L.A. Business Journal

OCTOBER 3, 2018

Alphabet Inc.-subsidiary Google moved into the Spruce Goose hangar in Playa Vista Oct. 3, two years after it began leasing the space.

Google 212

Google 212

socalTECH

OCTOBER 4, 2018

Los Angeles-based ZipRecruiter , the online jobs site led by Ian Siegel, has raised $156M in a Series B funding round, the company said on Thursday morning. The funding was led by Wellington Management Company, and also included IVP and other, un-named investors. A number of reports say the funding puts the company into "unicorn" territory, with a valuation of more than $1 billion.

Services 124

Services Los Angeles Report Sites 124

socalTECH

OCTOBER 1, 2018

Aliso Viejo-based Focal Therapeutics , a developer of implantable medical devices used by surgeons in lumpectomy procedures, which is backed by Orange County-based Okapi Ventures, along with Emergent Capital Partners, has been acquired by Hologic , in a deal worth $125M in cash. Hologic is based in Marlborough, Mass. According to Hologic, the deal will help strengthen its position in the market for break conserving surgery.

Orange County 113

Orange County Sites Capital Help 113

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 4, 2018

First, there are at least three types of exits. I’ve been involved with well over twenty successful exits and four initial public offerings over the years, some of them with monstrous gains, some more modest. Then in addition, there are the exits that returned some portion of capital, but nothing more. And finally, there are the thirty-plus sad exits that were complete write-offs for the investors, sometimes regaining some portion of note-holder or creditor money in the process.

Sales 136

Sales Entrepreneur Writing Invest 136

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

L.A. Business Journal

OCTOBER 3, 2018

Santa Monica-based Activision Blizzard Inc. named J. Allen Brack its new president of Blizzard Entertainment Oct. 4, alongside two new promotions to the executive leadership team.

Activision 174

Activision Santa Monica Entertainment 174

SoCal Tech Calendar

OCTOBER 5, 2018

Thursday, October 11, 2018 -- FundingPost Orange County VCs, Angels, Crypto and ICOs Event. At our next Orange County FundingPost event at the Eureka Building in Irvine, the panel of investors will focus on Early-Stage Venture Investing (VCs and Angel investors), and a fireside chat about ICO basics: How to meet investors, pitch them, and what it really takes to get them to write you a check!

Orange County 100

Orange County Tech Coast Angels Angel Oracle 100

Xconomy

OCTOBER 1, 2018

[ Updated, 11:45 am ET, with comments from press conference ] Harnessing the immune system to fight cancer has transformed the treatment of many cancers, and the lives of countless cancer patients who have seen their disease go into remission. Consequently, many people have speculated over the last several years that the founding researchers of the cancer immunotherapy field would win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Press 98

Press Conference Research San Diego 98

L.A. Business Journal

OCTOBER 3, 2018

Culver City-based mobile game developer Jam City Inc. announced Oct. 3 it will partner with nonprofit voter registration organization When We All Vote to produce public service announcements encouraging its users to vote.

Culver City 145

Culver City Mobile Organization Services 145

SoCal Tech Calendar

OCTOBER 5, 2018

Thursday, October 11, 2018 -- nVerge 2018 is a one-day technology conference focusing on uncovering maximum value from current business technology, sharing new trends and discussing future possibilities for solutions ranging from ERP, CRM, business intelligence, collaboration, and productivity. Key areas of exploration include solutions from Microsoft, Oracle NetSuite, and Salesforce, with additional emphasis on the related technology ecosystems.

Oracle 100

Oracle Conference Technology Product 100

socalTECH

OCTOBER 4, 2018

Camarillo-based Semtech said today that it has inked a deal with Chinese internet giant Alibaba , as part of an effort to expand use of its LoRa wireless technology in China. According to Semtech, it has extended an Internet of Things (IoT) collaboration effort with the Alibaba Cloud, to help tackle use cases such as logistics tracking, air quality, food safety compliance, and smoke detecting safety.

Technology 133

Technology Help 133

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2018

Even with instant two-way communication via the Internet and mobile phones, your greatest new solution or service won’t found or properly recognized without marketing. The challenge is to rise above the clutter, and stand out in the rush of over 500,000 other new businesses that get started in the U.S. every month. I find that digital marketing is the most visible and effective place to start.

Marketing 96

Marketing Metrics Social Media Content 96

L.A. Business Journal

OCTOBER 3, 2018

Google comes to Playa Vista; Uber launches Santa Monica Scooters; Jam City links with voting nonprofit

Google 145

Google Santa Monica Report 145

SoCal Tech Calendar

OCTOBER 4, 2018

Wednesday, October 10, 2018 --.

