socalTECH

NOVEMBER 7, 2018

Energy Vault , a startup created by Pasadena-based startup incubator Idealab , announced this morning that it has launched its utility-scale energy storage technology into commercial availability. Energy Vault's technology--which looks like a wild idea created in Minecraft--uses immense concrete blocks, which store energy from renewable energy, using the same principles of pumping and storing water for energy storage.

Idealab 133

Idealab Technology Incubator Pasadena 133

L.A. Business Journal

NOVEMBER 8, 2018

Santa Monica-based Cornerstone OnDemand Inc. has acquired privately held Grovo Learning Inc., a New York City-based technology company.

Cornerstone OnDemand 195

Cornerstone OnDemand Santa Monica Technology Company 195

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

Irvine-based Syntiant , which is developing semiconductor used for edge computing, raised $25M in its Series B funding. The funding came from Sunstone Venture Capital Fund, along with Seraph Group, plus Microsoft, Intel, Amazon, Robert Bosch, Applied Materials, and Motorola, according to the company. Sunstone was an investor in its Series A funding.

Artificial Inteligence 179

Artificial Inteligence Venture Capital Funding Capital 179

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 8, 2018

I am sure you heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs that motivate our behavior, in which Abraham Maslow laid out a human’s needs – from the physiological, to safety, then love and belonging, on to esteem and finally self-actualization. A little too esoteric for you? Let’s make it more personal. So, where are you in that hierarchy? Let’s assume for a minute that you have just sold your business, or come into money beyond your current needs….

Coach 120

Coach Organization Email Sales 120

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.

Company

L.A. Business Journal

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

Musk Shows off hyperloop demo tunnel; Bird fights ban in Beverly Hills; LA spending roughly $13 per voter

Beverly Hills 113

Beverly Hills Report 113

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

Thursday, November 15, 2018 --.

AWT 100

AWT Technology 100

TechCrunch LA

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

In case you haven’t heard, polls will open Tuesday morning across the U.S. for the 2018 midterm elections. It’s a big deal, so go vote. And this year, there are more free ways to get to the polls than ever before thanks to a variety of non-partisan “get the vote out” campaigns from ride-hailing, bike sharing and scooter companies.

Baldwin Park 165

Baldwin Park Santa Clarita Los Angeles Long Beach 165

L.A. Business Journal

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

HyreCar Inc., a downtown Los Angeles-based company allowing prospective ride-share drivers to temporarily lease vehicles from dealerships, announced Nov. 8 its third-quarter revenue grew 224 percent to $2.7 million over last year.

Los Angeles 147

Los Angeles Report Startup Angel 147

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

Saturday, November 10, 2018 -- brunchwork w/ Warner Music Group and Art Muse. You're invited to an unforgettable sweetgreen brunch with Aton Ben-Horin, Global Vice President of AandR for Warner Music Group, and ArtMuse founder Natasha Schlesinger. Enjoy a fireside chat with Aton and Natasha, curated connections, a business challenge and pitch off.over a seasonal, locally-sourced meal.

100

100

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 7, 2018

San Diego-based Mirium Pharmaceuticals , which is developing treatments for rare liver diseases, announced on Wednesday morning that it has raised $120M in a Series A funding round. The funding was led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA), and also included Deerfield Management, Frazier Healthcare Partners, Novo Holdings A/S, Pappas Capital, RiverVest Venture Partners and Rock Springs Capital.

San Diego 147

San Diego Study Capital Funding 147

Xconomy

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

A 10-person team of researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has been awarded an eight-year, $19.2 million grant to investigate mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease and aging-related cognitive decline and uncover new therapies. The grant, announced Friday by the research institute in San Diego’s La Jolla community, is part of a $43 million initiative by the American Heart Association and the Paul G.

Research 101

Research Study Funding San Diego 101

L.A. Business Journal

NOVEMBER 8, 2018

Online hiring and job-search platform ZipRecruiter Inc., based in Santa Monica, announced three new additions to its board of directors Nov. 8, including former executives of Facebook Inc., the San Francisco 49ers and GoDaddy Inc.

