TechCrunch LA

JANUARY 24, 2019

March Capital Partners , the Los Angeles-based venture capital firm, has raised $300 million for its latest fund. It’s another indicator that the Los Angeles technology ecosystem is coming of age, but also a sign that March’s core investment strategies — to invest in companies applying artificial intelligence to business use cases and investing in the next wave transforming computing infrastructure — are paying off. “We have two major areas and a couple of minor are

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Artificial Inteligence Capital Los Angeles Incubator 225

Xconomy

JANUARY 25, 2019

View the Slideshow The cost of doing business is always on the mind of startup executives. Salaries, rent, and other expenses like software licenses can often make or break a company. Much of the math comes down to how much money you can raise for your business, and startups often look to San Francisco and Silicon Valley to find the capital they need.

Startup 101

Startup Pricing Software Capital 101

socalTECH

JANUARY 24, 2019

Los Angeles-based Hyperloop Transportation Technologies , one of a number of companies in the LA area working on Elon Musk's concept of a high-speed transportation system, says it thinks it will have its first, commercial travel systems open to the public by 2022. In an interview with CNBC, the company's CEO, Dirk Ahlborn, said at Davos that it expects to have commercial lines open by 2022, with the ability to "try out" its systems before the end of this year.

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Technology Los Angeles Marketing Angel 127

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 21, 2019

A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. This Louis Vuitton / Supreme boxed logo t-shirt recently sold for $1,750. The shirt was produced by Supreme, which originally sold it for $485. You may think that this item is an anomaly, but it is not. A Louis Vuitton / Supreme hoodie resold for $7,500. Other Supreme apparel sells in the aftermarket for hundreds more than their retail prices, including box logo hoodies which typically sell for between $500 – $1,000.

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Demand Pricing Product Equity 160

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

JANUARY 24, 2019

Google today announced that it has partnered with Sony Pictures Imageworks , Sony’s visual effects and animation studio, to launch OpenCue , an open source render manager. OpenCue doesn’t handle any of the actual rendering processes but it provides all the tools to break down those different steps and then schedule and manage the different rendering jobs across large rendering farms, both local and in the cloud.

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Google Tool Los Angeles Entertainment 261

Berkonomics

JANUARY 24, 2019

Entrepreneurs tend to remain in the business niche they know best. Usually that means one they once or recently spent time in as an employee or manager within a company where they had little or no ownership. Are you one of those? Some of these entrepreneurs starting a new company are alumni from companies that would be a competitor to the enterprise being created or joined.

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Companies Company News Startup 120

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 23, 2019

A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. During the first half of the last century, numerous fortunes were made electrifying devices that were previously manual. Because electrification was new, the qualifying term “electric” was an important distinction when describing these newfangled gadgets. However, the adjective “electric” was eventually dropped when all the devices in a product category utilized the technology.

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SaaS Software Artificial Inteligence ASP 113

Xconomy

JANUARY 25, 2019

When I came to America in 1987, as a wide-eyed University of Texas grad student, I arrived with just a suitcase and a few hundred dollars — money that my mother, back in India, had scraped together by selling her beloved jewelry collection. Three decades later, I’m a successful biomedical researcher and serial entrepreneur with more than 120 patents to my name, and eight successful businesses under my belt.

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Berkonomics

JANUARY 24, 2019

Entrepreneurs tend to remain in the business niche they know best. Usually that means one they once or recently spent time in as an employee or manager within a company where they had little or no ownership. Are you one of those? Some of these entrepreneurs starting a new company are alumni from companies that would be a competitor to the enterprise being created or joined.

Companies 120

Companies Company News Startup 120

socalTECH

JANUARY 22, 2019

This morning's interview is with Kevin O'Connor , a longtime investor and serial entrepreneur, who is now running venture capital investment firm ScOp Venture Capital. Kevin sold his last company, Santa Barbara-based Graphiq, in July of 2017 to Amazon, but has a long history of successful companies, including founding DoubleClick. Congrats on the new name for your venture capital firm.

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Venture Capital Startup Invest Capital 145

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 21, 2019

Image via Wikipedia From the advice I hear these days, if you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you need to be in Silicon Valley, Boston, New York, or one of the few other financial hubs around the world. What does that mean for the rest of us, who reside or grew up in the thousands of small towns that cover most of the landscape? Is entrepreneurship ever viable or recommended in a small town?

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Technical Review Entrepreneur Startup Custom 107

Xconomy

JANUARY 22, 2019

LunaDNA, a startup that is offering individuals company stock in exchange for personal genomic and health information in a bid to build a database that could help advance scientific research, is merging its research platform with the Genetic Alliance’s Platform for Engaging Everyone Responsibly (PEER). The Genetic Alliance is a longstanding nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C.

