TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 28, 2021

During its big VR and AR-focused event Thursday, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a major new title headed to its VR platform that should turn a few heads. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is on the way to the Oculus Quest 2. San Andreas is Rockstar’s well-loved 2004 entry into the hit GTA franchise, which invites players to wreak havoc in an urban open world fashioned after cities like Los Angeles and Las Vegas. “This new version of what I think is one of the greatest

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Develop Development Los Angeles Platform 260

L.A. Business Journal

OCTOBER 25, 2021

El Segundo-based Endpoint Closing Inc., a digital title and settlement services company, scored $150 million in funding from First American Financial Corp., its parent company.

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El Segundo Funding Services Company 234

socalTECH

OCTOBER 25, 2021

Santa Barbara-based Eyko, a new startup focused on "data preparation, blending, and streaming", says it has raised $2.5M in a Seed funding round, the company announced this morning. The company said the funding came from InReach Ventures and Taggia Investments, the personal investment vehicle of former Balderton Capital founder Barry Maloney. The startup is led by co-founder and CEO Paul Yarwood.

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Software Santa Barbara Seed Funding Invest 202

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 28, 2021

Is this a problem or an opportunity? This insight is like a Hans Christian Anderson parable, but aimed at you and your business… There are big fish and small fish, potential customers, all swimming in the sea that is your potential marketplace. You, the lonely fisherman, must weave a net to catch your fish. Should your net be large and bulky, requiring more effort and expense to weave?

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.Net Statistics Marketing Research 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

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 26, 2021

“The Ruin stirs, and the Five Realms rumble,” a now-archived web announcement read on Thursday morning. “You are cordially invited to join New York Times bestselling and award-winning authors Marie Lu, Tahereh Mafi, Ransom Riggs, Adam Silvera, David Yoon, and Nicola Yoon in Realms of Ruin, a collaborative fantasy epic filled with dark magic, intrigue, and unique characters — launched online in a thrilling new way.”.

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Writing Outsource Development Technical Review Examples 196

L.A. Business Journal

OCTOBER 25, 2021

Few industries are primed for quicker growth over the next decade than the electric vehicle sector.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 23, 2021

Some investors seem to focus wholly on the strengths of the management team, or a sustainable competitive advantage, and in reality these are the core attributes for every funding equation. While these may be necessary for funding, they may not be sufficient to make your startup the great success embodied in your vision. In the last few years, perhaps in reaction to the business integrity issues leading to the recession way back in 2008, I am seeing a renewed focus on other less tangible attribu

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TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 28, 2021

As urban rental markets recover and people flock back to cities, people are once again finding themselves with plenty of new neighbors in communities which are trying to embrace a renewed vibrancy of post-lockdown life. OneRoof is building a social network for residential buildings. Unlike Nextdoor which organizes communities based on zip codes or neighborhoods, OneRoof wants to build up a presence inside large multi-unit buildings so that neighbors can get to know each other in smaller, tighter

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Social Network Organization Los Angeles Startup 186

L.A. Business Journal

OCTOBER 25, 2021

In grade school, Advait Shinde never felt he was truly learning.

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socalTECH

OCTOBER 28, 2021

Santa Monica-based Activision Blizzard is on the defensive after facing a number of lawsuits and investigations of the company for discrimination and sexual harassment, saying in a letter to employees released by the company to the public that it will have zero tolerance for harassment reported to the firm. The company also said it plans to invest $250M to accelerate opportunities for diverse talent, with the goal of increasing the percentage of women and non-binary people in its workforce by 50

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Activision Santa Monica Report Invest 140

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 24, 2021

A large portion of your competitive advantage and your potential value to investors is the size of your intellectual property portfolio. When someone says Intellectual Property (IP), most entrepreneurs think only of patents. In reality, patents are only one of at least eight items that should be in your IP portfolio. You need all these before you start looking for funding.

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Startup Patents IP Social Media 145

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 29, 2021

Salted , a Los Angeles-based startup creating digitally native quick-service restaurant brands, brought in a new round of $16 million in Series A funding to continue its nationwide expansion. The company was founded seven years ago by CEO Jeff Applebaum, but a focus on providing healthy QSR brands and going after the $325 billion food delivery space came about three years ago.

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Funding Los Angeles Invest Examples 186

L.A. Business Journal

OCTOBER 25, 2021

Pasadena-based consulting and engineering services firm Tetra Tech Inc. announced it has received three new contracts from the Agency for International Development and a task order under an existing contract with the Labor Department.

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Outsource Development Pasadena Services Develop 130

socalTECH

OCTOBER 27, 2021

San Diego-based productivity software developer ClickUp said this morning that it has raised a huge, $400M Series C funding round, which gives it a valuation of $4 billion. The Series C funding was co-led by co-led by Andreessen Horowitz and Tiger Global, with participation from Lightspeed Venture Partners and Meritech Capital Partners. ClickUp is led by Founder and CEO Zeb Evans.

