Sat.Apr 27, 2019 - Fri.May 03, 2019

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Beyond Meat’s IPO Bags $241M to Make Plant-Based Burgers Mainstream

Xconomy

A Beyond Meat burger is coming to a location near you—and soon. The food technology company’s upsized IPO has raised $241 million to finance plans to bring its plant-based “meat” to more grocery stores and restaurants across the country. Beyond Meat priced its IPO Wednesday evening at $25 per share, which was the high end of its revised range.

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Struggling EV firm Faraday Future gets another financial lifeline with new $225M investment

TechCrunch LA

Editor’s note: This post originally appeared on TechNode , an editorial partner of TechCrunch based in China. It may have lost its original founding team , but the wheels are still rolling for embattled electric vehicle (EV) maker Faraday Future. The company, famous for lavish promotions but little substance , has received yet another financial lifeline in the wake of a dispute with key investor Evergrande.

Invest 143
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SpaceX Gets FCC Approval On Massive Satellite Constellation

socalTECH

Hawthorne-based SpaceX has received approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to launch its massive constellation of 1,500 satellites into space, for its planned "Starlink" Internet service. According to SpaceX, its Starlink satellite constellation is aimed a providing "reliable and affordable" broadband service to people around the world.

SpaceX 113
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How much time do you spend “outside the box?”

Berkonomics

So, you’re managing all that work, all those interruptions, all those texts and pesky emails. You get home at some reasonable hour, kind of tired, and needing a recharge. Sound familiar? Well, that’s probably because you’ve “wasted” a significant portion of your time on tasks others could have done effectively. So, where do you get those sparks of genius that could change your company and change the world?

Email 120
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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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Lime Scooters Being Hacked in Australia

Tech.Co

Pranksters in Brisbane, Australia, have hacked the audio files on rentable scooters owned by transportation startup Lime. At least eight scooters had their messages switched. According to local news, the scooters had their audio messages replaced with more edgy statements, although Lime has failed to see the funny side. The news follows a series of unfortunate events for scooter companies, from criticism from environmentalists to vandalism.

News 126
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The Original Mixer

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, May 9, 2019 -- The Original Mixer. The Original Mixer is one of the premier networking events in Southern California, attracting hundreds of professionals from as far as San Diego, Las Vegas, and San Francisco. This event has been produced for more than a decade resulting in tens of closed deals and thousands of new connections.

More Trending

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Why It Pays To Focus Your Business On A Narrow Niche

Startup Professionals Musings

Image via Picpedia Everyone in the business world has heard of the old bestseller by Geoffrey A. Moore titled “ Crossing the Chasm ,” but most entrepreneurs have no idea how it relates to them. In fact, it’s all about the “focus” required to get early stage technology products across the deadly chasm from early adopters to mainstream customers. Most investors and startup professionals expand this concept of focus to apply to key issues of every aspect of strategic and tactical planning in a star

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Finding Your Startup Lawyer: What Every Entrepreneur Should Know

Xconomy

Successful management of any new enterprise, regardless of industry, is a process demanding of concerted effort to realize opportunity with a finite set of resources. As an entrepreneur, perfecting your vision, securing and managing funds, building a team, marketing and selling, and executing on plan, all while navigating unexpected obstacles, likely occupy your every day.

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CLU New Venture Fair

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, May 8, 2019 -- CLU New Venture Fair. The New Venture Fair (NVF) is a valuable part of Cal Lutheran's entrepreneur education experience, in which student teams share their innovative startup projects in a competitive environment. The NVF is a dynamic and exciting evening where the community gets its first look at Cal Lutheran's exceptional student entrepreneurs.

Education 100
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PhoenixET Finds Funding For Smart Building Management Software

socalTECH

Aliso Viejo-based PhoenixET , a developer of Internet-of-Things (IoT) products for the smart building market, has raised a round of funding in what it says is a growth capital funding. The funding was led by Spring Lake Equity Partners and Energy Innovation Capital (EIC), and also included existing shareholder Duke Energy. The size of the investment round was not announced by the company.

Software 133
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6 Reasons To Overcome Your Fear of Talking Publicly

Startup Professionals Musings

Image via Wikipedia As a mentor for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs, I talk to a fair number who may have a great vision and a strong engineering background, but have a negative interest in the role of public speaking in business. In fact, they often claim to be part of the survey group that fears public speaking more than death, but I’m not sure how anyone could validate that survey.

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Ivor Royston Named Xconomy’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner in San Diego

Xconomy

We at Xconomy are excited to announce that we are honoring Ivor Royston , co-founder of Hybritech and Idec Pharmaceuticals, with our 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award—the first ever awarded in San Diego. The award recognizes Royston’s wide-ranging career as an academic physician, entrepreneur, investor, and life sciences executive. His foundational role in starting Hybritech, San Diego’s first biotech, puts him at the start of the creation of what is today one of the most vibrant life scienc

San Diego 101
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Customer Discovery and Product Market Fit with Eric P. Rose, NPDP, MBA

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, May 8, 2019 -- Customer Discovery and Product Market Fit with Eric P. Rose, NPDP, MBA. Precellerator. This talk will cover the preliminary market research work of Customer Discovery, that is to discover who would most value your proposed new product. It will also cover the tough decisions to then tailor your product in a way that the market values the most and yields the best return on its development investment.

