July, 2019

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Fortnite World Cup has handed out $30 million in prizes, and cemented its spot in the culture

TechCrunch LA

The Fortnite phenomenon — the wildly popular battle royale game from Epic Games — has manifested itself in concerned articles , cultural shoutouts and now has sealed its place in the cultural firmament by wrapping up its first “World Cup” which saw the company give away $30 million in prizes. Congrats to all of our winners this weekend at the #FortniteWorldCup Finals.

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With $17M, Illumina Ties, Prenatal Tests Firm Cradle Genomics Debuts

Xconomy

Another company headed by former Illumina executives has launched, fueled with a $17 million Series A round from investors including a local venture capital firm. The new firm, Cradle Genomics, is seeking to commercialize improved non-invasive prenatal tests, which analyze blood from a pregnant person to determine whether a fetus will be born with an atypical genetic makeup.

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Video Interview: Len Lanzi, LAVA on How To Get Your Startup Funded

socalTECH

Len Lanzi is Executive Director of the Los Angeles Venture Association (LAVA) (www.lava.org), which helps startup entrepreneurs get their companies funded. Len gave some advice to startups on how best to get the attention of venture capital and other investors, at the recent First Look SoCal Showcase. READ MORE>>.

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New THC and CBD infused beverage company, Cann, joins the race to replace booze

TechCrunch LA

Cann , a Los Angeles-based purveyor of CBD and THC-infused intoxicants, is rolling out its first major distribution through the venture-backed delivery service Eaze as it begins to hit the streets in California. The company founded by two former Bain consultants is the latest to take on the growing market for non-alcoholic intoxicants that use a combination of chemicals traditionally found in the marijuana plant to make their drinks.

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Can You Ask for Office Rent Relief? How to Manage Your Lease During COVID-19

Office leases are one of companies’ largest expenses, and if your whole team is working from home with no clear end in sight, you may be wondering what to do about your lease.

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Record Exit Value for VC-Backed Startups Could Fuel Investment

Xconomy

More than a third of the companies that went public in the first half of this year were backed by venture capital. That, plus robust merger and acquisition activity, set a record for venture-backed exit value—$165.2 billion in money returned to investors—that’s already topped all other full-year totals, according to the latest VentureMonitor, the quarterly report on venture capital investment complied by the National Venture Capital Association and PitchBook.

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Social Networking Startup MeWe Raises $4.5 Million

L.A. Business Journal

Culver City-based social networking startup Sgrouples Inc., doing business as MeWe, announced it raised $4.5 million in a venture round, bringing its total funding to $15 million since launching in 2012.

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More Than 50 E-Scooters Pulled From Portland River

Tech.Co

The e-scooter vandalism pandemic continues, as Portland authorities have reportedly hauled more than 50 e-scooters out of a Portland river last week. E-scooters have begun taking over US cities in recent months, with Chicago being the latest to implement the technology just last month. While the innovative two-wheeled vehicles have given thousands access to affordable means of transportation, as well as quite a bit of fun, many citizens believe they are dangerous, tedious, and generally just get

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Pasadena's ArtCenter College Of Design, 3D Avatar Site IMVU Team

socalTECH

The ArtCenter College of Design , based in Pasadena, and social networking and 3D avatar site IMVU announced on Tuesday that the two have launched a new "studio partnership", which will let students in a course design their own, 3D experience in the IMVU world. According to the two, students in an "Online Avatars & Digital Landscapes" course will help address "business challenges associated with motivating communication in a mixed-reality world.

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Marcus Hutchins, malware researcher and ‘WannaCry hero,’ sentenced to supervised release

TechCrunch LA

Marcus Hutchins, the malware researcher who became known as an “accidental hero” for stopping the WannaCry ransomware attack in 2017, has been sentenced to supervised release for one year on charges of making and selling the Kronos banking malware. Presiding Judge J. P. Stadtmueller described Hutchins, 25, as a “talented” but “youthful offender” in remarks in federal court in Milwaukee Friday.

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Tech in the Sun: Summer Networking Party

SoCal Tech Calendar

Saturday, July 20, 2019 -- Tech in the Sun: Summer Networking Party. StartOut LA and Podshare present "Tech in the Sun: Summer Networking Party" a intergenerational networking event for new and seasoned entrepreneurs. Join us for our summer networking party as we help both new and seasoned entrepreneurs build business relationships in the Los Angeles Technology Ecosystem.

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Loot Crate Closes Warehouse, Lays off 150 Workers

L.A. Business Journal

Lincoln Heights-based retailer Loot Crate Inc., which sells subscription boxes of apparel and collectibles, closed down its Vernon warehouse and laid off the facility's 150 workers this month.

