December, 2019

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Domio raises $100M in equity and debt to take on Airbnb and hotels with its curated apartments

TechCrunch LA

Airbnb has well and truly disrupted the world of travel accommodation, changing the conversation not just around how people discover and book places to stay, but what they expect when they get there, and what they expect to pay. Today, one of the startups riding that wave is announcing a significant round of funding to fuel its own contribution to the marketplace.

Equity 136
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Are you a consensus leader or dictator?

Berkonomics

It’s a good bet that you’ve been exposed to articles, courses and lectures about various styles of management, and how each is appropriate for some companies and for some levels of organization and at various times. When should the dictator in you emerge? A consensus-building leader works well in that style until someone yells “fire!” and the emergency requires a dictatorial style of management to act quickly, protecting lives.

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LA Companies Prep for CES

L.A. Business Journal

Although it takes place at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show is a key event for technology companies and startups based in Los Angeles.

Company 147
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5 Ways To Engage The Right People In Your New Venture

Startup Professionals Musings

In my work with new and aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that most struggle with putting together a written business plan, often pointing out that someone they know started a business without anything written down. My experience is that the discipline of documenting a plan will improve your likelihood of addressing all the right issues , as well as finding the right partner or investor.

Ideas 126
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Can You Ask for Office Rent Relief? How to Manage Your Lease During COVID-19

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.

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The Station: Canoo hits the road, Coup shutters and Samsung shifts

TechCrunch LA

Welcome back to The Station, the go-to newsletter for keeping up-to-date on what the heck is going on in the world of transportation. I’m your host, Kirsten Korosec, senior transportation reporter at TechCrunch. Portions of the newsletter are published as an article on the main site after it has been emailed to subscribers (that’s what you’re reading now).

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How to undermine or reinforce your corporate culture

Berkonomics

Ever had a manager who hung those motivational posters around the office, spoke of “pushing together,” or “you’re empowered to give great service” – and then acted at least once in complete disregard of those statements? You don’t want to be caught even once. It takes only one time caught by subordinates to lose the faith of an entire group of faithful followers.

More Trending

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Amazon, Ring Sued Over Security Camera Hacking

socalTECH

Amazon and Ring , the Santa Monica company now owned by Amazon, are the targets of a new class action lawsuit filed in Alabama by a man who claims Amazon and Ring have filed to do enough to secure their systems against hacking. The lawsuit still needs to be approved for class action status. The legal filing comes after a long list of high profile, security-camera hacking incidents that have occurred in the last month, many linked to a group of hackers which were streaming hacked cameras live on

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Biogen Strikes Alzheimer’s Deal, Paying $45M for Ionis Tau Drug Rights

Xconomy

When it comes to Alzheimer’s disease, Biogen isn’t putting all of its eggs in the same basket. In the latest development of a multi-drug and multi-disease collaboration, the company has licensed an experimental Ionis Pharmaceuticals compound that works in a different way than the therapies currently in its pipeline for neurodegenerative diseases. On Thursday, Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: IONS ) announced that its Cambridge, MA-based partner (NASDAQ: BIIB ) has licensed an experimental Alzheime

Design 52
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Solve, the startup creating an interactive “Law & Order” for social media, raises $20 million

TechCrunch LA

When “Law and Order” ended its twenty-year run in 2010, it had already cemented its place as one of the longest-running television dramas in history. Its success was a testament to the enduring popularity of a good mystery. Mining that same well of a demand for whodunnits, a roughly one-year-old Los Angeles-based startup called Solve has raised $20 million in financing to update the genre for a new generation of media consumers.

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Wavemaker, Launch Back Seed Round for Balloon

L.A. Business Journal

Wavemaker Partners and Launch co-led a $2.1 million seed funding round for software company Balloon.

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Let’s talk about your banking relationship

Berkonomics

The warning is real. You’ve heard the old one – that a banker always seems willing to offer a loan when you don’t need it. For small businesses, there is such truth in that statement that you can trust the story to be based as fact from experience. Exceptions and good reasons to work on them. There are great exceptions for growing businesses and for businesses that have a track record with a banker.

Press 156
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7 Ways To Jeopardize Key Startup People Relationships

Startup Professionals Musings

Relationships are the key to survival and success for entrepreneurs, and first impressions usually turn into lasting impressions. As an advisor to many early-stage entrepreneurs, I caution them to always be prepared for that chance meeting with a famous investor, a potential partner or an industry guru. It’s not smart to believe that your passion and gift of gab will impress anyone.

