SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 3, 2018

The LA CTO Forum recently conducted a survey to find out what our Chief Technology Officer (CTO) members saw as their biggest challenges heading into 2019. We received over 250 responses that provides a pretty good insight into the top CTO challenges. The rating scale was 1-5 with: Not a challenge A small challenge Somewhat a challenge Definitely a challenge Keeps me up at night We provide both an Average and a Scaled Rating that gives much higher weight to 4s and 5s and discounts 1s and 2s.

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Chief Technology Officer Technology 208

TechCrunch LA

DECEMBER 16, 2018

Maggie Lane. Contributor. Share on Twitter. Maggie Lane is a writer and producer of virtual reality experiences and covers the industry for various publications. More posts by this contributor. Inside Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles VR Interview Experience. Does Ready Player One reveal the future of VR? You need to stop procrastinating.

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Research Los Angeles Entertainment Product 242

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 20, 2018

This week we contacted royalty licensing expert, the well-respected Arthur Lipper, asking the magic question. Why are you so strongly sold on royalty licensing as the most effective way to finance a tech-based early stage company? I asked him five important questions, which he answered, and I’ve summarized below. Since I am a proponent of using equity as a tool and he is so much opposed, this week it is his turn to make the case.

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IP Product Equity Tool 136

L.A. Business Journal

DECEMBER 19, 2018

AvantStay, a West Hollywood-based hospitality firm that provides short-term vacation rentals to groups, announced Dec. 19 it received $5 million in a round led by Menlo park investment firm Bullpen Capital.

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West Hollywood Hollywood Invest Capital 193

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

socalTECH

DECEMBER 11, 2018

Pasadena-based Calibrate Ventures , a brand new venture capital firm founded by Kevin Dunlap and Jason Schoettler, announced on Tuesday morning that it has raised $80M in its very first venture capital fund, Calibrate Ventures, L.P. According to the newly created venture capital firm, it will focus on early revenue startups, focused on companies across both the consumer and enterprise sectors.

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Dollar Shave Club Invest CalTech Funding 173

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 23, 2018

A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. My adult daughter recently visited us for a few weeks and she brought along a good friend… Alexa. My wife quickly adopted Alexa as a member of the family, relying on her for recipes, jokes, telling the time, predicting the weather and, of course, playing music. When my daughter returned to her home, my wife joked that she felt guilty because she missed Alexa nearly as much as she missed our daughter.

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Platform Technical Review Research Entertainment 100

TechCrunch LA

DECEMBER 4, 2018

One of Europe’s most popular fitness applications is poised to flourish in the U.S. market with the help of several Los Angeles-based investors. Freeletics , headquartered in Munich, Germany, is today announcing its first round of private capital after bootstrapping since 2013. The $45 million Series A was co-led by FitLab, Causeway Media Partners and JAZZ Venture Partners, with participation from Courtside Ventures, Elysian Park Ventures and ward.ventures.

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Coach Mobile Training Netflix 264

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 6, 2018

People argue over whether an entrepreneur with a sense of fairness, a desire for collegiality, a want to share the profits can succeed in the long run within a business world full of lions and tigers that eat timid entrepreneurs for lunch. Does a “good heart” diminish the chances of success? First, let’s separate the “good heart” from the issue of whether an entrepreneur is driven to succeed.

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Entrepreneur Metrics Email Organization 180

L.A. Business Journal

DECEMBER 12, 2018

Pearl Abyss Corp., based in Anyang, Gyeonggi, South Korea, announced Dec. 12 it will move from a temporary office in Irvine, Calif., to establish a full-time U.S. headquarters at the Omni Group Towers in Manhattan Beach.

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Manhattan Beach Develop Development 193

socalTECH

DECEMBER 20, 2018

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory , in Pasadena, as well as dozens of technology companies--at least one managed service provider (MSP)--have been hacked by Chinese spies, according to an indictment by the Justice Department filed on Thursday. The indictment , filed in the United States District Court Southern District of New York, accuses a state-backed hacking group of hacking into companies from at least 2006 until 2018.

Company 164

Company Companies Pasadena Research 164

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 26, 2018

Currently there is no professional certification, or standardized testing, as there is for accountants and lawyers, to see if you are ready to tackle the rigors of starting a new business. In fact, some pundits argue that the best entrepreneurs, including Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, actually dropped out of school early to start their businesses, implying a negative relationship to training.

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Entrepreneur Startup Customer Custom 104

Xconomy

DECEMBER 18, 2018

Seismic, an enterprise software company with ambitious growth plans, has raised $100 million in a Series E financing and added Microsoft chairman John W. Thompson to its board of directors. The venture investment, which the San Diego startup announced Tuesday, is one of only a few so-called mega-rounds—$100 million or more—recorded this year in the region.