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Can your team overcome messy problems?

Berkonomics

Some problems seem impossible to surmount. Leaders and teams can be overwhelmed. We’ve all probably experienced this. Several big problems hit us at once. Or the system goes down, stranding everyone. Or worse yet, “We’ve been hacked.” Add the twist of ransomware? The inevitability of a big problem. As we grow our businesses, we inevitably run into problems that seem for a time impossible to overcome.

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No Co-Founder? Y Combinator Offers Matchmaking at Startup School

Xconomy

From the moment Talia Frenkel resolved to found a company after a kitchen-table talk with her parents, the odds were against her. There were a host of reasons—she wasn’t a software engineer, she had no product development experience, and she wanted to launch a consumer item that was already sold widely by established enterprises. Yet Frenkel, a participant in the summer 2015 class at Y Combinator , an influential Silicon Valley accelerator program, raised $120,000 from investors by August

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Thinkful Offers Up Stipends For LA Technology Students

socalTECH

Looking to boost your skills and get a job in the technology industry? Thinkful , a New York company, says it has started accepting applications from people in Los Angeles for its "living stipend" program, which pays students $1500 a month to pay for things like rent, gas, and food while they take the company's technology training--in exchange for a portion of their salaries when they graduate.

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Doctours offers packaged medical tourism for U.S. customers

TechCrunch LA

Doctours , a Los Angeles-based online platform for booking trips and treatments for medical and dental care around the world, is expanding its services to 35 countries. Founded by serial travel entrepreneur Katelyn O’Shaughnessy, whose last company TripScope was acquired by Travefy, Doctours aims to connect patients with doctors to receive access to quality, affordable healthcare around the world.

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Growth Capital Conference

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, July 25, 2019 -- Pitch to and Network with Investors: Angels, VCs, High Net Worths, Strategic Partners and 100 entrepreneurs seeking capital and counsel. DEAL DISPLAYtm showcases growing firms needing capital and counsel. View products, videos, online demos. Hot Networking Breakfast at 7:00am sharp!

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MomentFeed Chooses New Chief Executive

L.A. Business Journal

Santa Monica-based customer management software developer MomentFeed Inc. appointed Nick Hedges as its new chief executive July 9.

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Hire for your core. Partner for the rest.

Berkonomics

A trend for businesses large and small. There is a major trend shaping up that is worldwide, already identified by hundreds of thousands of startup and small business CEO’s. By carefully recognizing and focusing upon the very core of the business, these CEO’s are allocating their scarce cash resources to hire the best talent they can find to support that core business, and then reaching out to partners, independent contractors, and other small businesses to provide all other functio

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Future of the Internet: What Scares Networking Pioneer Radia Perlman

Xconomy

[ Editor’s note: This is part of a series examining the internet’s first 50 years and predicting the next half century. Join Xconomy and World Frontiers Forum on July 16 for Net@50 , an event exploring the internet’s past and future. ] Bob Metcalfe co-invented Ethernet, the communications standard still used for most local on-site networking, but Radia Perlman made it work.

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Nexa3D Expands North American Channel

socalTECH

Ventura-based Nexa3D , which develops 3D printers, says it is expanding its North American channel, with a new partnership with Dynamism. Dynamism is a provider of additive manufacturing solutions and services. According to Nexa3D, the addition of Dynamism will enable it to more rapidly expand its North American footprint. Nexa3D is a developer of industrial, 3D printing systems, which it says dramatically reduce 3D printing cycles of precision functional parts from hours to minutes.

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Postmates’ self-driving delivery rover will see with Ouster’s lidar

TechCrunch LA

Postmates’ cooler-inspired autonomous delivery robot, which will roll out commercially in Los Angeles later this year, will rely on lidar sensors from Ouster, a burgeoning two-year-old startup that recently raised $60 million in equity and debt funding. Postmates unveiled the first generation of its self-described “autonomous rover” — known as Serve — late last year.

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Blockchain and Advertising: State of the Industry

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, July 23, 2019 -- Blockchain and Advertising: State of the Industry. It's been a few years since the initial fan-fare around blockchain for advertising and marketing-based solutions. What started as a topic that agencies and brands were largely clueless about has evolved into one that major players are investing in and providers are rolling out real solutions and case studies.

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HyreCar Announces Pricing of Second Stock Offering

L.A. Business Journal

Downtown-based digital car-sharing marketplace HyreCar Inc. announced July 19 it will sell an additional 3.5 million shares to raise capital to expand its staff and technology offerings.

