L.A. Business Journal

JULY 12, 2021

Santa Monica-based analytics company Retina AI Inc. has raised $8 million in Series A funding for its artificial intelligence platform for consumer insights.

Artificial Inteligence 340

Artificial Inteligence Santa Monica Platform Funding 340

TechCrunch LA

JULY 15, 2021

The need for more affordable housing has never been more urgent as a shortage in the U.S. housing market persists. Startups attempting to help address the shortage in a variety of ways abound. One such startup, Abodu , has raised $20 million in a Series A funding round led by Norwest Venture Partners. Previous backer Initialized Capital also participated in the financing, along with Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman, former Stockton, California Mayor Michael Tubbs, GGV investor Hans Tung and Paradox Capit

Los Angeles 322

Los Angeles Custom Customer Startup 322

socalTECH

JULY 14, 2021

Los Angeles-based electric vehicle (EV) charging network operator EVgo said this morning that it has acquired Recargo, a developer of e-mobility software. According to EVgo, it paid $25M in an all-cash transaction for Recargo, including a $3M loan repayment. Recargo was founded in 2009, and operates PlugShare, an online community for EV drivers, and also developed PlugShare, a mobile payment platform for EV cahrging networks.

El Segundo 203

El Segundo Mobile Los Angeles Platform 203

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2021

Confidence and self-esteem are critical to your success as an entrepreneur, or any business role. As a mentor, I’m regularly frustrated by people who try to cover their lack of confidence with ego and arrogance , rather than working on the base issue. Every business leader and investor I know quickly sees through the façade, and tags you as a high risk and difficult person to work with.

Mentor 174

Mentor Satisfaction Competition Marketing 174

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

JULY 15, 2021

Software company Endgame Labs Inc. raised more than $17 million across two funding rounds.

Software 264

Software Sales Funding Company 264

TechCrunch LA

JULY 14, 2021

As concerts and live events return to the physical world stateside, many in the tech industry have wondered whether some of the pandemic-era opportunities around virtualizing these events are lost for the time being. San Francisco-based FlyMachine is aiming to seek out the holy grail of the digital music industry, finding a way to capture some of the magic of live concerts and performances in a live-streamed setting.

Platform 310

Platform Los Angeles Startup Venture Capital 310

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 14, 2021

One of the business ironies that many entrepreneurs have learned the hard way in the past is that ideas which are truly disruptive carry the highest risk of failure, take the longest to gain traction, and thus are the least likely to get external funding. So some entrepreneurs stick with incremental solutions, avoiding more transformational or adaptive solutions implying disruptive change.

Startup 174

Startup Cloud Computing Ideas Entrepreneur 174

L.A. Business Journal

JULY 14, 2021

Red Six Aerospace, which creates AR combat training for the military, has moved it headquarters to Miami.

Training 264

Training Companies Company 264

socalTECH

JULY 16, 2021

A new, Camarillo-based startup, VGRID Energy, says it has come up with a "green" way to mine for Bitcoin cryptocurrency. According to the company, it has created a new product called the VGRID Bioserver, a portable, 100kW energy source which uses dead trees or agricultural waste to provide renewable electricity for Bitcoin mining. The company, led by CEO Greg Campbell, says its product is aimed at converting bark beetle killed trees into energy.

Product 133

Product Startup Technology Companies 133

SoCal Tech Calendar

JULY 15, 2021

Wednesday, July 21, 2021 --.

Advertising 100

Advertising Conference Marketing Media 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 11, 2021

As an angel investor to startups, I’m still surprised to find entrepreneurs who expect investors to give them money, and assume no strings attached. Would you do that if it was your money? If the entrepreneur wants total control of their own venture, with no one looking over their shoulder, they should work within the limits of their own resources, a process called bootstrapping.

Funding 173

Funding Startup Entrepreneur Report 173

L.A. Business Journal

JULY 12, 2021

Pasadena-based energy technology company Heliogen Inc. will go public through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, in a deal that values the combined company at $2 billion.

Pasadena 264

Pasadena Acquisition Technology Company 264

socalTECH

JULY 14, 2021

Los Angeles-based Endgame, a developer of software that links user behavior with sales opportunities, has raised $17M in funding, according to the company. The funding was split between a $12.25M, Series A funding round led by Menlo Ventures, and an earlier $5M Series Seed funding which was led by Upfront Ventures. As part of the funding, the company said that ara Nortman, Partner, Upfront Ventures, and Naomi Ionita, Partner, Menlo Ventures both join the board, with Sandhya Hedge, Partner, Unusu

Sales 124

Sales Software Seed Funding Los Angeles 124

Startup San Diego

JULY 11, 2021

The post WINNING CO. USES APP TO HELP LGBTQ COMMUNITY UCSD Students Win Pitch Competition appeared first on Startup San Diego.