Customer 100
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AdColony Rolls Out $5M In Incentives For App Monetization

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based AdColony has launched a new, $5M fund to encourage mobile app publishers to adopt its in-app monetization tools, the company said on Thursday. According to the firm, its new Advanced Monetization Program (AMP) will provide incentives to encourage the company to adopt its in-app monetization technology. The company said it would pay out that $5M by providing 100 percent revenue share for publishers for 90 days, in addition to other incentives to encourage those publishers to ado

Tool 133
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5 Ways To Kickstart Your Business Coaching Reputation

Startup Professionals Musings

Image via Pixabay I’ve always been a bit confused about the difference in a business context between a coach and a mentor. According to many pundits , a mentor shows you the right way based on experience, while a coach brings out the best in you, then let’s you find your own way. Based on my own experience on both sides of the fence, we can all benefit from either, and need the best of both.

Coach 87
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SMA Moment: Will Gene Therapy Shift Treatment, Costs of Muscle Disease?

Xconomy

This is a big moment for people diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA, a rare and potentially lethal genetic disorder that destroys muscles. For decades, there was no way to change the trajectory of their disease. They now have one marketed medicine, and this month, chances are they’ll have another: a gene therapy that promises a long-lasting treatment, if not an outright cure, through a one-time dose.

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SoCalBio Innovation Catalyst Program (May 3rd, 2019)

SoCal Tech Calendar

Friday, May 3, 2019 -- SoCalBio Innovation Catalyst Program. During this meeting, emerging companies will make presentations to the SoCalBio Company Screening and Mentoring Committee. This meeting is one of numerous company screening sessions organized by the Southern California Biomedical Council (SoCalBio) in preparation for the 21st Annual SoCalBio Conference to be held on September.

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USC Marshall Combines MBA, STEM

socalTECH

The University of Southern California (USC) Marshall School of Business is hoping to make its MBA students more attractive to the marketplace--and help its international students--by adding a new "STEM specialization" option for its full time MBA students, the company announced on Wednesday. According to the Marshall School, the "STEM specialization" will include certification in areas such as statistics, data analytics, operations and supply chain optimization, finance, forecasting, and digital

USC 133
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8 Key Disciplines Are Essential To Scale Any Business

Startup Professionals Musings

Image via Pixabay As a mentor to many small business owners, I always caution them that you can never relax completely, just because your initial solution or product set appears to be getting traction, and the market buzz is positive. Unfortunately, your next stage of scaling the business is fraught with potential oversights that can lead to the downfall of even the best-laid business plans.

Metrics 86
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Exosomes Head to Wall Street As Codiak Biosciences Lines Up IPO

Xconomy

Do Wall Street investors believe that exosomes, the tiny bubbles once thought to be just cellular garbage bins, may be the key to treating a slew of potential diseases? The coming IPO for Codiak Biosciences will present a test case. Codiak, a Cambridge, MA, company run by former Biogen (NASDAQ: BIIB ) research chief Doug Williams, outlined plans late Monday for an IPO.

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CalArts Expo 2019

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, May 9, 2019 --.

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ISSQUARED Buys Network Computing Architects

socalTECH

Los Angeles-base information technology services provider ISSQUARED , which provides security, hybrid cloud infrastructure, networking, and software services, said this morning it has acquired Network Computing Architects (NCA), a provider of IT services to the small and mid-sized business market. Financial details of the buy were not announced. ISSQUARED said the buy will help it extend its coverage with local offices in Washington, Oregon, Texas and California.

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8 Ways Blogging Can Supercharge Your Business Website

Startup Professionals Musings

Image via Pixabay Now that the number of websites on the Internet worldwide approaches two billion, how do you expect anyone to find yours? Equally important, if someone does find your site, your content must stand out above all similar sites, to keep visitors engaged, close a sale, and get customers to return. I have found that publishing a regular blog can give you an edge in making all this happen.

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New VC Firm Blueprint Equity Puts $6M into Florida Software Company

Xconomy

A new venture capital firm, which in November marked its launch by raising a $53 million-plus fund to invest in startups, has made its first investment. Blueprint Equity managing partners Sheldon Lewis and Bobby Ocampo, 30-somethings who are part of a new generation of investors in San Diego, said Thursday that the firm had invested $6 million in Sunwave, a Florida-based company that makes software for substance abuse treatment centers.

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LegalZoom Founder Brian Liu Talks About His New Legal Startup, BizCounsel

socalTECH

What's the best way to get legal advice, if you're a small business? Brian Liu , the co-founder and CEO of a new startup, BizCounsel , was the co-founder of LegalZoom, and thinks there can be a new way that every business owner can get access to dedicated business attorneys for legal work. The startup offers up legal advice for just $59 per month for small business owners, matching them with business attorneys for legal work and one-on-one advice.

