L.A. Business Journal
JUNE 19, 2018
Eagle Rock’s Scratch Financial Inc., doing business as Scratchpay, announced June 19 that it received $6.4 million in series A funding. Underwriting for this round of funding was provided by Companion Fund, a $100 million pet-centered venture capital fund, as well as Struck Capital, TTV Capital and SWS Venture Capital.
TechCrunch LA
JUNE 19, 2018
GOAT, the secondary marketplace for sneakers that recently merged with Flight Club , is announcing a new hire. Lizzie Francis will join the company as Chief Operating Officer, coming from Brilliant Ventures where she will remain a managing partner. Francis formerly acted as CMO at Gilt Group and CMO at JustFab.com. She’s been running Brilliant for a couple of years after founding it with Kara Weber.
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Berkonomics
JUNE 21, 2018
Close. How much risk you and your company are willing and able to tolerate over time? Most people believe that early stage companies should take risks aggressively because there is less to lose and much more to gain with each risky bet or decision. Common thinking goes on to address large, public corporations by expressing that the relative tolerance to risk is decreased, in favor of protecting the brand or financial health of the enterprise.
Both Sides of the Table
JUNE 22, 2018
There are times to fight. No great startup has been built without getting one’s knuckles bloody at times. This is especially true because incumbents now know how much is at stake when they let a startup get a huge head start in a market. So if you’re in a battle, if you’re right, if you feel confident you can win and importantly if the prize for winning is worth the fight?
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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.
socalTECH
JUNE 21, 2018
San Diego-based startup Truepic , a developer of software which "notarizes" digital photos for authenticity, has raised $8M in a Series A funding, the company announced on Thursday. The funding came from Dowling Capital Partners; Jeffrey Parker (co-founder of FirstCall & former CEO of Thomson Financial); Andrew "Flip" Filipowski (Founder and CEO of Platinum Technology and SilkRoad Technology); and William Sahlman, along with others.
Tech.Co
JUNE 22, 2018
Tech startups are always looking to capitalize on the next big thing. And every year, the startup ecosystem is slightly different. Entrepreneurs preparing to launch a startup in 2019 should be aware of the latest trends that will guide their successes or failures. Industry analyst Mary Meeker’s 2018 Internet Trends presentation relies on data gathered across 2017.
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
SoCal Tech Calendar
JUNE 22, 2018
Thursday, June 28, 2018 --.
socalTECH
JUNE 20, 2018
Los Angeles-based UNREAL Mobile , a spinout of FreedomPop, is targeting disgruntled Sprint customers who were hoping to take advantage of Sprint's now unavailable $15 per month unlimited mobile service. According to UNREAL, it will offer up unlimited mobile plans for just $10 per month, with no contract and no credit check--and also will offer up new Alcatel Android smartphone for less than $50.
Xconomy
JUNE 21, 2018
Were you aghast at revelations that third-party organizations were able to capture millions of Facebook profiles from users who were unaware of the company’s privacy policy terms? If so, a Silicon Valley startup is hoping to entice you with a new option for private data storage of your personal digital life, along with private channels for sharing videos and other information with your inner circle of friends—and close control over who else gets access to them.
L.A. Business Journal
JUNE 22, 2018
Tinder Becomes More Specific; Sinemia launches new movie pass; SpaceX gets $130M contract
SoCal Tech Calendar
JUNE 22, 2018
Thursday, June 28, 2018 -- MasterMinds OC Startup Accelerator Workshop #15. OC ENTREPRENEURS: Join us for another LIVE MasterMinds Workshop. Bring your startup ideas and business questions so our friendly group of local Orange County entrepreneurs and business owners can help you move your business farther, faster. Free tickets available if you have a good startup business question for discussion, or you want to practice your startup pitch!
socalTECH
JUNE 20, 2018
Does Fido or Fluffy need some major veterinary care, but you don't have the money to pay? Los Angeles-based Scratchpay , which provides payment plans to pet owners to pay for their pets' immediate medical needs, said Tuesday that it has raised $6.4M in a a Series A funding. The funding came from Companion Fund, Struck Capital, TTV Capital and SWS Venture Capital.