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Netflix San Diego Software Development Funding 140

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 27, 2021

Based on my own experience in business, the best results come from a balance of vision and creativity, combined with a clear focus on logical problem solving and results. This balance is rare and often called “ whole-brain ” thinking, versus the traditional right-brain or left-brain orientation. Recent studies indicate that less than ten percent of business leaders show this balance today.

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Technical Review Satisfaction Metrics Startup 133

AllTopStartups

OCTOBER 29, 2021

Contextual Targeting Advertising such as that offered by the Los Angeles, CA company AdMedia is coming to the forefront of the online advertising world. This method can expand public awareness… The post AdMedia Explains How Contextual Targeting Advertising Can Enhance Your Company’s Prospects Online appeared first on AllTopStartups.

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Advertising Los Angeles Angel Company 59

L.A. Business Journal

OCTOBER 25, 2021

More airfield improvements are on the way at Ontario International Airport, thanks to a $15.2 million infrastructure grant from the Federal Aviation Administration.

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socalTECH

OCTOBER 27, 2021

A new, Santa Monica-based startup, ZmBIZI is launching a new, smartphone aimed at small businesses, creators, and entrepreneurs. According to the company, it is launching a smartphone with a built-in point of sale (POS) terminal, aimed at helping small business owners, and tied into a merchant account. The startup says its phone service allows its users to accept payments by physically tapping their contactless enabled cards or Apple Pay and Google pay wallets on the back of its smartphone.

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Northridge Services Santa Monica Google 133

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 25, 2021

Contrary to what you might guess, the highest rate of small business and entrepreneurial growth over the last few years is not Gen-Y upstarts, but Boomers over the age of 50, now called encore entrepreneurs. In fact, according to the latest trend data and press reports , these Baby Boomers have grown yearly to 41 percent of small business owners, second only to Gen-X, at 44 percent.

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Technical Review Technical Support Entrepreneur Startup 126

Frank Addante

OCTOBER 26, 2021

(disclaimer: in restarting FounderBlog.com – I promised to err on the side of sharing more and more often vs. perfect posts – so I do not proofread my posts for typos! ). Have you thought about your company culture with the same process as your product plan, financial plan, business plan or your marketing plan? Have you defined a vision for it?

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Company Companies Training Product 52

L.A. Business Journal

OCTOBER 25, 2021

Santa Monica-based early stage venture fund UP.Partners launched its inaugural $230 million fund focused on mobility technology, the company announced on Oct. 18.

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Funding Santa Monica Mobile Technology 130

socalTECH

OCTOBER 29, 2021

Los Angeles-based e-commerce retailer Newegg Commerce said this morning that it has teamed up with NASCAR driver Ryan Vargas to promote its new automotive storefront, Newegg Auto. According to Newegg, it is partnering with Vargas at the Dead On Tools 250 at Martinsville Speedway in Marinsville, VA. Financial details of the sponsorship deal were not announced.

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NewEgg Commerce Los Angeles Tool 113

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 29, 2021

Even before the recent pandemic, when more people began working remotely , I noticed the dynamics changing in many workplaces, both between employee interaction with peers, and interactions with customers. People on both sides seem to have a shorter attention span, appear less tolerant, and less interested in building personal relationships related to business.

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Satisfaction Outsource Study Platform 108

socalTECH

OCTOBER 29, 2021

Marina Del Rey-based Armata Pharamceuticals, a biotechnology company developing therapeutics for antibiotic-resistant and difficult-to-treat bacterial infections, said it has received $3.0M in an equity investment from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CF Foundation). According to Armata Pharmaceuticals, it was also receive $4.0 million from Innoviva Strategic Opportunities LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Innoviva.

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Marina Del Rey Invest Equity Funding 113

socalTECH

OCTOBER 29, 2021

Los Angeles-based C3 (Creating Culinary Communities), the "ghost kitchen" company founded by Sam Nazarian, said it is partnering with robot delivery service Coco. According to C3, it is now delivering food from its virtual restaurant brands within two miles of its kitchens on Broadway and Main Street in Santa Monica, The Grove in West Hollywood, and in Los Feliz.

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West Hollywood Services Santa Monica Hollywood 113

socalTECH

OCTOBER 29, 2021

Laguna Hills-based dental technology developer Sonendo priced its IPO late last night, saying that it will sell 7,800,000 shares of its common stock at $12.00 per share, which will provide the company total gross proceeds of $93.6M. The company is expected to start trading today on the New York Stock Exchange as SONX. The IPO was underwritten by BofA Securities, Goldman Sachs & Co.

