Contrary to the way Los Angeles has been stereotyped, “it’s not slow paced,” says Emma Grede, co-founder and CEO of Good American. “I’ve never been busier in London or New York as I am here.” L.A. is also not burdened by East Coast propriety. “Los Angeles offers a freedom from tradition and convention that few other cities can match,” says Paddy Spence, CEO of Zevia. “Nobody tells you to ‘act your age’ or asks where your grandparents went to college.”