Both Sides of the Table
AUGUST 11, 2021
Photo by Vanna Phon on Unsplash Customer acquisition is the lifeblood of many startups from e-commerce to gaming to marketplace companies, among others. Most of these startups spend the lion’s share of their marketing budget in today’s social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Snap, TikTok and so on because?—?no surprise?—?that’s where the customers are.
TechCrunch LA
AUGUST 11, 2021
The link-in-bio business is heating up as more mobile website builders compete for a coveted slice of real estate on a creator’s TikTok, Instagram or Twitter. Linktree leads the space, securing a recent $45 million Series B raise to build out e-commerce features, but Beacons boasts competitive creator monetization tools with just a $6 million seed round in May.
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L.A. Business Journal
AUGUST 9, 2021
Santa Monica-based Cornerstone OnDemand Inc., a human resources management software company, has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Clearlake Capital Group in a transaction worth $5.2 billion.
Berkonomics
AUGUST 12, 2021
Your past and present experiences. Ever had a manager above you who said one thing and did another? At least once? Or in a pattern of repeats? Well, you’re not alone. Did you think less of that person for it? Would you follow that manager to the ends of the earth? Well, almost everyone has had multiple such experiences with a senior manager. And most people think less of that person than before.
Advertiser: Aggregage
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.
socalTECH
AUGUST 12, 2021
El Segundo, California- and Austin, Texas-based Slingshot Aerospace says it is rolling out a new collision avoidance and communications platform for space, which it says will help spacecraft owners and operators communicate and collaborate. According to the company, its new product, Slingshot Beacon, will be piloted by OneWeb, Spire Global Inc., Orbit Fab, and others, which aaccount for 53 percent of the satellite constellations in low earth orbit (LEO).
Startup Professionals Musings
AUGUST 11, 2021
Most of you aspiring entrepreneurs probably have long searched for that special idea that will catapult you and your startup to success. Yet, my experience as a business advisor and investor has convinced me that the magic is not the idea, but you and the execution. I have seen people with mundane ideas hit it big, and really great ideas implemented poorly, with disastrous results.
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
SoCal Tech Calendar
AUGUST 10, 2021
Thursday, August 12, 2021 -- Entering the Japanese Market by Partnering With The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). Biocom California. Please join Biocom Los Angeles and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) for a virtual webinar to learn how Life Science companies in the Greater LA area can enter the Japanese market. Learn ways to create new business opportunities through partnering with JETRO, a nonprofit agency that promotes trade and investment between Japan and the rest of t
socalTECH
AUGUST 13, 2021
Los Angeles-based ENVOY Network, a new startup focused on Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), says it has raised $2.5M in a funding round. The funding came from 3comma, Prometheus Labs, Solidity Ventures, Spark Digital Capital, Paribus, Kyros Ventures, Stakely.vc and Maven Capital. According to the company, it is launching a "curated digital billboard" which displays NFTs in Times Square, New York.
Startup Professionals Musings
AUGUST 13, 2021
As a new business advisor, I am no longer surprised that every new entrepreneur believes the hard part is creating the first product and the business. Perhaps luckily, they have no idea that scaling the business and maintaining vitality as a mature business is even harder. What most often kills a company is the illusion (or delusion) that all is now stable and everyone can relax.
L.A. Business Journal
AUGUST 9, 2021
Kristofer Sommestad has worked with freelance creators throughout his career in technology.
Inverted Software
AUGUST 9, 2021
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” – Michael Jordan. You often hear the term “team player”, but what does it really mean? Teams can achieve magnificent things if everyone on the team is working towards the same goals, or they can fail miserably when team members are divided. Starting with the smallest family unit or military squad and ending with your company, great teamwork is the basis for success.
socalTECH
AUGUST 13, 2021
Irvine-based cloud-based healthcare practice management software developer Kareo said on Thursday afternoon that it has acquired PatientlySpeaking, a developer of process automation technology for billing companies and medical practices. Financial terms of that acquisition were not announced. PatientlySpeaking was founded in 2011. According to Kareo, it will use the acquisition to expand its offerings to increase automation and efficiency.
