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.

SpaceX 133

SpaceX Hawthorne Technology 133

L.A. Business Journal

DECEMBER 10, 2018

3D and visual technology developer RealD Inc. announced Monday it signed a deal with Beijing, China-based Wanda Cinema Line Corp. to install RealD 3D film screens into 100 of its theaters across China.

Screening 113

Screening Technology Develop Development 113

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.

Technical Review 133

Technical Review SpaceX Technology 133

L.A. Business Journal

DECEMBER 10, 2018

Mobile advertising firm Maple Media announced Monday it acquired the intellectual property rights to San Francisco-based game developer Banana & Co.’s game portfolio.

Media 113

Media Advertising Mobile Develop 113

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 10, 2018

Santa Barbara-based Sonos said on Monday that it has named a new Chief Legal Officer. According to the firm, Eddie Lazarus, who was most recently General Counsel and Chief Strategy Officer for Tribune Media Company from 2013 to 2018, will join the company in Santa Barbara on January 2nd. Sonos said Lazarus will head up all legal, corporate governance, SEC reporting, government affairs, regulatory and compliance activities across Sonos' global operations.

Santa Barbara 113

Santa Barbara Los Angeles Activity Report 113

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.

Entertainment 100

Entertainment Media Networking Technology 100

L.A. Business Journal

DECEMBER 10, 2018

Snap Inc., based in Santa Monica, announced Dec. 10 Julie Henderson will join the social-focused camera company as chief communications officer.

Santa Monica 113

Santa Monica Company Companies 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 10, 2018

Costa Mesa-based venture capital investor CerraCap Ventures says it has seen an exit out of its investment portfolio, saying that the sale of digital gifting and exchange company Swych resulted in a 4.3X return for the firm in less than two years. Swytch was a developer of digital gift card and mobile gifting apps, and was acquired about four weeks ago by a company called Finablr.

Venture Capital 113

Venture Capital Mobile Sales Funding 113

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.

Research 111

Research Tool Help Technology 111

socalTECH

DECEMBER 10, 2018

San Diego-based Qualcomm has laid of 125 employees in San Diego, part of a contingent of 269 employees laid off across the company in its data center processor business, according to a report this morning. According to the report, the layoffs come as Qualcomm has been winding down its data center unit, which now apparently only has around 50 employees--down from nearly 1,000 earlier this year.

San Diego 113

San Diego Report Layoffs Company 113

L.A. Business Journal

DECEMBER 10, 2018

RealD signs China deal; Katzenberg details Quibi plans; TrueCar buys DataScience

Truecar 100

Truecar Report 100

socalTECH

DECEMBER 10, 2018

Carlsbad-based satellite communications provider Viasat says it has just hit 1,000 commercial aircraft using its in-flight wireless communications systems. According to Viasat, more than 400 of those installs were installed in 2018, with more than half of those installed in the second half of the year. Viasat offers up a satellite-based, high speed Internet service.

Services 113

Services 113

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 10, 2018

Most entrepreneurs see their new venture as a fun adventure, until the pressures of a cash flow crisis, or a manufacturing quality problem, or a major customer satisfaction problem hits. Even with all my years of experience mentoring in business, I can’t predict how you will prepare for and react to pressure situations. I wish I could, since these often make or break your business future.

Startup 82

Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur Mentor 82

socalTECH

DECEMBER 10, 2018

San Diego-based venture studio Analytics Ventures announced this morning that it has launched a new company out of its venture studio, AlphaTrAI , a new online automated stock trading platform which it says uses artificial intelligence along with "multiple sophisticated trading strategies" to automatically trade stocks. Financial details of the investment in AlphaTrAI were not announced.

Artificial Inteligence 113

Artificial Inteligence Company Companies San Diego 113

Xconomy

DECEMBER 10, 2018

The IPO of any private company comes as the resolution of a mystery, as closely-held details about its financial performance and strategies are revealed. But the suspense is heightened in the case of San Francisco-based companies Uber and Lyft , which pioneered the huge ride-hailing industry but have yet to come close to turning a profit. Market observers may be awaiting their disclosures as eagerly as political junkies longing to learn the findings of Robert Mueller’s investigation of President

Marketing 74

Marketing Venture Capital San Diego Company 74

socalTECH

DECEMBER 10, 2018

Santa Monica-based TrueCar announced on Friday that it acquired DealerScience , a developer of digital retailing software for the automotive industry. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced. DealerScience was based in Boston, and has 28 employees. According to TrueCar, DealerScience will become a subsidiary of the company, and will focus on product development, sales and customer training.

Truecar 113

Truecar Santa Monica Training Email 113

Xconomy

DECEMBER 10, 2018

Qualcomm announced a win Monday in its ongoing and multijurisdictional legal battle with Apple. The San Diego chipmaker said a Chinese court has ordered four Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) subsidiaries in China to stop the sale and import of seven iPhone models in that country. Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM ) said the court had granted two preliminary injunctions against the subsidiaries over patents the San Diego company said Apple had violated.

Sales 45

Sales San Diego Patents Screening 45

Xconomy

DECEMBER 10, 2018

ASG Technologies, the Florida-based software company backed by activist hedge fund Elliott Management, has upped its offer for San Diego’s Mitek Systems to $11.50 per share from $10 apiece. That’s according to a Nov. 26 letter the Florida-based software company made public Monday. The stock price of Mitek (NASDAQ:MITK) rose nearly 9 percent on the news, closing at $9.75.

Pricing 43

Pricing Acquisition News Software 43