Sat.Sep 14, 2019 - Fri.Sep 20, 2019

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Impossible Foods will debut in SoCal grocery stores on Friday as first step in phased national rollout

TechCrunch LA

Congratulations Southern California Gelsons store shoppers, you’re getting Impossible Foods on your grocery shelves. The meatless ground meat substitute will be appearing in stores across the Southern California as the first step in a phased nationwide rollout on Friday. With the step into groceries, Impossible Foods moves into direct competition with its bigger, publicly traded rival Beyond Meat, which is already selling its patties and sausages in major stores nationwide.

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Los Angeles Approves Deal For Massive Solar, Battery Plant In Mojave

socalTECH

The City of Los Angeles has approved a massive, solar-and-battery in the Mojave Desert, which is expected to meet 6 to 7 percent of the city's electricity needs--including being able to supply power for four hours each night from a massive bank of batteries. The new project, which was approved last week , will supply the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power with up to 400MW of clean energy, with enough capacity to store 300MW/1200Mwh of energy at night.

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Automated Trucking Company TuSimple Adds $120M More From Investors

Xconomy

UPS, the global package delivery giant, took a minority stake this summer in TuSimple, a self-driving trucking company, but didn’t reveal financial details. On Tuesday, the San Diego startup revealed that investment was part of an extended Series D financing round that now totals $215 million. In February, the company said it had raised $95 million in a round led by Sina (NASDAQ: SINA ), the Chinese tech company that runs the social media site Weibo, which is analogous to Twitter.

Company 73
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Most of your big problems start as small problems.

Berkonomics

Let’s talk about surprises. And whether to warn your superiors or your boards about these unraveling events early. You have a dashboard or KPI’s, don’t you? Every good executive has a set of critical data points that best alert him or her to the changes in the flow of business most important to note and in many cases to curb a negative trend early in the game.

News 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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Amplyx Inks Novartis Deal for Another Compromised-Immune System Drug

Xconomy

Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, which is testing a new type of drug against life-threatening infections acquired by patients with compromised immune systems, has acquired the rights to another drug that could also be of use in treating those with limited ability to fight off sickness. On Monday, the clinical-stage San Diego biotech company announced it had added an experimental drug developed by Swiss pharma giant Novartis (NYSE: NVS ) to its pipeline through a licensing deal.

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Boundless Bio Gets $46M For Treating Aggressive Cancers

socalTECH

San Diego-based Boundless Bio , a startup that is developing treatments for aggressive cancers, has raised $46.4M in a Series A funding round. The funding was co-led by ARCH Venture Partners and City Hill Ventures, and also included Vertex Ventures, GT Healthcare Capital Partners, Boxer Capital of the Tavistock Group, Alexandria Venture Investments, and other undisclosed investors.

San Diego 113

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Eying “Extra” DNA As Cancer Driver, Boundless Bio Debuts With $46M

Xconomy

In the nucleus of human cells sit our chromosomes, comprised mainly of tightly wound DNA. In some cells, however, some pieces of genetic material that exist within the nucleus are not attached to a chromosome—and a new company, Boundless Bio, believes these “extra” pieces of DNA play a key role in driving some especially aggressive solid-tumor cancers.

San Diego 102
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Clutter Acquires The Storage Fox For $152M

socalTECH

Culver City-based Clutter , which operates a technology-enabled, self storage service which picks up, stores, and retrieves your excess stuff on demand, has acquired an operator of self storage services in the New York market, The Storage Fox. According to Clutter, it paid $152M for the portfolio of The Storage Fox, which has four properties in New York, in Long Island City, Brooklyn, White Plains and Yonkers.

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Why Menlo Ventures Backed Its First Construction Tech Firm

Xconomy

Fieldwire , whose mobile app helps builders and construction crews coordinate their work, announced today it has lined up a total of $33.5 million across two newly disclosed fundraising rounds. The San Francisco-based construction tech company says it raised $8.5 million in a Series B funding round in 2017, and it has just added another $25 million from a Series C funding round led by veteran Silicon Valley venture capital firm Menlo Ventures.

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With its third fund, Revolution Ventures stays true to its mission

TechCrunch LA

Most of the venture capital firms covered in TechCrunch and other tech publications compete for a spot on the cap table of the hottest Bay Area, New York or Los Angeles companies of the moment. Few seek out companies in Indianapolis, Milwaukee or Tampa. AOL co-founder and former chief executive officer Steve Case’s venture capital fund, Revolution , deploys capital to companies “outside of the hotbeds.

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PlayVS Raises $50 Million

L.A. Business Journal

Esports league organizer PlayVS announced Sept. 19 it raised a $50 million Series C to hire more staff and further its reach into amateur esports competitions.

