TechCrunch LA

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

Lionel Messi, who’s still arguably the greatest soccer player in the world , signed his first contract with FC Barcelona when he was thirteen years old. Although he grew up in a small town in central Argentina, he had captured the attention of some of the world’s most famous soccer teams when he was only eleven years old. While Messi’s rags to riches story is the stuff that sports dreams are made of, it’s impossible for the world’s best teams to get a window into al

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Social Network Startup Los Angeles Coach 184

Xconomy

NOVEMBER 26, 2019

La Jolla Pharmaceutical is turning its focus to its lone FDA-approved product and another one in the pipeline after an experimental drug for a rare blood disease failed a late-stage study. On Monday, La Jolla Pharma (NASDAQ: LJPC ) said it was halting a clinical trial testing LJPC-401, its drug candidate for iron overload in patients with beta thalassemia.

Pricing 63

Pricing Study Product San Diego 63

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 27, 2019

Los Angeles-based Fisker has started taking reservations for its newly announced Ocean SUV, saying that $250--taken online, or through either an iOS or Android app--will reserve a vehicle for interested customers. The company intends to make its first vehicles available only through a subscription plan, starting at $379/month. According to Fisker, the $379/month "FLEXEE" payment is due after subscriptions for its vehicles commence in 2022.

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L.A. Business Journal

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

Venice-based startup Altruist Corp. raised an $8.5 million Series A round.

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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

TechCrunch LA

NOVEMBER 27, 2019

The Daily Crunch is TechCrunch’s roundup of our biggest and most important stories. If you’d like to get this delivered to your inbox every day at around 9am Pacific, you can subscribe here. 1. Twitter will free up handles by deleting inactive accounts. “As part of our commitment to serve the public conversation, we’re working to clean up inactive accounts to present more accurate, credible information people can trust across Twitter,” the company said.

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Netflix Guide Los Angeles Screening 243

Xconomy

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

In startup world these days, the word “biotech” is increasingly accompanied by “computational” and two, two-letter initialisms: AI and ML. Those tools—artificial intelligence and machine learning, respectively—have been around for decades, but in recent years have become faster and cheaper, accelerating their use by those in the business of discovering and developing new drugs.

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Artificial Inteligence Seed Funding Tool Startup 144

L.A. Business Journal

NOVEMBER 29, 2019

For decades, solar technology experts have sought to generate electricity. But Pasadena-based Heliogen has a new technology that swaps fossil fuels for solar energy in industrial applications.

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Pasadena Startup Technology 263

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 23, 2019

Many entrepreneurs still don’t understand that building a business culture today of doing good, like helping people (society) and planet (sustainability), is also a key to maximizing profit. Employees and customers alike are looking for meaning, not simply employment and commodity prices. Every company needs this focus to attract the best minds and loyalty in both categories.

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Organization Startup Pricing Custom 128

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 27, 2019

The massive shift in revenue models in recent years. Have you noticed how many web apps and content have turned into subscription services during the last several years? Call it the Netflix effect. Application developers once considered their products as licensed in what would closely be allied to a single sale. Until someone realized that recurring revenues were much more highly valued by the subsequent buyers of similar businesses and investors, and that loyal users would be willing to pay

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Outsource Development Software Review Content Netflix 120

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 26, 2019

The city of Fullerton is getting set to have a new, city-wide fiber optic network , thanks to an effort with bandwidth provider SiFi Networks. According to SiFi Networks, it is funding, building and operating the city wide fiber optic network throughout the City of Fullerton, offering up every resident and business in the city an opportunity to sign up for fiber service.

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Startup Networking Services Custom 153

L.A. Business Journal

NOVEMBER 29, 2019

Sawtelle-based EVgo Services has expanded its existing relationship with Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., offering free charges to Nissan drivers at any of its charging locations.

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Services 130

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 27, 2019

Millennials have come a long way in business since I started writing about them nearly ten years ago. They started out as that spoiled generation of kids, born between about 1982 and 2004, who had everything, and could care less about business. Today they are in every business, and will likely comprise 50 percent of the workforce by 2020. Their success is now vital to our success.

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Tips Mentor Coach Guide 127

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

Sunday, December 1, 2019 --.

