TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

Ross Lipson, the chief executive officer and co-founder of the on-demand marijuana and cannabis delivery service, Dutchie, had thought he was done with the online delivery business. Instead, he’s launched a new delivery service that has just raised $3 million from Casa Verde Capital , the $45 million venture firm founded by hip hop impresario Snoop Dogg, and Kevin Durant’s Durant Company — among others — to take advantage of the growing demand for marijuana delivery.

Services 259

Services Venture Capital Startup Los Angeles 259

L.A. Business Journal

SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

The Los Angeles Convention Center just added 5G capabilities to its growing list of offerings designed to draw business to downtown.

Los Angeles 200

Los Angeles Angel Networking Design 200

SoCal Tech Calendar

SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

Wednesday, October 3, 2018 -- 2018 Hollywood Entertainment Technology Festival. The Hollywood Entertainment Technology Festival (HETF) is an exciting international event bridging the US and China, with expert speakers and panel discussions on trends in entertainment technology, cross-border opportunities, and investments. The festival promotes collaboration and innovation on a global scale, and serves as an ideal platform for visionaries, content creators, entrepreneurs, and investors currently

Hollywood 100

Hollywood Entertainment Technology Content 100

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

The Port of San Diego says it has been hit by a ransomware attack, which has disrupted the port's information technology systems--although it says that ships and boats are able to continue to access the port at the moment. According to the Port of San Diego, an unknown group is holding the port's IT systems hostage, requesting a payment in Bitcoin. The Port said it is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on investigating the "seriou

San Diego 184

San Diego Report Technology Companies 184

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

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

Almost anyone who has sold a company has a story to tell about their good deal, the problems with the buyer, a last-minute change of terms, or more. I have saved this next story until now because it is one of my favorites, and certainly illustrates the point about timing being a combination of luck and skill as well as anything I could devise from fiction.

Sales 120

Sales Web Design Web Design 120

L.A. Business Journal

SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

The chief executive of Arensis Corp., a downtown provider of micro waste-to-energy systems, has formed a separate project financing company that will use blockchain and smart-meter technology to better target potential customers, Arensis announced Sept. 25.

Companies 173

Companies Company Custom Customer 173

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

Pasadena-based artificial intelligence software developer ObEN has rolled out a new, singing and talking "AI personality" based on Chinese singing group SNH48 , the company said today. The company said it has created the "world's first celebrity personal AI" based on one of the members of the Chinese music group, Aijia. ObEN's AI personality sang a duet with her real-life counterpart at a conference in China this week.

Artificial Inteligence 150

Artificial Inteligence Pasadena Conference Software Development 150

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. “As much as possible, avoid hiring MBA’s. MBA programs don’t teach people how to create companies … our position is that we hire someone in spite of an MBA, not because of one.” – Elon Musk, Founder Tesla Motors and SpaceX. MBA’s are an easy target for entrepreneurs’ scorn.

Entrepreneur 113

Entrepreneur Allegis Startup Competition 113

L.A. Business Journal

SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

Boston-based private equity firm Audax Group Inc. bought a controlling interest in Culver City-based identification verification software developer Acuant Inc. in a deal finalized Sept. 24.

Culver City 164

Culver City Equity Software Development Software 164

Xconomy

SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

“Digital therapeutics” startups are starting to win more respect—and investment dollars—from pharmaceutical giants. But the two sides are still figuring out how to work together to capitalize on the potential for apps, devices, and other software-enabled technologies to have an impact on patients’ health. That’s what stood out to me the most as I listened to leaders from some of the world’s largest life sciences companies—Novartis (NYSE: NVS ), San

Conference 102

Conference Invest Software Capital 102

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX has just signed a deal to deliver two robot payloads to the moon for a small Japanese company, ispace , ispace said this morning. According to ispace, it has signed a contract with SpaceX for two flights to land two lunar orbiters on the moon. ispace is leveraging technology developed by one of the teams in the Lunar XPRIZE, run by Marina Del Rey-based XPRIZE Foundation, in what had been an attempt to win cash prize money offered by XPRIZE for landing a mission

