BIG, Build Small: A Showcase for Small Scale Developers & Builders. El Cerrito. 2 - 5 pm.
🗓️ January 11: Longevity Biotech JPM Event by The Longevity Investor Network. Mountain View. 2 - 6 pm.
Reply to this email to submit an event for consideration in the next edition
Top 5 SF Startup & VC Firm Jobs
AI Engineer @ Develop Health
Product Engineer @ Cekura
Founding Member of Technical Staff @ Halluminate
Business Operations Associate @ Greylock Partners
👋 Hiring? Reply to this email to feature your job in this newsletter.
Other Opportunities
Know a founder or investor in SF who is raising capital or searching for a co-founder? Reply to this email with more details that I could share in this newsletter.
Dazzle AI, a Palo Alto-based AI company, raised $8M in seed funding at a $35M post-money valuation in a round led by Kirsten Green of Forerunner.
Traini, a pet emotional intelligence startup, closed a $7.5M funding in a round led by Banyan Tree, Silver Capital, ZhaoTai Group, and NYX Ventures.
Featured Location
Boulevard. An elegant, waterfront SF classic serving refined seasonal Californian cuisine in a stylish, lively setting.
Fun Events
See you next week,
Justin
P.S. Want to connect? Book a Call.