Sat.Oct 08, 2016 - Fri.Oct 14, 2016

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Venture Capital is About Human Capital

Both Sides of the Table

Gregg Johnson, CEO of Invoca For the first 5 years or so after I became a VC I didn’t talk much about what I thought a VC should be excellent at since frankly I wasn’t sure. I was mostly doing my job and trying to figure out how to be better every day. After a decade on the job I’ve started to speak more openly when newer industry colleagues now ask me what I’ve learned.

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Los Angeles is a transportation tech powerhouse

TechCrunch LA

Los Angeles is famous for two things: entertainment and traffic. Back in the 1950s, any association with “stars” and “cars” would be the envy of any modern city. But today, that’s sometimes overshadowed by images of aggressive paparazzi and gridlocked freeways. But when it comes to transportation, there might be more to LA than just bloated commute times.

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How to battle the dragon AND avoid the encounter.

Berkonomics

Sometimes a competitor is just too entrenched, too strong, too well equipped to directly face in battle. At least that is the conventional wisdom. Yet, there are constant examples of new entrants into a niche that grow, prosper and sometimes even become dominant. So when do we know which course to take? Quietly abandon a niche? Refuse to engage?

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MoneyTree Report: Southern California Q3 Venture Totals Drop To $663.27M

socalTECH

Southern California's venture capital totals dropped significantly in Q3 of 2016, to a mere $663.2M in funding, according to the latest numbers from the PricewaterhouseCoopers MoneyTree report, based on data from Thomson Reuters. According to the report, there were 71 deals worth a total of $663.2M in funding in Q3, down from the much larger, $2.5 billion in funding received in the region in Q2.

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Can You Ask for Office Rent Relief? How to Manage Your Lease During COVID-19

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.

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SPECIAL REPORT: Tech Industry Charges Up Office Market

L.A. Business Journal

The L.A. office market saw a solid third quarter, with the vacancy rate narrowing to 14.8 percent from 16.2 percent in the same period last year, according to data from Jones Lang LaSalle.

Marketing 228
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Siemer Summit

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, October 19, 2016 -- Siemer Summit. Invite only. The Siemer Summit draws notable attendees from around the world for two days of unique presentations and relationship building with key players in the software and digital media industry.

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More Trending

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YouMail Aims To Halt Robocalls In Any App With New API

socalTECH

Irvine-based enhanced voicemail developer YouMail , in a move to extend the technology it has developed for its own apps, has opened up a new API to the company's robocall blocking technology to third parties the company said on Tuesday. YouMail said has launched a new application programming interface (API) which will allow telecom carriers, private branch exchange (PBX) providers, and third-party developers to determine if a phone number is a robocaller--all based on its database of hundreds o

Mobile 171
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SolarReserve to Build $5B Thermal Solar Project in Nevada

L.A. Business Journal

SolarReserve announced on Tuesday that it would build ten solar thermal plants on a Nye County site about 225 miles northwest of Las Vegas for $5 billion.

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Attend Innovate Pasadena?s Connect Week 16

SoCal Tech Calendar

Sunday, October 16, 2016 -- Attend Innovate Pasadena’s Connect Week 16. Innovate Pasadena, a community organization dedicated to advancing greater Pasadena as a hub of technology and design innovation, presents its third annual Connect Week, a series of independently organized seminars, workshops and social events taking place across the city. Attendees have the opportunity to enhance their innovation game and learn more about design trends, local startups, nanotechnology, growth hacking, coding

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Echo Labs Wins “Quick Pitch” Contest with Digital Hybrid Microscope

Xconomy

By popular acclaim, San Diego-based Echo Laboratories founder Eugene Cho claimed top honors, and a $15,000 check, for his two-minute presentation last week in the 10th annual “Quick Pitch” competition, hosted by San Diego’s Tech Coast Angels. Echo Labs’ hybrid microscope. Cho made his case for Revolve, a digital instrument created for biology labs that combines the features of an upright microscope (for viewing glass slides) and an inverted microscope (for viewing live samples in a petri d

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IDrive Revamps RemotePC

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based IDrive said last week that it has "revamped" its RemotePC remote access solution, with a brand new user interface, faster file transfer, and more. IDrive--which provides online storage and backup services--said the remote access software works for both PCs and Macs, and also can be accessed via iOS and Android devices. The tool starts at $49.50 for the year.

