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JUNE 3, 2021

Venice Beach-based Specular Theory, a developer of virtual reality training software for the U.S. Air Force, says it has received $4.5M in a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase III contract. According to the company, the funding will go towards expanding its immersive training products supporting U.S. Air Force B-52, C-17 and KC-135 aircrew training over the next three years.

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JUNE 3, 2021

Santa Barbara-based NEXT Energy Technologies, a developer of a transparent, photovoltaic coating which turns commercial windows into energy producing solar panels, has raised $13.4M in a Series C funding. The funding was led by Alon Blue Square Israel, Ltd. and also included GEAR Innovation Network, and Viracon, an architectural glass fabricator, as well as family office Rincon Advisors.

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APRIL 26, 2021

Los Angeles-based ZipRecruiter, a provider of recruiting tools for companies, has filed for an IPO, saying it is looking to raise as much as $100M in a public offering. The company, led by founder and CEO Ian Siegel, plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ZIP. The company reported net income of 86.0M on revenues of 418.14M for the year ended December 31, 2020.

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SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

San Diego-based wireless hardware maker Inseego has rolled out a new, wireless hotspots for Verizon today, sayin git has launched a second-generation, 5G hotspots for Verizon's 5G Utra Wideband network. According to Inseego, its new Inseego MiFi M2100 5G UW mobile hotspot is now available from Verizon. The company said the new hardware is aimed at use by remote workers, first responders, for AR/VR, telemedecine, gaming, and other applications.

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SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

Los Angeles-based fantasy sports site Monkey Knife Fight said this week that it has partnered with the Texas Rangers , on a promotion where the company will donate a minimum of $50,000 to the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation. The promotion involves placing cutouts of their logo, "Furious George" in the left field seating area, and donating $10,000 to the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation each time a ball from either the Rangers or the opposing team hits one of the cutouts.

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SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

Redlands-based geographical information systems (GIS) giant Esri announced this morning that it has acquired nFrames , a company that develops imagery and lidar 3D surface reconstruction software. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. According to Esri, the addition of nFrames will help its users capture and analyze 3D data from aerial, drone, and ground-based sensors. nFrames is known for SURE, a tool which helps with 3D data creation.

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SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

BayWa r.e. , a renewable energy developer and distributor with its U.S. office in Irvine, says it has acquired Enable Energy , a solar and energy storage solutions provider. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. BayWa r.e. says it will expand its solar and storage capabilities with the acquisition. Enable Energy provides engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and operations and maintenance (O&M) support, according to BayWa r.e.

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JULY 20, 2020

Hawthorne-based SpaceX has again successfully put another payload into space, this time, a military communications satellite for South Korea. The launch--which happened at 5:30pm ET--is the fastest turnaround for a Falcon 9 rocket, using the same Falcon 9 that carried NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station in May.

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MAY 13, 2020

Irvine-based Allied Esports says it is ramping its online content efforts, with new original content and production in Europe. According to the company, it will launch a new HyperX show and move its Esports Expo "Gamevention" online, as gamers and esports fans have moved online during the pandemic. The company says it is partnering with Home of Esports for creating new events online, and also noted a special effort to work with naming rights partner and fellow Orange County company HyperX titled

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MAY 13, 2020

Los Angeles-based Openpath , a developer of mobile access control systems, says it has launched a new "hands-free" feature as part of a new firmware release. According to the company, its new system lets users wave their hands in front of a reader--without touching any physical surfaces--to unlock an entry, helping building owners, managers and tenants who are looking to reduce risks for workplace re-entry.

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MAY 13, 2020

Los Angeles-based ServiceTitan , which provides software and services to the residential and commercial contracting business, says it has donated 100,000 masks to a combination of hospitals as well as essential trade businesses. The company said 30,000 of the N95 masks are going to hospitals in the Los Angeles area, includin Glendale Memorial, Glendale Adventist, Mission Community Hospital and Centinela Hospital Medical Center, and the other 70,000 are going to plumbers, electricians, HVAC techn

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MAY 13, 2020

Los Angeles-based GrowFlow , a software-as-a-service company which provides its software to the cannabis and hemp industry, has raised $8.5M in a growth financing round, the company announced on Tuesday. The funding was led by TVC Capital, and also included Bull & Bear Fund and two angel investors. As part of the funding, TVC's Jeb Spencer and Ryan McMorrow will both join the company's board.

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MAY 13, 2020

Los Angeles-based Upkeep , a developer of software used by enterprises for managing their facilities, has raised $36M in a Series B funding round, the company said this week. The funding was led by Insight Partners, and also included Emergence Capital, Battery Ventures, YCombinator, Mucker Capital, and Fundersclub. UpKeep's software is used for plant and infrastructure management.