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Deckard Technologies Finds $4M For AI Property Tax Software

socalTECH

San Diego-based Deckard Technologies , a new startup founded by serial entrepreneur Neil Senturia, said on Monday that it has raised $4M in funding and launched a new company focused on using artificial intelligence (AI) to identify property tax scofflaws. According to the company, it offers up its software to cities and counties to help those counties and cities identify unpaid property taxes from real estate improvements done without plans and permits.

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AMAOC Marketing Tech Summit

SoCal Tech Calendar

Saturday, September 21, 2019 -- AMAOC Marketing Tech Summit. The AMAOC is hosting their 2nd annual Marketing Tech Summit at UCI. Keynote: MarTech in the Era of Customer Journey by Annette Franz Four tracks focused on marketing technology, customer journey and career advancement.

Marketing 100
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8 Strategies To Avoid The Entrepreneur Arrogance Trap

Startup Professionals Musings

In my years of mentoring entrepreneurs, a problem I have seen too often is low self-esteem, and over-compensating through arrogance and ego. These entrepreneurs find it hard to respect customers or team members, and their ventures usually fail. As a team member, low self-esteem leads to low confidence, poor productivity, and no job satisfaction. Fortunately, both can be fixed.

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Fair Obtains $500 Million Credit Facility

L.A. Business Journal

Car leasing startup Fair secured a $500 million loan from Mizuho Bank in the company's third line of credit since July.

Startup 214
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City of Los Angeles, Goren Holm To Invest In Blockchain Startup

socalTECH

The City of Los Angeles and investment firm Goren Holm Ventures --the new Blockchain investment firm of Alon Goren and Josef Holm--said they will be funding a blockchain pitch contest at the upcoming CIS blockchain conference. According to The Los Angeles Mayor's Office of Budget & Innovation (MOBI) and Information Technology Agency (ITALA) and Goren Holm Ventures, they will invest $25,000 an a minimum investment offer from GHV, and a $25,000 pilot project with the City of Los Angeles to add

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Pelosi, Dems Unveil Price Plan: Are 25 Drugs Enough for Negotiation?

Xconomy

With the 2020 election just over a year away, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has unveiled the Democratic Party’s answer to public discontent over high prescription drug prices. A preview of the plan was leaked last week. Today’s announcement doesn’t stray far. The new plan would have the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is in charge of the government insurance programs Medicare and Medicaid, negotiate the price of “the bare minimum” of 25

Pricing 67
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10 Key Components Of Every New Venture Strategic Plan

Startup Professionals Musings

Deciding to be an entrepreneur is a lifestyle move, and should be part of a long-term strategic plan. You shouldn’t be making this decision just because you are mad at your boss, or you would like to be rich, or someone else thinks you have a good idea. In these changing times, if you already have a startup, with no plan, maybe it’s time to think ahead for a change.

Startup 94
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Hospitality Startup AvantStay Raises $20 Million

L.A. Business Journal

3L Capital led the Series A financing round, which AvantStay will use to advance its rental technologies and acquire more properties for clients to rent.

Startup 182
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Rivian Gets Massive Order of EV Trucks From Amazon

socalTECH

Rivian , the electric truck maker which has offices in Irvine, has received an order for 100,000 electric delivery trucks from Amazon , according to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Thursday. Rivian--which is based in Michigan, but has development offices in Irvine--develops electric powered pickups and other trucks. Rivian had raised $700M from Amazon earlier in the year.

Press 127
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Bio Roundup: Pelosi’s Reveal, Alder’s Deal, Biogen’s Fails & More

Xconomy

Boston, San Francisco, and a few other metro areas might dominate the US life sciences, but some weeks, all bio-related eyes are on the nation’s capital. Health concerns about vaping continue to mount, and the feds could get involved. Meanwhile, try to find someone in the federal government who isn’t involved in the drug-price debate. OK, that’s a rhetorical flourish—we are talking about politics, after all—but with the debut of the House drug-price legislation this

Pricing 61
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8 Change Triggers Every Entrepreneur Must Spot Early

Startup Professionals Musings

When the economy tanks as it did in the last recession, that’s a strong signal that things have to change, and it’s hard to miss. But most of us in business have to deal most of the time with weak signals, or change that is happening in a far more subtle way. These changes can be cultural, like the increasing need to be social, spawning Facebook and a hundred others, or technological, like the explosion of mobile devices around the world.

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Fair Obtains $500 Million Credit Facility

L.A. Business Journal

Car leasing startup Fair secured a $500 million loan from Mizuho Bank in the company's third line of credit since July.

Startup 190
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CLU Launches Cybersecurity Program

socalTECH

California Lutheran University (CLU), in Thousand Oaks, says it has launched a new graduate program to help fill roles in the growing cybersecurity industry, providing a Masters of Science in Information Technology (MSIT). CLU--which announced the new program on Friday--said the program is aimed at helping filling the growing demand for filling cybersecurity teams.

