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713 North Victory Boulevard, Burbank What it is: Unique, quality-built fixed-gear bicycles. Why it's cool: Pure Fix Cycles manufactures affordable bikes and has a rotating selection of looks from classic to avant-garde. The Zulu bike, pictured, glows in the dark. |
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What it is: Opoli is a transportation service app that lets riders name their price, driver, and vehicle. Why it's cool: Opoli lets users book rides in advance or on the spot. Users get to name their price, pick from one of the 20,000 drivers, and choose between a BMW, Mercedes-Benz, or Tesla town car. All of Opoli's drivers are professional, fully insured, and commercially licensed. |
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What it is: A charitable organization that enters participants into a raffle for once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Why it's cool: Founders Matt and Ryan wanted to give people the opportunity to live out dream experiences while supporting charitable causes. When you sign up for Omaze you get to pick from a list of experiences like getting a walk-on role on a show or meeting a band backstage at a concert. Once you pick an experience, you're paired with a charity. Every time you donate $10 to that charity, you get another chance to win that experience in a raffle. |
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Online with headquarters in Culver City What it is: An online retail brand that makes underwear and other basic apparel. Why it's cool: The MeUndies family takes pride in creating and selling what they call the world's most comfortable underwear and basic apparel. The clothes are made from an all-natural fabric called Modal, which is extracted from beech tree and makes the underwear feel "twice as soft as cotton," according to outreach coordinator Greg Fass. |
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636 North Almont Drive, West Hollywood What it is: An affordable interior-design service. Why it's cool: Laurel and Wolf provides professional interior-design services to fit any budget. Go online and answer questions about your style, submit pictures of your space, and then designers respond with style boards for you to choose from. "Anyone with any budget can now receive professional design services for a one-time fixed rate, and designers are able to expand their customer reach and market their own personal brands," says CEO Leura Fine. |
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636 North Almont Drive, West Hollywood What it is: An affordable interior-design service. Why it's cool: Laurel and Wolf provides professional interior-design services to fit any budget. Go online and answer questions about your style, submit pictures of your space, and then designers respond with style boards for you to choose from. "Anyone with any budget can now receive professional design services for a one-time fixed rate, and designers are able to expand their customer reach and market their own personal brands," says CEO Leura Fine. |
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What it is: A website that has challenging mental exercises. Why it's cool: Headspace is a collection of mind exercises and meditations designed to keep your brain sharp. It already has more than 1 million users. Some of Headspace's benefits are said to help people focus better, smile more, and sleep sounder. |
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990 South Arroyo Parkway, No. 1, Pasadena What it is: An urban flour mill. Why it's cool: All of Grist & Toll's flour is milled through a process called whole-grain stone milling. The flour making process keeps the key nutrients intact for the best-quality bread. The flour comes from organic grains that are sourced locally and globally. |
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317 South Broadway, Grand Central Market What it is: An egg-centric restaurant. Why it's cool: The breakfast and lunch spot started as a food truck and opened its location in Grand Central Market in 2013. As the less-provocative portion of its name suggests, every item on the Eggslut menu uses eggs. Try one of the egg sandwiches or opt for the Slut: a coddled egg on top of a smooth potato purée, poached in a glass jar and served with a demi baguette. |
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Mobile application servicing Los Angeles and San Francisco What it is: An easy and affordable flower-delivery service. Why it's cool: Bloom That delivers flower arrangements within 90 minutes of ordering. The app and website make it easy to order with three steps. It rotates its collection of flowers so that there's always a new choice. Even better, prices start at $25. "We're changing the flower game, for good," a representative from Bloom That tells us. Ashton Kutcher and Joe Montana are investors. |