100

100

socalTECH

OCTOBER 3, 2018

San Diego-based ID Analytics has named a new CEO, saying on Wednesday that it has named Ajay Nigam to the position. Nigam had been Senior Vice President of Product and Technology at ID Analytics since May of 2017, when he joined the company. According to ID Analytics, Nigam will report to Symantec SVP for Information Protection Nico Popp. ID Analytics became part of Symantec, when Symantec acquired Lifelock in 2016.

Symantec 133

Symantec San Diego Report Software 133

Xconomy

OCTOBER 3, 2018

Cloudera and Hortonworks, two large, publicly traded companies that compete to offer Web-based data storage and analytics, announced plans today to merge into a combined entity they value at $5.2 billion. Share prices for the two Silicon Valley companies spiked in after-hours trading following the announcement Wednesday that both their boards approved the all-stock deal.

Platform 93

Platform Software Review Web Pricing 93

L.A. Business Journal

OCTOBER 2, 2018

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies shows off new tech; Appetize and Tropical Smoothie Cafe partner; Recargo acquired by Innogy

Report 127

Report Technology 127

SoCal Tech Calendar

OCTOBER 3, 2018

Tuesday, October 9, 2018 -- FundingPost Los Angeles VCs, Angels, Crypto and ICOs Event. At our next event the panel of investors will focus on Early-Stage Venture Investing (VCs and Angel investors), and a fireside chat about ICO basics: How to meet investors, pitch them, and what it really takes to get them to write you a check! ICOs raised a global record 6.7 billion dollars in 2018 alone according to ICOdata.com.

Los Angeles 100

Los Angeles Angel Venture Capital Writing 100

socalTECH

OCTOBER 3, 2018

Santa Monica-babsed Tyffon , a developer of immersive entertainment technology started in Japan, said this morning that it has raised $2.17M in a funding round, to set up its first location in Los Angeles. The company--which was part of the Disney Accelerator powered by Techstars--said the funding came from SEGA SAMMY Holdings, Mizuho Capital, Tokyu Recreation, Canal Ventures, plus others.

Santa Monica 133

Santa Monica Entertainment Los Angeles Startup 133

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2018

Entrepreneurs have always believed that their product or service must show real value to customers, but today the smart ones are even able to make their marketing valuable. The days are gone when marketing was all “pushing product.” Now customers seek out people who are willing and able to add value, with expertise and insight, even before they have a product.

Content 92

Content Marketing Advertising Custom 92

L.A. Business Journal

OCTOBER 5, 2018

Air Force grants AeroVironment $13 million; Snap survival strategy leaked; Treyarch prepares for new game launch

Report 113

Report 113

Xconomy

OCTOBER 1, 2018

VelosBio, a biotech startup researching new cancer drugs, has raised $58 million in financing. The new VelosBio cash, a Series A round of financing, was led by Arix Bioscience (LSE: ARIX ) and Sofinnova Ventures. VelosBio joined Johnson & Johnson’s JLABS @ San Diego incubator in January. The company is developing antibody drug conjugates, a class of cancer drug that links antibodies to potent cancer-fighting toxins.

San Diego 91

San Diego Incubator Class Study 91

socalTECH

OCTOBER 2, 2018

Geocities , the original Southern California internet startup--which was founded all the way back in 1994 in Los Angeles--will finally disappear completely from the Internet, as Yahoo said today that it will shut down its Japanese Geocities site. Geocities--which hasn't been available in the United States for nearly 10 years --apparently had been popular enough in Japan that the site had continue to run for long after its sunset in the United States.

Beverly Hills 133

Beverly Hills Sites Yahoo Southern California 133

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Investors check your burn rate to assess your efficiency, and project your remaining runway before you run out of money and into a brick wall. Don’t wait until you are almost out of cash before managing every dollar spent, or looking for the next refueling from investors. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young.

Startup 89

Startup Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media 89

L.A. Business Journal

OCTOBER 5, 2018

Google sets up shop at Spruce Goose hangar in Playa Vista.

Google 113

Google 113

Xconomy

OCTOBER 5, 2018

Bioengineering pioneer Genomatica has raised $90 million in private funding to accelerate the commercialization of two chemicals it has developed from renewable sources—chemicals that are being used today in plastics, cosmetics, and personal care. The company says it will also use the money to further ongoing development of a third chemical, to be used in sustainable nylon.