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Solar Firm Plans Record-Breaking Hot Property

L.A. Business Journal

SolarReserve last week announced it is aiming to build a $5 billion, 10-tower solar thermal project – the largest such facility in the world – on a plot of land in Nye County, about 225 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

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IEEE Technology Time Machine

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, October 20, 2016 -- The IEEE Technology Time Machine (TTM) is IEEE’s flagship symposium on future technology directions. The overall theme of TTM 2016 is “Making the Future.” Building upon IEEE’s major technology initiatives, TTM 2016 will bring together high level renowned experts from research and industry to provide an overview of these technologies and explore how they may be leveraged towards “making the future” through their research, products and services.

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How Doctors Think About Drug Prices

Xconomy

There are a lot of factors involved in drug pricing that don’t enter my head when I’m seeing a patient. The three letters “PBM,” for example (pharmacy benefit manager), have never crossed my mind when I’m writing a prescription. Nor has the word “rebate.” Or the phrase “pay for delay.” Or “marketing exclusivity.”. Basically, I only care about two things: (1) Is there a good drug available to treat my patient’s condition, and (2) Can my patient afford that drug.

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Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator Officially Opens Cleantech Hub

socalTECH

The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) has officially opened up its La Kretz Innovation Campus , its own building at 5th and Hewitt Street, the incubator said on Friday. The LACI--which is run by the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Department of water & Power, officially cut the ribbon on its new building, which is situated on 3.2 acres and includes 60,000 square feet of office space.

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Labels Pursue Video Payback

L.A. Business Journal

Record labels’ piracy lawsuit could be a tune-up in the fight against converting videos into MP3s.

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Small Business Breakfast Series: How to Build a Brand with Authentic Storytelling

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, October 20, 2016 -- GAN-LA Presents Small Business Breakfast Series: How to Build a Brand with Authentic Storytelling. Join us at the Pepperdine West Los Angeles Graduate Campus and learn invaluable information about what it means to be an entrepreneur. Breakfast provided. Consumers these days are looking to connect with companies on a much deeper level.

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San Diego Startups Raise $287M in Third Quarter, and Top 10 Deals

Xconomy

Venture Capital investments in San Diego startups fell by roughly a third during the three months that ended September 30, according to data released recently by Seattle-based PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association. VC firms invested $280.6 million in 49 startups in San Diego County during the third quarter, according to a breakout of data provided by PitchBook as part of the inaugural “Venture Monitor” report.

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FameBit Acquired By Google

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based FameBit , the online marketplace which helps brands connect with YouTube influencers, has been acquired by Google , the company's backer--Science--announced on Tuesday afternoon. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. Famebit-- founded by David Kierzkowski and Agnes Kozera--first received funding from Science in 2014.

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Kobe Bryant’s Partner Courted Controversy

L.A. Business Journal

A previous firm of Kobe Bryant’s venture capital partner Jeff Stibel netted several lawsuits with its business practices.

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Los Advertising Professionals Mix Mingle Network

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, October 18, 2016 -- Los Advertising Professionals Mix Mingle Network. Mix, mingle, and network with other advertising professionals. Find partners, meet new people, and do deals. See https://www.eventbrite.com/e/los-advertising-professionals-mix-mingle-network-tickets-28066064354.

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How To Master Business Decisions And Problem Solving

Startup Professionals Musings

One of the most important skills for every entrepreneur is timely and effective decision making. In a startup, any decision is better than no decision. One of the primary roles of every founder is to solve problems, make a decision, and manage the decision to results. The best entrepreneurs relish this role, while others struggle mightily and ultimately lose their health and their company.

Startup 106
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Three LA Companies Selected For Commerce.Innovated Accelerator

socalTECH

Three, Los Angeles area companies have been selected for a accelerator being run by Silicon Valley Bank and Mastercard, the companies announced this morning. SVB and Mastercard said it selected six startups for its Commerce.Innovated virtual accelerator, which is aimed at helping commerce, payments and fintech startups grow their businesses, including Santa Monica's Domuso , Santa Monica-based Earny , and Burbank-based Papaya.

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Silicon Beach Report Oct. 12: SolarReserve to Build $5B Thermal Solar Project in Nevada

L.A. Business Journal

SolarReserve to build $5 billion thermal solar project in Nevada, Snapchat picks Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs for IPO, Pluto TV Raises $30 million, and more.

