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In a bid to show that it’s getting ready for the electrification of American roads, Royal Dutch Shell is buying Greenlots , a Los Angeles-based developer of electric vehicle charging and energy management technologies. Shell, which is making the acquisition through its Shell New Energies US subsidiary, snatched the company from Energy Impact Partners, a cleantech-focused investment firm.
For all of the positive uses of drone aircraft, there are many negatives, including issues around privacy, safety, and particularly, securityas demonstrated by the recent drone incursions at such airports like Gatwick, Heathrow, and Newark. Those airport drone incursions shut down Gatwick over the course of three days, which caused major delays at Heathrow and Newark.
Even as retailers struggle with a technology-disrupted business model and changing consumer desires, at least a generally positive overall economy and low unemployment rates seemed to keep shoppers’ wallets open. But a 2019 that started with stock market losses, a recently ended (but longest-ever) government shutdown, and other headwinds might now force consumers to pull back on spending.
Last week we introduced the subject of non-compete agreements. Let’s dive a little deeper and present some “gray area” scenarios to consider. Then we’ll address the success or failure of the buyer with your product… First the obvious case in point. What if you are the seller of a previous business or shares amounting to more than an insignificant percentage of a previous business?
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.
Nine years after launching its online magazine, and three years after diversifying into the subscription box business , FabFitFun has raised $80 million in a growth round of funding led by Kleiner Perkins with participation from its previous investors Upfront Ventures and NEA. . The Los Angeles-based company has steadily expanded its retail and lifestyle empire through subscription boxes, video… and even an augmented reality app.
Los Angeles-based shipping and logistics marketplace developer NEXT , fresh off a big, $97M funding round announced last week, said that it has hired Peter Janda as the company's first ever Chief Financial Officer. Janda was most recently CFO at Chef'd, and also has served at such companies as Ingram Micro, Ernst & Young, among other companies. NEXT, which is led by Lydia Yan, raised its latest round of funding from Brookfield Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and GLP.
A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. I recently interviewed Bruce Heavin, Co-Founder and Head of Innovation at Lynda.com, as part of UC Santa Barbara’s Innovator Stories series. Bruce, along with his wife Lynda, created a learning company from their garage, initially by holding in-person classes and later selling VHS tapes via mail order.
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A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. I recently interviewed Bruce Heavin, Co-Founder and Head of Innovation at Lynda.com, as part of UC Santa Barbara’s Innovator Stories series. Bruce, along with his wife Lynda, created a learning company from their garage, initially by holding in-person classes and later selling VHS tapes via mail order.
Last week we introduced the subject of non-compete agreements. Let’s dive a little deeper and present some “gray area” scenarios to consider. Then we’ll address the success or failure of the buyer with your product… First the obvious case in point. What if you are the seller of a previous business or shares amounting to more than an insignificant percentage of a previous business?
Los Angeles is partnering with on-demand shuttle-based service Via as part of a pilot program that will give people rides to three busy public transit stations. The pilot program, which launched Monday, aims to solve the first- and last-mile problem that makes it challenging for people to get to and from public transit stations. Under the pilot program, Via will provide on-demand rides to and from the Compton, El Monte and North Hollywood stations.
Pasadena-based ObEN , which develops technology to help people create a personal, AI-driven avatar which looks and sounds like you, reported a win in China, for a big New Year's broadcast for China Central Television (CCTV). According to ObEN, its technology was used to create "AI hosts" for CCTV's Network Spring Festival Gala, which aired on Monday.
