TechCrunch LA

JUNE 10, 2020

In response to VCs’ sudden rush to invest in more Black founders , Black venture capitalists and entrepreneurs have penned a bunch of advice on the best way to tap into talent. Among the strategies? Team up with Black firms already doing the work. Some firms have said that they’re going to turn to HBCUvc , a nonprofit organization that helps students from historically Black colleges and universities enter venture and tech.

Equity 220

Equity Technical Review Venture Capital Blogging 220

L.A. Business Journal

JUNE 8, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has slowed the visual effects industry, but Hollywood-based Arch Platform Technologies Inc. is helping to bring VFX artists back to their workstations, virtually.

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Hollywood Platform Help Technology 214

Berkonomics

JUNE 11, 2020

You’ll get the importance of this in a moment. Hang in there. Substitute the word “money” for “water” and we have an explanation for most all the reasons why successful products move from concept through early adopters through mass market. How money flows through the system. Money flows to the cheapest effective solution to a problem. Fighting this fact will just extend the misery of accepting a result with as product or marketing failure in the marketplace.

Examples 156

Examples .Net Pricing Email 156

socalTECH

JUNE 11, 2020

Los Angeles-based Dimer LLC , the maker of the "GermFalcon" germicidal lighting, has entered into a strategic partnership with Honeywell to the aviation market, the company said on Wednesday. According to Dimer, Honeywell will sell the GermFalcon as the Honeywell UV Cabin System for "airline recovery". Dimer's system uses ultraviolet light for disinfection of surfaces, something which has been used in the healthcare industry for years.

Los Angeles 145

Los Angeles Marketing Technology Angel 145

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

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 7, 2020

As a startup investor, I often see business proposals looking for funding that really look like expensive hobbies looking for donations. I recognize that entrepreneurs tend to substitute vision and passion for formal processes, but using no discipline or process in building something new is a sure way to spend money, rather than see any return and build a self-sustaining business.

Entrepreneur 131

Entrepreneur Outsource Development Startup Competition 131

L.A. Business Journal

JUNE 8, 2020

Santa Monica-based Bird Rides Inc. is reportedly scrapping 8,000 to 10,000 e-scooters across cities Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

Santa Monica 130

Santa Monica Report 130

socalTECH

JUNE 11, 2020

Los Angeles-based Slingshot Aerospace , a startup which normally develops situational intelligence software, is helping to address some of the major issues to emerge out of the global COVID-19 pandemic, by helping to create an online mapping tool for finding food help. The company said it has partnered with 211 Los Angeles County, the official information and referral source for health and human services in LA County, to launch an online mapping tool helping LA county residents in need locate ov

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Tool Help Resource Los Angeles 138

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 12, 2020

Most of you will start your business with plenty of passion and purpose, but all too often I see both disappearing after months of facing unanticipated setbacks and challenges. Indeed, it is even more critical that you keep your key team members energized with a high level of passion and purpose, or burnout rears its ugly head, putting the future of your whole business in jeopardy.

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Startup Coach Satisfaction Training 127

L.A. Business Journal

JUNE 8, 2020

Downtown-based Covalent Inc., the developer of gamer dating app Kippo, has raised $2 million in a seed round.

Develop 130

Develop Development 130

TechCrunch LA

JUNE 8, 2020

The 2020 Ford Escape plug-in hybrid — a first for the SUV — comes with an EPA-estimated 37 miles of all-electric driving range and 100 miles per gallon equivalent, stats that will put the redesigned model into competition with the new Toyota RAV4 Prime. The Toyota RAV4 Prime has an estimated 42-mile EV range and 94 MPGe. Toyota unveiled the first plug-in hybrid version of the model at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2019.

Los Angeles 119

Los Angeles Pricing Startup Competition 119

socalTECH

JUNE 9, 2020

Valencia-based Fralock , which designs and manufactures specialty components for the aerospace, electronics, industrial life science, medical, satellite, and semiconductor equipment manufacturing industries, has acquired Chatsworth-based Career Technologies USA READ MORE>>.

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Chatsworth Technology Design Equity 127

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 6, 2020

Aspiring entrepreneurs who rely only on traditional learning vehicles (teachers, classrooms, and risk-free practice) are doomed to failure in anticipating change today. Either they are never really ready to commit, study an opportunity until it has passed, or fail with tools and techniques from a bygone business era. The Internet and the current information wave have changed everything.

Social Media 127

Social Media Startup Education Entrepreneur 127

L.A. Business Journal

JUNE 8, 2020

For consumers stuck at home during the pandemic, a surprise delivery box just might be the thing that lights up their day.