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9 Elements Of Every New Venture That Investors Expect

Startup Professionals Musings

New entrepreneurs are always looking for a shortcut in getting their venture story and plan across to investors, and closing on the funding they need. An effective tool I see used more and more, as a prelude to a more detailed business plan, is the Business Model Canvas , first introduced by Alexander Osterwalder back in 2008. It forces you to bridge the gap between idea and execution.

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Exact Sciences Buying Genomic Health in $2.8B Cancer Diagnostics Deal

Xconomy

With ambitious sales goals and its stock trading at an all-time high this year, cancer diagnostics firm Exact Sciences decided to go shopping. The result is a deal announced Monday to acquire Genomic Health for $2.8 billion in cash and stock, a combination that Exact CEO Kevin Conroy argues will create a global leader in the sector. “Together we have a stronger financial profile than on our own, allowing us to continue to invest in growth opportunities,” Conroy said on a conference c

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SpaceX Plans First Commercial Flights Of Starship In 2021

socalTECH

Hawthorne-based SpaceX is hoping to launch the very first, commercial missions for its Starship spacecraft--designed to deliver passengers to Mars--in 2021, according to the company , and is currently in talks with three companies on those missions. All three of those customers would use the new platform to send satellites into orbit. Starship and its Super Heavy launch system are eventually aimed at delivering passengers into space and an eventual mission to Mars.

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The future of car ownership: Cars-as-a-service

TechCrunch LA

Car shoppers now have several new options to avoid long-term debt and commitments. Automakers and startups alike are increasingly offering services that give buyers new opportunities and greater flexibility around owning and using vehicles. Cars-as-a-Service. In the first part of this feature , we explored the different startups attempting to change car buying.

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Fundraising Basics: How to Understand and Negotiate a Term Sheet with Caroline Cherkassky and Kelly Laffey

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, July 23, 2019 -- Fundraising Basics: How to Understand and Negotiate a Term Sheet with Caroline Cherkassky and Kelly Laffey. Topics that will be covered include: Type of financing: convertible notes vs SAFEs vs priced equity rounds Convertible notes and SAFEs: caps, discounts, and other key terms Priced equity rounds: economic provisions, voting rights, and other key terms.

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Signal Sciences Expands in Culver City

L.A. Business Journal

Web security firm Signal Sciences Corp. celebrates its fifth anniversary this year, and the startup has quickly grown from a six-person operation in a Venice apartment to a 150-strong workforce rapidly outgrowing office space.

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7 Wise Leadership Strategies When Smart is Not Enough

Startup Professionals Musings

Most of the entrepreneurs I have met are smart, but many are not always wise. That means they may show great insights into a new technology that has marginal business value, their passion may motivate team members more than customers, or they may allow themselves to be pulled over the ethical line in their success drive. Wise leaders are authentic, timeless, and enduring.

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What Your Car Says About You

AllTopStartups

Cars are more than just the things you drive. They’re a part of who you are and tend to reflect your personality. Think about it. When you shop for a… The post What Your Car Says About You appeared first on AllTopStartups.

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TenOneTen Launches New Podcast, LA Venture

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based venture capital investment firm TenOneTen Ventures has launched a new podcast, to highlight Los Angeles area venture capital funds, the fir is announcing today. The new podcast is run by Minnie Ingersoll and David Waxman, partners at TenOneTen, and it intended to help entrepreneurs get to know LA-based funds and the people behind them, according to Waxman.

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Mobile messaging financial advisory service, Stackin, adds banking features and raises cash

TechCrunch LA

When Stackin initially pitched itself as part of Techstars Los Angeles accelerator program two years ago, the company was a video platform for financial advice targeting a millennial audience too savvy for traditional advisory services. Now, nearly two years later, the company has pivoted from video to text-based financial advice for its millennial audience and is offering a new spin on lead generation for digital banks.

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Masters of Game Design Speaker Series w/ John Zuur Platten

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, July 18, 2019 -- Masters of Game Design Speaker Series w/ John Zuur Platten. Join Writer and Game Designer John Zuur Platten (Jurassic World Evolution, Pokemon Go, Ingress, Summoner Wars) in a conversation with NYFA's Scott Rogers (God of War, author of Level Up! The Guide to Great Game Design) as they discuss John's career as AAA game creator.

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Chatbot Startup Convrg Joins Haptik

L.A. Business Journal

Chatbot developer Convrg is merging with Haptik, a New York-based artificial intelligence company.

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6 Keys To Growing Your Career Through The Gig Economy

Startup Professionals Musings

While everyone agrees that the “ gig economy ” is really here, the practical realities, other than not counting on long-term employment, are not so obvious. In my role as a mentor to many business professionals, I still see some who have no idea how to adapt to the new realities. The simple answer is that we all have to start thinking like entrepreneurs, rather than entitled employees.