Startup 135
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Interview with Clint Brauer, Greenfield Robotics

socalTECH

How do you reduce or eliminate the huge amount of chemicals farmers need today in farming for crops such as corn, soybean, or milo -- and help overcome the growing resistance of weeds to those chemicals? Greenfield Robotics (greenfieldrobotics.com), is a startup, split between Los Angeles and Kanasas, which is working on robotic systems which make it possible for farmers to remove their reliance on chemical sprays.

Startup 197
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LAVA Healthcare Presents: The ins-and-outs of celebrity partnerships and how it can increase your company's value.

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, December 17, 2019 -- LAVA Healthcare Presents: The ins-and-outs of celebrity partnerships and how it can increase your company's value. Brand endorsements from celebrities and athletes have been proven to have a powerful economic impact on stock prices (Forbes 2016). With the advent of social media, these partnerships have become more accessible to even small businesses.

LAVA 100
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ProducePay nabs $190 million debt financing to lend to farmers

TechCrunch LA

Los Angeles-based ProducePay has inked a $190 million debt facility from Coventure and TCM Capital, to expand its lending business and marketplace for farmers. ProducePay offers farmers cash advances throughout the growing season to smooth the sometimes lumpy revenues and give farmers a bit more predictability, the company said. It buys produce ahead of delivery and sets itself up as a middle-man between distributors, growers and grocers.

Pricing 192
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VC Draper Moves into LA

L.A. Business Journal

Timothy Draper has a history of funding some of the technology sector’s most prolific startups and now the venture capitalist is bringing his money to Los Angeles.

Draper 182
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How do you handle your cash reserves?

Berkonomics

Here comes some advice for all of us to use in business or in our personal lives. But to understand it, we need to delve into the short-and long-term sources and uses of cash. Good cash strategies to remember. It is tempting to use available cash in good times to build the business and in challenging times to pay the bills and even to outdo competitors in marketing efforts.

Email 156
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10 Financing Alternatives For Your Next New Venture

Startup Professionals Musings

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. I often get asked about the real alternatives to bridge this valley, and there are some good ones I will outline here.

Startup 128
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Reflections on 2019: Greg Monterrosa, Startup Community Leader

socalTECH

Every year, at the end of the year, we share some reflections on the past year from our readers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, sponsors, and others in the local technology community. Today, we share the thoughts of Greg Monterrosa ,a startup community leader who is currently Startup Weekend organizer, facilitator, and mentor and was a former Founder of MyLLC.com and Hub101.

Startup 196
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Preccelerator Workshop: Term Sheets w/ Caroline Cherkassky and Kelly Laffey

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, December 17, 2019 -- Preccelerator Workshop: Term Sheets w/ Caroline Cherkassky and Kelly Laffey. Topics that will be covered include: Type of financing: convertible notes vs SAFEs vs priced equity rounds Convertible notes and SAFEs: caps, discounts, and other key terms Priced equity rounds: economic provisions, voting rights, and other key terms.

Equity 100
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Burst adds a super high-tech dental floss to its dental care offerings

TechCrunch LA

Burst , the subscription dental care service, with the pretty, pretty toothbrushes, has now added a sleek dental floss product to its monthly kits. The Los Angeles-based dental hygiene company, which has raised at least $20 million in financing from the growth capital investment firm Volition Capital, takes a different approach to reaching consumers than competitors like Quip.

High Tech 169
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BAM Ventures Makes Its Mark

L.A. Business Journal

After several years of investing quietly, BAM Ventures is making some noise, generating headlines in November with its largest exit to date when Mid-Wilshire-based ecommerce software developer Honey Science Corp. was sold to Paypal Holdings Inc. for $4 billion.

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Veracyte Aims to Expand Diagnostics Reach With $50M NanoString Deal

Xconomy

Veracyte, a company whose tests help physicians make treatment decisions, is adding technology from NanoString to the fold to expand its diagnostic capabilities. South San Francisco-based Veracyte (NASDAQ: VCYT ) announced Tuesday that it has reached a deal for global rights to develop and commercialize diagnostics based on the nCounter FLEX system.

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8 Steps To Making Good Decisions In Life And Business

Startup Professionals Musings

Despite many years of advising aspiring entrepreneurs and people in business, I continue to be surprised by the number of people who wait for decisions to be made by default, or allow others to make decisions for them. I assure you that this approach is not the road to happiness, and certainly not the route to optimal decisions. Making no decision is rarely the best approach to life.

