August, 2017

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Are you or your business “time bankrupt?”

Berkonomics

Time bankruptcy results from the deliberate over-commitment of core resources. Close. You’d know the symptoms, if not the name. You’re fighting to put out the fires from customer complaints, or incomplete work, or are suffering from an inability to focus upon new development or new customers before cleaning up the mess inside your organization. I created the term “time bankruptcy” almost thirty years ago when the computer software business was young, and I was a software developer building a yo

Resource 243
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Panda Pop passes 100 million users as Jam City readies for an IPO

TechCrunch LA

The flagship game from Los Angeles-based mobile game developer Jam City, Panda Pop, has reached over 9.3 million monthly active users and climbed above its 100 millionth download. The tentpole game for Myspace founder Chris DeWolfe’s latest LA-based juggernaut of a company has certainly had its moment. Read More.

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What Do Boards Actually Do?

Both Sides of the Table

There’s a lot of mystique about what happens at board meetings and a lot of imagined board-room drama. I read commentary or Twitter or blogs and realize that there are also strongly held convictions that there are these evil VCs who do terrible things to mostly altruistic founders. The image of boards and of investors vs. founder conflicts has been so at odds with my experiences on dozens of boards over the past 20 years that I thought it was worth sharing what I actually see.

Startup 217
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CALIENT Acquired By Chunxing

socalTECH

Santa Barbara-based CALIENT , the developer of optical MEMs switching technology, has been acquired by Chinese company Suzhou Chunxing Precision Mechanical Co., Ltd. , the two said this morning. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. According to the two, Chunxing buys a controlling stake in the company, and will also provide manufacturing services to CALIENT as part of the acquisition.

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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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City of Los Angeles Launches Cyberattack Warning Center

L.A. Business Journal

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti on Tuesday announced the launch of the Los Angeles Cyber Lab, a public-private data-sharing center for alerting local businesses and residents to cyberattacks.

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Exponential vs Sustainable Growth: The Donkey Revolution

Tech.Co

There are arguments for and against the exponential growth or the slow, sustained growth of a startup. There is no doubt that Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) currently, and will continue to play a vital role in the global economy by contributing considerably to employment and income generation. Furthermore, the number of SME startups will continue to grow exponentially.

Startup 104

More Trending

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Panda Pop passes 100 million users as Jam City readies for an IPO

TechCrunch LA

The flagship game from Los Angeles-based mobile game developer Jam City, Panda Pop, has reached over 9.3 million monthly active users and climbed above its 100 millionth download. The tentpole game for Myspace founder Chris DeWolfe's latest LA-based juggernaut of a company has certainly had its moment.

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11 Quick Tips to Get More Value out of Your Board

Both Sides of the Table

Many board meetings are bored meetings. Management teams whisk through slides trying to get through a presentation to share how great things are going and they are eager to get through the meeting so they can get back to their real jobs. This is a shame since the value that the right board could add is immense if you select the right board members and manage them effectively.

Tips 212
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Esri Teams To Use Drones To Help Fight Wildfires

socalTECH

Redland-based GIS technology and software provider Esri is helping to power a new product, which is using military drone technology to help fight wildfires. According to FireWhat , Esri , and unmanned aerial vehicle maker Insitu , they've created a system for aerial reconnaissance of wildfires. The system taps Insitu's ScanEagle aerial vehicle, Esri's geographical information systems (GIS), and support from FireWhat's fire professionals, to help provide data collection and spatial analytics of f

Help 185
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Pay Gap Widens Between Women and Men in Los Angeles Tech Industry

L.A. Business Journal

The pay gap between women and men in tech jobs in Los Angeles widened 15.5 percent on average for the time period of 2011 to 2015 compared with the previous five years, according to an estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

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Elon Musk Is Officially Building His Own Hyperloop

Tech.Co

Elon’s vision of a speedy long-distance transport system sounds straight out of a sci-fi movie. Now, five years after Elon came up with the Hyperloop, Elon’s own Boring Company is planning to make it reality. It’s Not a Surprise At This Point. Wired has a collection of a few warning signs that Musk was planning to move forward with his loop, and they’re not exactly subtle: “You could see this coming last month, of course.

Course 88
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Haste makes waste; but to lag is to sag.

Berkonomics

Close. Let’s examine the relationship between time, quality and competitiveness. If you are getting the impression from these many insights that complex relationships cause simple problems, you are right. We have heard the “haste makes waste” ditty since childhood. There is little need to reinforce the obvious. On a larger scale, there are epoch stories of giant companies eating massive losses in a recall of product, often based upon limited testing before release.

