Sat.Aug 07, 2021 - Fri.Aug 13, 2021

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Introducing Trust, and the Importance of Product-Founder Fit

Both Sides of the Table

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.

Product 424
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SpaceX Acquires Swarm Technologies

L.A. Business Journal

SpaceX has agreed to purchase Swarm Technologies, which designs small satellites to manage internet-of-things services.

SpaceX 321
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Link-in-bio monetization platform Snipfeed raises a $5.5M seed round

TechCrunch LA

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.

Platform 286
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10 Entrepreneur Myths That Need Not Dilute Your Focus

Startup Professionals Musings

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.

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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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Slingshot Aerospace Rolls Out Satellite Collision Avoidance Effort

socalTECH

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).

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Willa App Helps Freelancers Get Paid

L.A. Business Journal

Kristofer Sommestad has worked with freelance creators throughout his career in technology.

Help 290

More Trending

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7 Tips For Scaling Your Business To Long-Term Success

Startup Professionals Musings

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.

Tips 170
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ENVOY Network Raises $2.5M For NFT Effort

socalTECH

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.

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Clearlake Capital to Buy Cornerstone OnDemand for $5.2 Billion

L.A. Business Journal

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.

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Entering the Japanese Market

SoCal Tech Calendar

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

Marketing 100
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6 Keys To Preserving A Positive Business Image Online

Startup Professionals Musings

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.

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Kareo Acquires PatientlySpeaking

socalTECH

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.

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Xos Inks Deal With FedEx Ground for 120 EV Trucks

L.A. Business Journal

Xos has signed agreements to deliver 120 zero-emission electric trucks to 35 FedEx Corp. Ground operators.

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The Soft Science of Being a Part of a Team

Inverted Software

“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.

Startup 81
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7 Ways To Fail In Setting Up Your Board Of Directors

Startup Professionals Musings

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.

Startup 145
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Temasek Funds New AI Effort In San Diego, Aicadium

socalTECH

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.

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Numerade Wants to Make Tutoring Accessible for All

L.A. Business Journal

Growing up in South Central L.A., Nhon Ma has seen disparities in education his entire life.

Education 147
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There is More to Software Than Just Making it Work

Inverted Software

“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.

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5 Principles Define You As A Multi-Table Entrepreneur

Startup Professionals Musings

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.

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Jukin Media Acquired By Trusted Media Brands

socalTECH

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.

Media 113
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TetaVi Raises $20 Million for Hologram Technology

L.A. Business Journal

TetaVi USA Inc. raised $20 million in a Series A funding round toward the development of its hologram technology.

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Intuitive Machines Taps SpaceX for Lunar Launch

L.A. Business Journal

Intuitive Machines said it will use SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket for a lunar lander mission in 2024.

SpaceX 130
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Ghost Kitchen Software Company Acelerate Assists Restaurants

L.A. Business Journal

George Jacobs’ restaurant journey started with his father, the owner of Georgee’s Pizza in La Cañada Flintridge.

Companies 130
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Lawsuit Takes a Toll on Activision’s Stock Price

L.A. Business Journal

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.

Pricing 130
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Citadel Defense Scores $6M From DoD

socalTECH

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.

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Clearlake Capital Backs RSA

socalTECH

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.

Capital 113
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JUNO Snags $3.5M For Collaborative Learning

socalTECH

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.

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Trust Finds $9M For Digital Advertising Card

socalTECH

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.

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HopSkipDrive Picks Up $25M More

socalTECH

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

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GumGum Acquires JustPremium

socalTECH

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.

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Acorns Taps Twitter Exec As New CFO

socalTECH

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.

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Replicated Ties Into AWS Partner Program

socalTECH

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.

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Wildfire Systems Snags $15M

socalTECH

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.

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Tetavi Takes $20M From Insight Partners

socalTECH

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.

Content 113
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Nanotech Energy Snags $65M In Series D For Battery Tech

socalTECH

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.

UCLA 113
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AdviserSource Acquires Advisory Equity

socalTECH

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

Equity 113