TechCrunch LA
MAY 8, 2019
GumGum , the Los Angeles-based startup that’s spent the past decade applying machine learning technologies to advertising and sports, has spun out a new healthcare startup focused on the dental industry called Pearl. The company has raised $11 million in financing from undisclosed strategic investors and Craft Ventures, the investment firm set up by former Yammer founder, David Sacks.
socalTECH
MAY 10, 2019
Online real estate service Zillow is expanding its home buying service to both Los Angeles and San Diego, the company announced this week, in a move which will allow home buyers to get nearly instant offers on their homes--instead of going through a traditional broker and offering their home on the market. According to Zillow, the addition of Los Angeles and San Diego comes along with a move into six new markets.
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Xconomy
MAY 9, 2019
Ride-hailing giant Uber secured $8.1 billion in new capital late Thursday as it priced an initial public offering that set its market capitalization at $82.4 billion , according to calculations by The New York Times and other news outlets. Uber announced late Thursday it will sell 180 million shares of common stock at $45 apiece when it completes the IPO.
Berkonomics
MAY 9, 2019
Ever stand with someone you’ve never met when at a party, a trade show or just meet someone in the hallway? We all have. And then that person opens his or her mouth and spends a boring two minutes describing their business to you? Leaving you wondering how much of that you got and how much you might retain? We all have. So, here’s the antidote to prevent you from becoming “that” person.
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.
SoCal Tech Calendar
MAY 10, 2019
Wednesday, May 15, 2019 -- North America CACS 2019. IT Audit, Control, and Security Event. Stay ahead of trends and tools across your professional landscape. Join us at North America CACS 2019, 13-15 May in Anaheim, California, and be a part of the top conference for IS audit and security professionals!
socalTECH
MAY 6, 2019
Los Angeles-based AppOnboard says it has begun giving away its codeless app development software, AppOnboard Studio , to help developers create "instant apps" and playable ads, as well as prototypes. The startup--led by startup veteran Jonathan Zweig--said the free version of its software makes it easy for people to design and build interactive versions of their mobile apps and games.
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 6, 2019
Image via Flickr by Fortune Conferences In every business, especially new ones, quick and effective problem solving is a critical skill. The problems you face are more complex and moving faster than ever before, and the consequences of a poor or incomplete solution can be costly to your business, and well as to your community, human health, and the environment.
SoCal Tech Calendar
MAY 10, 2019
Tuesday, May 14, 2019 -- North America CACS 2019. IT Audit, Control, and Security Event. Stay ahead of trends and tools across your professional landscape. Join us at North America CACS 2019, 13-15 May in Anaheim, California, and be a part of the top conference for IS audit and security professionals!
socalTECH
MAY 9, 2019
Los Angeles-based Phyn , the Belkin spinout which is developing very advanced, machine learning-driven smart water usage monitoring systms, has raised $12M more in a funding round, the company announced on Thursday. The funding came from Belkin International and Uponor, both prior investors in Phyn. According to Phyn, the new funding will go towards research and new product development, to help it grow its footprint in the U.S., and continued expansion in global markets.
Xconomy
MAY 6, 2019
Danish pharma firm Lundbeck has agreed to acquire Abide Therapeutics for $250 million upfront. The La Jolla-CA-based company, spun out of research from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), is developing drugs to treat diseases of the central nervous system, among them Tourette syndrome. Its drugs block enzymes known as serine hydrolases, which play a role in a slew of biological processes.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 10, 2019
Image via Pixabay After a frustrating meeting with a small business client recently who didn’t “have time” for social media, I was surprised to find evidence on the Internet that up to one quarter of small business owners are still hesitant to invest time, money, and effort into a social media strategy. They don’t realize that they are missing out on a great opportunity for “free” promotion, as well as taking a great risk by not listening to what customers are saying, and not monitoring or respo
SoCal Tech Calendar
MAY 10, 2019
Monday, May 13, 2019 -- North America CACS 2019. IT Audit, Control, and Security Event. Stay ahead of trends and tools across your professional landscape. Join us at North America CACS 2019, 13-15 May in Anaheim, California, and be a part of the top conference for IS audit and security professionals!
socalTECH
MAY 6, 2019
Santa Monica-based last-mile transportation startup Bird is facing big issues with keeping its scooters up and operating, according to a story from the LA Times published on Sunday. According to the LA Times, despite a massive rollout of scooters across the world, the scooters are wearing out "long before they could earn back their cost". An study shows that Bird had nearly 7,000 scooters active in Los Angeles County in January, but only 1,500 of them survived until April.
