LA Tech Week Prioritizes Wellness Over Parties in Santa Monica

LA Tech Week has shifted its focus from traditional networking parties to wellness activities, with events featuring yoga, cold plunges, and beach workouts. This year’s gathering, taking place in Santa Monica, reflects a growing trend in the tech industry towards sobriety and health-conscious lifestyles.

On a cloudy Monday morning, nearly 100 attendees gathered for a group workout by the beach. The event, hosted by Rally, a fitness network co-founded by Oliver Fitz-Gibbon, highlighted the desire among tech professionals to prioritize their well-being. “People in our community are high achievers wanting to focus on building great businesses, making good investments, and being awesome at their job,” Fitz-Gibbon stated. “They don’t want to wake up the next day with a hangover.”

LA Tech Week included a variety of wellness activities, such as a running and surfing club in Santa Monica, hiking in Brentwood, and sessions featuring saunas and ice baths in Venice. A unique “Puppies & Pilates” event in Beverly Hills even promised participants the chance to connect with new contacts while enjoying adorable dogs.

The week also featured a “Rejuvenation Mansion” in Bel Air, offering cold plunges, sauna circuits, and mindfulness practices. Software engineer and entrepreneur SoHa Zadeh described this event as a favorite, noting, “In tech, people network all the time, but here is a place to actually slow down.”

Despite the focus on health, traditional social events were not entirely absent. Upscale after-parties, including one at Delilah in West Hollywood, featured sparkling wine and a festive atmosphere, contrasting sharply with the wellness-oriented events taking place earlier in the day.

LA’s tech landscape faces challenges as it attempts to regain momentum, particularly in light of the dominance of San Francisco in the artificial intelligence sector. When Andreessen Horowitz hosted LA Tech Week in 2022, the region appeared to be thriving as talent relocated from San Francisco. Now, however, many investors have shifted their focus back to the Bay Area.

Kahlil Lalji, cofounder and CEO of startup Natural, expressed concern over the changing dynamics in the tech scene. “All of the energy is suddenly in San Francisco, and it feels like it sucked all the energy out of Los Angeles,” he remarked. Lalji, who previously founded a startup in Santa Monica, indicated that investors are increasingly asking whether entrepreneurs are willing to relocate to San Francisco, impacting funding opportunities for those remaining in Los Angeles.

Despite these challenges, some investors see potential in the Los Angeles market. Shamin Walsh, managing director of BAM Ventures, emphasized that local companies can offer more favorable valuations compared to the inflated market in San Francisco. “We are very valuation-focused,” Walsh noted, highlighting LA’s appeal as a more affordable alternative.

The vibrant lifestyle in Los Angeles continues to attract talented founders. While the tech scene faces pressures, the region is also home to a burgeoning defense tech industry, particularly in El Segundo, where companies like Anduril have reached impressive valuations, further diversifying the local technology landscape.

As LA Tech Week unfolded, the combination of wellness activities and traditional social events showcased a nuanced approach to networking, reflecting shifting priorities within the tech community. Attendees left with not only new connections but also a renewed sense of purpose, illustrating that health and well-being can coexist with professional ambition.