Startup 127
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Reflections on 2019: Anthony Citrano, Acquicient

socalTECH

Every year, at the end of the year, we share some reflections on the past year from our readers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, sponsors, and others in the local technology community. Today, we share the thoughts of Anthony Citrano , the founder and CEO of Acquicient (www.acquicient.com). We'll be featuring contributions all through the holiday season.

Invest 189
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LAVA Holiday Party and Global LAVA Relaunch

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, December 12, 2019 -- LAVA Holiday Party and Global LAVA Relaunch. LAVA Holiday Party and Global LAVA Relaunch! Join us for a celebration of the season and the success of 2019! A special Holiday Party and relaunch of Global LAVA. Special Venue is Delair Studios in Hollywood. Come visit with LAVA members and Friends. Also featured is the Delair Studio Screening Room and a special screening using a new cinematic projection and audio system.

LAVA 100
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Snagging Pearson’s AR assets and $1 million in cash, GIGXR is ready for its close up

TechCrunch LA

Meet GIGXR , the new owner of all of the assets of Pearson Immersive Learning Group , a subsidiary of the education and media publishing giant, Pearson. Formed specifically to roll up Pearson’s virtual and augmented reality assets, GIGXR is helmed by David King Lassman, the founder of streaming media company Vyclone and the Southern Californian venture capital firm White Hart Ventures.

Training 100
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MedMen Restructuring Brings $37 Million in Savings

L.A. Business Journal

MedMen has received $37 million in gross cash proceeds for the sale of various businesses since Nov. 26.

Sales 230
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Acadia Looks to Expand Drug Beyond Parkinson’s Disease Psychosis

Xconomy

Acadia Pharmaceuticals revealed late-stage clinical data this week that could support bringing its drug for psychosis to a broader group of patients. The Acadia (NASDAQ: ACAD ) drug pimavanserin (Nuplazid) is currently approved for treating psychosis associated with Parkinson’s disease. But the San Diego-based company has also been testing the drug in dementia-related psychosis (DRP), which includes those with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson’s disease dementia, vascular

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8 Friends Who Mean Well But Never Start New Ventures

Startup Professionals Musings

Every entrepreneur I know is dismayed by the number of friends who approach them with a line such as “I have an even better idea that will change the world, and one of these days I’m going to get around to starting my own business.” I always wonder what is more important to them on an ongoing basis than changing the world, since their startups usually never materialize.

Startup 126
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Video Interview: Brad Rice, Homepie

socalTECH

Our video interview today is with Brad Rice , the CEO and founder of Homepie (www.homepie.com), a very early stage startup working on a marketplace to buy and sell homes, without an agent. READ MORE>>.

Startup 173
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3 Internet Solutions to Improve Network Uptime

Southern California Edison Blog

According to Gartner researcher, Andrew Lerner, the average cost of network downtime is approximately $300,000 an hour. But that’s just the average. Additional studies reveal that business characteristics, such as industry and risk tolerance, can move that number as low as $140,000 to as high as $540,000 per hour of network downtime. When it concerns your business, reliable network uptime isn’t just a luxury – it’s a necessity.

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Preccelerator Workshop: Employment Contracts and Alternative Compensation for Startups with Louis Wharton

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, December 10, 2019 --.

Startup 100
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ProducePay Raises $205 Million Debt Financing

L.A. Business Journal

Glendale-based ProducePay Inc. raised a $205 million debt financing round Dec. 10.

Glendale 200
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Aspen Neuro Bags $6.5M to Test Parkinson’s Disease Stem Cell Therapy

Xconomy

Nearly nine years ago Jeanne Loring and her colleagues at Scripps Research debuted a test that leveraged advances in genomics and data science to determine, without testing in animals, whether human stem cells were “pluripotent,” or able to become any type of cell in the body. Being able to prove that has become increasingly important as scientists look to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)—mature, specialized cells that have been reprogrammed as immature cells, regaining the capabilit

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5 Keys To Maximizing Your Impact In People Mentoring

Startup Professionals Musings

If you are like most entrepreneurs I know, there just aren’t enough hours in a day to get all your own work done, as well as run the many one-hour meetings each team member seems to demand for decisions and mentoring. I have found it to be more productive and effective to lead with the model that no meetings will take an hour, and may be done in as little as five minutes.

Mentor 124