Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 21, 2020

Several years ago I made an appearance in a burgeoning new podcast called “20 Minute VC,” which by now needs no introduction. Harry was gracious enough to invite me back so this past week we recorded an episode discussing the current market environment. Please download the episode here , if for no other reason than to make Harry happy :) but I’ve also included some quick notes below including a few notes I didn’t share in the podcast (and vice versa by the way?

Venture Capital 263

Venture Capital Marketing Startup Writing 263

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 18, 2020

The diagnostics startup Curative has received an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for its novel test to determine COVID-19 infection. The company says that its tests have already been used by the City of Los Angeles since late March and have tested over 53,000 city residents. Curative’s tests use an oral-fluid sample collected by having the subject cough to produce sputum, which release the virus from deep in the lungs, according to a spokesperson.

Long Beach 268

Long Beach Sample Los Angeles UCLA 268

Berkonomics

APRIL 23, 2020

To survive this nasty Covid 19 surge facing businesses of all types, leaders must make decisions that hurt but are necessary. Keep the employees for the SBA PPP requirements regarding loan forgiveness, or furlough or let good employees go, so they can file unemployment claims? And what about termination decisions you make affecting just the few you wanted to eliminate anyway?

Startup 156

Startup Email Customer Custom 156

L.A. Business Journal

APRIL 21, 2020

OriginClear Inc., a downtown water treatment technology business, has moved its corporate headquarters to the company's manufacturing site in McKinney, Texas.

Sites 147

Sites Technology Company Companies 147

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

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 18, 2020

Successful entrepreneurs are the ones who think the most creatively, not only in their initial product or service, but more importantly all through the stages of growth from startup to maturity. But even the best of them can easily slip into some bad decision habits that limit or hurt their business, due to natural human tendencies and the pressures of business challenges.

Metrics 157

Metrics Demand Sales Statistics 157

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 23, 2020

Representatives from the government and the utility managing the power of Los Angeles are proposing a sweeping infrastructure package worth roughly $150 billion centered on the broad electrification of transportation and industry. Drafted by the Los Angeles-based public-private Transportation Electrification Partnership , a collaboration between the Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti, Southern California Edison, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, th

Southern California 261

Southern California Los Angeles Incubator Rosemead 261

socalTECH

APRIL 24, 2020

Santa Barbara-based HG Insights , which provides data on IT spending and technology to companies, says it has used its technology to compare the amount of cloud adoption by companies, which it says might help companies better weather the economic storm brought on by COVID-19. The company said the amount of cloud technology investment levels across different industries "varies considerably".

Santa Barbara 124

Santa Barbara Company Companies Technology 124

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 19, 2020

Investors will tell you that they love to put money into startups that are scalable, and ready to become the next unicorn. But what does that really mean? Simply stated, it means that your business has the potential to multiply revenue with minimal incremental cost. Ready to scale is when you have a proven product and a proven business model, about to expand to new geographies and markets.

Startup 154

Startup Outsource Ideas Research 154

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 24, 2020

Divergent, the Los Angeles-based startup aiming to revolutionize vehicle manufacturing, has cut about one-third of its staff amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has upended startups and major corporations alike. The company, which employed about 160 people, laid off 57 workers, according to documents filed with the California Employment Development Department.

Startup 251

Startup Technical Review Outsource Development Design 251

Xconomy

APRIL 22, 2020

The start of a potentially big biomedical breakthrough is blooming within all of us. Drug research aiming to turn bacteria into microbiome therapies now spans programs aiming to address gut disorders, autism, cancer, and more. Given the number of late-stage and mid-stage studies expected to report data in 2020—assuming they stay on track amid the COVID-19 pandemic—this could be a pivotal year for the field, said Isabelle de Cremoux, CEO and managing partner of Seventure Partners.

Class 138

Class Study Research Report 138

socalTECH

APRIL 24, 2020

For our interview this morning, we spoke with Carey Ransom , from OC4 Venture Studio (www.oc4v.com). Carey tells us a bit about what OC4 is doing, how it invests and works with companies, and also gives startups some advice about how to approach moving forward in light of the pandemic. What is OC4? Carey Ransom: The way I think about it, is it is really the culmination of almost two decades of software and technology company building and investing.

Invest 124

Invest Startup Ideas Examples 124

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2020

Successful entrepreneurs often start with a “random” idea, but they quickly focus their efforts and follow a “system” to organize their startup and maximize the clout of their activities. Too many entrepreneur “wannabes” never get past the idea stage, or strike out randomly in many directions, hoping that their passion will convince people to follow them and make their business grow.

Social Media 126

Social Media Media Ideas Writing 126

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 21, 2020

GM’s experiment with car sharing is over. The automaker Tuesday said its Maven car-sharing service, which launched in 2016, will shut down for good. Maven had paused service due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company sent an email to customers Tuesday that after examining the business, the car-sharing industry and COVID-19, it decided to shutter the service permanently.