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Platform Research Organization Help 110

SoCal Tech Calendar

JANUARY 25, 2019

Thursday, January 31, 2019 -- Preparing Your Company for Sale. CONNECT. Whether you are acquiring a company or looking to merge your company with another, there are significant operational, practical and legal steps you should take to ensure that your company maintains its value and remains an attractive partner through the transaction. Learn how to avoid the pitfalls in what promises to be a lively discussion among industry veterans from the technology, biotechnology and manufacturing industrie

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Sales Company Companies Technology 100

socalTECH

JANUARY 25, 2019

Mojave-based spacecraft developer Virgin Galactic has cut 40 employees, saying that it is looking "to position our organization for the drive to commercial operations." The cuts-- first reported by NMPolitics.net, a New Mexico publication--also affected employees in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The layoffs at Virgin Galactic follow a 10 percent cut in employees by SpaceX just a couple of weeks ago.

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Layoffs SpaceX Organization Report 140

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2019

Image via Pixabay In my role as a new business advisor and occasional investor, I hear lots of people talking about their dreams of “someday” starting and running a new venture. They can talk with passion about their innovative new idea, and ask lots of questions, but never seem to really get started. The challenge we all have as business founders is to move from the idea stage to a real business.

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Ideas Slides Writing Startup 99

Xconomy

JANUARY 22, 2019

Editor’s note: This is part of a series of posts sharing thoughts from industry and technology leaders about 2018 trends. A few trends come to mind that continue to shape and define the startup ecosystem in Detroit: —Marketplaces continue to evolve and attract funding (initial and follow-on), and gain traction that has to be recognized and respected.

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Examples Startup Funding Technology 91

SoCal Tech Calendar

JANUARY 25, 2019

Thursday, January 31, 2019 -- Growth Capital Conference. Pitch to and Network with Investors: Angels,VCs, High Net Worths, Strategic Partners and 100 entrepreneurs seeking capital and counsel. DEAL DISPLAYtm showcases growing firms needing capital. View products, videos, online demos. See [link].

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Conference Capital .Net Networking 100

socalTECH

JANUARY 25, 2019

Los Angeles-based Two Bit Circus , which operates its own "micro-amusement park" featuring immersive technology and entertainment experiences, says it has launched a number of new immersive experiences and interactive shows to its program. The company says it is creating an "ever-changing" experience for its park goers. The company said the new features include "mystery puzzles", a feature on science storytelling, a "music meetup" series, and more.

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Entertainment Los Angeles Angel Technology 140

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2019

Image via Wikipedia Effective communication is an absolute requirement for successfully starting a business, but it doesn’t come naturally to many entrepreneurs. Communication is considered a social skill, and inventors and engineers, for example, are not known to be social butterflies. Founders have to communicate their ideas and products to investors, business partners, and the rest of the team.

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Writing Ideas Entrepreneur Email 94

Xconomy

JANUARY 23, 2019

San Diego is chock-full of companies and people doing innovative work in life science and digital health. From the many unsung heroes toiling in labs countywide, to paradigm-shifting startup founders working on the next life-altering medicine or digital health tool, to executives with multiple exits under their belts, Xconomy will recognize the region’s best this May at the first-ever Xconomy Awards San Diego gala.

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San Diego Tool Startup Companies 73

SoCal Tech Calendar

JANUARY 23, 2019

Monday, January 28, 2019 -- Escape from Technology? SMV TechBrew. The technology behind designing (and solving) escape rooms. Escape rooms are far more than just a passing fad. They challenge us, get us offline, and bring us together. As the popularity has exploded - the quality, sophistication, and overall experience have been enhanced through the novel use of both old and new technology.

Technology 100

Technology Design 100

socalTECH

JANUARY 25, 2019

San Diego-based Trust & Will , a startup which operates an online software tool to help people create their own estate plans, has raised $2M in a funding round, the company disclosed this week. The funding came from Techstars, Wolfpark Ventures, Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, Luma Launch, Halogen Ventures, Walket Capital, Western Technology Investment, plus angels.

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Tech Coast Angels San Diego Seed Funding Competition 133

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 20, 2019

Image via Flickr by ivanpw Some aspiring entrepreneurs are so desperate for funding, or naïve, that they ignore the obvious signs of scams and rip-offs on the Internet, praying for a windfall. One would think that with all the sad stories and tools published over the past twenty years, this problem would be behind us. But people are still begging for more technology or laws, often to protect them from themselves.

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Technical Review Funding Email Entrepreneur 91

Xconomy

JANUARY 24, 2019

[ Updated 9:30 a.m., see below. ] Roughly half of American adults have no legal document that details how their assets should be distributed when they die. The team at Trust & Will, a San Diego-based startup founded in October of 2017, is betting that a good chunk of those people would shell out some money to outline an estate plan if the process were cheaper and easier.

