Investor Profile: Amplify LA - Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

Venice, Los Angeles-based Amplify LA describes itself as LA's premier pre-seed fund, and its model is deliberately physical: it operates as both a venture fund and an entrepreneurial campus in Venice, where founders and investors work out of the same space. Founded in 2011, it raised one of the earliest first-check funds dedicated to Los Angeles founders and has been the first partner to more than 80 companies.

Thesis

Amplify LA writes the first institutional cheque for top technical and product-obsessed teams, with a mandate centred on Los Angeles but extending beyond it. Its focus is technology, media, and entertainment, with emerging strength in the AI application layer, financial services and compliance, healthcare automation, construction tech, and go-to-market solutions. The fund leans on LA's entertainment DNA, with a mentor bench of Hollywood-connected operators who give portfolio companies access to celebrity, media, and brand networks.

Sectors & Stages

Amplify invests at pre-seed and seed stage, and it leads and co-leads rounds. Its sectors include SaaS and software, e-commerce and marketplaces, healthcare and life sciences, and venture-adjacent technology. In 2025 it invested in seven new companies, half in Los Angeles and the rest in Toronto, San Francisco, and Austin.

Fund & Cheque Size

Amplify LA's current fund size is not publicly disclosed. Its programme funding is typically described as $50,000 to $200,000 in seed funding for selected startups, with flexible investment terms customised per company. The fund's collective portfolio has raised more than $500 million in cumulative funding, and its companies have exited to Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, as well as public markets.

Notable Portfolio

Amplify's 2025 portfolio highlights show its current range. Publicly announced raises within the portfolio included Warp at a $10 million Series A, Pryzm at a $12.2 million seed round, Mavvrik at a $6.2 million seed round, Cascade Bio at a $6 million seed round, Abstract at a $4.8 million seed round, Sourcetable at a $4.3 million seed round, and Genia at a $3 million pre-seed round. Humi was acquired by Employment Hero, and three portfolio companies, SafeRide Health, FloQast, and Rentspree, ranked on the Inc. 5000 list for 2025.

Partners & Programs

Amplify is led by managing partner Paul Bricault, who has been named to the Los Angeles Business Journal's LA 500 list of the city's most influential people for ten consecutive years. Its support includes free workspace at its Venice campus, a four-month hands-on mentorship programme from experienced operators, many of them founders themselves, and free or discounted professional services covering legal, hosting, and banking. The firm also runs founder dinners, VC dinners, panels, and roundtables, hosts an AI event series, and publishes a bi-annual Seed Deal Report analysing seed funding across Southern California. No separate credits or perks programme is published.

How to apply for funding

Founders can apply through Amplify's website at amplify.la. The typical process starts with a pitch deck and information about the founding team, followed by interviews for selected startups. Amplify looks for strong teams with a clear market opportunity and a scalable business model, and founders based in or willing to build in Los Angeles will find the Venice campus and local network most valuable.