Santa Monica 113

Santa Monica Platform 113

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

Wednesday, November 7, 2018 -- GetGlobal 2018 - Thrive in Foreign Markets. GetGlobal is the largest summit in North America for international expansion, strategy, and key foreign market dynamics. It is curated exclusively for growth-minded companies seeking to outperform across regions, to see clearly and go boldly. At GetGlobal you will meet with the leading executives, experts, and specialists with unique insights into what drives global success so that you can thrive in foreign markets.

Marketing 100

Marketing Company Companies 100

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 7, 2018

Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX , the commercial space exploration firm run by Elon Musk, is looking to raised $750M in a leveraged loan offering, according to a report on Tuesday. The loan effort is being led by BofA Merrill Lynch. The debt funding effort is apparently the company's first time it has attempted to tap into the institutional debt market.

SpaceX 140

SpaceX Funding Hawthorne Report 140

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 3, 2018

Maybe it’s just me, but I sometimes feel that accountability is a rare talent in business today. In big businesses, people are quick to defer with “that’s not my department,” and even startup founders too often blame failures on the economy or the lack of investors. As an investor and advisor to entrepreneurs, I see accountability, or lack of it, as an override to even the best idea.

Startup 96

Startup Resource Training Tool 96

L.A. Business Journal

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

Sinemia goes for the weekday movie fan, AMC jumps into the subscription business; J2 Global reports revenue growth, Bird launches (tentatively) in United Kingdom.

Report 113

Report 113

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 4, 2018

Saturday, November 10, 2018 -- Pitch Genius Workshop. The purpose of this workshop is to educate idea-to-early stage startups about investors, fundraising, and how to make a successful pitch.

Education 100

Education Ideas Startup 100

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

Los Angeles-based RingDNA , which develops analytics software used for understanding the sales process and sales conversations, said last week that it raised $30M in a growth capital funding. The funding was led by Goldman Sachs Growth Equity (GS Growth), and also included Palisades Growth Capital and Bryant Stibel. RingDNA, led by founder and CEO Howard Brown, says it is using artificial intelligence for enterprise sales acceleration and voice automation, and now counts such customers as Hewlet

Sales 140

Sales Artificial Inteligence Equity Web 140

Xconomy

NOVEMBER 8, 2018

Earlier this month, GM CEO Mary Barra told the crowd at a financial conference that her company was on track to unveil a ridesharing service in 2019 that would be powered by autonomous vehicles. It sounded like pretty big news, but to understand company announcements about the commercial viability of driverless cars, one must first parse the semantics.

Framework 95

Framework Mobile Conference News 95

L.A. Business Journal

NOVEMBER 8, 2018

Branson and Lloyd replaced at Virgin Hyperloop; Defy Media Folds; Grovo Learning acquired by Cornerstone OnDemand

Cornerstone OnDemand 113

Cornerstone OnDemand Report Media 113

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

Wednesday, November 7, 2018 -- Santa Monica Tech Happy Hour on the Promenade! Join L.A.'s best tech and startup networking series for a special event in Santa Monica!

Santa Monica 100

Santa Monica Networking Startup 100

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 8, 2018

Los Angeles-based residential energy storage technology developer sonnen said on Thursday that it has partnered with home developer Pearl Homes to build a "net zero" community in Florida. According to the companies, they are building a community called "Hunters Point - Pearl Homes Community and Marina" which will include LEED Platinum certifications, which will be equipped with rooftop solar panels, sonnen's energy storage systems, a smart thermostats, an EV charger, plus Google Home, in what wi

.Net 133

.Net Google Los Angeles Technology 133

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

Since I am a techie at heart, I always get excited when founders pitch their new innovation as “disruptive,” meaning that it is so unique that it will create a new market and disrupt the existing value network, displacing established products and markets. Unfortunately, I have learned that investors and customers are wary that big changes will take a long time, and cost more money.

Marketing 89

Marketing Technology Customer Custom 89

L.A. Business Journal

NOVEMBER 7, 2018

Sexual harassment suit filed against Riot Games; SpaceX chosen for Kazakh rocket launch; HyreCar goes national

Riot Games 113

Riot Games SpaceX Report 113

Xconomy

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

Medical device maker ResMed has agreed to acquire Minnesota-based MatrixCare, which makes software for long-term care providers, for $750 million. San Diego’s ResMed (NYSE: ticker[[RMD]]) announced its intention to buy the privately held tech company on Monday. The purchase price is 25 times MatrixCare’s pro forma 2018 earnings of about $30 million (without taking into account interest, taxes, depreciation or amortization) on anticipated net revenue of about $122 million.

