October, 2018

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Can we have fun while doing serious work?

Berkonomics

Have you ever noticed how slow time passes when you are in a troubled environment? Conversely, sometimes you look up at the end of a great day and wonder where the time went. It’s driven from the top. Over the years, I have discovered that the difference is not just applicable to the good times, but to the environment, created by the senior executives, that filters throughout the organization.

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Lime is building its first scooter ‘lifestyle brand store’ in LA

TechCrunch LA

How can Lime differentiate its scooters and bikes from the piles of Birds and Spins filling Los Angeles sidewalks? Apparently with a physical storefront where it can convince customers of the wonders of on-demand mobility. According to a job listing from Lime seeking a “Retail Store Manager,” the startup plans to open a “lifestyle brand store in Santa Monica” that “will place heavy importance on brand experience and customer engagement.” Lime will rent vehicle

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Google Expands in Silicon Beach

L.A. Business Journal

Alphabet Inc.-subsidiary Google moved into the Spruce Goose hangar in Playa Vista Oct. 3, two years after it began leasing the space.

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Cal Lutheran Gets $6M From Former Hughes Electronics Exec

socalTECH

California Lutheran University (CLU) is receiving a big, $6M donation from former Hughes Electronics Vice Chairman Steve Dorfman, for a new building for the school's School of Management, the school announced this morning. According to the Thousand Oaks university, Dorfman's contribution will go towards the construction of the two-story, 27,000-square foot Steven D.

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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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My First Book – Pricing Your Practice by Eric Greenspan

Eric Greenspan

Woke up and there it was, my book cover. She just made it and sent it to me. I looked at it for a bit and started thinking about writing it. Then I did. I published the initial draft this past weekend and it’s now available for pre-order on Amazon. It’s interesting how the headline mentions “mindset” as that’s what happened here.

Pricing 186
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Startup Developing Opioid Alternative Takes Top ‘Quick Pitch’ Honors

Xconomy

The winner of the largest-ever startup pitch contest in San Diego is aiming to solve a problem that is weighing heavily on the national consciousness. The same day President Trump signed a bipartisan package of measures to address the opioid epidemic, San Diego startup NeuraLace Medical won $50,000 on Wednesday at the annual John G. Watson Quick Pitch Competition to further the development of its nerve pain management device.

San Diego 107

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The next big restaurant chain may not own any kitchens

TechCrunch LA

If investors at some of the biggest technology companies are right, the next big restaurant chain could have no kitchens of its own. These venture capitalists think the same forces that have transformed transportation, media, retail and logistics will also work their way through prepared food businesses. The Battle Is For The Customer Interface. Investors are pouring millions into the creation of a network of shared kitchens, storage facilities, and pickup counters that established chains and ne

Startup 279
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Activision Blizzard Names New President; Leadership Team Members

L.A. Business Journal

Santa Monica-based Activision Blizzard Inc. named J. Allen Brack its new president of Blizzard Entertainment Oct. 4, alongside two new promotions to the executive leadership team.

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Axos Financial Buys Robo Advisor Developer WiseBanyan

socalTECH

San Diego-based Axos Financial , a consumer and business bank, said Wednesday afternoon that its subsidiary, Axos Securities , has agreed to acquire certain assets of WiseBanyan Holdings , a provider of digital wealth management software and services. Financial details of the all-cash transaction were not announced. WiseBanyon provides personal finance and investment management tools and its own technology platform, and was based in Las Vegas.

Develop 167
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8 Key Skill Sets Required For Success In Your Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

In my experience in large businesses as well as years of advising startups, I see far too much focus on product skills, and too little on people and process skills. In my view, this focus on the wrong skill set is the primary reason why over half of new businesses fail in the first five years, and only one out of a hundred startups get their requested funding from professional investors.

Startup 98
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No Pipeline Problem: Backstage Capital’s Detroit Plans Spark Excitement

Xconomy

In September, Backstage Capital , a venture investment firm seeding early-stage startups led by women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ community, launched a $36 million fund to help support black women founders. At the same time, managing partner Arlan Hamilton said the Los Angeles-based firm would run accelerators in four cities: London, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and a fourth city that would be determined by a public vote.