Xconomy
MAY 10, 2019
The market for drugs for rare or “orphan” diseases continues to grow. An April report from Evaluate Pharma predicted sales of orphan drugs to rise 12 percent a year between now and 2024, when they will account for an estimated 20 percent of worldwide prescription drug sales. The field has gotten so competitive that multiple products are on the market for some diseases.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 8, 2019
Image via Flickr by MDGovpics Many entrepreneurs I know are confused by definition and need for an Advisory Board versus a Board of Directors. Some view both of these as a waste of time and burden on the CEO, while other founders surround themselves with insiders and cronies in an attempt to expedite and add credibility to their own interests. I suggest a few simple considerations will clarify the alternatives.
SoCal Tech Calendar
MAY 8, 2019
Tuesday, May 14, 2019 -- University Venturing Summit 2019. The best and brightest ventures from top Southern California universities will demo their ventures to angel investors and other resources in the new venturing community.
socalTECH
MAY 8, 2019
Los Angeles-based J2 Global , the owner of such Internet publishing brands as IGN, Mashable, PCMag, Everyday Health, and also cloud services such as eFax, eVoice, KeepItSafe, and Livedrive, reported its quarterly results on Tuesday evening, saying that its quarterly revenues rose to a record of $299.9M. Those quarterly results were up from Q1 of 2018, when the company had revenues of $280.6M.
Xconomy
MAY 6, 2019
The finalists in the Startup category of San Diego’s Xconomy Awards (and other categories) show how much data security and privacy have become not just top public concerns but also the priorities of a growing number of companies. Other Startup finalists are taking various approaches to making precision medicine a reality for more patients. Here are brief introductions to the finalists.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 4, 2019
Image via Flickr by UC Davis What sparks paradigm-shifting innovation in any business? It’s a special mix of entrepreneur and company, regular in every respect except for having the courage and foresight to make an idea happen that was supposed to be impossible. As an entrepreneur in a startup, how do you know if you have this potential, and what are the steps to get from an innovation to a revolution?
socalTECH
MAY 9, 2019
StoryBots , the kids' mobile app and content developer created by long time Southern California entrepreneurs Gregg and Evan Spiridellis, has been acquired by Netflix , Netflix announced on Thursday. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced. StoryBots was created by Gregg and Evan Spiridellis when they were running another, local technology company--JibJab-- when, as new parents, they recognized the need for good children's content on mobile platforms.
Xconomy
MAY 6, 2019
[ Updated 5/6/19, 9:20 am ET. See below. ] A year ago, there were no FDA-approved medicines available for US patients with the debilitating rare genetic disease transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR). Things have changed fast, however: With the FDA’s decision to approve a drug from Pfizer this morning, patients now have three options to choose from. The FDA approved two oral formulations of the Pfizer (NYSE: PFE ) drug tafamidis, to be sold as Vyndaqel and Vyndamax.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 5, 2019
Image via Flickr by University of the Fraser It’s a whole new world out there in the workplace. Millennials want work that matters, and don’t care for hierarchies. Boomers are coming back to work, but because of their experience, they may be insulted by constant feedback. All prefer more flexible hours, the chance to work from home, and the traditions of lifetime loyalty to one company no longer apply.
SoCal Tech Calendar
MAY 5, 2019
Saturday, May 11, 2019 -- Caltech Entrepreneurs Forum - Robotics. The past few years have seen significant improvements in ease of adoption of robots with the introduction of collaborative robots, low-cost easy-to-use drones, and level 3 autonomous vehicles. In parallel, low-cost 3D machine vision systems and widely available deep learning AI toolsets have been adopted in the enterprise.
socalTECH
MAY 8, 2019
Playa Vista-based point-of-sale equipment and software provider Appetize says that its recent move to offer up "self-service" kiosks to its customers, has resulted in its customers seeing more spending and demand. The company--which uses tablets and other technology to provide a more modern approach to point-of-sale terminals--said its customers are seeing an up to 40 percent increase in order size due to the availability of its self-service kiosks.
