L.A. Business Journal

DECEMBER 13, 2021

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. commenced construction in Florida on a launchpad to send its Starship Mars rocket to the red planet.

SpaceX 246

SpaceX Technology 246

TechCrunch LA

DECEMBER 15, 2021

Paying bills is hardly a fun thing. So I think it’s safe to say that any technology that can make the process easier is welcome by all. Papaya is a Los Angeles-based startup with a mission to do just that. It has developed technology to give people a way to pay bills outside of traditional methods, such as through the mail, over the phone or via a Web portal.

Mobile 208

Mobile Artificial Inteligence Startup Los Angeles 208

socalTECH

DECEMBER 13, 2021

Goleta-based gallium nitride (GaN) power conversion semiconductor developer Transphorm says it has received $12.9M in a private placement. The publicly traded company (OTC) said the funding came from MCM Investment Partners, as well as Boardman Bay Capital Management. The company said the investments come as a part of a plan to uplist its shares of common stock on the Nasdaq.

Invest 196

Invest Marketing Capital Funding 196

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 16, 2021

Here’s the bright side to patents. When you think of patents, you think of added value to the corporation in the form of protection of its intellectual property. In fact, many corporations spend millions developing surrounding patents to form what is known as a “patent thicket,” much like Brer Rabbit jumped into to protect himself against his detractors in the briar patch.

Patents 156

Patents Email Company Companies 156

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

DECEMBER 13, 2021

SEA Electric Holdings in Torrance announced it’s working with an Illinois-based bus and van dealer on modernizing approximately 10,000 used school buses by replacing their diesel engines with its proprietary battery electric power system.

Torrance 130

Torrance 130

TechCrunch LA

DECEMBER 15, 2021

Another travel startup that found itself scrambling to pivot as the COVID-19 pandemic took off is now announcing a huge round of funding after finding its feet and proving that it can grow, even under adverse circumstances. AvantStay — which has built a platform where it decorates and then lists properties owned by others for people to rent out for vacations or other short-term stays — has raised $160 million in a Series B round of funding.

Platform 139

Platform Invest Los Angeles Funding 139

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 15, 2021

As a long-time business advisor and mentor to entrepreneurs, I’ve always been impressed with the few who seem to always come out ahead, no matter what the challenge. It seems to be more a function of mindset and principles, more than education or natural ability. I’m convinced that we all have a similar potential, if we practice the right principles and persevere through thick and thin.

Education 148

Education Mentor Customer Custom 148

L.A. Business Journal

DECEMBER 13, 2021

Tagger Media Inc. received an additional $15 million in funding from Five Elms Capital following a $8.5 million Series A investment by the firm earlier this year.

Media 130

Media Capital Software Invest 130

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 17, 2021

When I started mentoring entrepreneurs and startups a few years ago, I anticipated that I would get mostly tough technical questions, but instead I more often hear things like “Where do I start?” I find that the basics are actually the hardest to answer, just like your parents found out when they first tried to fill you in on the “facts of life” a long time ago.

Entrepreneur 138

Entrepreneur Activity Guide Patents 138

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 13, 2021

In my role as mentor to many of you aspiring entrepreneurs, I often find you convinced that all you need to start is a unique innovation or idea , and now you are ready to jump in with both feet and enjoy the ride. Unfortunately, from my own experience, it’s not that simple, and not doing some preparation first can easily result in stress, lack of satisfaction, and a hard road to success.

Satisfaction 135

Satisfaction Entrepreneur Startup Mentor 135

socalTECH

DECEMBER 17, 2021

San Diego-based health technology company Cue Health said this week that it has named Nitin Duggal as its Chief Marketing Officer. Duggal was most recently at Abbott Diabetes Care, where he had been for 10 years. He also previously had served at McKinsey & Co. The company said Duggal was most recently working at Abbott's Libre and FreeStyle Libre products as Senior Commercial Director.

San Diego 113

San Diego Marketing Technology Product 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 17, 2021

El Segundo-based gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductor developer Navitas Semiconductor said today that it has been selected by Dell, for inclusion in the Dell Latitude 9000-series laptops. Shipment volumes and expected financial impact of the design win were not announced. According to the company, two of its ICs are being used in Dell's fast charge laptop adapters.

El Segundo 113

El Segundo Design Develop Development 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 17, 2021

Los Angeles-based Elementary, which is developing artificial intelligence, machine vision software for the manufacturing industry, said Thursday that it raised $30M in its Series B funding. The funding was led by Tiger Global, and also included Threshold Ventures, Fika Ventures, Fathom Capital, Riot VC, and Toyota Ventures. Elementary is focusing its machine learning and artificial intelligence efforts on automating inspections in manufacturing.