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APRIL 15, 2020

Carlsbad-based semiconductor developer MaxLinear reports that it has scored a design win with Aviat Networks. According to MaxLinear, its chipsets are being used for Aviat's new WTM 4800 E-Band and Multi-Band Radios. MaxLinear said Aviat is using its MxL1105 CMOS transceiver along with the MxL85652 and MxL85110 modems. Shipment volumes and expected financial impact of the win were not announced.

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APRIL 15, 2020

Los Angeles-based mobile streaming video startup Quibi will not be launching a series about Venice, Californi-based Snapchat , according to a report from Variety. Quibi had said last year at SXSW that it would film a series based on the script "Frat Boy Genius" by Elissa Karasik. Variety did not say why Quibi decided to drop its plans for the series.

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APRIL 6, 2020

Worried about the environmental impact of your smartphone? Orange County-based mobile device case maker Urban Armor Gear (UAG) said this morning that it has rolled out a line of biodegradeable, compostable smart phone cases, which it says are made out of 100% compostable bio-plastic. The company said the effort came because "we care about our environment" and that it would help drive solutions towards sustainability.

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APRIL 6, 2020

Ventura-based online advertising exchange The Trade Desk says it will offer up free access to its digital advertising courseware until the end of 2020, allowing everyone from advertising industry professionals to those looking to build the required skills to enter the field. The company said it also has revamped its courseware and certification platform.

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APRIL 6, 2020

San Diego-based TurboTax said over the weekend that it has launched a new product, to help Americans register for the new stimulus payment. According to Intuit, the product is designed to help millions of Americans who are not required to file a tax return easily register with the IRS to get their stimulus money. TurboTax said that there are as many as 10 million Americans who are not required to file a tax return, which the IRS will use to determine eligibility and send individual stimulus paym

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APRIL 6, 2020

Carlsbad-based MaxLinear announced this morning that it ahs acquired Intel's Home Gateway Platform Division , in a deal worth $150M in cash. According to MaxLinear, which develops radio frequency, analog, and mixed signal integrated circuits, Intel's Home Gateway Platform Division develops Wi-fi access points, Ethernet, and Home gateway systems-on-a-chip (SoC) products.

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APRIL 6, 2020

Los Angeles-based games and entertainment content provider IGN says it is launching plans for a new series of live and on-demand gaming events, focused on games and next generation console hardware, as a result of cancellations of events such as E3 2020 and e-sports events. According to the company, it will launch a season of live broadcasts and on-demand programming with editorial coverage, beginning in early June, working with such partners as 2K, Square Enix, SEGA, Bandai Namco, Amazon, Googl

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FEBRUARY 27, 2020

Los Angeles-based RepairSmith , which offers up mobile automobile repair, has acquired CarDash , a startup which offers up car repair and maintenance services. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. CarDash offered up its service in the Bay Area, providing same-day valet service to transport cars to and from repair ships. CarDash had raised $5.3M in total funding, and came out of YCombinator in 2017.

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DECEMBER 16, 2019

Santa Monica-based VideoAmp , the advertising technology startup which is backed by Raine Group, Ankona Capital, Mediaocean, and RTL Group, has partnered with cable and set top box and DVR provider TiVo , to bolster VideoAmp's TV Viewership data pool. According to the two, the partnership extends VideoAmp's data pool to cover 25 million devices in 19 million U.S. households.

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DECEMBER 16, 2019

Vector Launch , a startup which was developing rockets for small satellite launches which had its engineering headquarters in Huntington Beach, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and will sell some of its assets to Lockheed Martin, according to legal filings from the firm on Friday. The company also has laid off most of its 150 or so staff. Vector had suspended its operations in August and parted ways with its CEO.

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NOVEMBER 15, 2019

Pasadena-based Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals said this morning that its Chief Operating Officer and head of R&D, Bruce Given, is retiring. According to the company, it has hired Javier San Martin, M.D., in the role of Chief Medical Officer, and Curt Bradshaw, Ph.D., in the role of Chief Scientific Officer, who will work with Given in a transition over the next six months; the company also said that Given will be retained in an advisory capacity for at least one year.

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NOVEMBER 15, 2019

The co-founder of San Diego-based startup MemComputing , UC San Diego professor Max Di Ventra, has received a $500,000 grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), to advance the research behind MemComputing's computing technology. According to UC San Diego, the funding will go towards exploring the use of new computing technology in the area of artificial intelligence (AI).

