Berkonomics

JANUARY 11, 2018

Some of you have gotten along forever without a board of directors, or used your spouse as the “other” board member from the start. But there are some very good reasons to build a great board composed of some outside members. And good board members can add real value to you and the company. In other posts, we cover legal responsibilities of a board, how to pay board members, the limits of their responsibilities, dealing with under-performing or “noisy” board members, and more.

Companies 243

Companies Company Ideas Competition 243

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 8, 2018

A version of this article first appeared in Forbes. Steven Johnson, author of How We Got To Now , analyzes technological breakthroughs, looking for patterns that allow entrepreneurs to identify “How We’ll Get To Tomorrow.” One of the key myths that he destroys is that of the lone inventor who experiences a Eureka moment. Slow Hunches Lead To Breakthroughs.

Ideas 69

Ideas Startup Technical Review Santa Barbara 69

L.A. Business Journal

JANUARY 8, 2018

Hong Kong-based mobile gaming company Kunlun Group Limited has closed on its purchase of the remaining stake of Grindr LLC, a gay men’s dating app located in West Hollywood’s Pacific Design Center, the companies announced Monday.

Acquisition 189

Acquisition Design Mobile Company 189

socalTECH

JANUARY 9, 2018

A report in the Wall Street Journal this morning says that the highly secret rocket mission launched by Los Angeles-based SpaceX on Sunday was presumed to be a total loss, and failed to reach orbit. According to that report, Zuma the billion dollar spy satellite plummeted back into the atmosphere after failure to separate from the second stage of the SpaceX Falcon.

SpaceX 147

SpaceX Report Journal Los Angeles 147

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

Xconomy

JANUARY 12, 2018

Drone startup SkySpecs announced this week that it has raised an $8 million Series B funding round. The investment in the Ann Arbor, MI-based company was co-led by Germany’s Statkraft Ventures , the Capital Midwest Fund , and UL Ventures , and also included contributions from returning investors such as Huron River Ventures and Venture Investors. A lot has happened since we last caught up with Danny Ellis , SkySpec’s co-founder and CEO, in 2015.

Services 93

Services Funding Capital Invest 93

Tech.Co

JANUARY 10, 2018

On a global scale, more women are in the workforce, and within the household they drive 70-80 percent of all consumer purchasing decisions. Women also have a “multiplying effect” in that they make purchasing decisions not only for their immediate and extended family, but are also influential with other women and friends. In the Harvard Business Review Female Economy 2009 report, women purchasing power was predicted to control about $28 trillion in annual global consumer spending, if not more.

Tips 70

Tips Customer Custom Dollar Shave Club 70

socalTECH

JANUARY 12, 2018

Los Angeles-based Internet Brands said on Thursday that it has agreed to acquire Avvo , which operates an online legal marketplace where consumers can connect with lawyers. Financial terms of the deal were not announced. According to Internet Brands, Avvo will become part of its Legal vertical. Avvo was founded in 2006, and was venture backed by Benchmark Capital, Coatue Management, DAG Ventures, Ignition Partners, Technology Crossover Ventures, and Vulcan Capital.

Internet Brands 138

Internet Brands Los Angeles Capital Funding 138

Xconomy

JANUARY 9, 2018

It seems like ancient history now, but “big data” was once a hot field with startups, investors, and big companies all buzzing with hype. Then the tech industry moved on, and marketers crowned data science and machine learning the Next Big Things (at least until blockchain takes over). Of course, big data never really went away—though many companies did.

Artificial Inteligence 83

Artificial Inteligence Guide Course Startup 83

Tech.Co

JANUARY 9, 2018

In a study by the US Department of Commerce , women in STEM jobs earn 33 percent more money than women in non-STEM positions. With computer science jobs predicted to increase by 22 percent by 2020 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) , where are these women to fill these positions? In a report by the National Student Clearinghouse only 18 percent of women graduated with a science degree in 2014.

Artificial Inteligence 70

Artificial Inteligence Startup Product Cloud Computing 70

L.A. Business Journal

JANUARY 10, 2018

Overwatch League-Twitch deal worth at least $90 million; artificial intelligence startup Oben raises $10 million; and Survios to open virtual-reality arcade in Torrance.

Artificial Inteligence 113

Artificial Inteligence Torrance Report Startup 113

socalTECH

JANUARY 9, 2018

Los Angeles-based j2 Global has named three new execuives, the company said Monday afternoon. According to j2, it has named Harmeet Singh as President of Cloud Services; Steve Horowitz as President of Ziff Davis; and Joey Fortuna as Chief Technology Officer. Singh has been at j2 since 2013, and prior to that was at SingerLewak LLP. Horowitz has been at Ziff Davis since 2010, and previously served at Bankrate, AOL, and Yahoo.

