Berkonomics

APRIL 5, 2018

I expect that you have a story about how insurance saved you lots of money in your past. As usual, I have a story to make your hair stand on end. But first: here’s a fact. Business insurance is one of the more poorly managed mitigation of risk in small and many medium sized corporations, often because of failure to assign the responsibility to an individual or department, and sometimes just from the willingness to bet against the event and save cash.

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Sites Outsource Development Customer Custom 266

socalTECH

APRIL 5, 2018

Mojave-based Virgin Galactic has returned to supersonic flight, saying that its SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity safely completed its first, supersonic rocket flight on Thursday. The flight is the first rocket powered flight for Virgin Galactic since the 2014 crash of its SpaceShipTwo during similar testing. According to Virgin Galactic, the Unity is the first vehicle built for Virgin Galactic by its sister company, The Spaceship Company.

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Company Companies 140

L.A. Business Journal

APRIL 5, 2018

PeerStreet raises $29.5 million in Series B; Aerospace Corp. gets $2.85 million grant from NASA; Waze causing accidents on Echo Park’s Baxter Street.

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Report 100

socalTECH

APRIL 5, 2018

Los Angeles-based Jukin Media , which owns such social video properties that includes FailArmy, People Are Awesome, The Pet Collective, and JukinVideo--and provides a whole host of services related to viral and social video for brands, publishers, and media networks--said on Thursday that it has named both a Chief Financial Office and Chief Product Officer.

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Media Santa Monica Entertainment Los Angeles 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

SoCal Tech Calendar

APRIL 5, 2018

Wednesday, April 11, 2018 -- Los Angeles Digital Summit. The Definitive Digital Marketing Gathering.

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Los Angeles Angel Marketing 100

socalTECH

APRIL 5, 2018

Los Angeles-based XPRIZE , the nonprofit group which runs a series of competition focused prizes aimed at advancing technology in areas of importance to solve the world's toughest problems--says it has decided to continue its Lunar XPRIZE competition--despite the expiration of the sponsorship of the competition's top $30M award by Google. The prize competition--previously called the Google Lunar XPRIZE Challenge --will now be called the Lunar XPRIZE , and will run sans a cash award.

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Google Competition Los Angeles Technology 113

socalTECH

APRIL 5, 2018

Los Angeles-based online real estate lending marketplace PeerStreet , founded by Brew Johnson, Brett Crosby, and Alex Perelman, said on Thursday that it has raised $29.5M in a Series B funding round. The funding was led by World Innovation Lab, and also included Andreessen Horowitz, Thomvest, Colchis Capital, Felicis Ventures, plus new investors, Solon Mack and Navitas Capital.

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Los Angeles Capital Funding Invest 100

SoCal Tech Calendar

APRIL 5, 2018

Wednesday, April 11, 2018 --.

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socalTECH

APRIL 5, 2018

OCTANe , the industry group which focuses on Orange County life sciences and technology companies, and the California Life Sciences Association (CLSA), said on Wednesday they are launching a new Life Sciences Growth Accelerator Program , which it says will help emerging life sciences companies. According to the two, the dual membership program will provide access to programs, roundtables, and networking events; savings on lab equipment through a purchasing program; legislative advocacy; access t

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OCTANE Orange County Incubator Startup 100

Xconomy

APRIL 5, 2018

A Conatus Pharmaceuticals drug developed as a treatment for chronic liver disease has failed to beat a placebo in a mid-stage study, the first of four underway for the drug. Conatus (NASDAQ: CNAT ) tested its drug, emricasan, in liver transplant patients whose hepatitis C virus has cleared, but who still have fibrosis or cirrhosis in the transplanted organ.

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Study Activity Organization Develop 65

socalTECH

APRIL 5, 2018

Pacific Palisades-based fusionZONE Automotive , a developer of website software for automotive dealers, said Wednesday that it acquired MotorWebs , a web design company that specializes in creation and management of car dealership websites. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced. MotorWebs was based in Seattle. fusionZONE said that, as a result of the buy, it will open a third office in Seattle and will retain MotorWeb's current employees.

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Pacific Palisades Web Design Web Acquisition 100

Xconomy

APRIL 5, 2018

As a showdown stockholders meeting draws near for San Diego’s Arcturus Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ARCT ), a proxy battle is boiling down to an argument over who represents the best interests of shareholders in the tiny RNA drug company. In an April 3 letter addressed to the company’s four board members, Arcturus co-founder and ex-CEO Joseph E. Payne claimed that he’s supported by a majority of shareholders.

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Arcturus San Diego Company Companies 49

socalTECH

APRIL 5, 2018

BYTON , a startup electric vehicle maker backed by Harmony Auto, Auto Investments, League Automotive Technologies, Legend Capital, and Chengdu Group, says it has set up a new lab in Los Angeles, as it expands its global footprint. According to Byton, the new "L.A. Future Lab: will focus on developing "the latest forward-thinking user experiences and advanced concepts to define the future of driving and ride-sharing.

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Los Angeles Angel Design Invest 100

InfoChachkie

APRIL 5, 2018

A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. I recently enjoyed John Covach’s History Of Rock Coursera course. In an early lecture, he explains how the Nazis’ desire to protect Hitler from assignation led to the invention of recording technology that was ultimately used by musicians to create multi-track recordings, such as the Beatles’ Sgt.

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Hollywood Technology Patents Study 22

socalTECH

APRIL 5, 2018

Los Angeles-based solar thermal power developer SolarReserve has signed a deal to build a 100 megawatt, solar thermal project in South Africa, to help deliver power to South Africa's electricity grid. According to SolarReserve, it has signed a signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Eskom, South Africas public electric utility company, for the Redstone Solar Thermal Power Project, a solar thermal power project with 100 megawatts of power capability and 1,200 megawatt hours of energy stor

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Los Angeles Help Product Angel 100

socalTECH

APRIL 5, 2018

Los Angeles-based mobile game maker Jam City said this morning that it has signed a lineup of original actors from the Harry Potter films, to provide the voiceovers for its upcoming game, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. According to Jam City, voiceovers on the game--which is slated to launch on April 25th--were provided by Dame Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall), Michael Gambon (Professor Dumbledore), Warwick Davis (Professor Flitwick), Sally Mortemore (Madam Irma Pince), Gemma Jones (Madam Pom

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Class Los Angeles Mobile Angel 100

socalTECH

APRIL 5, 2018

Waze , the Google-owned navigation app, apparently has turned a street in Echo Park into a nightmare, according to the LA Times' Steve Lopez. Apparently, Waze's algorithms have been increasingly diverting drivers onto the extremely steep street--particularly in rainstorms--resulting in a litany of pileups and accidents. Baxter is a (dubious) alternative to Glendale Boulevard, and one of the 10 steepest streets in the United States.

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Echo Park Glendale Google Report 100