INDUSTRY INSIGHTS YOUR PEERS ARE READING
Apple Inc. plans to employ 1,000 people in a new office in Culver City, the Cupertino, Calif.-based based tech giant announced today MORE
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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. MORE
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. MORE
Lyft is turning its app into a one-stop multimodal transportation app in a few U.S. MORE
San Diego-based artificial intelligence software developer Brain Corp says it has linked up with processor developer NVIDIA , to power its latest product, an earlier announced commercial vacuum cleaner from SoftBank Robotics. According to Brain, it selected NVIDIA's Jetson to run its software for its self-driving robot technology, which SoftBank Robotics is rolling out to commercial customers in Japan next year. MORE
Too many startup businesses, especially in the technology world, are built upon brand new concepts that have not yet been proven in the field against products from other companies that already have revenues flowing. MORE
Los Angeles-based mobile app developer Jam City says the classic Dr. Seuss character, The Grinch , is crashing its popular Panda Pop again this year, as a special holiday collaboration with Dr. Seuss Enterprises and White Space Entertainment. According to Jam City, The Grinch will be featured in special artwork, events, and prizes through December in its bubble shooter game, as well as events and activities for its players. MORE
Mojave-based Virgin Galactic , the spaceflight and space tourism company founded by Sir Richard Branson, has returned to space , after its fourth test flight on Thursday. According to Virgin Galactic, the SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity landed successfully after reaching 51.4 miles above the earth, reaching speeds of three times the speed of sound above Mojave. MORE
Carlsbad-based Medsphere Systems Corporation , a provider of healthcare information technology solutions and services, annoucned this morning that it has raised $32M in a funding round. The funding came from Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital and East West Bank. Medsphere, which is led by president and CEO Irv Lichtenwald, offers up a subscription-based electronic health record, charting, and other software, in addition to providing healthcare IT consulting, service desk, and other services. MORE
Venice, California-based startup Vyng , which develops software which turns calls from friends into cute "video ringtones" that show up on your lock screen when a friend calls, has raised $4M in a funding round, the company said on Thursday. Vyng said it raised $4M in its Series A funding, which was led by Omidyar Network India, and also included March Capital Partners, Alpha Edison, and the Entrepreneur Fund. MORE
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 MORE
In another big, software acquisition for California's Central Coast, Paso Robles-based IQMS , a developer of ERP software for the engineering and manufacturing industry, has been acquired by French software giant Dassault Systemes. Dassault said that it is paying $425M in cash for IQMS, in order to extend its solutions to business operations for small and midsized manufacturers. IQMS develops manufacturing ERP software which are used by manufacturers to manage their business processes. MORE
Costa Mesa-based Veritone , a developer of artificial intelligence software, said it has received an unsolicited acquisition bid from private equity firm Apis Capital Management. According to Veritone, Apis has offered to acquire all of its outstanding shares for $10.26 per share in cash. Veritone said the proposal is an increase from an earlier offer to pay $8.00 per share in cash for the company, which it received on December 4th from Apis. MORE
Los Angeles-based 8minuteenergy Renewables , a private solar and energy storage developer, said it has entered into a joint venture with J.P. Morgan Asset Management and an affiliate of Upper Bay Infrastructure Partners , which will provide over $200M in capital for 8minutenergy's pipeline of products. According to the firms, the joint venture will support 8minuteenergy's 10.7 gigawatt pipeline of projects. 8minuteenergy builds utility-scale solar projects. MORE
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? MORE
Four months after announcing its arrival in Long Beach, Cerritos-based Razor USA will bring shared electric scooters to LA, as well MORE
Elon Musk , the technology mogul behind SpaceX and Tesla Motors, apparently is continuing his disparagement of the Securities and Exchange Commission , this time on an interview with 60 Minutes. In an interview, aired over the weekend, Elon Musk says "I want to be clear. I do not respect the SEC. I do not respect them." Musk and Tesla settled a lawsuit by the SEC in October, settling charges brought by the SEC over disclosure controls and procedures around Musk's tweets. MORE
Mobile app demo and analytics platform AppOnboard Inc., based in Santa Monica, announced Dec. 11 it completed a $15 million series B funding round led by Breakaway Growth Fund, bringing its total 2018 fundraising to $30 million. To date, AppOnboard has raised $35 million MORE
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. MORE
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. MORE
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. MORE
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. MORE
Hawthorne-based SpaceX , in an attempt to further hone its technology to be able to catch the rocket fairings off of its spacecraft, was running a test on Monday afternoon off the back side of Catalina Island, dropping that fairing to Mr. Steven, its fairing-catching marine vessel. According to both aircraft and marine traffic tracking systems, SpaceX made its latest drop at around 2:30pm, letting go of its fairing from 10,800 feet. MORE
