socalTECH

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

San Diego-based biotech startup ViaCyte , which is developing human cell therapy for treating diabetes, says it has raised $80M in a Series D funding round. The funding was led by Bain Capital Life Sciences, and also included TPG, RA Capital Management, Sanderling Ventures, plus angels. According to the company, the funding will go to advance its stem cell-derived islet replacement therapies, which are aimed at curing patients with type 1 diabetes, and also treat patients with type 2 diabetes wh

Funding 187

Funding San Diego Capital Help 187

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

Thursday, December 6, 2018 -- LA Auto Show.Last year, the global show had 1,000 of the latest models, vehicle debuts, and concept cars on display and this year, the expectation is no different.

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socalTECH

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

NASA has a big message for Elon Musk , the technology mogul behind Los Angeles-based rocket firm SpaceX : smoke marijuana on a podcast again, and SpaceX will lose its opportunity to launch astronauts into space. According to The Atlantic, NASA administrator James Bridenstine specifically launched a safety review of SpaceX due to Musk's antics on the Joe Rogan Experience, where he smoked marijuana and drank whiskey on a podcast.

Technical Review 157

Technical Review SpaceX Organization Examples 157

L.A. Business Journal

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

NationBuilder’s Jim Gilliam passes away; Grindr president addresses homophobic statement; Faraday Future facing bankruptcy

Report 100

Report 100

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

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

Los Angeles-based NationBuilder , which develops software that helps groups, political campaigns, nonprofits, and others manage their their supporters, donors, and members, reported on Friday that its founder, Jim Gilliam , has passed away. The company said that Gilliam had learned earlier in the year that he had cancer, and despite radiation and chemo, recently acquired an infection which led to his death on Friday.

Los Angeles 113

Los Angeles Report Software Networking 113

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

One of the biggest challenges I have as an advisor to tech entrepreneurs is to convince you that marketing is required for your product, no matter how great it is, just to get it found with today’s information overload. A comparable problem is to get entrepreneurs to market themselves, for the same reason. Your abilities will be lost in the crowd, because competence doesn’t speak for itself.

News 91

News Startup Education Training 91

Xconomy

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

As GM announced a wave of auto plant closures in the North American heartland this week at the cost of thousands of jobs, Sweden’s Volvo Cars was expanding its U.S. presence, both in Silicon Valley and at a new South Carolina factory. Like Detroit-based GM (NYSE: GM ), which is shifting its attention from traditional auto manufacturing to projects like its self-driving car unit Cruise—a San Francisco startup GM bought in 2016—Volvo Cars is one of the flock of established carmakers

Mobile 79

Mobile Startup Venture Capital San Diego 79

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

Western Digital Corp. , the storage and memory manufacturer which has significant operations in Orange County, said late Thursday that it has added two new members of its board of directors. According to the company, it added both Kimberly Alexy and Stephanie Streeter to its board. Alexy is founder of private investment fund Alexy Capital Management, and also sites on the boards of Alteryx, CalAmp, FireEye, and Five9.

Orange County 113

Orange County Sites Invest Capital 113

Xconomy

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

Elliott Management, a New York-based activist hedge fund, has had San Diego-based Mitek Systems in its crosshairs for months. In October, Elliott subsidiary ASG Technologies Group publicly “ reaffirmed ” an offer to buy Mitek (NASDAQ: MITK ) at $10 per share—an unsolicited proposal that it said Mitek had previously rebuffed, claiming it undervalued the company.

Press 60

Press San Diego Funding Technology 60

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

Los Angeles- and New York-based venture investor Greycroft Ventures has joined in a new funding round for PebblePost , a startup which uses real time online information to send direct mail to users, as part of a $31M Series C funding. Greycroft is an existing investor in PebblePost, which is based in New York. According to PebblePost, the round came from Capital One Growth Ventures, Kickstart Seed Fund and prior investors RRE, Greycroft, Tribeca Venture Partners, un-named strategic investors, an

Seed Funding 113

Seed Funding Los Angeles Funding Capital 113

Xconomy

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

This was one of those weeks when the world seemed to slip into a new era with no going back. A Chinese researcher, He Jiankui, claimed he helped bring to life two genetically engineered babies, twin girls with a gene disabled to make them immune to HIV infection. Even though the technology He used—in vitro fertilization, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, deep sequencing—has been in place for some time to attempt the creation of a gene-altered human, the scientific world hoped for three years

Research 70

Research Help Technology Venture Capital 70

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

Los Angeles-based electric vehicle maker Faraday Future is rapidly running out of cash, and its options for investment are rapidly diminishing, according to a report from The Verge. According to the report, Faraday Future only has enough cash to meet today's payroll, and only enough money to keep the lights on until the second week of December. In addition, a judge in Hong Kong apparently has ruled against the company in a fight with its main investor, Evergrande, meaning its intellectual proper

Report 113

Report Los Angeles Invest Angel 113