Artificial Inteligence 113

Artificial Inteligence Venture Capital Los Angeles Software 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 17, 2021

Irvine-based electric truck maker Rivian, which is still early on in its efforts to develop electric powered trucks, says it plans to set up a new factory in Atlanta, Georgia. The company announced the deal with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Rivian--which has only produced a few electric pickup trucks so far, despite a recent IPO--will harvest a significant economic development package from Georgia for the factory.

Develop 113

Develop Development Company Companies 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 17, 2021

Los Angeles-based Go Disco announced this morning that it has launched a new, experience and entertainment discovery app, which is designed to help individuals find "cool things to do" in their area. The startup, led by co-founder and CEO Sean Conrad, says it offers access to a variety of curated experiences, and currently offers up access to those activities in just Los Angeles.

Entertainment 113

Entertainment Los Angeles Research Design 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 16, 2021

Los Angeles-based, shared scooter and bicycle rental service Bird has put out some numbers this morning, saying that use of its service has contributed an estimated $100M in incremental spending at local businesses in 2021, and saved an estimated 1.1 million gallons of gasoline. The company said the numbers came via a six-month study from Emory University's Goizueta School of Business.

Study 113

Study Los Angeles Services Angel 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 16, 2021

Los Angeles-based electric vehicle charging network operator EVgo says it has rolled out a brand new app, which it says adds new personalization features, search capabilities, a redesigned map, and more. The company said the enhancements are aimed at streamlining user experiences and increasing network utilization. EVgo has a network of 1500 public fast chargers and 1,200+ L2 chargers across 68 metropolitan areas and 35 states.

Networking 113

Networking Los Angeles Angel Company 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 16, 2021

Santa Monica-based online employment marketplace ZipRecruiter said this morning that it has made a number of employment changes among its executive staff. The company said David Travers has been promoted to President, after serving as CFO of the company. Timothy Yarborough, who had been the company's Chief Business Officer, has been promoted to Chief Financial Officer; and Amy Garefis, who was the company's Senior Vice President of Accounting, is now Chief Accounting Officer.

Santa Monica 113

Santa Monica Company Companies 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 16, 2021

Los Angeles-based AvantStay, which operates a high end, short term rental marketplace, says it has raised $160M in a Series B funding round, the company said on Wednesday. The funding was co-led by Tarsadia Investments, and also included 3L Capital, along with Capital One Ventures, Bullpen Capital, and Convivialite plus angel and celebrity investors Saluda Grade, Greenhawk, Stephen Pagliuca, Fred Tuomi, Jerry Coleman, Jay McKee, Plus Capital, Paul George, Shawn Mendes, and others.

Los Angeles 113

Los Angeles Capital Invest Funding 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 15, 2021

Irvine-based Mavenlink, which develops cloud software for the professional services market, has merged with Kimble Applications in a merger backed by private equity investor Accel-KKR, the company announced today. According to the company, Michael Speranza has been named as CEO of the company as a result of the merger. The company said that Existing Kimble and Mavenlink investors, including Carrick Capital Partners and Goldman Sachs, will continue to be investors.

Equity 113

Equity Software Services Capital 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 15, 2021

San Diego-based Tealium, which helps companies collect information on their customers, says it has launched a new partnership effort called the Tealium Global Partner Network. According to the company, the effort gives direct access for its clients to partners such as Meta, Google, AWS, Capgemini, Accenture and Publicis Sapient. Tealium is best known for its tools for managing "tags" and "pixels", which are invisible images used for customer tracking and analytics across everything from the web,

San Diego 113

San Diego Google Email Web 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 15, 2021

San Diego-based artificial intelligence software developer Netradyne annoucned this morning that it has named Tom Schmitt as CFO. According to the company, Schmitt joins the company from Postclick, where he was also CFO. He also has served at such companies as VideoAmp, FreeWheel Media, Salesforce, NetApp, and GAP. Netradyne says Schmitt has over 35 years of financial experience.

Artificial Inteligence 113

Artificial Inteligence San Diego Software Development Media 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 15, 2021

Los Angeles-based LogicBoost Labs, a startup accelerator which focuses on pre-revenue and early-stage B2B SaaS startups, says it has made a $300K investment in Clarevent, which supplies video infrastructure for virtual events. The company said the investment was $200K in cash, plus another $100K in advisory services. Clarevent is led by founder and CEO Scott Lock; LogicBoost is led by founder and CEO Jonathan Cogley.