Xconomy
MAY 7, 2019
The American Academy of Neurology meeting in Philadelphia is rolling on through the end of this week. There has been plenty of news to digest already. New clinical data could herald cutting-edge treatments for migraine, the rare disease spinal muscular atrophy, the deadly neurological disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and more. Xconomy previewed the conference last week.
socalTECH
MAY 8, 2019
Los Angeles-based Neural Analytics , a developer of medical robotics technology being used to track and measure brain health in possible stroke victims, has raised $22M in its Series C funding, the company said this morning. The company says it has now raised approximately $66M in total. The Series C funding was led by Alpha Edison. Neural Analytics has developed a fully autonomous robotic systems used for neurovascular assessment, which uses ultrasound to non-invasively measure and display brai
socalTECH
MAY 7, 2019
Woodland Hills-based Indose , a startup developing a vape device for THC and cannabis, has raised $3.5M in a Series A funding round, according to the company. The funding came from Casa Verde Capital, the cannabis investment fund run by Snoop Dogg. According to Indose, it has developed a vape pen technology which provides a measured dose of THC to the user.
socalTECH
MAY 7, 2019
San Diego-based biopharmaceuticals developer Mabvax , which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March, has lined up a buyer for the company , in a deal worth $3.7M. Mabvax filed for bankruptcy in March, claiming that it was the victim of "pump-and-run" by outside investors. Mabvax was developing treatments for cancer, using antibody technology. READ MORE>>.
socalTECH
MAY 7, 2019
Los Angeles-based Relativity , a developer of robotics technology and 3D manufacturing technology aimed at developing 3D printed rockets, says it has signed a launch services agreement with satellite ridesharing arranger Spaceflight. According to Relativity, Spaceflight will manifest missions to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) on Relativity's 3D printed rocket, the Terran 1.
socalTECH
MAY 9, 2019
Los Angeles-based Pearl , the machine learning startup which was spun out of advertising AI software startup GumGum , has raised $11M in a funding round, which came from Craft Ventures, as well as un-named strategic investors. The startup, led by GumGum founder Ophir Tanz, says it is uses artificial intelligence to help the dental industry, with plans to roll out artificial intelligence-powered dentistry tools using computer vision technology.
socalTECH
MAY 10, 2019
Goleta-based whole home speaker manufacturer Sonos said on Thursday that it has launched Google Assistant on Sonos, allowing Google's voice assistant to run on Sonos "smart" speakers through a software upgrade. According to Sonos, it will begin rolling out the feature next week in the U.S., with more markets to come over the next few months. Sonos announced the launch along with its Q2 results, where it said it saw Q2 revenues of $210M, up 13 percent, year over year; the company had a net loss o
socalTECH
MAY 10, 2019
Los Angeles-based software developer Chrome River and U.S. Bank announced this week that Chrome River is powering a new app being launched by U.S. Bank, the U.S. Bank Expense Wizard. According to the two, the new payment software helps streamline payments and reconciliation for infrequent business travelers. Financial details of the arrangement between the two companies were not announced.
socalTECH
MAY 10, 2019
Los Angeles-based mobile game publisher Scopely has acquired DIGIT Game Studios , the game development studio behind its hit mobile game, Star Trek Fleet Command , Scopely announced on Thursday. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced. Scopely was already a strategic investor in Dublin, Ireland-based DIGIT, having made an investment in DIGIT in 2015.
socalTECH
MAY 9, 2019
Los Angeles-based online ordering software developer ChowNow has raised $21M more in funding, in its Series C funding, according to the company. The funding came from 3L Capital and Catalyst Investors, and brings the company's total raised to $60M. Chowow is led by co-founder and CEO Chris Webb. As part of the funding, the company said that Shawn Colo, the co-founder and managing director of 3L Capital, has joined the company's board.
socalTECH
MAY 9, 2019
West Hollywood-based LiveXLive Media , which produces digital media for the live entertainment space, has inked a distribution deal with Chinese video platform Tencent Video , where LiveXLive will stream the EDC Las Vegas music festival to Chinese viewers. According to LiveXLive, it has granted Tencent exclusive rights to distribute the livestream of Insomniac's EDC Las Vegas throughout China, including Macau and Hong Kong, for the weekend of May 17th to 19th.
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