For generations, the world has come to Los Angeles to create the future and in turn has helped build one of the most diverse and forward-thinking cities in history. With instant name recognition around the globe, LA is known as a place where new ideas and fresh-thinking are as much a part of the landscape as our mountains, beaches, and unrivaled weather.
Los Angeles is an ideal place to grow a business, with access to large regional, national, and international markets. LA's world-class infrastructure, extensive human capital, and highly diversified economy and resource network ensure that whatever your business needs to thrive, you can find it here.
The City of Angels has always been a hub of creativity and innovation, and remains at the cutting edge of clean technology, transportation, trade, and media. Congratulations on your decision to start a business in Los Angeles - we look forward to having you!
If you have been thinking about opening a business in the City of Los Angeles, you’re in the right place! The LA Business Portal was created to help you and other entrepreneurial Angelenos start and grow your businesses.
Did you know? More than 55,000 Angelenos register a business with the City every year.
We know that starting a business is not easy. It’s even more difficult when you don’t know where you’re supposed to go or what forms you need to fill out. The LA Business Portal changes that. A "one way in" for business owners, the Business Portal was designed to be a comprehensive resource to help you get your business off the ground - from how to register your business to how to access the resources available to you to help you succeed and grow.
"Collaborating with Los Angeles is only the beginning of what's possible for cities to learn from each other and deliver modern, sustainable digital products that serve the public."
- Miguel Gamino, City & County of San Francisco Chief Information Officer
The LA Business Portal was built as an open source solution to increase the online tools available to support entrepreneurs across the US and globally. Funded by the US Small Business Administration's Start Up In A Day initiative, this open source project was made possible beginning with a partnership with the City and County of San Francisco, whose Business Portal codebase served as a foundation for LA's open source code. Launched in 2014, the San Francisco Business Portal pioneered a new kind of government website that put its users first.
Just like the partnership between San Francisco and Los Angeles, which sets an example for how cities can share resources toward mutually beneficial progress, LA’s open source solution is meant to serve as a starting resource for any government wanting to create an online tool for their own business community. This open source code will be available on GitHub soon - please check back for updates.
The LA Business Portal is a collaborative effort with many partners, including:
The Mayor's Office of Economic Development: The Mayor's Office of Economic Development is organized to address the needs and opportunities for city-wide economic development, with a focus on core sector initiatives; international trade; building, planning and housing; and small and minority businesses.
The Mayor’s Innovation Team: The Mayor’s Innovation Team is one of fourteen teams funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies to bring additional innovation capacity to Mayor’s Offices across the United States. Innovation Teams act as in-house consultants, developing and implementing projects to bring measurable improvements to important urban challenges.
The US Small Business Administration’s Start Up In a Day Initiative: The Startup in a Day initiative aims to make it easier for entrepreneurs to start a business by reducing the amount of time it takes to register and apply for permits and licenses on the local level.
Tomorrow Partners: Tomorrow Partners helps organizations achieve greater impact through design. A diverse team of designers, strategists and developers, they use their cross-disciplinary creative firepower to envision game-changing ideas for positive impact in society and realize them with ingenious, yet, practical solutions.
CivicActions: CivicActions is comprised of world-class designers, developers and certified project managers. They help agencies and organizations successfully execute large-scale software projects using open standards technologies and Agile management practices.