TechCrunch LA

JULY 29, 2020

After raising $15 million in financing from one of technology’s most successful global investment firms, the Los Angeles-based consumer goods rental company Joymode is selling itself to an early-stage retail investment firm out of New York, XRC Labs. Joymode’s founder Joe Fernandez will continue on as an advisor to Joymode as the company moves to pivot its business to focus on retail partnerships.

Invest 263

Invest Services Southern California Ideas 263

Berkonomics

JULY 30, 2020

Yes, we’re invincible when young. When we are young and early in our business lives, we feel infallible to the degree that we do not think of what might happen if we die while in office or decide to leave the company for any reason. Such thoughts just do not occur to most of us until the business is substantially far enough along in its growth to have multiple layers of management and enough employees and stakeholders that there is a board of directors and calls for key man insurance and succes

Coach 156

Coach Email Company Companies 156

socalTECH

JULY 30, 2020

Santa Monica-based MomentFeed , which develops software used by retail brands for optimizing mobile and proximity searches, has raised $10M more in funding, the company said on Thursday. The funding was led by Level Equity, and also included Signia Venture Partners, Draper Nexus, and DFJ Frontier, all prior investors. The company says it has now raised $38.3M in total.

Software Review 157

Software Review Draper Santa Monica Google 157

Tech.Co

JULY 28, 2020

All the optimism in the world couldn't make an in-person CES 2021 happen, as the world's largest trade show has officially been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The cancelling of tech conferences was one of the first signs that the pandemic was going to be disruptive, and not in a fun, entrepreneurial way. From SXSW in mid-March to E3 in June, many believed these cancellations would help curb the spread of the virus, opening the door to more events in 2021.

Technical Review 159

Technical Review Conference Press Help 159

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

JULY 29, 2020

“The doctor’s office is dead.” That’s the way Nick Desai, the co-founder and chief executive of the Los Angeles-based startup Heal describes the future of traditional healthcare delivery. While Desai’s bluster may be wishful thinking, the doctor’s office is certainly changing, and that’s thanks in part to companies like Heal, which offer in-home and telemedical consultations — and health insurance providers like Humana that are backing them.

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Services Invest Demand Los Angeles 244

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2020

Many entrepreneurs are convinced that banks are not worth the effort for startups, especially early-stage ones that still don’t have a revenue stream, or collateral to back up their financing needs. A question I get from time to time is “Can I ever expect any backing from my bank for a great opportunity?” The short answer is that some banks will help, if you do your homework.

Technical Advisors 162

Technical Advisors Tips Startup Equity 162

Tech.Co

JULY 29, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has forced many companies to embrace working from home. And for some, the transition will last much longer than others. Google has announced that its staff will work from home until at least July 2021. The company is the first technology company to publicly commit to keeping its remote working policies in place into next year, in an attempt to give employees more clarity on how long they would be working from home.

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Google Blogging Journal Statistics 155

L.A. Business Journal

JULY 30, 2020

Video-sharing platform Triller, which is owned by Century City-based Proxima Media, is suing TikTok Inc. for patent infringement.

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Patents Century City Platform Media 130

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 25, 2020

As a startup advisor in this age of the entrepreneur, I see many more startups, but innovation is still hard to find. The most common proposals I hear are for yet another social networking site ( 200 on Wikipedia ), or another dating site/app ( over 1500 in the USA ). Startups which display real innovation, such as alternative energy sources and new medical treatments, are still rare.

Coach 144

Coach Metrics Social Network Competition 144

socalTECH

JULY 28, 2020

Los Angeles-based XPRIZE , the organization which creates competitions to help encourage the advancement of technology to solve some of the world's biggest challenges, says it has launched a new prize, aimed at the rapid testing issue with COVID-19. According to the nonprofit, it has launched a new $5 Million XPRIZE Rapid Covid Testing Competition , which challenges the global community to develop frequent, fast-turnaround, cheap, and easy-to-use screening tests to catch COVID-19 occurrences bef

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Competition Screening Los Angeles Activity 133

SoCal Tech Calendar

JULY 30, 2020

Monday, August 3, 2020 -- Fixing the Top Fundraising Mistakes Startup Entrepreneurs Make. Join JJ Richa in a fireside chat with Scott Fox, CEO of the OC Startup Council, for a discussion of the top mistakes that early stage entrepreneurs make when pitching their startups for funding. Together they will review the challenges that face startup founders, including how to avoid the most common problems in pitch deck slide presentations, developing new products/services, finding first customers, buil

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Slides Startup Venture Capital 100

StartUp Beat

JULY 28, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about an incendiary explosion in healthtech startup innovation. From the billowing rise of telemedicine and delivery services to the burning of barriers between patients and practioners, healthtech startups are quickly adapting, expanding, and pivoting to […]. The post StartupBeat Presents Healthtech’s 10 Hottest Startups appeared first on StartUp Beat.