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Los Angeles investors and entrepreneurs launch PledgeLA, a diversity and inclusion program

TechCrunch LA

In an attempt to boost diversity and inclusion efforts and civic engagement between the growing technology industry in Los Angeles and the community that surrounds it, over 80 venture capitalists and entrepreneurs joined the city’s mayor, Eric Garcetti, and the non-profit Annenberg Foundation to announce PledgeLA. The initiative is one way in which the Los Angeles technology community is attempting to ensure that it does not repeat the same mistakes made by Silicon Valley and San Francisco

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Shopify opens its first brick-and-mortar space in Los Angeles

TechCrunch LA

Shopify , the provider of payment and logistics management software and services for retailers, has opened its first physical storefront in Los Angeles. The first brick and mortar location for the Toronto-based company, is nestled in a warren of downtown Los Angeles boutique shops in a complex known as the Row DTLA. For Shopify, Los Angeles is the ideal place to debut a physical storefront showing off the company’s new line of hardware products and the array of services it provides to busi

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Next 10 Ventures is launching an incubator for YouTube personalities

TechCrunch LA

Los Angeles-based Next 10 Ventures , a $50 million fund focused on the creator economy, is launching an incubator program to support YouTubers. The EduCreator Incubator will seed 25 to 40 “emerging video creators” with $25,000 to $75,000 in seed funding, depending on their location, and will enroll them in a 12-month mentorship program. The only requirement is that they focus on educational video content targeting children and young adults.

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Freight trucking startup Shipwell gets a $10 million boost

TechCrunch LA

Shipwell , a startup pitching a marketplace for domestic ground shipping and fleet and cargo management services for freight trucking companies, has raised $10 million in a new round of funding. A booming American economy coupled with failing infrastructure and a low-margin business reluctant to adopt new technologies have put stress on domestic logistics companies in the $900 billion market for U.S. trucking services.

Startup 191
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Investors see an opportunity framed in Lensabl’s prescription lens fulfillment business

TechCrunch LA

Lensabl , the company that has built a business putting prescription lenses into any style of glasses frame , has raised $3.7 million in a new round of funding. . Lensabl makes it easy to put new lenses in a favorite pair of shades or glasses. Based in Los Angeles, Lensabl already has an agreement inked with the city’s latest tech wunderkind, partnering with the spectacles-producing augmented reality luminaries at Snap. “We are the preferred prescription provider of Snapchat Spectacl

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OGN Plans E-sports Arena in Manhattan Beach, Partners With PubG

L.A. Business Journal

South Korean broadcast company OGN is constructing a 3,500-square-foot e-sports arena in Manhattan Beach, and selected game developer PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds Co. Ltd. (better known as PubG Co.) as its first league partner.

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Xprize Names Anousheh Ansari Chief Executive

L.A. Business Journal

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

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A Chat With Kelly Perdew: Moonshots Capital And Its First Dedicated Fund

socalTECH

This morning, Moonshots Capital (www.moonshotscapital.com), led by Kelly Perdew and Craig Cummings , announced its first formal fund, a $19M seed stage fund. We sat down with Kelly ahead of the announcement to chat about the new fund, why they think military veterans are particularly well suited as startup entrepreneurs, why the two went from organizing individual deals for funding to a formal fund, and more.

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Ice Energy Extends Energy Storage Product To Homeowners, Homebuilders

socalTECH

Costa Mesa-based Ice Energy , which develops an energy storage system used for saving energy used for air conditioning, has launched a new product specifically aimed at homeowners and builders. According to Ice Energy, it has rolled out a new product called Ice Cub , a hybrid air conditioning and energy storage system specifically for California homeowners and homebuilders.

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Report: Snap Registered 418,000 New Voters In Just Two Weeks

socalTECH

An effort to register new voters via Snapchat has resulted in 418,000 new voters, according to numbers given by Venice, California-based Snap to the New York Times. Snap is one of a number of companies -- including such local companies as Jam City and Mitu -- who have been pushing "get out the vote" voter registration efforts in their apps and services.

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Shopify Sets Up Space For Entrepreneurs In LA

socalTECH

Shopify , which develops software for merchants to set up e-commerce, mobile, social media sites, online marketplaces, bricks-and-mortar stores, and more, is setting up a space for entrepreneurs in Los Angeles, the company said this morning. According to Shopify, it has set up a location at the ROW DTLA in downtown Los Angeles, where it will provide in-person help, support, and training for merchants on its software platform.

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FactoryFour Raises $5M in Venture Capital Funding

L.A. Business Journal

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.