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Linkedin and IBM Watson presentation

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, October 18, 2016 -- Linkedin and IBM Watson presentation. AA-ISP. Join local Inside Sales leaders: Scott Tretsky, Ken McAnall and Joshua Pittman on Wednesday, October 19th. The meeting will be held at Oracle's Santa Monica office. Joined by guest speakers: Neil Sahota of IBM to discuss cognitive computing solutions (e.g. IBM Watson) and illustrate why organizations need to develop Sales Professionals who can use these types of solutions for a best fit customer experience and Steve Sande

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Some Business People Talk While Smarter Ones Listen

Startup Professionals Musings

As a business advisor, I certainly recognize the need for talking to make an investment case, close a sale, or communicate with your team. I also recognize the need for active listening. The challenge is to know when it’s time to switch from one to the other. You can’t learn anything new while you’re talking, yet many business professionals and entrepreneurs seem to never stop.

Activity 104
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Atari's Nolan Bushnell Launches Virtual Reality Startup, Modal VR

socalTECH

Nolan Bushnell , the longtime serial entrepreneur who founded Atari and Chuck E. Cheese, has launched another new company, this time in the virtual reality area. Bushnell's newest company, Modal VR , is aimed at the enterprise, virtual reality market, and will offer up both hardware and software for full body tracking and interaction in a VR environment.

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Famebit Acquired by Google

L.A. Business Journal

Multichannel media network Famebit has been acquired by Google for an undisclosed amount.

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TCOSC Special Networking Event

SoCal Tech Calendar

Monday, October 17, 2016 -- TCOSC Special Networking Event. Senior executives representing technology, media and e-commerce firms in Southern California will gather together to officially re-launch the TechCouncil of Southern California (TCOSC) as a chapter of SIIA’s Software and Services Division (SSD) of SIIA (The Software and Information Industry Association).

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A Positive Business Strategy Is Key To Success Today

Startup Professionals Musings

Does your business have a visible positive strategy, or do your customers and employees still see your primary focus as closing more sales and killing competitors? Certainly that has been the strategy of many companies, and has worked in the past, but today’s customers and workers are looking for more. They want relationships, positive experiences, and a win-win for society.

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Ingenu Deploys M2M Network In Tampa Bay, Florida

socalTECH

San Diego-based machine-to-machine networking provider Ingenu said Thursday that it has launched an M2M network in Tampa Bay, Florida, to help support environmental monitoring, logistics and transportation, smart city and smart grid applications. According to Ingenu, it is serving the entire 2,500 mile Tampa Bay network area with 16 access points to its RPMA (Random Phase Multiple Access) communications technology network.

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Silicon Beach Report Oct. 13: Hyperloop One Raises $50 Million

L.A. Business Journal

Hyperloop One raises $50 million, Soylent tells customers to throw away vomit-inducing bars, Atari’s Nolan Bushnell launches virtual reality company, and more.

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Collaboration of Brilliant Entrepreneurs Premiere Program Launch for Startups and Established Ventures

SoCal Tech Calendar

Friday, October 14, 2016 -- Collaboration of Brilliant Entrepreneurs Premiere Program Launch for Startups and Established Ventures. Create, Innovate and Elevate. The COBE quarterly experience is offered to committed entrepreneurs in a peer collaboration environment to make significant growth transformations personally and professionally. Avoid burnout, change the work-harder mindset, learn how to delegate, improve inner personal skills and increase self-awareness and emotional intelligence throu

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7 Startup Scenarios That May Be Judged Non-Fundable

Startup Professionals Musings

If you aren’t willing to take some risk as an entrepreneur, then don’t expect any gain. Yet everyone has limits, and every investor implicitly has similar limits on what makes a startup investable, or one to avoid at all costs. If you need investors, it’s important that you understand their filters, and even if you are funding your own efforts, you need to recognize the red flags.

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Akriveia Therapeutics Raises $7.5M

socalTECH

Thousand Oaks-based Akriveia Therapeutics , a biotechnology startup focused on immuno-oncology, announced this morning that it has raised $7.5M in a Series A investment. The investment came from F-Prime Capital Partners. Akriveia Therapeutics said it is developing immunotherapeutic products that are specifically activated in the microenvironment of the tumor.

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Silicon Beach Report Oct. 11: Snapchat Courting Hollywood Producers

L.A. Business Journal

Snapchat courting Hollywood producers, SpaceX expects to launch again by the end of the year, and FameBit acquired by Google.

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