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Xconomy

JUNE 11, 2020

Less than a month after reporting preliminary early-stage data for its experimental vaccine for the novel coronavirus, Moderna has finalized the plan for a Phase 3 test. The study, set to begin next month, is targeting enrollment of about 30,000 volunteers, Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA ) announced Thursday. Those patients will be randomly assigned to receive either the vaccine candidate, mRNA-1273, or a placebo.

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Study Report San Diego Research 101

socalTECH

JUNE 12, 2020

Google has counter-sued Santa Barbara-based Sonos , with a patent infringement lawsuit, saying that Sonos has illegally used a number of Google patents in the development of its wireless audio technology. The lawsuit, Google LLC v. Sonos, Inc. , was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Thursday. Google accused Sonos of violating at least three patents-- 7,899,187 Domain-based digital-rights management system with easy and secure device enrollment; 8,583,489 G

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Patents Google Santa Barbara Content 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 8, 2020

Savvy entrepreneurs start testing their ideas on potential customers even before the concept is fully cooked. They have enough confidence in their ability to deliver that they don’t worry about someone stealing the idea to get there first, and they don’t forget to listen carefully to critical feedback. They become walking public relations machines for themselves, as well as their idea.

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Ideas Tips Marketing Social Media 124

L.A. Business Journal

JUNE 8, 2020

Santa Monica-based Bird Rides Inc. is reportedly scrapping 8,000 to 10,000 e-scooters across cities Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. The e-scooters belonged to Circ, a Berlin-based company Bird acquired in January.

Santa Monica 130

Santa Monica Report Companies Company 130

Xconomy

JUNE 8, 2020

Hearing loss can stem from a variety of reasons, but in rare cases it’s caused by genetic defects. Akouos is developing a gene therapy to address these problems and it’s planning an IPO to finance the first tests of its approach in humans. In paperwork filed with regulators late Friday, Boston-based Akouos set a preliminary $100 million goal for its IPO.

Develop 76

Develop Development San Diego Blogging 76

socalTECH

JUNE 10, 2020

Los Angeles-based live streaming audio and video provider LiveXLive said this mornign that it has linked with music streaming provider Baeble Music , to distribute its content across Baeble's platform. Financial details of the content, distribution, and revenue share agreement were not announced. LiveXLive said the addition of Baeble expands its reach to a total of 35 platforms.

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Content Platform Los Angeles Angel 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 10, 2020

As a business investor, I look for investments where I see founders really holding their people accountable for their actions. More importantly, I look for entrepreneurs and owners like you who are not afraid to hold themselves accountable for the success of the business. If I see or hear evidence of a victim mentality , or someone playing the blame game, it may be time to walk away.

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Startup Examples Coach Metrics 113

socalTECH

JUNE 10, 2020

A new, nonprofit organizatino, Giftaplate , is working with local restaurants in Los Angeles, to allow people to donate to help both restaurants and families in need. The organization--launched by Silicon Valley startup Plate IQ, HotSchedules, and others--said it is looking to help aid restaurants and families who have been greatly impacted by COVID-19 in LA.

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Los Angeles Organization Help Angel 124

socalTECH

JUNE 9, 2020

Santa Monica-based Grow Credit , a startup which helps people establish credit by paying for subscriptions to services such as Netflix, Disney Plus, and Spotify, has raised $2M in a seed funding round, the company said on Tuesday. The funding came from Mucker Labs. The startup, led by Joe Bayen, has a virtual Mastercard which lets users pay for services and establish a credit record using those payments.

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Seed Funding Funding Santa Monica Netflix 124

socalTECH

JUNE 8, 2020

Irvine-based electric car developer Karma Automotive announced this morning that it has named Greg Tarr as the company's new Chief Strategy Officer (CSO). According to Karma, Tarr has previously served at such companies at Vvodafone China, Singel's Globe Telecom, Axiata Group and Rogers Communitions, Gympse, Sirius XM, Networks in Motion, as well as a number of other companies.

Networking 124

Networking Product Develop Development 124

socalTECH

JUNE 8, 2020

Our interview today is with Scott Grimes , the CEO of Los Angeles-based Stackin' , which operates a text-based, financial messaging platform. Stackin recentlyraised $12.6M in a funding round led by Octopus Ventures, and also which also included Experian Ventures, Cherry Tree Investments, Dig Ventures, Mucker Capital, Unlock Venture Partners, TechStars and Wavemaker Partners.

Content 124

Content Social Media Startup Artificial Inteligence 124

socalTECH

JUNE 12, 2020

Irvine-based Panoramic-VetPro , a developer of software for state and county governments used to manage disability claims, said it will offer up its software to free to veteran service organizations. According to the company, it will offer up its disability claim management system, VetPro, to any organization that works to support disabled Veterans apply for benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs during the COVID crisis.