Legalzoom 127
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Amgen In Precision Medicine Deal With Syapse

socalTECH

Thousand Oaks-based biotechnology giant Amgen has entered into a new collaboration effort, with precision medicine developer Syapse. According to the two companies, they will develop observational research analytics to assess treatment outcomes for areas of unmet need in oncology. The two said the joint effort will identify existing patients within the Syapse Learning Health Network that could be eligible for Amgen-sponsored clinical trials and seek to bring these trials to community health syst

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Jobot Expands In Irvine

socalTECH

Irvine-based Jobot , a recruiting startup which says it combines artificial intelligence with human recruiters, says it is expanding in Irvine, and has moved into a new headquarters at The Boardwalk. The startup, led by Heidi Golledge, says it already has 30 employees, and has moved into a space for more than 100 reruiters. Gollege previously was CEO of CyberCoders, and also is CEO and "Chief Happiness Officer" of CareerBliss.

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Nimble Adds Sync Features for Microsoft Dynamics 365

socalTECH

Santa Monica-based customer relationship management software developer Nimble is further enhancing its integration with the suite of products from Microsoft, saying on Thursday that it has added automated data synchronization and "data enrichment" for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, as well as Office 365. Nimble said its synchronization tool helps provide a complete view of business relationship within the company, gathering contact data from Business Central, Office 365, and other sour

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Alorica Opens Office In India

socalTECH

Irvine-based business process outsourcer Alorica said late Thursday evening that it has opened up an office in India, and esablished a new "innovation lab" in the country. According to Alorica, the new innovation lab will be based in Bengaluru, which it will call its "Digital Center of Excellence". Alorica said it will use the new facility to be able to utilize India's talent pool.

Outsource 113
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Clearlake Capital Buys Operations Management Software Developer

socalTECH

Santa Monica-based private equity investor Clearlake Capital has acquired a Cary, North Carolina-based developer of operations management software, Dude Solutions. According to Clearlake Capital, it acquired Dude Solutions from its prior, private equity investor, Warburg Pincus. Financial details of the transaction were not announced. Dude Solutions develops cloud-based, operations management software, which handles suh things as work order, inventory, energy, capital planning, facility scheduli

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Tinder Rolls Out Festival Mode Feature

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based dating app developer Tinder is making it easier to hook up with a "special friend" at music festivals this summer, saying it has launched a new in-app feature called Festival Mode. According to Tinder, the new feature will let its users "connect" with other music fans ahead of music festivals, including AEG's Hangout Fest, All Points East, Firefly and British Summer Time, among others.

Startup 113
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BlackLine Expands Customer Base

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based financial software developer BlackLine said on Thursday that it has expanded its customer base, adding such notable customers as Volvo, Waymo, AstraZeneca, the operator of Applebee's, and many others to its list of 2,700 companies who are using its products. The company--which automated the financial close process for accounting--said it's newest customers include AFCO Steel, BIC, Cetera Financial, Drexel University, Ellie Mae, The Rose Group (operators of Applebees, Boston Ma

Customer 113
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LA's Beyond Meat Sees Huge Pop In IPO Debut

socalTECH

Beyond Meat , the developer of plant-based, meat alternatives--including a popular, ground burger-like product--saw a huge pop on its IPO debut on Thursday, closing up 163 percent, at $65.75 per share in its first day of trading. The company's stock is continuing to rise in after-hours trading after it debuted on the Nasdaq Global Select Market as BYND.

Pricing 113
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Beyond Meat Soars In IPO Debut, Now Worth Over $3.3 Billion

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Beyond Meat , the developer of plant-based, meat alternatives, has soared in its IPO debut, trading as high as $58.90, or 135.6 percent over its IPO price of $25.00 per share. The company's first trades on Thursday morning were at $46.00 per share. The company is now valued at over $3.383 billion. Beyond Meat priced well above its initial $19.00 to $21.00 IPO pricing range.

Pricing 113
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SpaceX Confirms Crew Dragon Destroyed In Testing Mishap

socalTECH

Hawthorne-based SpaceX confirmed on Thursday that its Crew Dragon capsule, designed to carry astronauts into space, was destroyed in the accident last month during testing. Videos of the destruction of the capsule were leaked , apparently by either a NASA employee or a NASA contractor last week. SpaceX said the accident occurred during an activation of the capsule's escape system thrusters, which are designed to bring the Crew Dragon back to earth in the case of an accident.

SpaceX 113
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Hulu Ups Subscribers To 26.8M Paid Subscribers, Bingeing Drives Ad Dollars

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based streaming television service Hulu says it has upped its total number of customers to 28 million in total, with 26.8 million of those being paid subscribers. The company shared the subscriber numbers as part of a presentation at its annual "Hulu Upfront" event in New York City. According to Hulu, it is also seeing increasing average time per subscriber, with an increase of more than 20% in 2018.

Hulu 113