Light Dao SALON: Signal Over Hype — Building on the Frontier with Brandon Hoffman from Sunset Ventures (LA)
Fireside Chat: Signal Over Hype — Building on the Frontier with Brandon Hoffman from Sunset Ventures (LA)
A candid conversation on what it really takes to raise, deploy, and build in LA right now.
Join us for a founder-first fireside with Brandon Hoffman, Co-Founder & General Partner at Sunset Ventures, an early-stage fund in LA & SF backing uncommon founders at the edges of creativity, mediatech, commerce, and fintech. Before launching Sunset, Brandon invested at Samsung Next, leading theses across gaming, AI, blockchain/Web3, and fintech—and helped stand up the Diverse Founders Initiative.
He’s been recognized among Business Insider’s “Rising Stars of VC”, and his track record includes early bets in companies like Ready Player Me, Yuga Labs, The Sandbox, Wyre, Immunefi, and Prime Trust—a window into how consumer behavior meets new rails of the internet. He also convenes Emerging LA, an IRL community connecting founders, investors, and operators across SoCal.
What we’ll dig into
• From Operator to GP: How Brandon raised and shaped Sunset Ventures—and what he looks for at pre-seed/seed.
• Frontier Consumers: Where gaming, AI, and Web3 actually unlock new consumer value (and where they don’t).
• Signal > Noise: Evaluating founders, traction, and markets when the hype cycle is loud.
• LA as a Builder’s Edge: What’s unique about building and fundraising in SoCal now—and how to tap the network.
• Community as an Asset: Why IRL communities like Emerging LA matter for velocity. 
6:30 - 7 arrival
7-8:30 Light Dao experience and fireside Chat
8:30-9pm wrap up and final connects
Panel hosted by Katrina DeAngelis, a regenerative business strategist and founder of EvolvingPotential.org where she helps visionary founders build breakthrough brands and organizations by redesigning their operating systems — the culture, decision-making structures, and architecture that shape long-term growth. She also founded MILOcares.com, a multifunctional personal care brand prototyping the next economy through regenerative business models. Across both ventures, Katrina helps founders move beyond extractive patterns and build companies that evolve people, systems, and impact.
VENUE DETAILS: The gathering is in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. The exact address will be sent to confirmed guests.
DRESS: We encourage authentic self-expression!
GUEST POLICY: We are a members only (known as Dao Owners) community. All Dao Guests must be approved and can receive an in-person gathering for free. Dao Guests are eligible to become a Dao Owner Member. Otherwise, one must become a Dao Owner to continue attending gatherings. Please note that invitations are not a guarantee for entry, and we invite you to thoroughly answer the approval questions. Friends or +1s must RSVP individually. Unapproved show-ups will not be granted entry.
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