Capital 87

Capital Funding Invest Develop 87

socalTECH

OCTOBER 2, 2018

Playa Vista-based Appetize , which develops modern point-of-sale (POS) software and terminals based on tablets, has signed a deal with fast casual restaurant chain Tropical Smoothie Cafe. According to Appetize, it will offer up its cloud-based POS, self-serve, and mobile software to Tropical Smoothie Cafe, which is a franchise that just passed up its 700th store.

Sales 133

Sales Mobile Software Technology 133

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2018

Most young people who are completing their educational degree today think they will have learned all they need for their career ahead. Unfortunately, based on my own extensive experience in business, I have to tell them in my talks that most of what they know now will be obsolete in a few years. The most important thing you can learn in college today is how to learn.

Examples 85

Examples Social Media Competition Guide 85

L.A. Business Journal

OCTOBER 4, 2018

Vogue publishes Spanish Snapchat edition; op-ed accuses SpaceX of safety violations; Brack at the helm of Blizzard

Activision 113

Activision Snapchat SpaceX Report 113

Xconomy

OCTOBER 1, 2018

Ten tech startups will vie to impress a panel of six judges and hundreds of attendees at San Diego’s biggest pitch contest later this month. Three of the 10 slated to pitch at the Oct. 24 event will get a cut of $75,000 to advance their businesses. Launched in 2006 by San Diego’s Tech Coast Angels, the annual John G. Watson Quick Pitch Competition this year is being co-hosted by San Diego Venture Group and Cox Business—the commercial division of Cox Communications, a subsidiary of Atlanta-

San Diego 83

San Diego Competition Tech Coast Angels Startup 83

socalTECH

OCTOBER 1, 2018

Fountain Valley-based gaming products manufacturer HyperX , which is part of Kingston Technology, said today that it has released a new set of "gaming headphones" specifically for the Nintendo Switch. The new HyperX Cloud Earbuds are specifically geared towards mobile gamers, according to the company, with soft silicone ear tips. The earbuds also feature a microphone, and will have a MSRP of $49.99.

Tips 133

Tips Mobile Technology Product 133

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2018

Conventional thinking in business has long been that strategy decisions are made by humans, while the focus of automation and machine learning should be on execution. With the speed of change and volume of market feedback today, as well as the advances in machine learning, Amazon, Alibaba, and others have proven the value of software driven strategy decisions.

Artificial Inteligence 84

Artificial Inteligence Metrics Commerce Software 84

L.A. Business Journal

OCTOBER 4, 2018

Santa Monica-based digital job search platform ZipRecruiter Inc. announced Oct. 4 it secured $156 million in a funding round led by Wellington Management Co. and Institutional Venture Partners.

Santa Monica 113

Santa Monica Platform Funding 113

Xconomy

OCTOBER 5, 2018

By year’s end San Diego’s Senomyx will be part of Firmenich, a privately held Swiss fragrance and flavor company. Senomyx (NASDAQ: SNMX ), a biotech that makes flavor enhancers , launched nearly 20 years ago and went public in 2004 at $6 per share. But since then its stock price has fallen significantly, dropping below $1 per share multiple times in the past two years, which nearly got the listing booted from the Nasdaq exchange.

Pricing 81

Pricing Report Sales Companies 81

socalTECH

OCTOBER 1, 2018

Los Angeles-based technology e-commerce retailer Newegg says it has kicked off its annual "Gametober" month, where it will offer up deals on gaming gear sought after by its customers. Newegg said it will offer up great deals on components and storage products, VR-ready products, and e-sports gear all month. The promotion is just one of many that Newegg runs during the year to help it spur game sales outside of the holiday season.

NewEgg 133

NewEgg Commerce Sales Los Angeles 133

socalTECH

OCTOBER 1, 2018

Elon Musk , the technology mogul who runs both Los Angeles-based SpaceX , as well as electric car and solar power manufacturer Tesla , has agreed to settle the securities fraud charge brought against him by the SEC last week. Tesla has also settled with the SEC over charges that the firm failed to have the requires disclosure controls and procedures around Elon Musk's tweets.

SpaceX 133

SpaceX Los Angeles Funding Technology 133

socalTECH

OCTOBER 3, 2018

Kittyhawk , a drone software developer backed by Santa Monica-based Bonfire Ventures, has scored new funding from insurance company Travelers, the company said today. The startup, based in San Francisco, says it has now raised $9.5M in total from such investors as Travelers, Bonfire Ventures, Boeing HorizonX Ventures, Freestyle Ventures and The Flying Object.

Funding 124

Funding Santa Monica Software Development Software 124