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Los Angeles Angel 100

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 27, 2019

CrowdStrike , the developer of cloud-based, endpoint protection software which was started and continues to have major operations in Irvine, has scored a top rating in a report from industry analyst Gartner. According to CrowdStrike, it received the highest overall rating among vendors named a 2019 Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice for Endpoint Protection Platforms.

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Report Software Review Platform Startup 147

L.A. Business Journal

NOVEMBER 29, 2019

New York-based video editing software developer Frame.io Inc. has raised a $50 million Series C round and will use part of the funding to gain a foothold in the L.A. market.

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Software Development Software Funding Marketing 130

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

The new era of highly connected and interactive technology is changing not only how business employees interact with customers, but also how they interact with each other, and with their company. I am happy to see reports that young companies are leading the way in these trends, on both the customer and the employee side. Both are required to stay competitive.

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Competition Case Study Platform Yahoo 127

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 24, 2019

Saturday, November 30, 2019 --.

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Los Angeles Angel 100

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 26, 2019

Los Angeles-based location data provider Factual says it has added a new feature which uses machine learning, to predict and target audiences based on expected loyalty and visitation patterns. According to Factual, its new Predictive Audiences and Loyalty Audiences uses visitation pattern anlysis to help marketers target audiences. The company said the new product includes more than 100 ready-to-use audience segments in every vertical, including auto, retail and QSR (quick serve restaurants).

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Artificial Inteligence Los Angeles Pricing Product 133

L.A. Business Journal

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

Venice-based startup Altruist Corp. raised an $8.5 million Series A round.

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Venice Startup 130

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 29, 2019

As a mentor to many aspiring entrepreneurs, I challenge them to think beyond what I call linear extensions to a current trend, such as another “easier-to-use” app for smartphones, a new dating site for pets, or another niche social network. In my experience, these startups usually find the field crowded with competitors , making it hard to get any attention, and most drift into obscurity.

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Entrepreneur Ideas Resource Examples 126

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 23, 2019

Friday, November 29, 2019 --.

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Los Angeles Angel 100

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 26, 2019

San Diego-based Airgain , a developer of antenna technology for the wireless networking market, has lost its CFO. According to Airgain, Anil Doradla, its CFO, will be leaving on November 30th "to pursue other opportunities". The company said its board of directors has launched an executive search for a replacement. Doradla has been at Airgain for less than two years.

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San Diego Networking Technology Marketing 124

Xconomy

NOVEMBER 26, 2019

Phoenix Molecular Designs, a biotech developing kinase inhibitors to treat cancer, has brought in an undisclosed amount of financing—boosting its total seed funding raised to $12 million. The San Diego-based biotech says the proceeds will help fund the Phase 1/1b clinical trial of its lead candidate, PMD-026, an investigational cancer drug being developed to treat an especially deadly form of breast cancer.

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Seed Funding Funding San Diego Design 87

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 24, 2019

Every culture and community puts pressure on its members to follow the norms. Even young people who start out wanting to be different are called “freaks,” and most are slowly bent back into the norm by the time they “grow up.” Maybe that’s why so many entrepreneurs struggle with building a disruptive new business, where breaks from the norm are the key to success.

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Framework Startup Entrepreneur Ideas 126

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 27, 2019

Los Angeles-based inVia Robotics , which develops warehouse automation robots to help e-commerce companies with their operations, has enhanced its system, with a new product called inVia Connect, to help manage replenishment, cycle counting and returns. Pricing on the new product was not announced. inVia's warehouse robotics systems are used to help manage tasks like picking and sorting items in e-commerce warehouses, which are typically very manual and inefficient tasks. inVia's systems have be

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Commerce Los Angeles Pricing Help 113

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 27, 2019

Los Angeles-based Wag! , which offers up dog walking and boarding via its app, has named a new CEO, saying that it has appointed its current Vice President of Product, Partnerships, and Corporate Development at Wag Labs to its top post. According to Wag!, Garrett Smallwood will become CEO, and also join the company's board of directors. Prior CEO Hilary Schneider is leaving the company, to "pursue a new opportunity", according to the company.