The road to potential approval for Voyager Therapeutics’ experimental gene therapy for Parkinson’s disease got a bit longer, and more expensive, last year. So this morning the company cut a deal with Neurocrine Biosciences to bankroll the journey—and forfeit some of the financial upside for the product, known as VY-AADC. Neurocrine (NASDAQ: NBIX ) has agreed to pay Voyager (NASDAQ: VYGR ) $115 million in cash and buy $50 million worth of the Cambridge, MA, company’s shares at $11.96 apiece
Recharge , the business which got its start pitching pay-as-you-go rentals of unused hotel rooms, is adding private homes to its inventory of spaces — offering the first 100 signups in cities where the plan is available a guaranteed income of $1,000 per month. “To celebrate the launch and continue to expand our community early Recharge hosts thate approved to be part of the Recharge 100 of each city will receive a guaranteed $1000/month,” said a spokesperson for the company. &#
Irvine-based Digital Map Products , which provides map-based, real estate applications, said this week that it has named a new member to its board of directors. According to Digital Map Products, it has appointed Dave Cozzens to its board, to help guide the company around strategic growth and positioning. Cozzens was most recently CEO of Telogis, which he led from startup to acquisition by Verizon in August of 2016.
If you listen primarily to the popular press, you could easily be convinced that all successful startup businesses are built by one smart person, such as Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook, or Jeff Bezos at Amazon. In reality, it takes a collaboration of many good people to build and run a business, even though the original idea probably did come from that innovative entrepreneur.
Billie, a monthly subscription service for shaving and body care products for women, has raised $25 million. The New York-based startup said Tuesday that the new funding round, which is being led by Goldman Sachs Private Capital Investing group, brings its total investment to $35 million. Previous investors Silverton Partners, Female Founders Fund, and Lakehouse Ventures also participated in Billie’s new round, which the company says will be used for additional product development.
Santa Monica-based Sweep , a startup which is focused on cleanup and maintenance of the many scooters from Bird, Lime, Spin, and others, said this week it's looking to create a nationwide network of e-scooter logistics hubs. The startup, led by CEO Rich Banning, is harnessing an "on-demand" workforce to sweep up scooters from the streets, for inventory checks, and also says it has specialized mechanics working on maintenance of the scooers.
According to recent articles , more than half of the businesses that once appeared on the Fortune 500 list have disappeared in the last twenty years, and the rate of departure is increasing. I’m convinced this is happening because most companies don’t have the courage to keep up with the escalating rate of change in the market today. Business as usual is no longer good enough.
Wednesday, February 6, 2019 -- Founder Meet Funder (Invite Only). Founder Meet Funder focus on supporting entrepreneur growth by connecting them with mentors, influencers, and investors within the community. A special social sphere is created due to the culture and diversity of experience brought along the way to encourage everyone to help one other's business growth.
Abide Therapeutics, which is developing medicines to treat neurological diseases, has appointed Kevin Finney as its president and chief operating officer, a new role for the company. The company, which has about 40 employees, is co-located in San Diego, where the majority of its workers are based, and Princeton, NJ. Abide’s drug candidates, small-molecule inhibitors, are targeting an enzyme, monoacylglycerol lipase (MGLL), which affects how neurons communicate.
Los Angeles-based private equity investor Vincente Capital Partners announced on Tuesday that it has sold Carlsbad-based Intellectual Technology, Inc. , a developer of software for motor vehicle agencies (DMVs), to Arlington Capital Partners. Financial terms of the sale were not announced. Vincente Capital acquired ITI in November of 2012. According to Vincente Capital, it has retained a minority interest in Intellectual Technology.
Until the recession a few years ago, market research indicated that as many as 90 percent of the roughly 20 million American small business owners were motivated more by lifestyle than growth and money. More recently, the desire for extra income has become the key driver in new startups, according to the popular press. It seems that more people are focused on money today.
Taylor Cavanah, whose background is in physics, once caused a fellow scientist to do a spit take after learning Cavanah runs a software startup focused on pet care. Just as surprising is the tale of how Cavanah and co-founders Ken Tsui and Aaron Bannister built the San Diego, CA-based company, called PetDesk. It sells online tools for veterinarians looking to automate appointment requests and marketing messages, and offers a free mobile app allowing pet owners to schedule visits and complete oth
Mayor Eric Garcetti , the Mayor of Los Angeles and a big supporter of the Greater Los Angeles area's rise to prominence in the technology startup world, is reportedly set to announced that he will not be running for President in 2020. Garcetti has been a regularly seen at local technology conferences promoting the growth of "Silicon Beach" and the rest of the LA technology ecosystem.