Chief Technology Officer 138

Chief Technology Officer Yahoo Los Angeles Services 138

Xconomy

JANUARY 11, 2018

There wasn’t a lot that Evan Hafer could control on his half-dozen deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan as a Green Beret and CIA contractor. But the one thing he could do something about was the terrible coffee. “I started roasting my own coffee and taking it with me overseas,” he says. “I set up a coffee shop for me and my buddies downrange.” When he rejoined civilian life in 2014, Hafer says he wanted to transition into working with something for which he already had a passion.

Commerce 76

Commerce Startup San Diego Blogging 76

Tech.Co

JANUARY 9, 2018

On the eve of the highly anticipated CES 2018, a crowd of tech enthusiasts packed the Gold Spike Hotel in Downtown Las Vegas Fremont District to enjoy signature cocktails and networking opportunities, while listening to fifteen of the top startups from Eureka Park pitch as they competed to be the CES Startup Night winner, which came with a grand prize of a ticket into the Top 100 Startup of the Year Semifinalists at Innovate Celebrate 2018.

Startup 70

Startup Competition Conference Product 70

L.A. Business Journal

JANUARY 8, 2018

Santa Monica’s Pontifax AgTech led the second closing of a $9.5 million Series B round in Denver agricultural technology company Inocucor Corp., the companies announced Jan. 8.

Technology 113

Technology Company Companies 113

socalTECH

JANUARY 11, 2018

Westlake Village-based Interlink Electronics said on Wednesday afternoon that it has named David S. Burnett as its Chief Financial Officer. Burnett had previously served as CFO of the company, from August 2016 to April of 2017. Interlink says Burnett has also been appointed CFO of BKF Capital Group, and OTC traded company which owns 11.93 percent of the company.

Westlake Village 124

Westlake Village Capital Technology Company 124

Xconomy

JANUARY 8, 2018

Alexa is now mobile. Seattle-based e-commerce giant Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN ) is expected to unveil its first augmented-reality glasses to pair with Alexa, its digital assistant, at the Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, in Las Vegas this week. The glasses were developed for Amazon by Vuzix , a Rochester, NY -based wearable tech company, and can communicate with Alexa and display information in the wearer’s field of view.

Commerce 76

Commerce Conference Design Mobile 76

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 7, 2018

Starting a new business is a serious undertaking. Yet many aspiring entrepreneurs I know approach it as a fun project, get-rich quick scheme, or perhaps an expensive hobby. Others quit their day jobs and commit everything to their new passion, without regard for their own well-being, or the welfare of others around them. Neither of these approaches bodes well for success.

Startup 63

Startup Ideas Framework Entrepreneur 63

L.A. Business Journal

JANUARY 12, 2018

Snapchat’s big redesign rated negatively by 83 percent of reviews; Pentagon refuses to answer questions about failed $1 billion Zuma satellite launch; and The IMDb Show launched.

Report 100

Report 100

socalTECH

JANUARY 9, 2018

Woodland Hills-based REX Real Estate Exchange , a startup which helps homeowners sell their homes without using an MLS, has raised $15M in a Series B funding. According to REX, the funding included investments from Scott McNealy, co-founder and former chief executive officer, Sun Microsystems; Dick Schulze, founder, Best Buy; Gordon Segal, founder, Crate and Barrel; Amit Singhal, former senior vice president of search, Google; Jack Greenberg, former chief executive officer, McDonalds; and others

Artificial Inteligence 124

Artificial Inteligence Woodland Hills Funding Social Media 124

Xconomy

JANUARY 11, 2018

In the past, the tech conference CES has primarily highlighted consumer electronics and other cool gadgets, but as automakers continue their quest to be taken seriously by the tech industry, the Las Vegas show held every January has increasingly become the venue of choice for car companies that want to show off their latest autonomous and electric vehicle developments.

Mobile 71

Mobile Conference News Develop 71

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 10, 2018

As a business advisor, one of the things I see most often as a drag to productivity and growth is employees who, despite their best efforts, can’t change things that they know are hurting the company. They want to grant deserving customers special concessions, or fix a broken process, but are convinced it may cost them their job, or find that no one above them seems to care.

Startup 62

Startup Organization Custom Customer 62

L.A. Business Journal

JANUARY 11, 2018

Venture capital investment to L.A. region falls again; Internet Brands to acquire lawyer search website Avvo; and SpaceX delays commercial crew test flights to latter half of 2018.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Internet Brands Invest Capital 100

socalTECH

JANUARY 9, 2018

Santa Barbara, California-based ERP software developer QAD has lost its website--and has potentially undergone either mudflow or water intrusion--due to the massive disaster unfolding in Montecito, California. QAD's headquarters are immediately in the area in Santa Barbara where at least 8 people are dead, where hundreds are being rescued, and neighborhoods wiped out due to a mudflow off fire-stripped hills above Montecito, due to the massive Thomas Fire.

Software Review 124

Software Review Santa Barbara Ventura Blogging 124

Xconomy

JANUARY 9, 2018

René Pinnell says he and his wife Selena Pinnell were “blown away” by the virtual reality projects their friends were creating in 2014, so they looked for an entrepreneurial niche that would allow them to support such artists. That year the couple, both trained in design, founded a startup in San Francisco, then called KaleidoscopeVR. Its first mission was to launch a Bay Area VR festival to showcase works in the new immersive art forms.