Los Angeles 215

Los Angeles Email Technical Review Services 215

Xconomy

APRIL 22, 2020

Veteran biotech executive Laura Shawver is taking over as CEO at Silverback Therapeutics, joining the cancer drug developer as it is poised to move its first compound into the clinic. The Wednesday announcement comes three months after French firm Sanofi (NYSE: SNY ) closed its $2.5 billion acquisition of La Jolla, CA-based Synthorx , the biotech Shawver most recently headed.

Acquisition 99

Acquisition Develop Development San Diego 99

socalTECH

APRIL 23, 2020

San Clemente-based Swift Tactical Systems , a developer of unmanned aerial vehicle technology, says it has completed a personnel search and rescue and animal identification missions as part of a contract with Okayama Prefecture in Japan. According to the company, its systems were able to detect "high value targets" in minutes versus days in the feasibility study in Japan.

Outsource Development 124

Outsource Development Study Technology Develop 124

Southern California Edison Blog

APRIL 21, 2020

Network speeds are closely tied to an organization’s ability to stay productive and remain competitive and profitable at all times. As businesses expand and take on new services, technologies, and a larger workforce, they require more network capacity to support growth without sacrificing efficiency. . In a world shifting to a work-from-home reality, employees using VPNs to access secure data remotely require networks with enough bandwidth to prevent slow page speeds and general downtime.

Networking 75

Networking Organization Demand Activity 75

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 21, 2020

Cruise, the subsidiary of GM that also has backing from SoftBank Vision Fund, automaker Honda and T. Rowe Price & Associates, is turning to a heavy hitter to head up its legal team. The autonomous vehicle technology company has hired Jeff Bleich, board chairman of utility Pacific Gas & Electric, as its chief legal officer. Bleich has a lengthy resume that includes a position as special counsel to former President Barak Obama and as a U.S. ambassador to Australia.

Startup 150

Startup Los Angeles Pricing Funding 150

Xconomy

APRIL 24, 2020

COVID-19’s spread has clamped down on a lot of economic activity, including the work of developing and testing new medicines. But the FDA isn’t showing signs of slowing down, at least when it comes to drugs filed for accelerated approval. The regulator signed off on three such drugs in the past week. These approvals are for cancers that have few, if any, treatment options.

Activity 85

Activity Develop Development Venture Capital 85

socalTECH

APRIL 22, 2020

Newport Beach-based Myosana Therapeutics , a biotech company which is working on technology for non-viral gene delivery, has raised $1M in its seed funding round, the company said this morning. The funding came from CureDuchenne Ventures. The company said the new funding will go towards development of its non-viral gene therapy, for delivering a treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

Funding 124

Funding Seed Funding Research Technology 124

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2020

Most small businesses I advise still rely on traditional advertising models, assuming they can create enough media “noise” to get customers attention and sway them. You don’t realize that person-to-person noise now dominates all channels through social media, effectively hiding business marketing messages. You now need a personal context in your marketing to get results.

Marketing 130

Marketing Technical Advisors Social Media Media 130

socalTECH

APRIL 20, 2020

Fountain Valley-based computer gaming accessories maker HyperX --which is a division of Kingston Technology--says it has added two new gaming headsets to its lineup this morning. The company said the new HyperX Cloud Stinger Core + 7.1 and HyperX Cloud Stinger Core Wireless + 7.1 Gaming Headset are both part of its Cloud Stinger family, and are expected to retail for $59.99 and $79.99, respectively.

Technology 124

Technology Company Companies 124

socalTECH

APRIL 24, 2020

Irvine-based esports company Allied Esports says, despite the shuttering of its live event business, its companies are seeing increased fan engagement from the widespread shift of people online in wake of the COVID-19 crisis. According to Allied Esports, it is seeing increased engagement, registration, participation and viewership within its two business units, World Poker Tour and Allied Esports International.

Company 113

Company Companies 113

socalTECH

APRIL 24, 2020

Los Angeles-based electric car developer Faraday Future said on Thursday afternoon that it has added former Nevada Lieutenant Governor Brian Krolicki to the company's board. According to Faraday Future, the move will help it help bolster its leadership team, improve corporate governance, and secure funding for the planned delivery of its first ultra-luxury production vehicle (FF 91).

Equity 113

Equity Los Angeles Funding Help 113

socalTECH

APRIL 24, 2020

Los Angeles-based private equity investor Century Park Capital Partners said this week that it has completed a majority recapitalization of business and IT consulting services company Accelalpha. Financial details of the recapitalization were not announced. According to the company, it has combined Accelalpha and a provider of logistics IT consulting, Prolog Partners.