Santa Monica-based Ring has just received a patent on adding facial recognition to its cameras--allowing some future version of the camera to automtically call police on a "suspicious" subject--in a move that has raised alarms among privacy and social advocates. MORE
San Antonio — When it comes to medical technology, what’s good for the military isn’t always good for the private sector. It’s often difficult for military researchers to find investors who will help them privately commercialize the innovations they develop, in part because the duties of military physicians are different than those of civilian doctors. That’s the case when it comes to both treating patients and working with others to develop new healthcare tools. MORE
Burbank-based Disney has made a $15M investment in Norwegian educational and learning games developer Kahoot , Kahoot said Friday, in a deal which grows Disney's stake in the company. Kahoot--which was part of the Disney Accelerator in Burbank back in 2017--revolves around user-created quizzes, which people set up and share with other users. READ MORE>>. kahoot disney venture capital educaitonal learning software game games MORE
Los Angeles-based Faraday Future CEO Jia Yueting's stake in the compan has been frozen by a court ruling, along with a number of mansions he owns in California, as a result of a courtroom battle with a lender. The lawsuit, filed by Shanghai Lan Cai Asset Management Co, Ltd. , is over a $7M loan given to another of Jia Yueting's companies, LeTV, back in 2016. Faraday Future has been swirling the drain for months, as its biggest investor, Evergrande pulled its support for the company. MORE
Irvine-based cybersecurity software developer Cylance has launched a new service, intended to help companies patch the inability to fill the holes they have in the cybersecurity area, which will provide a "virtual Chief Information Security Officer" (CISO). MORE
Wednesday, December 12, 2018 -- Digital Family Reunion. Please join us for the 11th Annual Digital Family Reunion, the premier holiday party celebrating LA's vibrant technology community. Come reconnect with old friends and enjoy quality networking with fellow technology, media and finance professionals from across biotech, martech, fintech, blockchain, healthtech, IoT, big data, VR, AR, AI, entertainment and more. See [link] (more MORE
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.
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 based tech giant announced today
Berkonomics
DECEMBER 13, 2018
Too many startup businesses, especially in the technology world, are built upon brand new concepts that have not yet been proven in the field against products from other companies that already have revenues flowing.
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.
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.
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.
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
DECEMBER 13, 2018
Wednesday, December 19, 2018 -- 2018 ACG 101 Holiday Reception and Spark of Love Toy Drive. ACG 101 Corridor Chapter. See [link] (more
socalTECH
DECEMBER 14, 2018
Santa Monica-based Ring has just received a patent on adding facial recognition to its cameras--allowing some future version of the camera to automtically call police on a "suspicious" subject--in a move that has raised alarms among privacy and social advocates.
Xconomy
DECEMBER 10, 2018
San Antonio — When it comes to medical technology, what’s good for the military isn’t always good for the private sector. It’s often difficult for military researchers to find investors who will help them privately commercialize the innovations they develop, in part because the duties of military physicians are different than those of civilian doctors. That’s the case when it comes to both treating patients and working with others to develop new healthcare tools.
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.
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
SoCal Tech Calendar
DECEMBER 10, 2018
Wednesday, December 12, 2018 -- Digital Family Reunion. Please join us for the 11th Annual Digital Family Reunion, the premier holiday party celebrating LA's vibrant technology community. Come reconnect with old friends and enjoy quality networking with fellow technology, media and finance professionals from across biotech, martech, fintech, blockchain, healthtech, IoT, big data, VR, AR, AI, entertainment and more. See [link] (more
socalTECH
DECEMBER 14, 2018
Irvine-based cybersecurity software developer Cylance has launched a new service, intended to help companies patch the inability to fill the holes they have in the cybersecurity area, which will provide a "virtual Chief Information Security Officer" (CISO).
Xconomy
DECEMBER 11, 2018
Doctors and other caregivers have a new weapon to combat the opioid epidemic. But it’s not a pharmaceutical drug—it’s a mobile app.
TechCrunch LA
DECEMBER 13, 2018
Lyft is turning its app into a one-stop multimodal transportation app in a few U.S.
L.A. Business Journal
DECEMBER 11, 2018
Mobile app demo and analytics platform AppOnboard Inc., based in Santa Monica, announced Dec. 11 it completed a $15 million series B funding round led by Breakaway Growth Fund, bringing its total 2018 fundraising to $30 million. To date, AppOnboard has raised $35 million
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.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 14, 2018
Los Angeles-based mobile app developer Jam City says the classic Dr. Seuss character, The Grinch , is crashing its popular Panda Pop again this year, as a special holiday collaboration with Dr. Seuss Enterprises and White Space Entertainment. According to Jam City, The Grinch will be featured in special artwork, events, and prizes through December in its bubble shooter game, as well as events and activities for its players.