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Software Organization Services Help 113

socalTECH

JUNE 12, 2020

San Diego-based Avidity Bio , a biopharmaceuticals company working on oligonucleotide-based therapies, priced its IPO last night, saying that it will offer up 14,400,000 shares of its common stock at $18.00 per share. The company priced above its initial estimated offering range of $14.00 to $16.00 per share. The company said it will begin trading on the Nasdaq Global Market today, June 12th, under the ticker symbol RNA.

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Pricing San Diego Capital Invest 113

socalTECH

JUNE 11, 2020

Hawthorne-based SpaceX is planning a new launch of a payload from Vandenberg Air Force Base , just north of Lompoc, the first since June of 2019. According to NASA, it will be launching a new, international ocean measurement satellite, Sentinel-6. NASA said that Sentinel-6 will collect data on ea level, a key indicator of how Earth's warming climate affects weather and coastlines.

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SpaceX Hawthorne 113

socalTECH

JUNE 11, 2020

Santa Monica-based meditation app provider Headspace has raised $47.7M in an equity funding round, according to a regulatory filing by the company, filed this week. The funding--an extension of its Series C funding--was announced at the Snap Partner Summit. According to the filing, the funding came from 10 different investors. The funding comes on top of an earlier, $53M in equity the company announced in February from such investors as blisce/, Waverly Capital, Times Bridge, The Chernin Group,

Santa Monica 113

Santa Monica Equity Tool Capital 113

socalTECH

JUNE 11, 2020

Westlake Village-based inVia Robotics , which develops warehouse automation robots, is in an expansion into Asia, with its first deployment in Osaka, Japan. According to inVia Robotics, it will supply its autonomous mobile robots to automate fulfillment operations in the primary distribution center of Kantsu, a provider of logistics and warehousing services to the e-commerce industry.

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Westlake Village Commerce Mobile Services 113

socalTECH

JUNE 11, 2020

Huntington Beach-based rocket launch provider Rocket Lab is again delaying its launch for this week, to June 13th. According to Rocket Lab, the delay--the second for the DontStopMeNow mission--is due to high winds at its LC-1 launch site. The company says the launch is now targeted for no earlier than 04:43 UTC on June 13th. The company's Electron rocket carries three payloads designed by the U.S.

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Design Sites Companies Company 113

socalTECH

JUNE 11, 2020

San Diego-based Cue Health , a developer of rapid molecular testing products, has raised $100M in a Series C funding round, the company said this week. The funding came from Decheng Capital, Foresite Capital, Madrone Capital Partners, Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC, Inc., ACME Capital and other investment firms, according to the company. Cue Health develops rapid molecular testing products, aimed at use in nursing homes, emergency departments, and community health clinics.

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San Diego Capital Funding Product 113

socalTECH

JUNE 10, 2020

Hawthorne-based SpaceX has bailed on a pending deal to lease space at the Port of Los Angeles, the second time it has done so in the last year. The withdrawal of SpaceX's lease comes after a massive scramble by the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners to approve a 10-year agreement with SpaceX in February. SpaceX did not give a reason for withdrawing from the lease, however, it comes after Elon Musk threatened to leave California because of the state's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Los Angeles SpaceX Angel Hawthorne 113

socalTECH

JUNE 10, 2020

Los Angeles-based Wheels , which provides on-demand, e-bike sharing services, has re-launched its operations, 3 months after pausing its operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the service, it is re-launching in Los Angeles, San Diego, Dallas, Austin, and Orlando this week, after re-launching its services in Stockholm and Madrid previously.

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San Diego Los Angeles Demand Organization 113

socalTECH

JUNE 10, 2020

San Diego-based DelMar Pharmaceuticals announced this morning that it has acquired Adgero Pharmaceuticals. Financial details of the all equity deal were not announced. According to DelMar, it will change its name to Kintara Therapeutics , and change its NASDAQ symbol to KTRA. Adgero is a developer of late stage photodynamic therapy platform for the treatment of serious cutaneous oncology indications.

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San Diego Equity Platform Develop 113

socalTECH

JUNE 10, 2020

Los Angeles-based Wave , which develops software and hardware to enable live, virtual reality concerts, has raised $30M in a Series B funding round, the company said on Wednesday. The funding was led by Maveron Ventures and Griffin Gaming Partners, and also included angels Alex Rodriguez and Scooter Braun. Wave is led by CEO Adam Arrigo. The company uses motion capture to power virtual, interactive concerts for music artists.

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Los Angeles Funding Software Angel 113

socalTECH

JUNE 9, 2020

On-demand scooter companies in the City of Los Angeles have gained a new ally in their efforts to keep the data about their scooters private, after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) over its collection of anonymized electric scooter data. According to the complaint filed by the ACLU , the ACLU says that the collection of trip data by Los Angeles is "violation of their right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures in con

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Los Angeles Angel Demand Companies 113