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Southern California San Diego Software Invest 110

TechCrunch LA

DECEMBER 13, 2018

Apple has announced a major expansion that will see it open a new campus in North Austin and open new offices in Seattle, San Diego and Los Angeles as it bids to increase its workforce in the U.S. The firm said it intends also to significantly expand its presence in Pittsburgh, New York and Boulder, Colorado over the next three years. The Austin campus alone will cost the company $1 billion, but Apple said that the 133-acre space will generate an initial 5,000 jobs across a broad range of roles

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San Diego Los Angeles Invest Angel 260

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 27, 2018

Fifty percent of all businesses formed fail within the first two years. . There are many variations of this number since there are a number of ways to measure failure. But the number is a startling reminder that creating a business is not easy, nor is it any assurance of success. How to define “success” for a startup? After speaking with many entrepreneurs over the years, each defines success in his or her. unique way.

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Startup Entrepreneur Course Email 120

L.A. Business Journal

DECEMBER 13, 2018

Apple Inc. plans to employ 1,000 people in a new office in Culver City, the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant announced today.

Culver City 221

Culver City 221

socalTECH

DECEMBER 11, 2018

Anyone knows that word-of-mouth recommendations--whether from friends, family, or influencers--carries a huge amount of weight when you're making purchasing decisions. So, if you're a marketer, how do you track and encourage those word-of-mouth recommendations? And, if you're a social platform, is there a way to monetize all that activity happening on your service?

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San Diego Social Media Commerce Snapchat 159

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 31, 2018

In this age of constant market evolution and new technology, there is no such thing as a static business that is self-sustaining. The traditional approach of implementing stable and repeatable processes, so that your business can run itself, no longer works. Just ask former big brand companies, like Blockbuster, Kodak, Lehman Brothers, and Sears, what happened to them.

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Examples IP Acquisition Social Media 99

Xconomy

DECEMBER 19, 2018

RiverVest Venture Partners, a St. Louis, MO-based venture capital firm with additional offices in San Diego, CA, and Cleveland, OH, has raised $184.4 million for its fourth fund dedicated to investing in healthcare companies. Since its launch, RiverVest has invested in 47 companies working to develop new drugs and medical devices. Nearly half of the businesses in its portfolio have either been acquired or gone public, according to RiverVest.

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San Diego Funding Venture Capital Invest 107

TechCrunch LA

DECEMBER 12, 2018

Volvo Trucks released teaser images Wednesday of the electric trucks it plans to bring to California next year as part of a demonstration project, the latest truck manufacturer to publicize its electric plans in the state. The attraction to California is no accident. The state has set aggressive targets to improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions, particularly those generated from tailpipes.

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Long Beach Class Los Angeles Startup 218

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 27, 2018

Fifty percent of all businesses formed fail within the first two years. . There are many variations of this number since there are a number of ways to measure failure. But the number is a startling reminder that creating a business is not easy, nor is it any assurance of success. How to define “success” for a startup? After speaking with many entrepreneurs over the years, each defines success in his or her. unique way.

Startup 120

Startup Entrepreneur Course Email 120

L.A. Business Journal

DECEMBER 20, 2018

Car leasing and financing provider Fair announced Dec. 20 it completed a $385 million Series B round, led by SoftBank Group Corp. Following this round, Fair now has access to nearly a $1 billion in debt capital since its 2016 founding and has raised over $500 million in equity to date.

Equity 179

Equity Capital 179

socalTECH

DECEMBER 31, 2018

Editor's note: As we head into the new year, we've been featuring reflections on 2018 from notable investors, entrepreneurs, and others from Southern California's technology community. You'll be able to browse all of those contributions here. Here's Mike Panesis , Executive Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at California Lutheran University (CLU).

Ventura 154

Ventura Tech Coast Angels Santa Barbara Southern California 154

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2018

At some point in their life, hopefully everyone strives to be the best in their chosen profession. Most people think that being the best requires more intelligence, more training, and more experience. In reality, in business or even in sports, the evidence is conclusive that it is as much about how you think, as what you do. I saw this illustrated a while back in the classic sports book, “ Training Camp: What the Best Do Better Than Everyone Else ”, by Jon Gordon.

Entrepreneur 99

Entrepreneur Training Slides Pricing 99

Xconomy

DECEMBER 27, 2018

[ Updated 12/27/18, 9:54 am ] Manoj Saxena is bullish on artificial intelligence. As chairman of Austin, TX-based A.I. startup CognitiveScale and managing director of The Entrepreneur Fund , which makes investments in early-stage machine learning companies, Saxena believes A.I. can transform how we work and play—creating opportunities for business.