UCSD 52

UCSD Competition Help San Diego 52

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 12, 2021

Sometimes entrepreneurs are so focused on making change happen for customers that they forget that continually changing themselves and their company is equally important. Some get stuck in a rut and get run over by competitors with new technology, like Eastman Kodak, and others get pushed into a crisis, like Apple did, before they reinvent themselves into a new market.

Entrepreneur 167

Entrepreneur Technical Review Mentor Custom 167

L.A. Business Journal

JULY 12, 2021

Meditation has helped Nanea Reeves through some of the most difficult points in her life, including the loss of her sister and husband.

Help 264

Help 264

socalTECH

JULY 16, 2021

San Diego-based Netradyne, a developer of artificial intelligence (AI) and edge computing technology for the automotive market, has raised $150M in a Series C funding round. According to the company, the funding was led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and also included existing investors Point72 Ventures and M12. The company says it has now raised over $197M in total funding.

Artificial Inteligence 113

Artificial Inteligence San Diego Funding Marketing 113

L.A. Business Journal

JULY 14, 2021

EVgo has acquired Recargo, creator of the Plugshare app that helps people locate EV charging stations, for $25 million.

Help 130

Help 130

L.A. Business Journal

JULY 12, 2021

EVgo Inc., a supplier of charging stations for electric vehicles, saw its share price and trading volume decline in the company’s first week of trading on the Nasdaq.

Marketing 130

Marketing Pricing 130

socalTECH

JULY 16, 2021

San Diego-based Entos, a developer of artificial intelligence and automated synthetic development technology for designing small-molecule therapeutics, has raised $53M in a Series A funding. The funding was led by Coatue, and also included Catalio Capital Management, OrbiMed, Sequoia CApital, Nexus Ventures, and Freeflow. As part of the funding, Aaron Weiner, Managing Director and Head of Healthcare at Coatue, and R.

Design 113

Design Artificial Inteligence Platform San Diego 113

socalTECH

JULY 16, 2021

5th Kind, a developer of workflow management software for Hollywood studios, has scored an investment from private equity investor HCAP Partners. Size of the investment was not announced. According to HCAP, the investment capital will go to fund growth initiatives for 5th Kind. As part of the funding, Tim Bubnack, Managing Partner at HCAP, has been appointed to the board of 5th Kind. 5th Kind develops a web-based digital asset management and workflow application that offers asset storage, review

Equity 113

Equity Invest Software Review Hollywood 113

socalTECH

JULY 15, 2021

San Diego-based Citadel Defense, a developer of systems for defending against drone attacks, says it has secured $4M in new government contracts in June. According to the company, an undisclosed government customer has selected its systems as the preferred radio frequency sensor, to be used for pre-deployment training, mobile security, and fixed site protection.

Outsource Development 113

Outsource Development San Diego Training Mobile 113

socalTECH

JULY 15, 2021

Los Angeles-based data center developer Serverfarm said today that it has named a new lead for its colocation business in Europe, appointing Jochem Steman as VP of Colocation Europe. The company said Stemaan will be leading the company's colocation services across data center markets in Europe, including Amsterdam, where Serverfarm owns and operates facilities.

Los Angeles 113

Los Angeles Services Marketing Angel 113

socalTECH

JULY 15, 2021

The National Venture Capital Association says that venture capital activity in Q2 of 2021 has hit record highs, with the group saying, in particular, that seed and early-stage VC financings have hit record highs and new quarterly records. The NVCA said that $75.0 billion was invested across and estimated 4,302 deals in the second quarter, with a total of $150 billion invested across 8,406 deals for the first half of the year.

Venture Capital 113

Venture Capital Invest Activity Capital 113

socalTECH

JULY 15, 2021

Los Angeles-based Joon, a startup which helps companies run employee benefit programs linked to an employee's credit or debit card, has raised $2.3M in a seed funding, according to the company. The funding was led by Alpha Edison, and included a number of angels. The startup, led by founders Sebastian Elghanian and Jonathan Shooshani, lets employers automatically reimburse employee credit cards for such benefits as family care, health and wellness, and professional development.

Seed Funding 113

Seed Funding Los Angeles Funding Startup 113

socalTECH

JULY 14, 2021

Los Angeles-based private equity investor Angeles Equity Partners said today that it has appointed Debbie White to the board of directors of one of its portfolio companies, Xanitos. Xanitos is a provider of environmental services (EVS), patient transport, and linen services to hospitals and other acute care settings. White was previously Group CEo of INterserve Group, and also served at Sodexo SA.