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NOVEMBER 15, 2019

A Federal Circuit court has upheld a decision in favor of Caltech , over a decision by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, which upheld parts of two Wi-Fi patents held by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), in a continuing battle between Caltech and Apple. The decision is the latest chapter in a lawsuit filed by Caltech in 2016 , which alleges that Apple is using Wi-Fi chips that infringe on four of Caltech's patents.

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SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

Interested in hearing more about the technology community in Orange County? A newly launched podcast, Accelerate OC , recently launched a series of interviews from Orange County innovators, trendsetters, entrepreneurs, investors and community leaders, in a live radio show and podcast. The new podcast, run by serial entrepreneur Carey Ransom , so far has included such guests as Bill Carpou, the CEO of OCTANe; Dan Rodriguez, the CEO of Kareo; Andrew Lyon, the Founding Dean of the Fowler Engineerin

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SEPTEMBER 3, 2019

Los Angeles-based electric car maker Faraday Future said this morning that it has named a new CEO, and has named Dr. Carsten Breitfeld to head up the company, with founder and CEo YT Jia becoming Chief Product & User Officer (CPUO). Dr. Breitfeld spent 20 years at BMW, and previously led BMW's i8 vehicle program as Group Vice President, in addition to co-foundering and serving as Chairman and CEO of BYTON.

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AUGUST 15, 2019

Santa Monica-based Activision Blizzard has turned to a veteran of the entertainment industry to head up its marketing efforts, saying on Thursday that it has named David Messinger, a veteran of CAA, as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Messinger previously spent more than 15 years at sports and entertainment agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA), most recentl as co-head of CAA Marketing.

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JULY 1, 2019

San Diego-based Illumina said it has filed three more, patent infringement suits, related to its fight against BGI , this time in Switzerland, Turkey, and the US. According to Illumina, it filed suit against Complete Genomics, Inc. and other BGI entities in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California alleging infringement of U.S.

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JULY 1, 2019

Hawthorne-based SpaceX is hoping to launch the very first, commercial missions for its Starship spacecraft--designed to deliver passengers to Mars--in 2021, according to the company , and is currently in talks with three companies on those missions. All three of those customers would use the new platform to send satellites into orbit. Starship and its Super Heavy launch system are eventually aimed at delivering passengers into space and an eventual mission to Mars.

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JULY 1, 2019

Los Angeles-based Verifi , a developer of financial software tools used to reduce chargebacks for merchants, has been acquired by Visa , in order to boost Visa's tools for reducing chargebacks. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced. Verifi develops dispute resolution tools used to help buyers and sellers resolve disputes. Visa said it will integrate Verifi's chargeback tools with its own risk management services, including its service delivered by CardinalCommerce and CyberSour

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JULY 1, 2019

Newport Beach-based Rocket Lab launched another set of satellites into space over the weekend, on its seventh launch of its Electron rocket. Rocket Lab places its "Make It Rain" mission into space from its launch complex in New Zealand on Saturday at 04:30 UTC, deploying a payload of satellites booked onto the rocket by satellite ride sharing company Spaceflight.

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JULY 1, 2019

San Diego-based Biological Dynamics , a startup that is developing a biomarker testing platform which is smartphone-enabled for use in countries with limited access to testing labs, says it has received a grant award from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Amount of that award was not announced. According to Biological Dynamics, it is results from point-of-care tests with smartphone data, specifically to help improve healthcare in countries with limited access to sophisticated laboratory t

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JULY 1, 2019

What if you could reate a roaming band of autonomous, ocean going robots, to help clean up the problem of plastic in our oceans? San Diego-based FreeGen Technologies has developed robot technology which is aimed at automatically cleaning up trash, especially plastic, from the ocean using a fleet of cooperative robots. The company's founders, Saakib Akbany (CEO) and Casey Fitzpatrick (CTO), spoke with us about what the very early stage startup is hoping to do.

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JUNE 13, 2019

San Diego-based Atlazo , a startup developing systems-on-a-chip (SoC) semiconductors aimed at used in healthcare and Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications, has raised $3.4M in a seed funding round. The funding round was led by the Tech Coast Angels, and the TCA's San Diego chapter. According to the TCA, its angel network members invested $2.5M in the round.

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JUNE 13, 2019

The acquisition by Santa Monica-based Bird of fellow on-demand, scooter service operator Scoot Networks , was worth a mere $25M , according to the WSJ. Bird--which announced the acquisition of Scoot on Wednesday--did not disclose financial details of the deal. However, the WSJ said "people familiar with the matter" said the deal only was worth $25M, significantly below the $70M valuation of Scoot Networks as of its last funding round.

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