Content 71

Content Training Design Startup 71

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2018

Millennials have come a long way in business since I started writing about them almost ten years ago. They started out as that spoiled generation of kids, born between about 1982 and 2004, who had everything, and could care less about business. Today they are in every business, and will likely comprise 50 percent of the workforce by 2020. Their success is now vital to our success.

Mentor 60

Mentor Coach Guide Startup 60

L.A. Business Journal

JANUARY 9, 2018

Electric car company Tesla has begun to install its first solar roof tiles for customers who placed reservations beginning last May. NASA has a new pilot program to gather Earth science data. And Eastman Kodak is introducing its own digital currency as part of the launch of a platform for photographers looking to license their photos.

Platform 100

Platform Report Custom Customer 100

socalTECH

JANUARY 9, 2018

Pasadena-based ObEN , which is developing intelligence avatar technology which allows users to create highly realistic avatars for use in augmented reality and virtual reality environments, has raised $10M more in funding, the company said this morning. The funding came from K11. According to ObEN, the new funding brings its total raised to more than $23.7M.

Technology 124

Technology Pasadena Funding Develop 124

Xconomy

JANUARY 11, 2018

LendingPoint , an online provider of direct loans to consumers, has acquired LoanHero , the San Diego fintech with technology that enables merchants to extend instant financing to consumers at the point of sale. Financial terms of the buyout were not disclosed in an announcement Thursday. The acquisition enables LendingPoint, which focuses on near-prime consumers (with FICO credit scores from 580 to 700), to extend its financial software and services to consumers making a major purchase, whether

Sales 68

Sales San Diego Acquisition Software 68

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2018

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. I often get asked about the real alternatives to bridge this valley, and there are some good ones I will outline here.

Startup 53

Startup Technical Review Equity Incubator 53

L.A. Business Journal

JANUARY 8, 2018

GoPro announced layoffs and cost-cutting as the camera and software company exits the drone business; video doorbell maker Ring has acquired light maker Mr. Beams; and the founder of dating app Grindr is stepping down following the company’s acquisition by a Hong Kong-based mobile gaming company.

Layoffs 170

Layoffs Acquisition Mobile Report 170

socalTECH

JANUARY 8, 2018

Hawthorne-based SpaceX successfully sent another payload into space on Sunday evening, putting a super-secret, U.S. government payload named "Zuma" into orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. SpaceX launched the payload into space at 5:00 p.m. PST, and shortly after the launch, landed the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket used in the launch in Florida.

SpaceX 124

SpaceX Hawthorne 124

Xconomy

JANUARY 9, 2018

Venture capital activity ended the year with a strong finish in San Diego, as investors poured $498.4 million into 61 companies during the last three months of 2017, according to Venture Monitor data released Tuesday. The strength of fourth-quarter deals, lifted by a $125 million financing in November for the molecular diagnostics company Progenity, brought total venture investments in San Diego to nearly $1.92 billion in 215 deals last year.

San Diego 64

San Diego Venture Capital Activity Funding 64

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2018

Every entrepreneur I know is short on resources, including time, money, and skills. The last thing they can afford is to waste any of these, but in my mentoring and coaching activities, I see it happening all too often. Waste in a startup is any activity that spends resources, but creates no value or competitive advantage in the eyes of customers. Much has been written about this subject in the world of manufacturing, stemming primarily from the 1990’s work by Taiichi Ohno, called the Toyota Pro

Resource 52

Resource Training Entrepreneur Activity 52

socalTECH

JANUARY 8, 2018

Santa Monica-based Ring said Monday that it has acquired Mr. Beams , a developer of LED lighting technology. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced. Ring said it will use the acquisition to power its new Ring Beams product line, a line of security lights that communicate with Ring devices. Ring said the new products include spotlights, pathway lights, and deck lights, will be available in mid-2018.

Santa Monica 124

Santa Monica Acquisition Product Technology 124

socalTECH

JANUARY 12, 2018

Southern California Edison said late Thursday afternoon that it has received approval to launch four new, electric vehicle transportation pilots, which will help expand the adoption of electric vehicles. According to Edison,the four pilot projects--worth around $4M each--were approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, and are part of a much larger effort to expand the electrification of cars, buses, medium- and heavy-duty trucks, and industrial vehicles and equipment.

Southern California 113

Southern California Custom Customer Help 113

socalTECH

JANUARY 12, 2018

Online movie information site IMDb --which is owned by Amazon.com--said Thursday that it is launching its very own, weekly show, which will be produced and filmed in Studio City. According to IMDb, the show will debut each Thursday on its website, its mobile apps, and social channels, and feature filmmaker and podcaster Kevin Smith, Tim Kash, and Kerri Doherty.

Los Angeles 113

Los Angeles Studio City Entertainment Angel 113