Marina Del Rey 147

Marina Del Rey SpaceX Outsource Development Hawthorne 147

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2018

As an angel investor and a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I’m always disappointed to see founders who seem stressed out most of the time, and more annoyed than energized by the abundance of challenges they see in building their startup. The entrepreneurial lifestyle is a tough one under the best of circumstances, and it’s one you have to love in order to succeed.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Startup Activity Ideas 100

L.A. Business Journal

SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

Scopely Inc., the Culver City mobile game developer behind titles such as “Walking Dead: Road to Survival” and “WWE Champions” is expanding its corporate development and communications divisions.

Culver City 124

Culver City Mobile Develop Development 124

SoCal Tech Calendar

SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

Wednesday, October 3, 2018 --.

Sales 100

Sales 100

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

Los Angeles-based venture investor Bonfire Ventures , the venture capital fund led by SoCal VC veterans Jim Andelman and Mark Mullen, has launched a fundraising effort for a new fund, Bonfire Ventures Select I , according to a regulatory filing from the firm this week. Details on the new fund have not been announced by the investment fund. The regulatory filing indicates the first sale in the fund has yet to occur.

Venture Capital 140

Venture Capital Funding SoCal Southern California 140

Xconomy

SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

XRC Labs, an accelerator program focused on e-commerce and retail startups, held a demo day for its latest class Thursday, featuring innovations in artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and other technologies. The group of 10 startups is the sixth class for New York-based XRC , which was founded three years ago to promote innovation in the disruptive age of Amazon.

Artificial Inteligence 97

Artificial Inteligence Class Commerce Design 97

L.A. Business Journal

SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

Disney may be looking to snag a larger stake in Hulu; GLAAD includes video games in awards; H Code launches digital marketing

Hulu 113

Hulu Report Marketing 113

SoCal Tech Calendar

SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

Thursday, September 27, 2018 --.

100

100

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

Santa Monica-based on-demand scooter rental service Bird is planning a massive, international expansion, and has been hiring in dozens of cities overseas , according to the Financial Times. The paper says that Bird's hiring plans include dozens of cities across both Asia and Latin America, including such cities as Mumbai, Mexico City, Hong Kong, and elsewhere.

Santa Monica 140

Santa Monica Demand Services 140

Xconomy

SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

The window for life science IPOs is still open, and five biotechs and one medical device company chose the last week of the third quarter to make their stock market debuts. Gritstone Oncology (NASDAQ: GRTS ) closed out the week by raising $100 million in an upsized IPO. On Thursday night, Emeryville, CA-based Gritstone priced its offering of 6.6 million shares at $15 apiece.

Pricing 94

Pricing Funding Marketing San Diego 94

L.A. Business Journal

SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

Metropolitan Water District and Culver City water monitoring system maker team up.

Culver City 113

Culver City 113

SoCal Tech Calendar

SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

Thursday, September 27, 2018 -- TechDay Los Angeles. TechDay, the largest startup event series in the United States, is returning to Los Angeles for the fourth annual TechDay LA. TechDay LA will showcase the latest products and services available from hundreds of the most exciting startups and scale ups in the market.

Los Angeles 100

Los Angeles Angel Startup Services 100

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

San Diego-based Netradyne , a developer of artificial intelligence and "deep learning" software used for vision recognition--particularly in autonomous vehicles--has raised $21M more in a funding round. The funding was led by M12, the venture fund run by Microsoft, as well as Reliance Industries and Point72 Ventures. According to Reliance Industries, which is based in India, it invested $8M in the round, and it now owns 37.4 percent of the startup; Reliance had invested $16M in Netradyne in 2016

Artificial Inteligence 133

Artificial Inteligence San Diego Invest Funding 133

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

One of the big differences between an entrepreneur and an employee of a big business is that employees tend to have a very narrow focus on their job, while entrepreneurs have to keep the broader focus on business. Both want personal satisfaction and financial success. In fact, U.S. entrepreneurs consistently claim to be happier , and have a higher net worth than employees.