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Q&A: New Rady Dean Ordóñez on School’s Growth, Startups, Ethics & More

Xconomy

Under Bob Sullivan, the Rady School of Management at UC San Diego matured into its teenage years. Sullivan became Rady’s founding dean in 2003, ahead of the fall 2004 enrollment of the school’s charter MBA class. Rady School is marking its sweet sixteen under a new leader, Lisa Ordóñez. Most recently vice dean of academic programs at the University of Arizona’s Eller School of Management, Ordóñez started as the Rady School’s new dean this month.

Startup 49
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10 Tips On Managing An Overwhelming Business Workload

Startup Professionals Musings

One of the most common complaints I hear from entrepreneurs is that they are overwhelmed by the workload and stress of starting their company. Then there are the additional challenges of balancing the demands of family and friends. Having too much on your plate can turn your dream into a nightmare. Some people will tell you to just get a bigger plate, meaning hire some help.

Tips 86
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Database Looks to Ease Bid Access

L.A. Business Journal

Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce spearheads an effort to create a unified database of contract bid opportunities for local small businesses.

Commerce 138
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Steereo Finds Funding For Ridesharing Music Discovery

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Steereo , which pays ridesharing drivers to stream new music to their riders, has raised a round of funding, which came from Moonshots Capital, Halogen Ventures, Moving Capital, Quake Capital, AET Fund, Beresford Partners, Fall Creek Capital, and Hawke Ventures. Financial details of the funding were not announced. Steereo was co-founded by Anne Kavanaugh and Jennifer Cullen.

Funding 124
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Citadel Defense Wins Contract From U.S. Air Force

socalTECH

San Diego-based Citadel Defense , which develops counter-drone technology for the military, government, and commercial market, reported today that it has scored a contract from the U.S. Air Force (USAF), where its technology will be used to detect and adaptively jam any drone swarms. Financial details of that contract were not announced. Citadel says its counter drone technology was "extensively validated" over 18 months by the The U.S.

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Procore Taps Investment Banker For IPO, Says Report

socalTECH

Goleta-based Procore , the develops of mobile-enabled, construction management software led by Tooey Courtemanche, appears to be headed for an IPO, and reportedly has hired Goldman Sachs to lead its IPO, according to a report. Bloomberg said, citing "people with knowledge of the matter", that Procore's initial public offering could value the company at more than $4 billion.

Report 113
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DDN Acquires Enterprise Storage Unit From Western Digital

socalTECH

Chatsworth-based DDN IntelliFlash Enterprise Storage business unit from Western Digital , the company said on Thursday. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. According to the two, the acquisition is part of a larger, strategic partnership with Western Digital, which also includes a mutual global strategic sourcing agreement. Western Digital's IntelliFlash business had developed all-flash memory storage arrays, which are used by customers requiring extremely fast data access spee

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Rocket Lab Near Completion Of First U.S. Launch Facility

socalTECH

Huntington Beach-based Rocket Lab , the developer of small satellite launch rockets, is nearing completion of its very first launch facility in the United States, the company said this week. According to Rocket Lab, its facility--at Wallops Island, Virginia--is expected to host its very first launched in early 2020. The launch pad, at Launch Complex 2 at the NASA facility in Virginia, will allow the company to launch U.S. government payloads.

Design 113
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Interview with Zach Zalon, Super Hi-Fi

socalTECH

In an era, where every single streaming music service seems to be the same thingindistinguishable from each otherhow do they differentiate and create customer loyalty? Los Angeles-based Super Hi-Fi (www.superhifi.com) has created what co-founder and CEO Zach Zalon says is an artificial intelligence driven service which brings a sense of personalization and connection to those services, to help them retain and attract customers.

Startup 113
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AvantStay Takes $20M For High End, Short Term Rentals

socalTECH

A new, Los Angeles-based startup, AvantStay announced on Wednesday that it has raised $20M in its Series A funding round, to provide affordable, high-end short term rentals to groups to market. The company said the funding was led by 3L Capital, and also included Bullpen Capital, Convivialite Ventures, F-Prime Capital, Zeno Ventures and Olympian Shaun White.

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PlayVS Adds $50M In Series C Funding

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based PlayVS , a startup which is creating a nationwide e-sports league for high schoolers, has raised $50M more in a Series C funding round. According to the company, the funding was led by NEA, and also included Battery Ventures, Sapphire Sport, plus angels Dick Costolo and Adam Bain (01 Advisors), Michael Zeisser, Dennis Phelps (IVP) and Michael Ovitz (CAA).

Funding 113
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Boingo To Power New Commercial Services For Citizen Broadband Radio Service

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Boingo Wireless , which provides distributed antenna system (DAS), small cells and Wi-Fi services--including running its own network of Wi-Fi hotspots--says it is expanding its efforts to the new, Citizen Broadband Radio Services (CBRS). The new 3.5 Ghz radio service -- which runs at similar frequencies to new 5G wireless networking standards --was just approved by the FCC.

Services 113