Berkonomics

OCTOBER 18, 2018

Loyalty is a hard-earned commodity. There are several times when stakeholder loyalty is tested to the limit. For employees, a late or missed payroll is the ultimate test of corporate loyalty, divorced even from an employee’s ability to make do without a paycheck. For investors, a subsequent down round at a lower valuation than the last, or an exit opportunity at a loss are all opportunities for the affected stakeholder to show a side that can sometimes shock an entrepreneur or CEO.

Layoffs 240

Layoffs Class News Email 240

L.A. Business Journal

OCTOBER 18, 2018

Playa Vista-based Xprize Foundation Inc. on Oct. 18 named technology entrepreneur Anousheh Ansari is its new chief executive.

Entrepreneur 202

Entrepreneur Technology 202

socalTECH

OCTOBER 18, 2018

Los Angeles-based Ticketmaster said this morning that it has acquired a blockchain startup, UPGRADED. UPGRADED develops blockchain software which aims to convert traditional tickets into digital assets, combined with dynamic, encrypted barcodes Ticketmaster says prevent fraud often associated with paper or PDF-based tickets. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced.

Ticketmaster 147

Ticketmaster Startup Acquisition Los Angeles 147

L.A. Business Journal

OCTOBER 18, 2018

Manufacturing software maker FactoryFour, which recently opened a new Culver City office, received a $5 million round of funding led by Menlo Park, Calif.-based venture capital firm August Capital, with participation from Refactor Capital.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Culver City Capital Funding 150

Advertiser: Aggregage

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Company

socalTECH

OCTOBER 18, 2018

El Segundo-based CUJO AI , a developer of artificial intelligence-based cybersecurity software for telecom network operators, has raised a round of growth capital from KPN Ventures, the company said this morning. Size of the investment, which was part of a larger Series B investment, was not announced. KPN Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of Netherlands-based KPN, a large telecom company.

Artificial Inteligence 147

Artificial Inteligence El Segundo Funding Venture Capital 147

SoCal Tech Calendar

OCTOBER 18, 2018

Wednesday, October 24, 2018 -- Innovate Pasadena's Connect Week 2018. Nnine full days of all things innovation! From AI to virtual reality demos to coding for both kids and adults, we have over 100 awesome events to choose from to help muster up your innovation savviness!

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Pasadena Help 100

L.A. Business Journal

OCTOBER 18, 2018

Activision’s new game has a $500-million opening; Ticketmaster acquires blockchain startup; Bird’s new service could bypass city regulations.

Ticketmaster 100

Ticketmaster Report Services Startup 100

socalTECH

OCTOBER 18, 2018

Los Angeles-based AppOnboard , the developer of mobile app demo technology led by Jonathan Zweig, says that it now has such app developers as FoxNext Games, Game Insight, Superheart Studios, Jam City, Huuuge Games, and Simple Habit using its tools. According to the startup, those cutomers are some of the developers who are using its tools to enable Google Play Instant apps via its "App Store Demos" product, which it launched in August.

Technical Review 133

Technical Review Mobile Technology Customer 133

SoCal Tech Calendar

OCTOBER 18, 2018

Wednesday, October 24, 2018 -- John G. Watson Quick Pitch. San Diego Venture Group. 10 startups go head-to-head for over $75K in prizes.

San Diego 100

San Diego Startup 100

socalTECH

OCTOBER 18, 2018

Los Angeles-based ProducePay , a Los Angeles company which is developing fintech for food growers, distributors, shippers and marketers, has raised $14M in a Series B funding round, the company said this morning. The funding was led by Anterra Capital, and also included Rabo Frontier Ventures, Coventure, Social Leverage, FJ Labs, Greenhouse Capital, Moonshots Capital and Tribeca Angels.

Los Angeles 133

Los Angeles Capital Funding Help 133

SoCal Tech Calendar

OCTOBER 18, 2018

Wednesday, October 24, 2018 -- San Diego Venture Group QuickPitch Competition. 10 startups go head-to-head for over $75K in prizes.

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San Diego Competition Startup 100

socalTECH

OCTOBER 18, 2018

Santa Monica-based Tastemade , which develops food- and lifestyle-focused content for YouTube, as well as its own website, said this week that it has raised $35M, in its Series E funding round. The funding was led by Goldman Sachs Growth Equity, and also included Amazon, Cool Japan Fund, Redpoint Ventures, Raine Ventures, Comcast Ventures, and Liberty Media.

Redpoint 113

Redpoint Santa Monica Content Equity 113

Xconomy

OCTOBER 18, 2018

Exact Sciences has gone from being a customer of Biomatrica, a San Diego-based vendor of equipment for storing and preserving blood and saliva samples, to now being the company’s owner. Madison, WI-based Exact (NASDAQ: EXAS ), which is developing diagnostic tests for several types of cancer, said Thursday that it has acquired Biomatrica for an undisclosed sum.

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San Diego Sample Tool Custom 57

socalTECH

OCTOBER 18, 2018

Santa Monica-based Surf Air , the startup airline which got its start moving executives back and forth between Silicon Beach and the Bay Area, is touting numbers which it says show it has a 90% on-time arrival rate, versus its commercial competitors. Surf Air says its on-time rate compares to such competitors as Southwest (78%) and Delta Airlines (81%).

Santa Monica 113

Santa Monica Startup Hawthorne Statistics 113

socalTECH

OCTOBER 18, 2018

A "complete nightmare" experience by two LA tourists, lugging their luggage around town after checking out of their Airbnb, has spawned a new startup with links to Techstars. New York-based Vertoe , it just raised $1.85M in a seed funding round for its startup, whose founders, Sid Khattri and Neha Kesarwani, ended up hauling their suitcases around Los Angeles for six hours, turning what had been an effort to "explore LA" into a "complete nightmare".

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Seed Funding Startup Venture Capital Los Angeles 113

socalTECH

OCTOBER 18, 2018

Santa Monica-based Activision is reporting this morning that it has had more than $500M in "sell-through" on its latest title in its first three days of release, saying that it has now set records for most combined players, average hours per player and total number of hours played, on current generation consoles. Activision said that its digital sales results have broken records across all of its platforms, although Activision has not yet commented on overall sales of the title.

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Activision Sales Santa Monica Platform 100