Xconomy
JUNE 22, 2018
Fridays can be the most productive work day, as you look to shore up everything before the weekend starts. Or, maybe instead, it’s a day filled with long lunches and listless Internet surfing, as you seek out all the interesting articles you missed during the week. Fear not: Xconomy has done the work for you, bringing a smattering of some of the most interesting reads out there.
L.A. Business Journal
JUNE 21, 2018
Verra Mobility sells for $2.
SoCal Tech Calendar
JUNE 21, 2018
Wednesday, June 27, 2018 --.
socalTECH
JUNE 20, 2018
Los Angeles-based UBTECH Robotics , which develops humanoid-like rbots for the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) market, said on Wednesday that it has launched a brand new programmable robot called the Yanshee. According to UBTECH, its new robot--aimed at the U.S. education market--includes an artificial intelligence interface, a programmable Raspberry Pi card, as well as sensors and other functionality which makes it the "ultimate open-source platform" for educators, students, and r
Xconomy
JUNE 21, 2018
The window for biotech IPOs remains wide open and six more companies have charged through it, raising more than $568 million in the span of 24 hours. The first was Eidos Therapeutics (NASDAQ: EIDX ), which raised $106 million in its stock market debut. The San Francisco company priced its IPO late Tuesday, selling 6.25 million shares at $17 each, which was on the high end of its projected $15 to $17 range.
L.A. Business Journal
JUNE 20, 2018
BioSolar expands to Spain; Sprint Corp.
StartUp Beat
JUNE 22, 2018
Amit Thakkar saw first hand how messy and inefficient politics can be from the inside. While working as a political consultant for a decade, Thakkar said he became frustrated with seeing the same old players decide policy with almost no influence from actual constituents or voters. . That’s a large part of why he decided to create LawMaker.io , which bills itself as a revolutionary platform that gives those in the U.S. the chance to create propositions for new laws through crowdsourcing.
socalTECH
JUNE 21, 2018
Los Angeles-based private equity investor Platinum Equity says it is selling one of its portfolio companies, Verra Mobility , to The Gores Group , in a deal worth approximately $2.4 billion. According to Platinum, the sale will create a new, publicly listed company, via a plan of merger with Gores Holdings II, Inc., a special purpose acquisition company created by The Gores Group.
Xconomy
JUNE 22, 2018
Biotech financing is a cyclical thing. Two years ago, the IPO window was unlatched but a number of companies ended up withdrawing their stock offerings. Others that pushed their IPOs through couldn’t sell shares at the price they wanted. This year, the IPO window is wide open. A total of 93 IPOs have priced as of Thursday, up 36.8 percent compared to the same time last year, according to Renaissance Capital.
L.A. Business Journal
JUNE 19, 2018
Torrance company contracted by Homeland Security; Quest International expands in Europe; Scratchpay gets $6.
Steve Reich
JUNE 22, 2018
I’ve been heads down for quite some time managing the ecosystem at Malauzai, and so have been away from my blog. I’ve taken a new position at Finastra, should have interesting things to report going forward.
socalTECH
JUNE 22, 2018
San Diego-based Biological Dynamics , which is developing cancer diagnostics technology, has named Qualcomm founder Dr. Irwin M. Jacobs as its Chairman of the Board, the company said this week. The company's prior chairman was Dr. Paul R. Billings, who recently became Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs for Natera. Biological Dynamics is led by Dr.
Xconomy
JUNE 19, 2018
CrowdStrike , a Silicon Valley cybersecurity company that fends off hackers by patrolling the edge devices connected to a network, announced today it raised $200 million in a financing round that sets the company’s valuation at more than $3 billion. Sunnyvale, CA-based CrowdStrike, as an endpoint protection and response platform, uses next-generation antivirus software, scans for behavioral indicators of malicious activity, and deploys other threat detection measures to prevent cyberattacks and
L.A. Business Journal
JUNE 19, 2018
BioSolar Inc. has signed a joint development agreement with a Spanish subsidiary of Ferroglobe PLC to develop and market silicon anode materials for use in lithium ion batteries.