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?
socalTECH
DECEMBER 13, 2018
Mojave-based Virgin Galactic , the spaceflight and space tourism company founded by Sir Richard Branson, has returned to space , after its fourth test flight on Thursday. According to Virgin Galactic, the SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity landed successfully after reaching 51.4 miles above the earth, reaching speeds of three times the speed of sound above Mojave.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 13, 2018
Venice, California-based startup Vyng , which develops software which turns calls from friends into cute "video ringtones" that show up on your lock screen when a friend calls, has raised $4M in a funding round, the company said on Thursday. Vyng said it raised $4M in its Series A funding, which was led by Omidyar Network India, and also included March Capital Partners, Alpha Edison, and the Entrepreneur Fund.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 13, 2018
San Diego-based artificial intelligence software developer Brain Corp says it has linked up with processor developer NVIDIA , to power its latest product, an earlier announced commercial vacuum cleaner from SoftBank Robotics. According to Brain, it selected NVIDIA's Jetson to run its software for its self-driving robot technology, which SoftBank Robotics is rolling out to commercial customers in Japan next year.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 13, 2018
Carlsbad-based Medsphere Systems Corporation , a provider of healthcare information technology solutions and services, annoucned this morning that it has raised $32M in a funding round. The funding came from Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital and East West Bank. Medsphere, which is led by president and CEO Irv Lichtenwald, offers up a subscription-based electronic health record, charting, and other software, in addition to providing healthcare IT consulting, service desk, and other services.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 11, 2018
In another big, software acquisition for California's Central Coast, Paso Robles-based IQMS , a developer of ERP software for the engineering and manufacturing industry, has been acquired by French software giant Dassault Systemes. Dassault said that it is paying $425M in cash for IQMS, in order to extend its solutions to business operations for small and midsized manufacturers. IQMS develops manufacturing ERP software which are used by manufacturers to manage their business processes.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 11, 2018
Costa Mesa-based Veritone , a developer of artificial intelligence software, said it has received an unsolicited acquisition bid from private equity firm Apis Capital Management. According to Veritone, Apis has offered to acquire all of its outstanding shares for $10.26 per share in cash. Veritone said the proposal is an increase from an earlier offer to pay $8.00 per share in cash for the company, which it received on December 4th from Apis.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 11, 2018
Los Angeles-based 8minuteenergy Renewables , a private solar and energy storage developer, said it has entered into a joint venture with J.P. Morgan Asset Management and an affiliate of Upper Bay Infrastructure Partners , which will provide over $200M in capital for 8minutenergy's pipeline of products. According to the firms, the joint venture will support 8minuteenergy's 10.7 gigawatt pipeline of projects. 8minuteenergy builds utility-scale solar projects.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 10, 2018
Hawthorne-based SpaceX , in an attempt to further hone its technology to be able to catch the rocket fairings off of its spacecraft, was running a test on Monday afternoon off the back side of Catalina Island, dropping that fairing to Mr. Steven, its fairing-catching marine vessel. According to both aircraft and marine traffic tracking systems, SpaceX made its latest drop at around 2:30pm, letting go of its fairing from 10,800 feet.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 10, 2018
Elon Musk , the technology mogul behind SpaceX and Tesla Motors, apparently is continuing his disparagement of the Securities and Exchange Commission , this time on an interview with 60 Minutes. In an interview, aired over the weekend, Elon Musk says "I want to be clear. I do not respect the SEC. I do not respect them." Musk and Tesla settled a lawsuit by the SEC in October, settling charges brought by the SEC over disclosure controls and procedures around Musk's tweets.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 14, 2018
Burbank-based Disney has made a $15M investment in Norwegian educational and learning games developer Kahoot , Kahoot said Friday, in a deal which grows Disney's stake in the company. Kahoot--which was part of the Disney Accelerator in Burbank back in 2017--revolves around user-created quizzes, which people set up and share with other users. READ MORE>>. kahoot disney venture capital educaitonal learning software game games
socalTECH
DECEMBER 14, 2018
Los Angeles-based Faraday Future CEO Jia Yueting's stake in the compan has been frozen by a court ruling, along with a number of mansions he owns in California, as a result of a courtroom battle with a lender. The lawsuit, filed by Shanghai Lan Cai Asset Management Co, Ltd. , is over a $7M loan given to another of Jia Yueting's companies, LeTV, back in 2016. Faraday Future has been swirling the drain for months, as its biggest investor, Evergrande pulled its support for the company.
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