Startup Professionals Musings
AUGUST 9, 2021
Every startup fears that one angry and unfair customer who can jeopardize the business by a negative post on Ripoff Report , Yelp , or one of the hundreds of other consumer complaint and review sites on the Internet. Most entrepreneurs don’t even know how to keep track of what people are saying about them on the web, much less how to respond or remove it.
L.A. Business Journal
AUGUST 11, 2021
Xos has signed agreements to deliver 120 zero-emission electric trucks to 35 FedEx Corp. Ground operators.
Inverted Software
AUGUST 9, 2021
“I hired a software development company from India. They outbide all the US based companies I contacted and offered developers at a cheap price. Two years later they are still working on my systems. The number of hours I been billed is staggering and the system is buggy and barely usable.”. The above quote is a real customer that ended up at our office.
socalTECH
AUGUST 13, 2021
Singapore-based investment firm b>Temasek says it is funding and has launched a new, artificial intelligence startup that is headquartered in San Diego and Singapore, called Aicadium. The new startup will focus on developing a common machine learning platform to deliver AI-as-a-Service from discovery to deployment. Financial details of the investment in the new company were not announced.
Startup Professionals Musings
AUGUST 7, 2021
Most entrepreneurs avoid setting up a board of directors for their new business unless or until they sign up an investor who demands a seat on the board. That implies that a board of directors has no value to the founder, and is just another burden that to be assumed for the privilege of attracting outside investors or going public. In my view, nothing could be further from the truth.
L.A. Business Journal
AUGUST 9, 2021
Activision Blizzard Inc. reported solid earnings in the second quarter, but the gains failed to lift the stock price of the embattled Santa Monica-based gaming giant.
Startup Professionals Musings
AUGUST 8, 2021
Knowing all too well how hard it is to start a single new business, I’ve always wondered how several well-known entrepreneurs, including Richard Branson and Elon Musk , have managed to successfully lead dozens of startups to success, and thrive on the process. These special people are called serial entrepreneurs, because they have figured out how to do it over and over again.
socalTECH
AUGUST 12, 2021
Los Angeles-based viral video licensing company Jukin Media has been acquired by Trusted Media Brands, the parent company of Reader's Digest, the companies said on Thursday. Financial terms of the cash deal were not annoucned. Jukin Media specializes in finding viral video clips, and then working with the creators of those videos to handle licensing of those clips to media companies.
socalTECH
AUGUST 12, 2021
San Diego-based Citadel Defense, which develops counter-drone technology, reported on Thursday that it has scored a $6M contract from an un-named, U.S. Department of Defense customer. According to the company, the contract covers its AI-enabled solution to detect, classify, track, and defeat drones. The company said the exact customer at the DoD was classified.
socalTECH
AUGUST 12, 2021
Santa Monica-based private equity investor Clearlke Capital Group says it has made a strategic, equity investment in RSA Security, which develops encryption, cybersecurity, risk and compliance, and other related software. Financial details of the investment were not announced. According to Clearlake Capital, the investment makes it an equal partner with prior investor Symphony Technology Group.
socalTECH
AUGUST 12, 2021
San Diego-based JUNO, a company developing collaborative learning software for virtual environments, says it has raised $3.5M in a seed funding. The funding came from Jerry Murdock, co-founder of Insights Partners, and Walter Scott of TeamViewer. According to the company, it is developing software that connects and educates people in virtual environments.
socalTECH
AUGUST 12, 2021
Los Angeles-based Trust, a startup founded by former Snap team members, says it has raised $9M in its seed funding round, and launched its company. The company said it offers up a virtual, corporate card which can be used on major advertising platforms, which increases a startup's buying power and also provides 45-day payment terms. The funding came from Lerer Hippeau, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Manta Ray, Upfront Ventures, and Upper90, along with angels.