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socalTECH

OCTOBER 29, 2021

Los Angeles-based Salted, which creates what it calls "digitally native" quick serve restaurant brands, says it has raised $16M in a Series A funding. The company says the funding came from Creadev, along with Proof Ventures and B. Riley Financial. The company has now raised $20M in total. The company said it runs six brands, including moonbowls, Califlower Pizza and lulubowls, which are delivered via food delivery.

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Los Angeles Funding Angel Company 113

socalTECH

OCTOBER 28, 2021

San Diego-based renewable energy developer Borrego Solar Systems reported this morning that it has been selected for two, utility-scale solar power projects in Montana and South Dakota. According to the company, it was selected by Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC (GREC) for two projects, the first for the company in the two states. GREC is working on two projects, the The 80 MW-AC Montana Sun (MTSun) Solar project on a 489-acre site in Yellowstone County, Montana, and the 80 MW-AC Fall R

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San Diego Report Sites Develop 113

socalTECH

OCTOBER 28, 2021

Los Angeles-based Skyryse, a startup which is developing software to automate piloting of aircraft, has raised $200M in a Series B funding round, according to the company. The funding was led by Fidelity Management & Research Company and Monashee Investment Management, and also included ArrowMark Partners, Republic Capital, Raptor Group, Infinite Capital, Embedded Ventures, Fortistar, K3 Ventures, Rosecliff, SV Pacific Ventures, former Blackstone CFO Laurence Tosi, and Dmitry Balyasny, founder o

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Software Research Los Angeles Capital 113

socalTECH

OCTOBER 28, 2021

Wavemaker Partners, the investment firm which has oeprations both in Los Angeles as well as Singapore, has launched a new climate and sustainability fund, Wavemaker Impact. According to the new fund, it is currently raising $25M for its new fund, which will focus on startups which are looking at climate technology and sustainability. The new fund is based in Singapore, and is led by Quentin Vaquette, Doug Parker, Marie Cheong, Paul Santos, and Steve Melhuish.

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Funding Los Angeles Invest Startup 113

socalTECH

OCTOBER 27, 2021

Los Angeles-based Daring Foods disclosed on Tuesday that it has raised $65M in a funding round, which came from Founders Fund, D1 Capital, and also included a number of celebrities, including DJ Steve Aoki, the NFL's Cameron Newton, tennis star Naomi Osaka, plus Tiger Global's Chase Coleman. Daring Foods makes a meat alternative, a soy-based chicken product which it calls "Vegan Chicken".

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Los Angeles Capital Funding Product 113

socalTECH

OCTOBER 27, 2021

Rosemead, California-based Asian food chain Panda Express said this morning that it is expanding an effort it has with El Segundo-based Beyond Meat. According to Panda Express, it will expand its new Beyond The Original Orange Chicken across 70 locations nationwide, after a pilot in New York City and Southern California. The dish uses Beyond's meat alternatives, instead of chicken.

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El Segundo Rosemead Southern California Company 113

socalTECH

OCTOBER 26, 2021

One of the founders of the Los Angeles technology networking group, LA Mixers, and co-founder of the New Media Vault monthly networking event, Michael Pilla, has died, according to the Los Angeles Times. Pilla was 58. A cause of death was not given. Pilla was extremely active in the Los Angeles technology world, and was most recently Senior Counsel to TikTok (ByteDance).

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CitySearch Truecar Los Angeles Networking 113

socalTECH

OCTOBER 26, 2021

Los Angeles-based Cameo, which lets people pay for personalized celebrity videos and endorsements, has acquired another, Los Angeles company, Represent. Financial details of the buy were not announced. Represent operates e-commerce sites for celebrity clients, and counts such clients as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ed Sheeran, Jennifer Lopez, and Kendall Jenner, among many others.

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Commerce Los Angeles Google Sites 113

socalTECH

OCTOBER 26, 2021

Santa Monica-based private equity investor Clearlake Capital says that one if its portfolio companies, healthcare software developer nThrive, is acquiring TransUnion Healthcare. Financial details of the deal were not announced. According to ClearLake, nThrive has signed a definitive acquire TransUnion Healthcare, Inc., the healthcare data and analytics business of TransUnion, which serves over 1,850 hospitals.

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Santa Monica Equity Software Development Capital 113

socalTECH

OCTOBER 26, 2021

El Segundo-based space launch systems developer ABL Space Systems has raised $200M in a Series B expansion round, bringing the company's valuation to $2.4 billion, the company said on Monday. According to ABL Space Systems, the funding came from its existing investors. The company says it has now raised a total of $420M. ABL Space Systems said it will use the new funding to scale production of its launch vehicle, as well as for research and development of future systems.

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El Segundo Research Funding Product 113