Both Sides of the Table
JUNE 18, 2018
For Father’s Day I was watching the most heartfelt movies I’ve seen in a long time, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor.” It is a movie that will both lift you up with the possibilities of how much of an individual person can have a positive impact on masses of people as well as challenge you about what you’re doing to make the world a slightly better place. It is a movie that will have you laughing raucously and sniffling uncontrollably in joy and sorrow.
socalTECH
JUNE 21, 2018
How do you take the energy of such successes as Dollar Shave Club, Ring, Cornerstone Ondemand, and the many other local successes from the startup energy, and tap into the resources of local universities and research institutions? That was the question at the SoCal First Look Showcase , run by the Alliance for SoCal Innovation and the Los Angeles Venture Association at UCLA on Wednesday.
Xconomy
JUNE 21, 2018
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC ) announced Thursday that CEO Brian Krzanich has resigned in the wake of the company’s recent discovery that he had been involved in a past consensual relationship with an Intel employee. The relationship violated Intel’s non-fraternization policy—the finding of an ongoing investigation by internal and external counsel, the company said in a written statement.
socalTECH
JUNE 21, 2018
Los Angeles-based fintech startup Eusoh , which is offering up an alternative to insurance for veterinary care, said this week that it has raised $2M in a seed funding round. Source of the funding was not announced. The startup--which had disclosed the funding to socaltech in April--is led by Dr. Allen Kamrava, and bands together groups of pet owners and others to spread the risk (and cost) of unexpected pet bills by using its technology platform, at a cost that the company says is much less tha
socalTECH
JUNE 19, 2018
Torrance-based Intellisense Systems , a startup which is developing portable, 3lb micro-weather sensors to provide real time weather information, says it has signed up the City of Torrance Office of Emergency Services to evaluate its flood detection system and advanced weather sensor products. Intellisense said the evaulation will use its flood sensors for a deployment as part of a nationwide, multi-state, test and evaluation project sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security Science and T
socalTECH
JUNE 18, 2018
Pasadena-based Embodied , a startup which says it is developing "life-like robots to revolutionize care and wellness for humans", announced Monday morning that it has raised $22M in a Series A funding round. The funding was led by Calibrate Ventures, and also included JAZZ Venture Partners, along with existing investors Osage University Partners, Intel Capital, Grishin Robotics and others.
socalTECH
JUNE 18, 2018
Irvine-based DecisionPoint Systems , which provides and integrated enterprise wireless and mobility software, has acquired another Irvine company, Royce Digital Systems , the company said on Friday. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced. DecisionPoint said the buy specifically helps it deepen its expertise in other vertical markets, and specifically healthcare.
socalTECH
JUNE 22, 2018
Los Angeles-based digital advertising provider H Code Media reports that it has signed a new partnership with Peruvian radio and television broadcast company Radio Programas del Peru (RPP). According to H Code Media, it will become the exclusive partner to monetize RPP's traffic, and will represent 100 percent of RPP's ad inventory in the US on its various websites.
socalTECH
JUNE 22, 2018
Los Angeles-based ticketing firm Ticketmaster said on Thursday that it is partnering with the Veteran Tickets Foundation , also known as Vet Tix , to provide a "real-time feed" of live event tickets available to veterans. According to Ticketmaster, the deal will make it easier for veterans access free and discounted live event tickets, expanding the rough a new client-facing ticket offer that will expand tickets that veterans have access to.
socalTECH
JUNE 22, 2018
Hawthorne-based SpaceX has been selected by the U.S. Air Force, to launch one a new Air Force satellite into orbit using the Falcon Heavy, according to a contracting notice from the U.S. Department of Defense. According to the contract award, SpaceX will receive $130,000 to deliver the Air Force Space Command-52 satellite, including launch vehicle production and mission, as well as integration, launch operations and spaceflight worthiness activities.
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