Services 113

Services SaaS Los Angeles Platform 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 15, 2021

Los Angeles-based Papaya, a fintech startup developing a mobile bill payment application, says it has raised $50M in a Series B funding. The funding was led by Bessemer Venture Partners, and also included Sequoia Capital, Acrew Capital, 01 Advisors, Mucker Capital, Fika Ventures, F-Prime, and Sound Ventures. Papaya is led by co-founder and CEO Patrick Kann, who the company said has previously served at such companies as World Bank and IdeaLab.

Mobile 113

Mobile Chief Technology Officer Idealab Los Angeles 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 14, 2021

San Diego-based Pixelz, which develops AI-powered image editing and retouching for the fashion industry, says it has been acquired by private equity investor Adelis Equity Partners. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced. According to the company, led by CEO Thomas Ladefoged, it will use the acquisition to help accelerate international growth and continued development of its business model.

Equity 113

Equity San Diego Acquisition Help 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 14, 2021

San Diego-based venture investor Section 32--the venture investment firm founded by Bill Maris--says it is expanding its investing and operations teams in Silicon Valley. According to the firm, it added Wesley Tillu as Senior Principal and Vivian Chao as Controller. Tilu was most recently an investor at In-Q-Tel, and also worked at Google and GIC, among other companies.

San Diego 113

San Diego Google Invest Capital 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 14, 2021

Los Angeles-based electric vehicle company Faraday Future is claiming additional progress on its efforts to start manufacturing vehicles, saying it has started construction of the foundation for its plant in Hanford, California. The company said the plant includes electrical and plumbing, and it hopes to begin installation of production and assembly equipment.

Los Angeles 113

Los Angeles Acquisition Product Customer 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 14, 2021

Atascadero-based OFFLOADIT said it has launched a new, online marketplace app, aimed at helping people buy and sell excess construction materials. According to the company, the marketplace is aimed at helping people both dispose of and acquire excess construction materials, helping to increase profits and prevent prevent materials and equipment from ending up in landfills.

Help 113

Help Startup Company Companies 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 14, 2021

Long Beach-based Rocket Lab announced late Monday that it has acquired SolAero Holdings, a supplier of solar power products and precision aerospace structures for the global aerospace market. The company said it paid $80M in cash for SolAero. Rocket Lab said the deal will add a production line of high performing, space solar cells to its space systems business.

Long Beach 113

Long Beach Product Marketing Company 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 13, 2021

Los Angeles-based fintech startup Dave says it expects an acquisition by special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), VPC Impact Acquisition Holdings III to occur in January, after approval of a special proxy by VPCC. According to the company, if approved, the deal will make Dave a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq Global Market, trading under the ticker symbol DAVE.

Marketing 113

Marketing Acquisition Research Los Angeles 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 13, 2021

Los Angeles-based Sensible Weather, a new startup which reimburses travelers when bad weather impacts their trips, says it has raised $4M in a seed funding round. The funding was led by Wonder Ventures and Walkout Ventures, and also included Group 1001, Spencer Rascoff's 75 & Sunny Ventures, Raj Gokal of Solana Labs, Spike Lipkin & Gordon Wintrob of Newfront Insurance, and Kiran Bhatraju of Arcadia Energy.

Arcadia 113

Arcadia Seed Funding Research Examples 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 13, 2021

Los Angeles-based Wonder Dynamics, a startup founded by actor Tye Sheridan of "Ready Player One", said it has raised $9M in a Series A funding round. The funding was led by Horizons Ventures and also included Epic Games and Samsung Next. The company said it is building artificial intelligence (AI) technology for the film and "Metaverse" markets. The company said it is developing AI-powered production tools, which provides improved cost and speed for media production and post-production.

Artificial Inteligence 113

Artificial Inteligence Los Angeles Tool Media 113

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 12, 2021

If you are an entrepreneur these days, or trying to grow an existing business, everyone is telling you that you need to use social media. There are many ‘experts’ out there telling you how to do it, or even offering their services. But very few are talking about how to measure your results and return on investment (ROI), and the right metrics for optimizing your marketing environment.

Social Media 127

Social Media Media Metrics Satisfaction 127

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2021

With the reality of LinkedIn, Facebook, and dozens of other websites profiling you, the old-fashioned written resume is an artifact of a hiring practice that is now superfluous. The real “resume” that you have to live with is everything that you or anyone else has posted about you on any site on the Internet. You don’t dare hide, since the biggest negative is no Internet presence at all.

Social Network 99

Social Network Examples Tips Startup 99