socalTECH

FEBRUARY 9, 2018

The former deputy administrator of NASA, Lori Garver, said in an opinion piece in The Hill that NASA turned down an offer to place a payload, for free, on the Falcon Heavy. According to Garver, Musk's launch of his cherry red Tesla Roadster (and spaceman) was the "backup plan" after NASA declined a payload spot. Garver argues that the Falcon Heavy is "just what the space agency needs to escape from the governmental bureaucracy" which has kept the US in low earth orbit for the last 45 years.

SpaceX 145

SpaceX 145

L.A. Business Journal

FEBRUARY 9, 2018

Snap is trying to lure Instagram advertisers by offering them free ads on Snapchat; Elon Musk explains why SpaceX prefers clusters of small engines for the Falcon Heavy; and digital media drives entertainment employment growth in Los Angeles

Snapchat 100

Snapchat Advertising SpaceX Entertainment 100

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 9, 2018

Two, Los Angeles-area venture capital investors--the new Akatsuki Entertainment Fund (AET Fund), and Upfront Ventures , have backed a developer of virtual reality livestreaming and broadcast software. According to Vreal , it raised $11.7M in a funding round which was led by Axioma Ventures, and also included Intel Capital, AET Fund, Upfront Ventures, Vulcan Capital and CRCM Ventures.

Southern California 138

Southern California Venture Capital Entertainment Funding 138

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2018

You don’t have to be a new venture advisor like me to hear all the excuses for not starting your own business. I’m sure all of you have friends who are not happy in their employee roles, and are not shy about complaining, but never seem to get around to doing anything about it. They can cite all the myths about being too old to change, not having the money, or no business degree.

Startup 72

Startup Entrepreneur Guide Incubator 72

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

FEBRUARY 9, 2018

San Diego-based Qualcomm has rejected the new takeover proposal from Broadcom , saying Thursday that the proposal "materially undervalues Qualcomm" and "falls well short" of regulatory commitments, and has a "significant downside risk of a failed transaction." However, Qualcomm did say that it would be willing to meet with Broadcom to see if it can address those issues.

San Diego 124

San Diego Acquisition 124

Xconomy

FEBRUARY 9, 2018

The top biopharma story of the week involves the fast-moving field of lung cancer, which, as we’ve written previously, has several key trials reading out in 2018. A big domino fell this week: data from a two-drug immunotherapy combination developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb. But the results, touted as positive, left more questions than answers. First, Bristol changed the trial’s structure midstream.

Help 58

Help Develop Development Arcturus 58

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 9, 2018

Carlsbad-based satellite communications provider Viasat said on Thursday that it has inked a new contract with United Airlines , where it will bring its in-flight entertainment and connectivity systems to more than 70 of United's aircraft. According to ViaSat, the deal will install its satellite and other wireless networking systems on at least 58 of United's new Boeing 737MAX aircraft.

Entertainment 113

Entertainment Networking 113

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 9, 2018

Santa Monica-based private equity investor Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. has made an investment in New York-based Diligent , a developer of enterprise governance management software. Size of the investment was not announced. According to the companies, Clearlake Capital Group made a strategic minority investment in Diligent, which is owned by another private equity investment firm, Insight Venture Partners.

Software Review 113

Software Review Capital Santa Monica Equity 113

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 9, 2018

E-commerce giant Amazon is reportedly launching a new, package delivery service in Los Angeles, its first move to compete head to head with FedEx and UPS, according to the Wall Street Journal. According to the report, Amazon's new delivery service for businesses is called "Shipping With Amazon" (SWA), and will directly pickup and deliver products for its third party merchants.

Report 113

Report Journal Commerce Los Angeles 113