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Taking Tech Ideas Global: Connecting an Innovation Ecosystem

Xconomy

The word ecosystem conjures up a rain forest in Ecuador, where sunlight, soil, water, and a multitude of species exist together in a self-sustaining environment that is constantly evolving. This image from biology translates perfectly into what many people like to call an innovation ecosystem. Think of a group of people developing a new idea, all doing what they are good at.

Ideas 100
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6 Keys to Marketing Customer Experience vs Products

Startup Professionals Musings

Not so long ago, every business assumed that the keys to success were the highest quality product, the best value for the buck, and the best customer service. Now all we hear about is providing the best “customer experience.” Exactly what is that customer experience that every modern marketer is talking about, and how do you measure it? A classic article in the Harvard Business Review “ The Truth About Customer Experience ” defines it as your customer’s end-to-end journey with you, not just the

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Silversheet Gets $5M For Medical Credentials

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Silversheet , a startup which is modernizing the process of medical credentialing, said on Monday that it has raised $5M in a Series A funding round. The funding was led by Summation Health Ventures. Silversheet, which was co-founded by Dr. Miles Beckett, Dr. David Rakoff, Pat Cheung, and Steve Seigel, has now raised a total of $10.2M.

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New Alternative Restaurant Delivery App Launches in Los Angeles.

L.A. Business Journal

Some local restaurants are trying a new alternative to delivery to bring in customers with an app that launched in Los Angeles County Tuesday.

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7 Crowdfunding Rules That Can Boost Your Campaign

Tech.Co

Once a novelty act reserved for indie band albums and curious art projects, crowdfunding is starting to play a major role in the world of startups and new products. The appeal is obvious: crowdfunding lets creators and entrepreneurs raise money directly from their community and potential customers, and unlike the traditional approach of funding through VCs and investors, crowdfunding money is truly no strings attached.

Startup 93
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Wasted time is money lost.

Berkonomics

Close. There is a relationship between time and money that is more complex than most managers think. Fixed overhead for salaries, rent, equipment leases and more make up the majority of the “burn rate” (monthly expenses) for most companies. Since this number is budgeted and pre-authorized, managers tend to focus upon other things such as sales, marketing and product development issues.

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Dragonfly, eGenesis, Spero & More: Xconomy’s Startup Award Finalists

Xconomy

Startups play a critical role in the innovation economy that we chronicle at Xconomy—transforming new ideas that begin in a lab into the products and companies of tomorrow. No surprise, then, that the startup category in our first-ever Awards program was a particularly competitive one, loaded with private companies (no more than 5 years old) in several biotech hotspots: gene editing, microbiome research, immuno-oncology, regenerative medicine, digital health and more.

Startup 90
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10 Principles For Surviving New Business Challenges

Startup Professionals Musings

As the economy flourishes after some tough economic times, more and more people seem to be turning to entrepreneurship as an alternative to traditional employment. I applaud this trend, but caution all of you thinking this direction to approach entrepreneurship with your eyes wide open. It is not for everyone, as the entrepreneur’s path is fraught with challenges.

Startup 82
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UCLA Extension Creates New Innovation Lab Program

socalTECH

UCLA Extension , the extension arm of UCLA, said today that it is launching a new, membership program called the Silicon Beach Innovation Lab , where it will look to deliver networking opportunities, hackathons, webinars to entrepreneurs and professionals. According to UCLA Extension, the new membership program--part of its new "Digital Technology Department"--aims to provide access to executives and founders through webinars and special events, as well as real world projects in collaboration wi

UCLA 157
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Patrick Soon-Shiong’s NantHealth to Lay Off 300 Employees, Sell Health Care Software

L.A. Business Journal

NantHealth Inc. announced plans Thursday to lay off about 300 of its staff and sell its provider and patient messaging platform to Allscripts in a move that it expects to save the company more than $70 million annually, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Software 165
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Finding My Tribe — The Upside of the Downcast Year

Both Sides of the Table

It’s been a tough year globally. Many feel the division in our families and societies. It has been heart-breaking to see progress reversed and social & racial tensions exacerbated unnecessarily. Much of the focus on the public discourse has been how social media and the polarization of information sources has worsened the problem. We seem to be stuck on the narrative that our angst is tied to the arguments we’re having on Facebook, Twitter or the Thanksgiving dinner table.

Framework 202
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Greatly exceed early customer expectations.

Berkonomics

First customers are critical. Greatly exceed expectations at all costs. There is so much history behind this insight, and so many stories that illustrate this point. Your first customers for any product or service form your reference base, the important group of allies that your marketing and sales people rely upon when attempting to create buzz and make a mass market for a new product.