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Artificial Inteligence Tool Invest Entrepreneur 106

TechCrunch LA

DECEMBER 11, 2018

Pitching app developers with a new way to convert app browsers into actual customers, AppOnboard has raised $15 million in a new round of funding, the company said. Based in Los Angeles, AppOnboard sees itself as one of a new breed of LA startup that’s steeping itself in the local ecosystem and trying to be one of the cornerstone’s for a new technology hub in the southern California region.

Google 213

Google Los Angeles Southern California Platform 213

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 20, 2018

This week we contacted royalty licensing expert, the well-respected Arthur Lipper, asking the magic question. Why are you so strongly sold on royalty licensing as the most effective way to finance a tech-based early stage company? I asked him five important questions, which he answered, and I’ve summarized below. Since I am a proponent of using equity as a tool and he is so much opposed, this week it is his turn to make the case.

IP 120

IP Product Equity Tool 120

L.A. Business Journal

DECEMBER 5, 2018

Upfront Ventures leads $14 million MetaCX round; Axiomatic invests in Matcherino; Hyperloop Transportation Technologies links with German port authority.

Technology 193

Technology Report Invest 193

socalTECH

DECEMBER 31, 2018

Editor's note: As we head into the new year, we've been featuring reflections on 2018 from notable investors, entrepreneurs, and others from Southern California's technology community. You'll be able to browse all of those contributions here. Here's Alon Goren , founder of 805 Startups and the Crypto Invest Summit. What was the biggest lesson you learned this year?

Invest 154

Invest Southern California Startup Incubator 154

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 24, 2018

Most aspiring entrepreneurs are convinced that their idea and passion are so great that failure is not a possibility. They relate quickly to one of the big successes out there today, including Facebook, Airbnb, or Snap, and can give you a dozen reasons that they are in the same category. It’s a good way to get some inspiration, but not an accurate representation of reality.

Startup 99

Startup Competition Examples Ideas 99

Xconomy

DECEMBER 13, 2018

Udacity , a pioneer in the online teaching of IT skills, is celebrating a milestone today—50,000 students have now graduated from one of its revenue-generating “Nanodegree” programs. Launched four years ago, the Nanodegree courses allow students worldwide to gain expertise in areas such as data analytics, machine learning, and autonomous flight engineering by completing coursework that can take as little as six months.

Artificial Inteligence 105

Artificial Inteligence Company Companies Course 105

TechCrunch LA

DECEMBER 19, 2018

Elementary Robotics has raised $3.6 million in seed funding to begin building a manufacturing facility and expand its presence in Los Angeles as the city continues to grow as a hub for robotics and automation. . Earlier this year, Embodied announced a $22 million round for its personal robotics platform focused on healthcare and wellness, while InVia Robotics collected $20 million for its own take on the robotics industry.

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Los Angeles Angel Artificial Inteligence CalTech 207

Inverted Software

DECEMBER 20, 2018

At Inverted Software we pride ourselves in our unparalleled success rate, and while, according to the Standish Chaos Report 68 percent of technology projects is “improbable” meaning it failed, time and time again we keep delivering successful projects to our happy customers. If you are struggling to understand how to measure success or if you are trying to demonstrate your software project was successful, the four questions below are internally used at Inverted Software at the end of

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Screening Software Resource Product 58

L.A. Business Journal

DECEMBER 12, 2018

Four months after announcing its arrival in Long Beach, Cerritos-based Razor USA will bring shared electric scooters to LA, as well.

Cerritos 166

Cerritos Long Beach 166

socalTECH

DECEMBER 14, 2018

Los Angeles-based fintech startup FastPay , which offers up faster access to advertising revenue for media companies, said this week that it has named Michael Wehner as its General Manager and Senior Vice President of Payments. FastPay said that Wehner joins from The Rubicon Project, where he was Senior Vice President of Agency & Brand Sales. He also has served at Microsoft, IBM, and Yahoo, and has more than 20 years of sales and business development experience in the digital media area.

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IBM IBM Yahoo Advertising 154

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 23, 2018

People with a victim mentality should never be entrepreneurs. We all know the role of starting and running a business is unpredictable, and has a high risk of failure. For people with a victim mentality, this fear of failure alone will almost certainly make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. I’m sure you all know someone who is the perennial victim. The problem is that most of these people aren’t likely to accept your assessment, so it’s hard to help them.

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Satisfaction Entrepreneur Startup Help 98

Xconomy

DECEMBER 7, 2018

Why do unicorns get all the attention? Brian de Haaff wonders this sometimes, especially as compared to his own tech business, Aha. It’s not a “unicorn”—a business with a valuation of more than $1 billion—and it’s not even close. Instead, Aha is a bootstrapped startup. Founded in 2013 by de Haaff and Chris Waters in the Bay Area, the company announced in July it had surpassed $40 million in annual recurring revenue from the subscribers to its software-as-a-service.

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Sales Software Services Startup 100