TechCrunch LA
JUNE 11, 2019
The future of rocket manufacturing has touched down in Mississippi. At NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center , nestled in Hancock County, Miss., right on the border of Louisiana, the Los Angeles-based 3D-printed spacecraft manufacturer, Relativity Space , is planning a massive $59 million expansion to make a permanent manufacturing hub in this bucolic corner of the southeast.
socalTECH
JUNE 14, 2019
In more bad news for Los Angeles-based videogame maker Riot Games , the company is now facing an investigation by California officials , over its refusal to provide information on its pay practices. The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing has filed suit, demanding that Riot Games turn over employee pay data so that the agency can analyze whether the company is paying less to women than men.
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Xconomy
JUNE 13, 2019
I know, I don’t even know you. Here’s the thing. Let’s say Melanie is an early-stage investor. If she placed a bet blindly for every startup that thinks they’re ready to raise, her chips would fall on the “not ready to raise” words written in fancy script on the soft green felt of the betting table. And she’d win. A lot. My goal here isn’t to blindly tell you you’re not ready, but to help you figure out if you are (as quickly and painlessly as possible).
L.A. Business Journal
JUNE 12, 2019
Santa Monica-based Bird Rides Inc. is buying Bay Area competitor Scoot Networks Inc.
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.
Berkonomics
JUNE 13, 2019
The worrying that always precedes a change. When a new CEO or manager is hired into a company, for a while lots of energy flows from the top and new ideas seem to be generated daily. It is one reason not to fear the unknown when upper level management long in place turns over, often leaving most everyone worrying over how they’ll ever do without their lost leader.
socalTECH
JUNE 10, 2019
Is the future of getting a massage virtual reality? A new, brick-and-mortar startup in Los Angeles, Esquapes sure hopes so, saying on Monday that it plans to launch the world's first ever "virtual reality massage center" in Los Angeles. Esquapes said it has created a center for "automated massages" which combines virtual reality and "curated fragrances" to transport its clients to a "place of relaxation"--whether that's an exotic beach, a desert spa, a tropical jungle, or other locations--to hel
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
L.A. Business Journal
JUNE 10, 2019
Quibi unveils pricing details; SpaceX to launch JPL’s atomic clock; Pluto TV launches Latino programming
SoCal Tech Calendar
JUNE 14, 2019
Thursday, June 20, 2019 -- LA CEOs: Celebrity Endorsements - Paradigm. Join your CEO and CFO peers in our informative LA CEOs breakfast presentation led by Roger Wood - Partner Paradigm Talent Agency. This sponsor supported event is restricted to qualified CEOs and CFOs only. Confirmed RSVP required. No service providers will be admitted.
socalTECH
JUNE 12, 2019
San Diego-based gene therapy startup Locana has just received $550,000 in a grant, from the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), according to the MDA. The award will go to advance Locana's development program for treating mytonic dystrophy (DM). According to the MDA, the grant came from its MDA Venture Philanthropy (MVP) grant program, which specifically funds drug development, discovery and clinical application of treatments and cures for neuromuscular disorders.
Xconomy
JUNE 14, 2019
Is one of the bigger biopharma acquisitions of the year in trouble? This past week, antitrust regulators once again delayed Roche’s planned $4.8 billion buyout of gene therapy developer Spark Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ONCE ). The US Federal Trade Commission wants yet more information about the buyout, and overseas, the UK Competition and Markets Authority opened a separate investigation.
L.A. Business Journal
JUNE 12, 2019
Hulu, Disney acquire Lions Gate rights; Immortals acquires Infinite Sports & Entertainment; Scoot scooped up by Bird
SoCal Tech Calendar
JUNE 13, 2019
Wednesday, June 19, 2019 -- SoCal First Look Innovation Showcase 2019. The SoCal First Look Innovation Showcase supports, nurtures and stimulates our unique innovation culture in Southern California and promotes its position as a vibrant hub for start-ups and emerging technology. In addition to the presenters, venture capitalists and early stage angel investors attend the event, along with local elected officials, business leaders and senior administrators from the universities.
socalTECH
JUNE 10, 2019
Santa Barbara-based SerImmune , a company developing immune mapping technology, has raised $1.4M in new funding, as part of what appears to be an ongoing $7.0M funding effort. The funding--which was disclosed via a regulatory filing--shows the round as a debt funding round, suggesting the funding is likely a convertible debt funding from existing investors.