socalTECH
AUGUST 11, 2021
Los Angeles-based HopSkipDrive, which operates a transportation service focused on kids and school, has raised $25M in its Series C funding, according to the company. The company said the new funding came from Energy Impact Partners, Keyframe Capital, FirstMark Capital, and 1776 Ventures. The company--which originally focused on families, but now is focused on providing youth transportation for schools--says now is operating in 16 major markets in nine states, and is now contracting with over 30
socalTECH
AUGUST 11, 2021
Santa Monica-based contextual advertising technology developer GumGum says it has acquired JustPremium, a rich media and video ad marketplace in Europe. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. JustPremium is based in Amsterdam, and has approximately 150 employees. According to GumGum, JustPremium's CEO, Eric Visser, becomes President of EMEA for GumGum.
socalTECH
AUGUST 11, 2021
Irvine-based savings and investing app developer Acorns has tapped an executive from Twitter as its new Chief Financial Officer, the company said this morning. According to Acorns, it has named Rich Sullivan as CFO, ahead of its expected public listing. Sullivan was previously head of Corporate Finance and FP&A at Twitter, and also had served at STX Entertainment and DreamWorks Animation, in addition to AT&T.
socalTECH
AUGUST 11, 2021
Culver City-based Replicated, a startup that provides commercial and open source tools to streamline distribution and management of third party applications into enterprises, says it has linked in with the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Partner Network (APN) Global Startup Program. The company said the move will help it accelerate its growth and provide customers with expanded installation options.
socalTECH
AUGUST 10, 2021
Solana Beach-based Wildfire Systems, which develops technology used for powering reward and loyalty programs, has raised $15M in a Series A funding, according to the company. The funding was led by TTV Capital and QED Investors, and also included B Capital, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, and Daher Capital, pus existing investors including Mucker Capital, Bonfire Ventures, Moonshots Capital, and BAM Ventures.
socalTECH
AUGUST 10, 2021
Los Angeles-based Tetavi, a developer of immersive content and technology, says it has raised a $20M funding round from Insight Partners. The deal also included OurCrowd, Nimble Ventures, and others. The company, led by CEO Gilad Talmon, develops technology it says allows for "highly reproducible holograms" which are being aimed at immersive media, games and virtual content.
socalTECH
AUGUST 10, 2021
Los Angeles-based Nanotech Energy, a developer of graphene-based battery technology, says it has raised $64M in a Series D funding round. The company said the funding was led by Fubon Financial Holding Co., Taiwan's largest financial services company. The company said the latest round gave it a $550M post-Series D valuation, and brings its total raised to $94.9M.
socalTECH
AUGUST 10, 2021
Los Angeles-based financial advisory consulting provider AdviserSource.com says it has acquired Advisory Equity, a developer of a financial marketplace app developer. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. According to AdviserSource, the deal was funded by additional growth capital provided by Fintech Fund II, LLLP. The company said the addition of Advisory Equity will will help AdviserSource improve the way financial advisors and institutions connect for M&A, succession, transit
socalTECH
AUGUST 10, 2021
Paso Robles-based SensibleIoT, a software developer which develops Internet-of-Things (IoT) software, has been acquired by Montrose Environmental Group, an environmental services company with more than 2,000 employees. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. According to Montrose Environmental Group, it will use the acquisition to offer further integrated services and data analytics.
socalTECH
AUGUST 10, 2021
North Hollywood-based UNest, a fintech startup backed by Anthos Capital, Draper Dragon, The Artemis Fund, Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, NBA All Star Baron Davis, and Band of Angels, says this morning that it has acquired Kidfund, the developer of an app which helps parents save money for their kids and which teaches good financial habits. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced.
socalTECH
AUGUST 9, 2021
Los Angeles-based rocket and spacecraft developer SpaceX has acquired Swarm Technologies, a developer of "smallsat" (small satellite) technology. Financial terms of the buy were not announced, and no details of the acquisition were announced. The deal was uncovered via a series of filings with the FCC. Swarm has a network of 120. cubesats"-- small satellites in orbit, which are providing Internet-of-Things services.
socalTECH
AUGUST 9, 2021
Santa Barbara-based property management software developer Yardi reports that it has been selected by a company in Dublin, Ireland. According to Yardi, Urbeo Residential Limited has selected it as the end-to-end software provider for its 1500+ unit build to rent portfolio. Financial impact of the deal were not announced. The company said its software will be used from everything from software and accounting, to powering a white labeled resident app for bill payment and booking maintenance reques
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