Startup 110

Startup Services 110

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 29, 2020

After you have heard a few startup success stories, like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft, you may be tempted to invest some money yourself, maybe by pooling your funds with other investors who claim to have a great track record. My advice is to leave the investing in startups to the professionals (or friends and fools). First of all, despite a few visible blowout successes, the odds of a payback from investing in startups is very low (that’s why VCs look for 10X returns to cover failures).

Tips 141

Tips Invest Offshore Startup 141

socalTECH

JULY 31, 2020

Los Angeles-based point-of-sale and digital ordering technology developer Appetize reports that its products are being used for a socially distanced, drive-in concert series being run by Live Nation. According to Appetize, it is the digital ordering provider for "Live at the Drive-In," a set of shows scheduled to run through 2020. Appetize says its digital ordering system allows guests to order food and beverage by scanning QR code signs, with orders being delivered directly to guests, and upate

Los Angeles 124

Los Angeles Report Sales Technology 124

Xconomy

JULY 29, 2020

Thrive Earlier Detection, one of the companies vying to be the first to commercialize a blood test that can uncover cases of cancer before symptoms arise, has raised $257 million and announced plans to evaluate its CancerSEEK test in a registrational study. Many cancers grow silently, and once malignant cells are discovered a patient’s prognosis is grimmer than if the disease had been detected sooner.

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San Diego Study Capital Invest 87

SoCal Tech Calendar

JULY 30, 2020

Wednesday, August 5, 2020 --.

Competition 100

Competition 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2020

As an angel investor in startups, I’m a believer that smart investors invest more in you as the entrepreneur than the next billion dollar solution you are pitching. Yet I find that most of you find it hard to make the case that you can be the next Elon Musk or Bill Gates. I’m not looking for words, but examples of how your habits and attributes have produced results, even before your startup.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Startup Examples Metrics 124

socalTECH

JULY 29, 2020

Venice, California-based Snap , the parent company of Snapchat , has released its annual diversity report , showing that the company--like the rest of Silicon Valley--continues to struggle to build a diverse workforce. The company reported in its Diversity Annual Report 2020 that 51.1 percent of its employees are white, with director level executives 70.4 percent white; 33.3 percent Asian, 6.8 percent Hispanic/LatinX, 4.4 percent multiracial, and 4.1 percent Black/African American, and less than

Report 124

Report Snapchat Venice Technology 124

Xconomy

JULY 27, 2020

Telemedicine isn’t just another way to connect patients with doctors. AristaMD has carved out a niche in connecting doctors with, well, other doctors. The San Diego-based telehealth company’s software links primary care physicians and medical specialists through virtual consultations, communication that is intended to reduce healthcare costs by slimming down the number of referrals made to specialty care providers.

Doc 84

Doc San Diego Software Venture Capital 84

Southern California Edison Blog

JULY 31, 2020

In the modern age, businesses rely heavily on networks to host and run their daily processes and applications, allowing employees to be productive and efficient. Not having enough bandwidth can limit what an organization is capable of and can limit overall productivity of the business. An organization’s current network may be adequate for the current number of users and applications; however, businesses looking to expand their staff size or service offerings will require increased network capaci

Tips 59

Tips Networking Organization Southern California 59

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 26, 2020

Despite the fact that the number of IPOs (Initial Public Offerings) for startups have continued to stay low, I still hear it touted often as the preferred exit strategy. I suspect the exuberance for an IPO is still being driven by the highly visible successes of a few companies several years ago, including Facebook, Yelp, and Twitter. Everyone dreams of becoming a billionaire overnight.

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Startup Technical Review Acquisition Study 127

socalTECH

JULY 28, 2020

Los Angeles-based e-commerce retailer Newegg , which recently expanded its offerings into technology staffing, says it has expanded its Newegg Staffing efforts into the Midwest and the East Coast. According to Newegg, the move is aimed at helping e-commerce companies scale up their workforces ahead of the Q4 holiday season. Newegg Staffing launched in April, after Newegg decided to expand its internal efforts at staffing logistics, manufacturing, clerical and supply chain management positions, t

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NewEgg Commerce Los Angeles Services 124

Xconomy

JULY 29, 2020

Public investors are betting big on biotechs, and Inhibrx is looking to capitalize on the industry’s recent resurgence of initial public offerings. The La Jolla, CA-based company, which is developing drugs for cancer and a rare respiratory disease, has again applied for a listing on the Nasdaq, a filing that comes more than a year after it first outlined an IPO plan.

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Capital Develop Development Marketing 80

Southern California Edison Blog

JULY 29, 2020

Your organization’s network may check the boxes for availability and capacity, but have you. considered whether you could further reduce network costs? Network infrastructure can be expensive to upgrade and manage, and organizations can find it. difficult to determine where they can cut costs. Enterprises looking to improve their network. setup should analyze their current infrastructure and determine what changes they can make to. eliminate extraneous expenses and reduce investment risks.

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Networking Organization IBM IBM 56

socalTECH

JULY 28, 2020

San Diego-based venture capital investment firm Versant Ventures has launched a new biotechnology company, Bright Peak Therapeutics , in Basel, Switzerland, the company announced this morning. Versant--which has recently been putting efforts into creating its own companies--said that it has committed $35M in a Series A funding round to Bright Peak Therapeutics, which is focused on developing a platform to chemically synthesize and optimize the structure and function of proteins.