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Venture Capital Los Angeles Entrepreneur Capital 113

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 27, 2019

City of Industry-based Vacos , a startup which is aiming at the "smart home" market, said today that it has launched a new, battery-powered security camera--although, it appears the camera is not yet available. The company said its security camera costs $97 for a basic package, and includes artificial intelligence features. The camera does not appear to be immediately available, as the company said it is launching a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo alongside the launch of the camera.

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Artificial Inteligence Marketing City of Industry City of Industry 113

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 27, 2019

Los Angeles-based mobile identity and authentication provider TeleSign reported on Tuesday that it has inked a partnership in France, with Bouygues Telecom. According to TeleSign, it will help Bouygues Telecom to protect its users from online fraud activities. Financial impact of the deal were not announced. TeleSign said the expansion of its services will help protect against such seurity issues as account takeover (ATO) through SIM swaps and synthetic identity fraud.

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Los Angeles Activity Mobile Report 113

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 26, 2019

San Diego-based Kyriba , which develops cloud-based software for treasury and finance management, says it is seeing growth in the Asia Pacific region. According to Kyriba, it has doubled the number of clients it has in the region in the past 12 months. Financial details of that growth were not given by the company. The company said new clients in the region include Isuzu Motors, including DiDi and HAND in China; Uno Minda and Tech Mahindra in India; InstaReM in Singapore; and Eisai and Suntory B

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San Diego Software Develop Development 113

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

The CEO of Los Angeles-based InStride , Vivek Sharma, has been appointed to the board of directors of JetBlue , JetBlue said last week. InStride offers up enterprise education services to employers, helping them offer up degrees, certificates, and credentials to their employees from global universities. According to JetBlue, Sharma will serve as an independent director on JetBlue's board.

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Education Los Angeles Help Services 113

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

Frame.io , which develops a video review and collaboration product used for content management, has raised $50M in a funding, and plans to set up an office in Los Angeles, the company said today. The startup--based in New York--said it raised a $50M, Series C funding round, from Insight Partners, Accel, FirstMark, SignalFire, and Shasta Ventures. The company said it plans to open up a combined office and showroom in Hollywood, which it says will not only house its LA-based employees, but will al

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socalTECH

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

Los Angeles-based streaming television service Hulu appears to have suffered a major outage on Sunday, prompting a rash of complaints on social media. It's unclear what the cause of the issue was, which mostly hit the Eastern half of the United States. It appears the outage lasted for at least 5-6 hours, based on messages sent by Hulu's support team on Twitter, although it appeared that those teams were still dealing with disappointed and annoyed customers on Sunday night.

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socalTECH

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

San Diego-based Inseego is powering a new, 5G hotspot device for Vodafone Qatar , the two companies announced today, rolling out the first, commercially available 5G mobile hotspot in Qatar and the region. The new 5G MiFi hotspot, the M1100, allows mobile phone owners to access 5G, even if their phones and devices are not 5G-enabled. The two said the new device is available at Vodafone Qatar stores, and are tied into Vodafone Qatar's Unlimited 5G Plans.

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San Diego Mobile Companies Company 113

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

Los Angeles-based private equity investor OpenGate Capital said this morning that it has sold one of its portfolio companies, Power Partners , to another private equity-backed company, Pioneer Transformers. Financial terms of the deal were not announced. Pioneer Transformers is backed by private equity investor Mill Point Capital. Power Partners is based in Athens, Georgia, and had approximately 370 employees.

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Capital Equity Los Angeles Funding 113

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

San Luis Obispo-based MINDBODY , which develops an online platform used by the wellness industry for managing appointments, payments, and more for businesses in the fitness, beauty, grooming, spa, and other related wellness businesses, has rolled out a new "MINDBODY Wellness Index" , to rank the healthiest cities in the nation. According to MINDBODY, the MINDBODY Wellness Index evaluated the largest cities in the US by population and ranked them from healthiest to least through a proprietary sco

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Platform Services Develop Development 113

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

In an effort to help small businesses improve their cybersecurity, Los Angeles-based NINJIO , a startup offering up cybersecurity awareness training, says it has released a new library of Hollywood-style, animated "micro-learning" videos, which help businesses train their employees on cybersecurity topics. According to NINJIO, its videos--which are aimed at small businesses with less than 100 employees--offer up cybersecurity training as a month-to-month, subscription-based service.

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