Software 89

Software Acquisition .Net Pricing 89

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

The first, high tech test tunnel built by LA's The Boring Company , bored between the SpaceX parking lot and a home in Hawthorne, California, is almost complete, and will open to the public on December 10th, according to Boring Company and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. The tunnel--which is designed to show off the technology to send people underneath Los Angeles at speeds up to 155 mph, to address the traffic and congestion inherent in road transportation--will reportedly be available to the public for

Company 133

Company Companies SpaceX High Tech 133

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2018

One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. According to the International Business Innovation Association ( InBIA ), there are over 2,200 of these locations worldwide, and new online versions springing up all over the place, like Founders Space in Silicon Valley.

Incubator 87

Incubator Startup Resource Seed Funding 87

L.A. Business Journal

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

SpaceX requests lower launch threshold; Activision nets $1.

Activision 113

Activision .Net SpaceX Report 113

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 7, 2018

Tuesday, November 13, 2018 -- DTLA Pitch Night. 2nd Annual Startups in the Sky.

Startup 100

Startup 100

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 7, 2018

Los Angeles-based HyreCar , which operates a marketplace which connects Uber and Lyft ridesharing drivers with dealers and others offering up vehicle rentals, said it is now open in all 50 U.S. states. The company said the expansion is a significant incraese from where it had been, which was at 34 states. The addition adds Delaware, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arkansas, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Maine, Idaho, South Dakota, Alaska, North Dakota, Vermont, Montana, West Virginia and Wyoming

Los Angeles 124

Los Angeles Platform Services Angel 124

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2018

Even when your new product or solution fills a real customer need, and has a positive value proposition, many new venture founders are surprised and frustrated to find that excited customers are hard to find and growth is slow. Thus, as an advisor to many startups, without being negative, I often spend hours with them brainstorming on all the possible barriers that may slow adoption rates, and how to plan or modify the business model to work around these obstacles.

Product 86

Product Marketing Education Examples 86

Xconomy

NOVEMBER 8, 2018

Hundreds of companies. Dozens of research institutes. Billions of dollars in economic impact. San Diego is one of the top U.S. cities for innovation in life sciences and healthtech. Researchers and entrepreneurs here are leaders in developing the next generation of medicines and medical devices. In doing so, they are revealing new insights from our genomes, coming up with new data analytics tools, and applying digital advances to improve health.

San Diego 82

San Diego Research Tool Entrepreneur 82

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

Tuesday, November 6, 2018 -- Hollywood Tech Happy Hour -Tech Save America.

Hollywood 100

Hollywood 100

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 8, 2018

Los Angeles-based Milk and Eggs , a new grocery delivery startup which helps connect consumers with farmers and others who will deliver perishable groceries, has raised $6M in a seed funding round, and launched its services. Source of the seed funding was not announced. According to the startup, it is looking to provide people with healthier and fresher food, and also help cut down on unnecessary middlemen, the large amount of food waste, and carbon delivery associated with people driving to the

Seed Funding 113

Seed Funding Los Angeles Platform Sales 113

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

I just finished a new book by Stephen J. Cloobeck, “ Checking In: Hospitality-Driven Thinking, Business, and You ”. As a self-made entrepreneur and former chairman of Diamond Resorts International, he asserts that the five biggest companies by market value today, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple, aren’t really tech, but hospitality companies.

Technical Advisors 82

Technical Advisors Artificial Inteligence Customer Custom 82

Xconomy

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

The second-most advanced investigational drug in MEI Pharma’s four-asset portfolio is drawing attention from overseas as a potential treatment for several leukemias and lymphomas. Japanese life sciences company Kyowa Hakko Kirin has agreed to pay the San Diego company $10 million upfront for rights to develop and commercialize ME-401 in Japan. The Japanese company will pay MEI up to $87.5 million more if the drug, a PI3K delta inhibitor, meets a variety of milestones; plus royalties from sales i

San Diego 70

San Diego Sales Marketing Develop 70