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LegalZoom Finds Funding From TCV, Adds New Board Member

socalTECH

Glendale-based LegalZoom , the online legal filing site which focuses on small businesses and families, has named David Yuan, a General Partner at Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV) to its board of directors. According to LegalZoom, the addition comes as part of an investment by TCV in LegalZoom. Details on TCV's investment were not announced. LegalZoom said that TCV has "deep experience" investing in and advising companies serving small and midsized businesses (SMB), such as GoDaddy, LinkedIn

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Ticketmaster Buys Blockchain Startup, Upgraded

socalTECH

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.

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CUJO AI Gets Funding Injection

socalTECH

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.

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AeroVironment, General Dynamics Land Systems Tie On Combat Vehicle Effort

socalTECH

Monrovia, California-based Aerovironment , a major developer of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drones for the military, said it has inked a deal with General Dynamic Land Systems (GD), to integrate the company's unmanned aircraft and tactical missle systems with armored combat vehicles. Aerovironment said the deal is part of the upcoming U.S. Army Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) and U.S.

Monrovia 147
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Jam City Encouraging Midterm Voting With Mobile PSA

L.A. Business Journal

Culver City-based mobile game developer Jam City Inc. announced Oct. 3 it will partner with nonprofit voter registration organization When We All Vote to produce public service announcements encouraging its users to vote.

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Four reasons why you should attend TC Sessions AR/VR 2018

TechCrunch LA

On October 18 — just one week away — some of the most brilliant and innovative minds in reality creation will gather at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles to attend TC Sessions AR/VR 2018. Whether you’re an early startup founder, an investor, a developer or a student, if you’re focused on AR/VR, you don’t want to miss this day-long intensive event that goes deep into the current and future state of augmented and virtual realities.

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Jam City Gets Into The Halloween Spirit

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based mobile game developer Jam City is getting into the Halloween spirit, saying this morning that it has been rolling out themeed content throughout the month of October ahead of the Halloween holiday. According to Jam City, the Halloween gaming content has been rolled out across a wide range of its titles, ranging from Cookie Jam and Panda Pop to Family Guy: Another Freakin Mobile Game, Cookie Jam Blast and Genies and Gems.

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Crowdstrike Eyes IPO, Hires Investment Banker

socalTECH

CrowdStrike , the cybersecurity software developer which has major operations in Irvine, has hired an IPO banker and is eyeing an IPO before the end of the year, according to a report from Reuters. According to the report, CrowdStrike has hired Goldman Sachs to run its IPO process. No other details of the IPO have yet been announced or released. CrowdStrike is led by veteran cybersecurity executive George Kurtz, and raised a big funding round in January.

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Activision Launches Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Worldwide

socalTECH

Santa Monica-based videogame publisher Activision said this morning that the latest sequel in its Call of Duty series of games, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 , is now available worldwide. The company said the title is now avaliable both digitally and at global retailers worldwide. The new game includes multi-player options, "more Zombies available on day one than any other game", a new mode called "Blackout", among other features.

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DreamHost Receives $18M Loan from J.P. Morgan

L.A. Business Journal

Downtown LA-based DreamHost, a provider of web hosting and site management, announced Oct. 30 it completed an $18 million debt financing credit facility with J.P. Morgan Chase and Co.

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Loot Crate To Debut New Subscription Box On Amazon

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based subscription box service Loot Crate has inked a deal to bring a new subscription box to Amazon's Subscription Box Store , the company said last week. According to Loot Crate, it will debut a new subscription box for pop culture fans on Amazon, beginning in November. Amazon said its curated collection of "fan-favorite TV shows, movies, and games" will feature more than four items, and has over a $45 value.

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j2 Global Buys Five More Companies

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based j2 Global , which owns a large portfolio of Internet services, including such services as eFax, eVoice, Campaigner, Livedrive, as well as online media outlets like IGN, Mashable, PCMag, Everyday Health, and others, has acquired five more companies. According to j2 Global, the five acquisition were all made in the third quarter of 2018, and included PRIME Education , The Communicator Corporation , BestBlackFriday.com (certain assets), Downdetector , and DemandShore.

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Halozyme Inks $25M Licensing Deal With Roche

socalTECH

San Diego-based biotechnology developer Halozyme Therapeutics announced this morning that it has licensed some of its drug delivery technology to Roche , in a deal worth $25M upfront, and a potential to earn another $160M to $165M per target. According to Halozyme, the licensing deal covers its ENHANZE drug delivery technology, for use in a new undisclosed clinical stage therapeutic target, with an option to select two additional targets within four years.

San Diego 133