Equity 113

Equity Angel Los Angeles Services 113

socalTECH

JULY 14, 2021

San Diego-based PowerFlex, a provider of solar, storage, smart EV charging, microgrids, and energy management which originally started at Caltech--and is now owned by EDF Renewables--has installed a big solar plus storage project in San Diego. According to the company, it has installed a solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage system for Cox Communications at its corporate office in San Diego.

San Diego 113

San Diego CalTech Research Companies 113

socalTECH

JULY 14, 2021

Los Angeles-based OpenPath Security, which develops keyless, cloud-based entry systems, has been acquired by Motorola Solutions. Financial terms of the deal were not announced. OpenPath Security, led by startup veteran Alex Kazerani, had raised $63M in funding from Greycroft Partners and others. Kazerani and co-founder James Segil are repeat entrepreneurs, having previously founded Edgecast, which they sold to Verizon for approximately $400M.

Los Angeles 113

Los Angeles Entrepreneur Funding Startup 113

socalTECH

JULY 13, 2021

Carlsbad-based Smart Earth Technologies (SET), a developer of LTE and 5G products for the water utility market, has been acquired by San Francisco-based CrescoNet. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. According to the companies, SET sells battery-operated, cellular endpoint transceivers and valves, installation tools, LTE network infrastructure, and software for meter and customer management.

Technology 113

Technology Acquisition Tool Networking 113

socalTECH

JULY 13, 2021

Southern California Edison (SCE) says it is planning to ramp up its electric vehicle (EV) charging effort, with a program to install 38,000 EV chargers across Southern California. The company said that the "Charge Ready" program, which is funded with $436M and approved by the state, will see SCE installing and maintaining EV charging infrastructure, with site hosts tpically owning, operating, and maintaining those charging stations.

Southern California 113

Southern California Sites Funding Companies 113

socalTECH

JULY 13, 2021

Irvine-based property database company ATTOM said this morning that it has named Lionel Etrillard as Chief Financial Officer of the company. Etrillard was most recently CFO at Episource, and also had served at CallFire, InvestCloud, and iRise. ATTOM offers up property tax, deed, mortgage, foreclosure, environmental risk, natural risk, and neighborhood data for both U.S. residential and commercial properties.

Company 113

Company Companies 113

socalTECH

JULY 13, 2021

Irvine-based semiconductor startup Morse Micro, which is backed by Blackbird Ventures, Main Sequence Ventures, Clean Energy Innovation Fund, Skip Capital, and others, says it has started samples of its Wi-Fi chips to early access partners and key customers. According to the company, the samples will allow developers opportunities to evaluate the company's Wi-Fi systems-on-a-chip (SoC) modules.

Sample 113

Sample Custom Customer Capital 113

socalTECH

JULY 13, 2021

Irvine-based software developer Digital Motors, which develops automotive digital retailing software is claiming that consumer demand to complete car purchases online continues to accelerate, and that it is seeing "record engagement" across its dealerships. According to the company, it is finding that consumers are visiting dealers' online stores in record numbers and completing all or part of the purchase process remotely, even as people are re-emerging from the pandemic and visiting dealership

Demand 113

Demand Software Development Software Develop 113

socalTECH

JULY 13, 2021

Tustin-based Specright, which develops specification management software, announced this morning that it has raised $30M in its Series B funding round. The funding was led by Sageview Capital, and also included VMG Catalyst, plus Pritzker Venture Capital Group, Okapi Venture Capital, Fika Ventures, and Mucker Capital. According to the company, the new funding will go towards doubling its headcount by early 2022.

Venture Capital 113

Venture Capital Capital Software Funding 113

socalTECH

JULY 12, 2021

Los Angeles-based LiveXLive, which owns PodcastOne, Slacker Radio, React Presents, and Custom Personalization Solutions, says it has teamed up with The Associated Press to provide news programming on Slacker Radio. Financial details of the deal were not announced. According to LiveXLive, it will offer up a user-curated "AP News" station, where listeners can skip, play/pause, and personalize their own unique news/talk experience.

Press 113

Press News Los Angeles Custom 113

socalTECH

JULY 12, 2021

Fountain Valley-based HyperX, the gaming peripherals maker which recently was sold by Kingston Technology to HP Inc., has signed on Twitch game streamer Tim "TimTheTatman" Betar has a "brand ambassador" for the company. According to HyperX, Betar will be involved in marketing activities, including virtual streams and developing original content. Financial details of the deal between HyperX and TimTheTatman were not announced.

Activity 113

Activity Content Marketing Technology 113