TechCrunch LA

APRIL 21, 2021

Welcome Tech , which has built a digital platform aimed at immigrants and their families, has raised $35 million in a Series B funding round co-led by TTV Capital, Owl Ventures and SoftBank Group Corp.’s SB Opportunity Fund. Crosscut Ventures, Mubadala Capital, Next Play Capital and Owl Capital also participated in the financing, which brings the Los Angeles-based company’s total raised to $50 million since its 2010 inception.

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Platform Resource Services Capital 299

L.A. Business Journal

APRIL 19, 2021

Triller Network, the owner of the Triller social media app and several streaming businesses, announced April 14 that it had acquired live event and pay-per-view platform Fite and had reached an agreement to purchase software developer Truverse Inc., doing business as Amplify.ai.

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Acquisition Social Media Software Development Platform 264

Berkonomics

APRIL 22, 2021

How we usually do this in our businesses. The best managers we all know are the ones who take the time to praise good work in public, before an employee’s peers. Most of us have a monthly award for the top person in a group of employees. And if we are big enough to formalize the process in a regular meeting, we make it a regular part of that meeting.

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Email Company Companies 156

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 19, 2021

New entrepreneurs often seem to confuse viability with fundability. Certainly a non-viable business should be not fundable, but many viable businesses are also not fundable. Thus when an investor declines your funding request, you need to curb your anger and understand the real reason for this outcome. In my experience, here are the most common issues that cause funding requests for potentially viable businesses to be rejected, in priority order: Inadequate business plan.

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Funding Startup IBM IBM 171

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

socalTECH

APRIL 23, 2021

Los Angeles-based Wemo, the home automation and Internet-of-Things (IoT) brand owned by Belkin International, says it has launched a new product, the Wemo Stage Scene Controller. The new device--which mounts on a wall--lets users manage and control "scenes" for lighting, entertainment, security, and temperature in their homes. The device connects to the HomeKit home control system, letting users active up to six customized HomeKit scenes (i.e. movie night, bedtime, energy saving), according to t

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Belkin Entertainment Los Angeles Activity 133

L.A. Business Journal

APRIL 19, 2021

Santa Monica-based Bespoke Financial Inc., has raised $8 million to expand its financial offerings for businesses in the cannabis industry.

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Santa Monica Platform 278

L.A. Business Journal

APRIL 22, 2021

Venice-based startup Universal Hydrogen Co. has raised $20.5 million for its hydrogen fuel cell technology.

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Venice Startup Technology 264

L.A. Business Journal

APRIL 19, 2021

With a growing number of Americans viewing television content through smart TVs and connected devices, newly formed startup TvScientific Inc. is creating new ways for advertisers to reach viewers and access valuable data to evaluate the success of campaigns.

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Technology Advertising Content Startup 200

L.A. Business Journal

APRIL 19, 2021

Over the last year, the need for software tools to aid teams of remote employees has become obvious for most businesses.

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Tool Software 246

L.A. Business Journal

APRIL 19, 2021

Later this year, Long Beach-based rocket manufacturer Rocket Lab USA Inc. will attempt its first mission to the moon.

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Long Beach Company Companies 241

L.A. Business Journal

APRIL 19, 2021

Vana Technologies Inc. founder and Chief Executive Sheldon Owen saw that companies selling cannabis products would need technological tools to advertise in compliance with regulations.

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Company Companies Help Advertising 147

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2021

Entrepreneurs have to know when and how to say ‘no,’ and be good at delivering the message. All startup leaders are besieged with requests for their time, attention, talent, money, or influence, and sometimes even good requests won’t fit into the time and energy you have available. Startups require focus, so you need to say ‘no’ to some things, in order to do the important things well.

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Tips Entrepreneur Ideas Help 165

L.A. Business Journal

APRIL 19, 2021

Santa Monica-based advertising technology company GumGum Inc. announced a new $75 million investment April 13 from the growth equity division of Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

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Invest Santa Monica Equity Advertising 130

L.A. Business Journal

APRIL 20, 2021

Pragma Platform Inc., the developer of a software engine for video game designers, has raised $12 million in a Series A funding round.

