LA’s Next
Hot Founders.
You’re the next big thing — the next unicorn — and you’re not afraid to tell everyone who’ll listen. Tenacious, charismatic, and determined not to fail. You’ve built something that changes everything.
The hunt for LA’s
next big founder.
Every episode, LA’s sharpest entertainment reporters compete to uncover the city’s most exciting emerging founders — chasing the stories, building the relationships, and fighting for the one they believe could become the next big thing.
Where every world
in LA collides.
Every episode pulls founders from completely different worlds — each one magnetic, camera-ready, and on the rise. If you’re building in one of these, this is your stage.
Meet the cast.
Revealed live at HawkeFest 2026.
Two hosts and seven field reporters — unveiled on October 1 at HawkeFest on the Santa Monica Pier. These are the faces on the hunt for LA’s next hot founder.
Don’t miss a single episode.
Next Hot Founder drops on YouTube. Subscribe now so you’re watching the moment the first Next Hot Founder is crowned.
Four acts. Every episode.
The city is the co-star.
Every episode runs on the energy of LA — a city built on ambition, reinvention, and fame. The backdrops sell the dream as much as the founders do.
Hollywood Hills
Beverly Hills
Venice Beach
Downtown LA
Malibu
West HollywoodNeighborhood photography via Wikimedia Commons — Hollywood Sign © Thomas Wolf (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Rodeo Drive © DXR (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Venice Beach © Domenico Convertini (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Santa Monica Pier © GillyBerlin (CC BY 2.0) · Downtown LA © Kevin Stanchfield (CC BY 2.0) · Malibu © Mike Peel / mikepeel.net (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Sunset Strip © Chalky Lives (CC BY 2.0).
Founders building the
next big thing.
The Next Unicorn
You’re the next big thing — and you aren’t afraid to tell everyone who will listen.
Tenacious & Charismatic
Magnetic, relentless, and determined not to fail. You pull a room toward you.
Game-Changing Product
You’ve created something that will change everything. Any industry — but it has to move the world.
A Brand That’s Taking Off
You’ve built a personal brand as an influencer taking social media by storm — and a business from it.
Post-Revenue · Required
Past the ideation stage. You’re generating revenue, growing quickly, and already expanding.
Ready for the Spotlight
Comfortable telling your story on camera and putting your market on the map.
A season built on the hunt.
The audience doesn’t just follow the founders — they follow the hunt. One of those feature stories could be yours.
Highlighted — or the main event.
Highlighted Founder
Introduced on the show by one of our reporters — putting you and your product in front of the audience.
Next Hot Founder
You and your brand are the focus. Real time to tell your story, introduce your market, and bring the audience inside what you’re building — with educational elements throughout.
Selected founders may be chosen as either a Highlighted Founder or the Featured Next Hot Founder.
Tell us what you’re building.
Post-revenue founders only. Complete the form below and our team will follow up directly with selected founders.
You’re on our radar.
Thanks for applying to Next Hot Founder — LA Edition. Our team will reach out directly if you’re selected to move forward.
