👋 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.
Happy Thursday!
I'm launching a summit. It's called Ambition and it’s taking place Thursday, September 24, 2026 in Santa Monica.
I've been thinking about doing something like this for years, way before The SF Grind and The LA Grind, back when I was writing Just Go Grind and started dabbling with events.
But it never quite seemed like the right time.
This year it finally came together.
The overwhelming response from the polls I've run recently pointed in one direction: a one-day summit in Los Angeles. So that's what we're doing.
A few things that matter about how I'm building this:
Small on purpose. 150 people. One main day, with a VIP dinner the night before. Application-based so we can keep the room curated.
Built for founders, operators, and investors. Founders telling real stories and getting tactical about what actually worked. Investors bringing perspective with real empathy for what founders are going through. Operator insights in smaller breakout conversations.
Not another conference. I think most conferences are… meh. I’m trying to raise the bar and taking a more unique approach with this first summit.
First speaker confirmed: Mehul Nariyawala. Co-Founder of Matic Robots (Series C, $60M raised in January). Previously co-founded Flutter, which Google acquired for $40M, and worked on Nest. Matic just earned a 10/10 from WIRED, the reviewer's first 10/10 in over a decade. More speakers announced in the coming weeks.
Applications are open now. Early Bird pricing is live, we have a limited number of tickets for service providers, and also a limited number of VIP tickets.
Apply here: https://luma.com/ambition2026
For sponsorship, media, or anything else, send me an email: [email protected]
This is year one. I’m taking a bit of a risk launching this, but I’m going to do everything I can to make the experience impactful for attendees, speakers, and sponsors.
See you soon!
Justin