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socalTECH

APRIL 21, 2021

Carlsbad-based satellite communications company Viasat says it is in a collaboration with 19Labs, founded by former Apple, Samsung, and Qualcomm executives, on a new, telemedicine and remote patient monitoring solution. According to ViaSat, it is working with 19Labs to allow patients, clinicians and healthcare providers can securely connect and share healthcare information even in hard-to-reach communities.

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Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 18, 2021

If your startup is great enough to get a term sheet from angel investors or a venture capitalist, the next step for the investor is to complete the dreaded due diligence process. This is the last step of the process, where surprises in the evaluation of the management team, documentation, and personnel problems can derail the investment. Some startups do nothing to prepare for the due diligence process, assuming the people and business plan documents will speak for themselves.

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Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Summary 152

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 21, 2021

Startups and entrepreneurs are drowning in the information overload, where the volume of data created is like a new Library of Congress every 15 minutes. That creates a huge gap between data and meaning, and makes quick decisions and action ever more difficult. We all need to take a little more time to think. On the other end of the spectrum, some people “over-think” things to the point of inaction.

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Organization Demand Course Entrepreneur 145

L.A. Business Journal

APRIL 23, 2021

SpaceX launched its third crewed mission April 23, sending four astronauts to the International Space Station.

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SpaceX 147

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2021

Success in a startup is not possible as a “one-man show.” An entrepreneur has to engage with team members, partners, investors, vendors, and customers. In my experience, the joy of positive engagement is sometimes the only pay you get in an early startup. Amazingly, many successful startups are built on this basis alone, with almost no money. I will talk here primarily about building the internal team of a startup, but the same principles apply outside to your “extended team” and customers.

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Entrepreneur Social Media Satisfaction Startup 138

socalTECH

APRIL 23, 2021

Hawke Ventures, a new, venture capital fund that is part of marketing company Hawke Media, said Friday that it has raised $5.6M for its first, venture capital fund. The new fund is being managed by Erik Huberman, Tony Delmercado, and Managing Partner Drew Leahy, along with angel investor Paige Craig. The company said it plans to write checks of between $100,000 and $250,000 in digital marketing startups.

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socalTECH

APRIL 23, 2021

Los Angeles-based Universal Hydrogen, a startup developing hardware to power airplans with hydrogen, has raised $20.5M in a Series A funding, the company said earlier this week. The company said the funding was led by Playground Global, and also included Fortescue Future Industries, Coatue, Global Founders Capital, Plug Power, Airbus Ventures, JetBlue Technology Ventures, Toyota AI Ventures, Sojitz Corporation, and Future Shape.

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socalTECH

APRIL 23, 2021

Carpinteria-based construction management software unicorn Procore has named a new sales VP, saying this week that it has appointed Bill Crawford as the company's Senior Vice President of U.S. Sales. Crawford had previously served as Chief Value Officer at Ceridian, and Senior Vice President of Sales at ADP. Procore develops software used to manage construction projects, and is one of Southern California's highly valued unicorn startups.

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socalTECH

APRIL 23, 2021

Los Angeles-based videogame commerce technology developer Xsolla says it has acquired Slemma, a developer of data analytics and visualization and reporting software. Financial details of thea cquisition were not announced. According to Xsolla, it will integrate Slemma's product suite into its Publisher Account tool. The company said Slemma's web-based tools allow users to create simple, easy-to-use and dynamic data reports with customizable dashboards.

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socalTECH

APRIL 23, 2021

Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX has successfully launched four more astronauts towards the International Space Station, in a launch for a href="[link] first time that a re-used Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket have been used on a crew mission. SpaceX launched NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet into space at 5

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socalTECH

APRIL 23, 2021

San Diego-based Kandji, a startup which develops Apple device management software, says it has raised $60M in a Series B funding round. The funding was led by Felicis Ventures, and also included SVB Capital, Greycroft and Okta Ventures, as well as The Spruce House Partnership, and First Round Capital. Kandji now has raised $88.5M. The company also raised $21M in a Series A funding in October, and two earlier seed funding round.

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Seed Funding San Diego Software Capital 113

socalTECH

APRIL 22, 2021

Los Angeles-based Allset is hoping to attract restaurant operators tired of the major drag on their orders from commission-based restaurant ordering apps, saying it has launched a new, commission-free plan. According to the company, the new subscription plan lets restaurants accept online orders through their own channels, at no commission. The company says it charges only $49 a month for its system, after a 30 day free trial.