Entrepreneur 93

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Custom Customer 93

L.A. Business Journal

SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

WndrCo invests $30 million in restaurant platform; Soon-Shiong distributes Zinc batteries to Africa and Asia; Kovacs named new LAVA president.

LAVA 113

LAVA Invest Platform Report 113

SoCal Tech Calendar

SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

Wednesday, September 26, 2018 --.

LAVA 100

LAVA Mobile 100

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a lawsuit against technology mogul Elon Musk , over Musk's tweet that he was taking one of his companies, Tesla Motors , private, in a deal worth $420 per share. The lawsuit--filed in Manhattan on Thursday afternoon--alleges Musk gave a "series of false and misleading statements" to investors. The SEC lawsuit is seeking both civil penalties, as well as to bar Musk from being an doffice or director of a public company.

Technology 133

Technology Companies Company SpaceX 133

Xconomy

SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

Today, there is a massive shortage of cybersecurity talent across the globe. According to a 2015 study from Frost & Sullivan and the (ISC)² Foundation, there could be more than 1.5 million unfilled cybersecurity positions globally by 2020. As cybersecurity attacks and data breaches, unfortunately, become a matter of not if but when , security talent is more important than ever.

Study 93

Study Competition San Diego Companies 93

L.A. Business Journal

SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

$15 million for Hollywood digital media firm; Amazon and Snap ink deal for barcode scanning; Tinder testing new controls for women.

Hollywood 113

Hollywood Report Media 113

SoCal Tech Calendar

SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

Wednesday, September 26, 2018 -- Silicon Beach Networking Happy Hour at Wurstkuche in Venice. Wednesday, September 26th Starting at 6pm! Meet new people, make business connections and most importantly, let's have fun!

Venice 100

Venice Networking 100

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

San Diego-based ACEA Biosciences , a developer of analytical instruments, systems, and software used in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, along with academia, has been acquired by Agilent Technologies. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced. According to the companies, the acquisition will help Agilent expand its team and broaden its portfolio of technology.

San Diego 133

San Diego Acquisition Research Software 133

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2018

In a corporate environment, the focus of a job interview has long been demonstrating your match to the skills and experience outlined in the job description. In my experience with startups, that is still necessary, but not sufficient. Today’s business world has become totally customer driven, so customer-centric and people abilities really make the difference between winners and losers.

Custom 93

Custom Customer Tool Activity 93

L.A. Business Journal

SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

Hulu to broadcast on Amazon Echo Show; FabFitFun starts live programming on Facebook; Geldmacher and Ricca join Scopely

Hulu 113

Hulu Report 113

SoCal Tech Calendar

SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

Wednesday, September 26, 2018 -- 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!

Orange County 100

Orange County Startup Ideas Entrepreneur 100

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

Santa Monica-based H Code , which provides digital advertising services around reaching the U.S. Hispanic market, says it has rolled out a new product it calls Tastemakers. According to H Code, the new product offers up a "fully integrated" digital marekting and media solution to connect brands and agencies with U.S. Hispanic consumers. The company said Tastemakers is a "multi-platform" offering which includes digital advertising, social media, and branded content, including content creation, pr

Media 124

Media Product Marketing Santa Monica 124

Xconomy

SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

Culture Shifting Weekend —a November 1-3 invitation-only summit, presented by Culture Shift Labs (CSL)—will offer a rare opportunity for leading companies and investors to meet, vet, and fund the fast-growing ecosystem of Black venture capitalists and VC firms. Hosted at Infor in New York City, Culture Shift Lab’s annual three-day event will enable institutional investors, social impact investors, corporate VCs, and the broader investment community to directly engage with this burgeo

Companies 90

Companies Company Venture Capital Capital 90