Customer 243
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Opportunity Abounds as Washington Builds the Modern Electricity Grid

Xconomy

In a dry grassland set amid some of the region’s preeminent energy research, production, and training facilities, you can see the future of the electricity grid, and Washington state companies and workers are playing a major role in shaping it. The Horn Rapids Solar, Storage, and Training Project—which would be the largest solar installation in Washington , and one of a relative few anywhere with a significant amount of energy storage incorporated—embodies a long chain of publi

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7 Reasons To Start A New Focus On Inbound Marketing

Startup Professionals Musings

Every business I know is intimately familiar with outbound marketing, or pushing your message out to customers through email, newspaper, and television advertising. Only a few really understand the process and value of inbound marketing, for pulling customers to your brand. In my experience, it’s the fastest way to create trust and authenticity in this age of the consumer.

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How Gigmor Is Looking To Connect Musicians With Gigs, with David Baird

socalTECH

Santa Monica-based Gigmor (www.gigmor.com) is an online marketplace for musicians, and recently expanded beyond connecting musicians with each other, to connecting musicians with venues, club organizers, and others. We caught up with the company's founder and CEO, David Baird , a former AOL executive, to learn more about what Gigmor is working on. What is Gigmor?

Startup 150
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Hopscotch Signs 40 Collegiate Programs for Sports App

L.A. Business Journal

Sports app developer Hopscotch of El Segundo announced on Monday that it signed up more than 40 athletic programs as customers last month.

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Los Angeles Rams Owner Stan Kroenke Buys E-sports Team

L.A. Business Journal

Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke and his son, Josh Kroenke, have purchased a franchise for a local e-sports team, according to Activision Blizzard’s Overwatch League, a professional video gaming competition.

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Greycroft Partner Launches Investment Fund Targeting Video Games, Virtual and Augmented Reality.

L.A. Business Journal

Jon Goldman, a venture partner at downtown’s Greycroft Ventures, has closed $15.6 million in investment commitments for a new fund looking to back companies in the virtual reality, augmented reality and e-sports industries.

Invest 157
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March Capital Leads Funding For Satellite Imagery Analysis Startup

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based March Capital appears to be having a busy investment week this week, and has led an $30M, Series B funding in Santa Fe, New Mexico-based Descartes Labs , a developer of software used for satellite imagery analysis. Descartes Labs said the Series B funding was led by March Capital, and also included prior investors Crosslink Capital and Cultivian Sandbox.

Capital 150
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Triple Taps Augmented Reality To Sell Furniture

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Triple , a startup developing augmented reality applications, said today that it has launched a new app to let users shop for furniture--and see how that furniture looks like in their home or office. The venture backed company's app-- currently only available for iOS --let users search for different furniture from such stores as Design Within Reach, Article, CB2, Crate & Barrel, West Elm and Restoration Hardware, and "drag and drop" that furniture into real life augmented r

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Ember Raises $13M For Temperature Controlled Mug

socalTECH

Westlake Village-based Ember Technologies , the maker of a temperature controlled, thermal mug, has raised $13M more in funding, the company disclosed today. Source of the funding was not announced. Ember, led by Clay Alexander, says its team includes product designers and engineers formerly with Apple, Google, Nokia, Microsoft, and Amazon Labs. Ember's mug allows users to rapidly cool drinks to their exact preference, and maintain the temperature of their favorite drink to any setting between 1

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Silicon Beach Report Aug. 29: Pay Gap Widens Between Women and Men in Los Angeles Tech Industry

L.A. Business Journal

Pay gap widens between women and men in Los Angeles tech industry, Tastemade expands its live events with Smorgasburg partnership and drone companies to be honored at Emmy awards.

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Zynx Health Rolls Out API

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Zynx Health , a developer of healthcare software and content, said this morning that it has opened up access to its content via a new API. The company said the Zynx Health API is aimed at third -party solution providers, allowing them to leverage its content to help healthcare organizations with delivery of patient care. Zynx said its API returns content using the standard, Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) format.

Content 147
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Beachbody Snags CIO From Red Bull

socalTECH

Santa Monica-based health and fitness company Beachbody says it has named Bryan Muehlberger as the company's new Chief Information Officer. Muehlberger joins the company from Red Bull North America, where he was Chief Information Officer and Vice President of Information Technology. According to Beachbody, Muehlberger will lead its Enterprise Technology team, reporting to President and COO Robert Gifford.

Beachbody 136