Capital 113

Capital Equity Los Angeles Services 113

socalTECH

APRIL 23, 2020

Simi Valley-based AeroVironment announced this morning that it has rolled out an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which has vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. The company said the new Quantix Recon is designed for defense applications, and is fully automated--with no need for radio communications during flight, allowing it to conduct missions undetected.

Design 113

Design Company Companies 113

socalTECH

APRIL 23, 2020

Carlsbad-bsed MaxLinear , which develops radio frequency, analog, and mixed signal integrated circuits, says it has received an early termination on the waiting period for its acquisition of Intel's Home Gateway Platform Division. The company said the early termination came from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on April 21st. MaxLinear announced the acquisition of Intel's division on April 6th.

Acquisition 113

Acquisition Platform Product Develop 113

socalTECH

APRIL 23, 2020

Irvine-based vehicle intelligence and data provider Spireon , looking to provide more insight into the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, said this morning that its data shows that driving has a strong correlation to upsurges in COVID-19 cases. According to Spireon, its data shows that 10-14 days after recent spikes in driving activity, there have been corresponding upticks in the number of reported cases of COVID-19.

Study 113

Study Incubator Activity Report 113

socalTECH

APRIL 22, 2020

Santa Monica-based on-demand scooter service Bird announced on Wednesday that it has launched a new "Warm Up Mode", which will help its riders as they get back on the company's scooters, which will offer "gentle acceleration" so that riders who are "out of practice" or new scooter riders "sensitive to social distancing guidelines" avoid sudden acceleration.

Santa Monica 113

Santa Monica Demand Help Services 113

socalTECH

APRIL 22, 2020

Irvine-based Kofax says it is helping to power a platform from ImageTech Systems , for managing loan applications submitted under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The program--which recently ran out of funds allocated to it by Congress--is expected to be extended this week. According to Kofax, its automated system significantly reduces the stress placed on loan processing functions due to higher volumes of government-backed loan ap

Platform 113

Platform Software Review Help Funding 113

socalTECH

APRIL 22, 2020

In more proof of how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting business, Santa Monica-based online auto information and automotive car shopping software provider Edmunds said today that it has been helping out its dealer partners, by providing a 50% discount on its subscription services. The company said it offered that financial relief to its partners in April, and will now extend that discount through May.

Edmunds 113

Edmunds Santa Monica Resource Sales 113

socalTECH

APRIL 22, 2020

Santa Monica-based Snap , the parent company of Snapchat , reported its first quarter 2020 financials on Tuesday afternoon, saying that it has seen an increase in both its daily active users and revenues. The company attributed that growth in part to the increased need by people to connect with their friends and family while stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Activity 113

Activity Santa Monica Snapchat .Net 113

socalTECH

APRIL 21, 2020

General Motors has shut down its Maven car sharing service, including its services in Los Angeles, as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has put the final nails in the coffin for the service. The car sharing service--which already had been struggling prior to the pandemic outbreak--had paused its business last month nationwide. Maven had previously set up a partnership with the City of Los Angeles to encourage EV sharing.

Services 113

Services Los Angeles Angel Company 113

socalTECH

APRIL 21, 2020

Los Angeles-based dating app and service operator eharmony is adapting to the world of pandemic shelter-in-place, saying on Monday that it has rolled out a new "Video Date" feature. According to eharmony, the new feature allows people to "meet" face-to-face via a virtual get-together. The dating service said it has seen a 27 percent increases in messages in April, compared to March, as people have been spending more time at home with their devices. eharmony noted that its new feature allows memb

eHarmony 113

eHarmony Los Angeles Services Angel 113

socalTECH

APRIL 21, 2020

Los Angeles-based Zefr , which develops software used by brands advertising on YouTube, says it has been selected for an expanded YouTube Measurement Program (YTMP). The company said the selection for participating in the program are linked to the company's recently expansion of its Context DMP product to support 20 languages, including Spanish and Japanese.

Artificial Inteligence 113

Artificial Inteligence Advertising Los Angeles Content 113

socalTECH

APRIL 21, 2020

Los Angeles-based accounting software developer BlackLine reports that its recent switch to a "virtual" user conference was a success, drawing nearly 1,100 attendees--twice what it had expected at its in-person conference. The company, like the rest of the world, was forced to cancel its European user conference in March due to the spreading COVID-19 pandemic.

Conference 113

Conference Software Review Software Development Los Angeles 113

socalTECH

APRIL 21, 2020

Los Angeles-based private equity investor K1 Investment Management has sold its interest in security software developer Checkmarx , in a deal worth $1.15 billion, the company said on Monday. The company said it sold its interest in Checkmarx to Hellman & Friedman LLC , which was also joined by TPG in the deal. K1 said it will continue to own a minority interest in Checkmarx.

Equity 113

Equity Software Development Los Angeles Software 113