Xconomy
JUNE 10, 2019
Employers are increasingly offering remote work options as a differentiator to attract top talent in today’s competitive hiring market. And, with modern technology at their fingertips, employees have come to expect a seamless working experience whether they’re home, in the office, or on the road. These new expectations, coupled with the increase of contract and part-time workers, have forced organizations to adapt to a whole new workplace landscape.
L.A. Business Journal
JUNE 14, 2019
Bird, Uber tariff relief requests denied; AppOnBoard buys BuildBox; Pluto TV links with Comcast
SoCal Tech Calendar
JUNE 12, 2019
Tuesday, June 18, 2019 -- Financial Modeling for Startups Workshop In this workshop you will learn the following: The theory and purpose of a financial model in a pitch deck An approach to financial modeling that resonates with investors How to build the model.
socalTECH
JUNE 14, 2019
Los Angeles-based AppOnboard , which develops mobile app design and development software, has acquired Buildbox , a developer of mobile game development software. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced. According to AppOnboard, Buildbox's tool have been used so far to power more than 45,000 unique games, and has seen more than 3 billion estimated downloads on app stores.
Startup Professionals Musings
JUNE 14, 2019
If your startup is looking for an angel investor, it makes sense to present your plan to flocks of angels, and assume that at least one will swoop down and scoop you up. Or does it? Actually numbers and locations are just the beginning. The challenge is to find the right angel for you, and for your situation. Here are some basic principles: Angels invest in people, more often than they invest in ideas.
L.A. Business Journal
JUNE 13, 2019
Bird paid $25 million for Scoot; Sure raises $23 million; Disney Plus subscriber projections
Xconomy
JUNE 12, 2019
Academic researchers have long studied gender and racial disparities in STEM education, but they have not had widespread success in addressing these challenges. A University of Michigan professor and colleagues from 10 universities are hoping to change that. At public research universities like U-M, introductory courses in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) subjects are the required first steps in the process of earning a STEM degree.
socalTECH
JUNE 13, 2019
San Diego-based Atlazo , a startup developing systems-on-a-chip (SoC) semiconductors aimed at used in healthcare and Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications, has raised $3.4M in a seed funding round. The funding round was led by the Tech Coast Angels, and the TCA's San Diego chapter. According to the TCA, its angel network members invested $2.5M in the round.
Startup Professionals Musings
JUNE 12, 2019
Much has been written recently about the requirement to focus today on the total customer experience, as a competitive edge or even for survival. Traditionally, you just worried about the quality of the sales transaction (price, speed, service), but the “customer experience” now includes ease of pre-sale shopping, post-sale support, with a connected relationship throughout.
L.A. Business Journal
JUNE 13, 2019
California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing has launched an investigation into Sawtelle-based Riot Games for alleged gender bias and other discriminatory conduct.
Xconomy
JUNE 13, 2019
It’s notoriously tough for experimental psychiatric drugs to succeed in clinical tests. BlackThorn Therapeutics wants to show that an AI-driven, precision approach can make it easier, and today it’s added another $76 million to get the chance to prove it. The new Series B round will give San Francisco-based BlackThorn—a startup spun out of the Scripps Research Institute in 2013—the backing to run human tests of two experimental treatments.
socalTECH
JUNE 13, 2019
Los Angeles-based Spring Labs , a startup developing a blockchain-based platform for sharing of financial information, has raised $23M in a Series A funding. According to Spring Labs, the funding was led by GreatPoint Ventures, and also included August Capital, as well as General Motors Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of General Motors, RRE Ventures, Galaxy Digital, Multicoin Capital, The Pritzker Group, and CardWorks.