In today’s world of constant change and information overload via the Internet, content marketing and branding are often more important to success than product quality or technology. Contrary to a popular myth, word-of-mouth and viral marketing are not a substitute for more basic branding activities. The challenge is that many new business owners still don’t know where to start.
Tuesday, February 5, 2019 -- Digital Entertainment World 2019. Described by Hollywood insiders, digital influencers and industry leaders throughout the world as a "must-attend" event, now in its 6th year Digital Entertainment World (DEW) is where you want to be if you are in the business of creating or monetizing digital entertainment content. DEW 2019 focuses on "The Power of Creativity and Influence" and will cover topics from OTT to Innovation to eSports to Millennials to Content Marketing to
By nearly every measure, 2018 was a banner year for the venture capital industry, particularly in the healthcare technology sector. Over $130 billion of venture capital was invested across all sectors in the U.S. , easily eclipsing the prior high-water mark in 2000 and nearly 4.8 times what was invested a decade ago. While certain sectors may now be demonstrating bubble-like tendencies, the data also reflect the activity of SoftBank’s ~$100 billion Vision Fund and other late start cross-over inv
The University of Southern California and 3D game development engine developer Unity Technologies are launching a brand new, online game design course , aimed at both students and "lifelong learners", to help them design and publish their own original games, the two announced on Tuesday. According to Unity Technologies and the USC School of Cinematic Arts, its self-paced, adaptive online course will teach students and prospective developers how to design and publish their original games.
Technology and network connections are becoming increasingly important for businesses. Once general tools used to manage daily operations, they’re now major sources of competitive advantage. Today, the right network connection can increase productivity, mitigate risk, and improve security. But despite increasingly high-speed and high-bandwidth business internet options, many organizations still struggle with their connections.
Monday, February 4, 2019 -- Digital Entertainment World 2019. Described by Hollywood insiders, digital influencers and industry leaders throughout the world as a "must-attend" event, now in its 6th year Digital Entertainment World (DEW) is where you want to be if you are in the business of creating or monetizing digital entertainment content. DEW 2019 focuses on "The Power of Creativity and Influence" and will cover topics from OTT to Innovation to eSports to Millennials to Content Marketing to
Venture capital firms invest in potentially disruptive technologies with the hope of profit, then keep watch for further advances that could overtake their existing portfolio companies. All this is done while they guide startups through other external challenges such as fundraising droughts and overall market downturns. Scott Beechuk, a partner at Norwest Venture Partners , is one of the tech industry observers invited by Xconomy to look back at the technology developments of 2018, and also fore
Redlands-based Esri , which develops geographical information systems (GIS) software used to map and visualize data, said today that it supports the enactment of the federal Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act. The new law promotes opening up data usage by the public of government data "by dafulat", making that data machine readable and freely usable.
Blogging has come a long way in the past few years, from a social release for narcissists, to today’s required vehicle for promoting your consulting business and gaining valuable online exposure. Even with product businesses, it’s the ultimate way to build your brand credibility, bring in customer leads, and get feedback from your target market. Let me be clear – a product or consulting startup today without a blog, even with a static website, risks not being competitive in cost and time to reac
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 -- Upfront Summit. Invite only. The annual Upfront Summit hosts more than 1,000 top investors, entrepreneurs, and leaders for an invitation-only event in Los Angeles. Forget what you think you know about tech conferences - with two days of compelling content, conversation, and connection, our Summit showcases the best of technology, innovation, and creativity, from established global brands to bleeding edge disruptors.
Magnolia Medical Technologies , a Seattle-based manufacturer of devices for collecting blood and bodily fluids, announced this week it has raised $20 million in equity funding to ramp up sales of its flagship product. The funding comes as Magnolia and San Diego-based competitor Kurin battle each other in court. RTW Investments, a New York-based firm that backs healthcare ventures, led the Series C funding round, Magnolia says.
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