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socalTECH

APRIL 22, 2021

Irvine-based online automotive information site Kelley Blue Book is expanding its online resources for car shoppers, saying this morning that it has expanded its information on electric vehicle (EV) tax credits. According to the company, it has added a new section called How Do Electric Car Tax Credits Work? which spells out the details of available tax credits for EV owners.

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socalTECH

APRIL 22, 2021

Newport Beach-based Professional Sports Authenticator, a company that provides rading card, autograph and memorabilia authentication and grading services, said yesterday that it has acquired software developer Genamint, which develops technology to automatically grade trading cards. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. Genamint's technology automatically analyzes trading cards, providing diagnostics, measurements, and detect alterations or other changes made to a card's surface

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Acquisition Software Development Software Technology 113

socalTECH

APRIL 22, 2021

San Diego-based Seqster PDM, a developer of healthcare data tools, said this morning that it has raised $12M in a Series A funding round. The funding was led by OmniHealth Holdings LLC, and also included Takeda Digital Ventures and 23andMe CEO and founder Anne Wojcicki. Seqster develops tools that integrate various electronic health record (EHR), pharmacy lab, lab data, genomic data/DNA, fitness wearables data, and other information into a single place.

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Tool San Diego Funding Technology 113

socalTECH

APRIL 21, 2021

Los Angeles-based Welcome Tech, which is developing a financial inclusion platform aimed at the multigenerational, immigrant community, said this week that it has raised $35M in a Series B funding round. The fundinc ame from TTV Capital, Owl Ventures and SoftBank along with Crosscut Ventures, Mubadala Capital, Next Play Capital and Owl Capital. According to the company, it is developing financial services, including a debit card and bilingual mobile app.

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Los Angeles Capital Platform Mobile 113

socalTECH

APRIL 21, 2021

Los Angeles-based Seed Health, a company focused on probiotics, says it has raised $40M in its Series A funding round. The funding was led by The Craftory, and also included ARTIS Ventures, GISEV, Foudners Fund, and 8VC. The company said it is developing a "broad spectrum probiotic" to help treat patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The company's co-founders and co-CEOs are Ara Katz and Raja Dhir.

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socalTECH

APRIL 21, 2021

Los Angeles-based music licensing marketplace operator Songtradr says it has acquired Pretzl, a provider of stream-safe music for livestreamers. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. According to Songtradr, Pretzel offers rights holders such as artists and labels exposure to millions of new, highly engaged listeners through live broadcasts.

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Acquisition Content Los Angeles Help 113

socalTECH

APRIL 20, 2021

Serverfarm, a developer and operator of data center space, says it has purchased a new facility in El Segundo, which will provide 117,500 square feet and 22MVA to hyperscale, transportation, healthcare and government tenants. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced. According to Serverfarm, its long term partner in the effort is NantWorks.

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socalTECH

APRIL 20, 2021

Los Angeles-based Zefr, which provides services to help monitor brand safety and other services for online videos, particularly on YouTube, has named a new sales VP. According to Zefr, it has named Kelsey Garigan as Executive Vice President, Head of North American Sales. Garigan was previously Director of Sales West for DoubleVerify, and also previously had been at Pricegrabber.com.

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Sales Los Angeles Services Help 113

socalTECH

APRIL 20, 2021

Los Angeles-based electronics e-commerce retailer Newegg has jumped on the Dogecoin bandwagon, saying late Monday that it now accepts Dogecoin as an official payment method on its website. According to the company, its customers can pay with Dogecoin by selecting BitPay as its payment method in the checkout page. Newegg has been an early adopter in accepting cryptocurrency, having been one of the first major online retailers to accept Bitcoin, back in 2014.

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socalTECH

APRIL 20, 2021

Los Angeles-based XPRIZE says it has named two winners in its $20M, NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE competition. The competition challenged teams to convert CO2 emissions into valuable products. According to XPRIZE, it has awarded two companies--CarbonCure Technologies and CarbonBuilt, both working on ways to decarbonize concrete. CarbonCure Technologies, the Alberta track winner from Canada, demonstrated a technology which enabled the production of concrete with a reduced water and carbon footprint wit

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