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San Diego Seed Funding Funding Startup 73

SoCal Tech Calendar

JANUARY 23, 2019

Thursday, January 24, 2019 -- TCVN Program: Customer Development. TCVN now features four educational tracks in four specific areas. The four tracks are: Legal, Execution, Finance, and Marketing and will consist of a series of five, consecutive monthly programs designed to give the entrepreneur a comprehensive overview of each area. Who is your customer?

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TCVN Custom Development Customer Custom 100

socalTECH

JANUARY 24, 2019

Camarillo-based analog and mixed signal semiconductor developer Semtech reported another win with its low power wireless technology, LoRa, saying today that it has deployed its products with Internet-of-Things (IoT) products developer Polysense Technologies. According to Semtech, Polysense is using its products for structural health monitoring for smart buildings.

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Report Technology Product Develop 133

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 25, 2019

Image via Flickr by Alan Most of you who start new ventures don’t think of yourselves as sales experts. In fact, you may feel on the opposite end of the spectrum, more focused on delivering the perfect solution and managing the finances to grow the business. Yet in today’s competitive and rapidly changing world, top notch sales and marketing skills are critical to the success of every business.

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Mentor Startup Sales Examples 90

Xconomy

JANUARY 24, 2019

Cross Campus, a shared office-space provider with five locations in the Los Angeles, CA, region, has snapped up DeskHub in the latest step in a plan to expand its West Coast presence. DeskHub, one of San Diego’s oldest co-working companies, has about 500 members across two locations: a 23,000-square-foot space in Little Italy and about 15,000 square feet of space in Scottsdale, AZ.

Companies 72

Companies Company Los Angeles Report 72

SoCal Tech Calendar

JANUARY 23, 2019

Thursday, January 24, 2019 --.

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Los Angeles Development Develop Angel 100

socalTECH

JANUARY 22, 2019

Los Angeles-based Lifeyo , a developer of website development software aimed at small and medium-sized merchants, has been acquired by San Francisco-based SpotOn , SpotOn announced this morning. Financial details of the buy were not announced. According to SpotOn, the effort will help it offer up a platform and suite of tools for payment processing, customer engagement and more for small and medium-sized businesses.

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Web Development Los Angeles Tool Platform 133

socalTECH

JANUARY 22, 2019

Los Angeles-based REX , which is developing technology buying and selling homes, said on Monday that it has raised $45M in a Series C funding round. The funding came from Sun Microsystems' founder Scott McNealy, Best Buy founder Dick Schulze, Crate and Barrel founder Gordon Segal, Amit Singhal, former SVP search at Google, Diana Nelson, chair of Carlson, Jack Greenberg, former CEO of McDonalds and Muneer Satter, chairman of Satter Investment Management.

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Artificial Inteligence Technology Southern California Google 133

socalTECH

JANUARY 22, 2019

San Diego-based ID Analytics , which provides consumer risk management and analytics products, is expanding its offerings to the automotive lending market, the company said today. According to the company, it has launched a new product, Credit Optics Full Spectrum Auto, a new credit score it says is designed specifically to address the needs of the automotive lending industry.

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Symantec Product Marketing San Diego 133

socalTECH

JANUARY 25, 2019

Los Angeles-based food startup Slice of Sauce , which makes unique "slices" of ketchup designed to make it easier to put sauce on burgers and other foods, has joined Techstars Austin , one of Techstars' many accelerator programs around the world. Slice of Sauce becomes part of the Techstars Austin 2019 class, which is held in Austin for the next three months, with a Demo Day on April 10th.

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Los Angeles Class Design Startup 113

socalTECH

JANUARY 25, 2019

Los Angeles-based dating app developer Tinder has settled a lawsuit, filed against the company alleging age discrimination, and has agreed to stop charging different prices in California for its subscription services solely based on age. According to the settlement, Tinder will pay $17.25M to settle the lawsuit, which was filed shortly after the company introduced its "Tinder Plus" subscription service in 2015.

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Los Angeles Pricing Services Angel 113

socalTECH

JANUARY 25, 2019

Los Angeles-based Freebird , a startup which allows bars and restaurants to offer rewards and cash back to encourage users to use Uber and Lyft rides rather than drive themselves home, said Friday morning that it has launched its safe ride servie to and from privately hosted parties. The company--which also said it has tapped Philadelphia Eagles Defense End Chris Long as its spokesperson--says its app works with Uber and Lyft, and offers up rewards and cash back from restaurants, bars, and its b

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Services Los Angeles Startup Angel 113

socalTECH

JANUARY 25, 2019

Hawthorne-based SpaceX has moved one step closer to launching its first Crew Dragon into space, saying on Thursday that it has completed a "static firing" test for a planned February launch. The test--conducted at Cape Canaveral at Launch Complex 39A--is a step along the way to what will be the first demonstration flight for the new SpaceX spacecraft.

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