Company 124

Company Companies San Diego Venture Capital 124

socalTECH

JULY 27, 2020

Culver City-based personalized medicine and healthcare technology developer NantHealth announced this morning that it has acquired The OpenNMS Group , a developer of open source, network management software. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced. NantHealth said that OpenNMS will operate as a subsidiary of NantHealth. OpenNMS is a developer of open soure, network monitoring tools; NantHealth explained the acquisition will expand and diversify its software portfolio and service

Culver City 124

Culver City Acquisition Networking Tool 124

socalTECH

JULY 27, 2020

Santa Barbara-based Invoca , which develops call tracking and analytics tools, says it has released a new version of its software. According to the company, its summer 2020 product release includes simplified and automated call tracking for multi-location businesses, expanded technology integrations, and other features. The company says the release simplifies previously complex processes and makes data accessible across more platforms.

Product 124

Product Santa Barbara Tool Platform 124

socalTECH

JULY 31, 2020

Newport Beach-based Indi , which was founded by former Buy.com CEO Neel Grover, has raised $9M in a Series A funding, the company announced this week. Source of the funding was not announced. The startup has developed an app which it says help individuals generate online income and monetize content. The startup was founded by Neel Grover, former CEO of Bluefly, CEO of Rakuten North America, and CEO of Buy.com, and also includes Shikha Uberoi Bajpai, former professional Top 100 WTA player, and Tr

Demand 113

Demand Content Funding Help 113

socalTECH

JULY 31, 2020

Rakuten is planning to shut its U.S. retail efforts--formerly known as Buy.com according to a report, citing a "source familiar with the developments". Buy.com was founded in Aliso Viejo, and acquired by Buy.com in 2010 for $250M. According to the report, Rakuten will lay off 87 people at its U.S. headquarters. Rakuten had moved its operations to Silicon Valley back in 2017, when it had cut all 73 of the employees at its Aliso Viejo offices.

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Report Product Develop Development 113

socalTECH

JULY 30, 2020

Los Angeles-based video sharing app Triller --which competes directly against the more popular TikTok , has sued TikTok over patent infringement. Triller--led by CEO Mike Lu--said tht TikTok is infringing on its patent stitching together multiple music videos with a single audio track. The patent infringement suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, which is a popular court for patent lawsuit.

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Patents Los Angeles Media Invest 113

socalTECH

JULY 30, 2020

Santa Barbara-based whole-home audio systems developer Sonos , and audio systems developer Lenbrook Industries have settled a patent infringement lawsuit that Sonos had filed against Lenbrook. Financial details of the settlement were not announced, however, the two said that Lenbrook Industries will pay royalties for a license to Sonos' patents for all BluOS enabled devices.

Patents 113

Patents Santa Barbara Product Develop 113

socalTECH

JULY 30, 2020

San Diego-based solar power developer EDF Renewables North America reports that it has signed a deal for a 200 megawatt (MW) solar plus battery storage project for NV Energy. Financial details of the deal were ot announced. According to EDF Renewables, it signed a 22-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to develop a solar photovoltaic project which includes a 180MW, four-hour battery storage system, enough to power 45,000 average Nevada homes.

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San Diego Report Develop Development 113

socalTECH

JULY 29, 2020

Los Angeles-based Joymode , which had run a consumer focused, rental service to help people rent--rather than buy--all of the things needed for "experiences" such as a backyard movie night, or camping, or virtual reality, has been acquired by New York-based XRC Labs. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced. Joymode was venture backed by Naspers, TenOneTen, Wonder, Struck Ventures, and Homebrew, and had raised more than $17M in total funding.

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Acquisition Los Angeles Services Funding 113

socalTECH

JULY 29, 2020

Santa Monica-based Greenfly , which develops brand advocacy software, and SailGP , which runs an annual global sail racing challenge, said on Wednesday that the two companies are in a partnership. According to the two, SailGP has deployed Greenfly's software platform for media collection and distribution. Financial details of the partnership were not announced.

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Santa Monica Media Software Platform 113

socalTECH

JULY 29, 2020

Alcohol delivery app Drizly --which provides alcohol delivery across Southern California--has been hacked, with as many as 2.5 million accounts affected. Drizly told users that "no financial information was compromised", however, reports say that the breach included email addresses, birthdays, encrypted passwords, and delivery addresses, plus phone numbers, IP addresses, and geolocation data.

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Southern California IP Email Report 113

socalTECH

JULY 29, 2020

San Diego-based BioTheryX , a biotechnology company focused on protein modulation, has raised $35M in a Series D funding, the company said on Tuesday. The funding was led by MSD Partners, L.P. According to the company, Robert Platek, a Partner and Portfolio Manager at MSD Partners L.P., will be joining the company's Board of Directors. BioTheryx says is will use the financing to accelerate expansion of its ongoing clinical trial of BTX-A51, aimed at treating AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia).

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