Startup Professionals Musings
JUNE 10, 2019
True business success and leadership starts with real personal values, extends to building a team, and finally to inspiring customers and your community. That’s a huge leap from an entrepreneurial idea, to a product, to making money. Is it any wonder that the majority of startups fail? My job as a new business advisor is to help entrepreneurs get over this chasm early.
L.A. Business Journal
JUNE 11, 2019
Square Enix announces “Avengers,” “Final Fantasy” titles; Snapchat filters have unexpected use; GameMine expands gaming library
Xconomy
JUNE 11, 2019
Oncternal Therapeutics has joined the growing ranks of San Diego biotechs to go public, but it didn’t go through an IPO to get there. The San Diego-based company said Monday that it completed a reverse merger with GTx, a Memphis, TN biotech whose market value plummeted last fall after its lead drug candidate failed a Phase 2 trial. GTx had been testing a therapy for post-menopausal women with stress urinary incontinence, a condition that can cause a person to unintentionally lose urine during ph
socalTECH
JUNE 13, 2019
In January, Los Angeles-based Pluto TV (www.pluto.tv) was acquired by Viacom for $340M, one of the largest acquisition deals so far in the region this year. We caught up with Pluto TV's co-founder and Chief Growth Officer, Ilya Pozin , to hear about how the company started, and its path to acquisitionas well as to get some tips on startup success. Ilya also founded Coplex, a startup development studio.
Startup Professionals Musings
JUNE 9, 2019
Startup work environments are always chaos, but they can still be great environments to work in, or they can be terrible. Whether yours is terrible or great, that same tone flows out to your customers, and regulates your productivity inside. You as the founder are the starting point and definer, so you need to get it right. What does it take to create a positive workplace culture?
socalTECH
JUNE 12, 2019
Santa Monica-based Bird announced on Wednesday that it has acquired Scoot , a San Francisco-based scooter service--giving Bird entry back into the San Francisco market, and also helping Bird scale out its operations. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced. According to Bird, Scoot will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of the company, and also help Bird offer more vehicles featuring the latest technology advancements for the sharing market.
socalTECH
JUNE 12, 2019
Los Angeles-based Triton Digital , a provider of advertising services and technology for the online radio streaming, digital audio and podcasting markets, has acquired Omny Studio , a developer of a podcast and on-demand audio publishing platform. Financial terms of the acquisition were not annoucned. Omny Studio was based in Melbourne, Australia. According to Triton Digital, the entire team at Omny Studio has joined the company, after it acquired the technology, assets, and team of Omny.
socalTECH
JUNE 11, 2019
Los Angeles-based electronics- and technology retailer Newegg says it is in a major, global expansion effort, saying this morning that it has added another 29 countries to its network, growing the number of companies it is doing business in to more than 80. According to Newegg, it has been working over the last two years to expand its geographical reach, adding local language support, free shipping on select items, and local returns.
socalTECH
JUNE 11, 2019
San Diego- and Orange County-based startup incubator EvoNexus and the University of California San Diego's Rady School of Management announced this morning that the two are in a new partnership, aimed at creating a new generation of FinTech startups. According to the two, the partnership will help students and alums of UCSD Rady, by creating an "entrepreneurial path" for them into the EvoNexus FinTech Incubator.
socalTECH
JUNE 10, 2019
San Diego-based Cubic Corporation announced this morning that it has scored a win with the U.S. Air Force (USAF), to develop a data radio for the USAF. According to Cubic, the award went to its Cubic Mission Solutions (CMS) business division, for delivery of a Small Form Factor (SFF) Radio prototype for the Data Link Enterprise (DLE). The size of the contract was not announced.
socalTECH
JUNE 14, 2019
Los Angeles-based LinQuest Corporation , a provider of space systems services and products for the defense and U.S. national security market, said on Thursday that it received a $562M contract award from the U.S. Air Force Space & Missile Systems Center. According to LinQuest, the award covers architecting and full life-cycle systems engineering, integration, and solutions support to the military satellite communications enterprise.
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