On a recent Wednesday afternoon, 41 Ocean Club was buzzing with so much activity that it could have been mistaken for the hip office of a local tech company.
Clustered in one corner were two people working on their laptops. They have a startup, and an angel investor sat next to them on a couch. Outside on the patio, an entrepreneur was smoking a cigar with a friend.
The L.A. tech community has embraced the new members-only club, which had its grand opening on Jan. 25. Many of the club’s investors and founding members are tech investors and entrepreneurs, including angel Paige Craig and BeachMint founders Josh Berman and Diego Berdakin.
“We wanted to create a watering hole where we can get people together,” said Craig, who has invested in many L.A. tech companies. “It’s part of the ecosystem.”
On any given day, someone visiting 41 Ocean can expect to see a who’s who of the L.A. tech community. According to Craig, most of the town’s venture capitalists, angel investors and serial entrepreneurs make up 41 Ocean’s less than 250-person roster.
Many in the tech community are attracted to 41 Ocean because it is walking distance from the hub of tech companies around Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade.
“I can’t tell you how nice it is, not having to get in my car,” said Berman of BeachMint. “I’m going to have a ton of board meetings, interviews and business development meetings there.”
The idea for a club that catered to the Santa Monica tech crowd first gained traction last year. With so many startups and VCs moving near the beach, many people wanted to create a place where they could mix business with pleasure.
Managing partners Max Russo and Jeremy Umland began working on the project about eight months ago. Russo previously worked as a VIP host and event planner for Las Vegas nightclub Pure, and Umland founded hospitality group Ozumo Concepts International, which operates several restaurants including Ozumo and Sonoma Wine Garden in Santa Monica.
“We wanted to see this become a collage of entrepreneurs, whether it’s in tech, art, advertising, film or music,” Russo said. “We wanted to have everybody get together and have a good time.”
41 Ocean occupies about 4,000 square feet in a secluded courtyard off Ocean Avenue. Decorated in a Spanish revival theme, it features a lounge, bar, dining room, screening room and outdoor patio.
An annual membership costs $2,000. A special under-30 rate, which is discounted to $1,250 for the year, is meant to attract young entrepreneurs.
Russo and Umland have hired former “Top Chef” contestant Chris Crary as the club’s executive chef, though Russo said he’d like to bring in guest chefs occasionally to spice up the menu.
41 Ocean will also host a slate of cultural events – everything from comedy nights to concerts – for its members. And members can rent out parts of the club to host private events, such as birthday parties or company launch celebrations.
41 Ocean is modeled similar to London’s Soho House, which has gotten a lot of local buzz since it opened a West Hollywood location in 2010. SoHo House, which reportedly has 2,500 members, attracts a primarily entertainment business crowd.
Though 41 Ocean is popular with techies, it also has members in the entertainment and media industries, including Jim Wiatt, the former chief executive of the William Morris Agency and a 41 Ocean investor.
Many 41 Ocean members note that the influx of celebrities and entertainment types investing in L.A. tech companies has helped to mix the two groups, and the membership at 41 Ocean reflects the convergence of the tech and media industries.
But for many, having easy access to some of the biggest names in L.A. tech is the big draw.
“The core group of angels and founders is there every time I’ve been,” said Alec Shankman, co-founder of startup GotCast. “It’s always been a logistically complicated process to track them down. So it’s a pretty cool mecca for interacting with everybody.
