Sat.Dec 28, 2019 - Fri.Jan 03, 2020

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Do you empower others?

Berkonomics

So, we’ve previously discussed why it is important for you to build consensus in an organization in most every major decision. To do that, you must be able to relinquish some degree of power, overriding decisions made by consensus only with some thought and certainly with an explanation to those involved. Never fear empowering others. If you’re secure in your position, you should never fear empowering direct reports to make decisions that fall within the resources allocated to them and within t

Report 156
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Amazon, Ring Sued Over Security Camera Hacking

socalTECH

Amazon and Ring , the Santa Monica company now owned by Amazon, are the targets of a new class action lawsuit filed in Alabama by a man who claims Amazon and Ring have filed to do enough to secure their systems against hacking. The lawsuit still needs to be approved for class action status. The legal filing comes after a long list of high profile, security-camera hacking incidents that have occurred in the last month, many linked to a group of hackers which were streaming hacked cameras live on

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5 Questions To Qualify Advisors For Your New Venture

Startup Professionals Musings

Every startup needs a couple of advisors with deep experience and connections in your business domain or financial skills to complement your technical focus. Advisors need to be mentors, looking ahead and directing you on key actions to take or avoid. Unfortunately, many prefer the role of critic, looking backward to highlight your mistakes. These people don’t help you or your startup.

Mentor 124
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Wag Wraps Year with More Layoffs

L.A. Business Journal

Dog-walking application developer Wag Labs Inc. closed out a turbulent 2019 with another round of layoffs, according to a filing with the California Employment Development Department.

Layoffs 147
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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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The Business Tech You Need in 2020

Tech.Co

The new year is officially here and, hopefully, your business is thriving. Customers are happy, clients are beaming, and the revenue just keeps rolling in. However, as a business owner, you know that resting on your laurels can be dangerous, which is why staying up to date with the latest business technology is a necessity. Companies of all shapes and sizes are now taking advantage of digital resources to help run everything from daily tasks to tedious data analysis.

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Reflections On 2019: Andy Wilson, Alliance for SoCal Innovation

socalTECH

Every year, at the end of the year, we share some reflections on the past year from our readers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, sponsors, and others in the local technology community. Today, we share the thoughts of Andy Wilson , Managing Director of the Alliance for SoCal Innovation (www.alliancesocal.org). We'll be featuring contributions all through the holiday season.

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Tech: SpaceX enters launch mode while telecoms look to dial up 5G

L.A. Business Journal

Home of L.A.’s most innovative technology companies made bold promises in 2019. Now investors and consumers will be watching closely to see if they can deliver in 2020.

SpaceX 130
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What to Expect From CES 2020

Tech.Co

The new year is just hours away, which means that shortly, thousands of journalists will be flocking to Vegas to attend CES – home of the largest annual tech showcase on the planet. Flesh will be pressed, complimentary bars emptied, but most importantly we'll get a first look at some of the gadgets that will dominate 2020. So what can we expect to see?

News 91
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Illumina, Pacific Biosciences Call Off $1.2 Billion Merger

socalTECH

San Diego-based life sciences equipment maker Illumina , and Pacific Biosciences of California have called off a $1.2 billion merger and acquisition deal, where Illumina had sought to acquire Pacific Biosciences. The two had previously announced the merger and acquisition deal in November of 2018. According to the two, the cancellation came due to the "lengthy regulatory approval process the transaction has already been subject to and continued uncertainty of the ultimate outcome" of the deal.

San Diego 100
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8 Friends Who Mean Well But Never Start New Ventures

Startup Professionals Musings

Every entrepreneur I know is dismayed by the number of friends who approach them with a line such as “I have an even better idea that will change the world, and one of these days I’m going to get around to starting my own business.” I always wonder what is more important to them on an ongoing basis than changing the world, since their startups usually never materialize.

Startup 126
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PE Firm LS Power Group Buys EVgo

L.A. Business Journal

Private equity firm LS Power Group, which invests in clean power and alternative energy sources across the country, has acquired a majority stake in EVgo Services.

Equity 130
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After Antitrust Challenges, Illumina and PacBio Throw in Towel on Merger

Xconomy

DNA sequencing machine maker Illumina will have to find another way to “read” long pieces of genetic material as well as short stretches, the genomic giant’s bailiwick. Its $1.2 billion proposal to acquire long-read capability by buying rival Pacific Biosciences ended Thursday following challenges from antitrust regulators. The deal foundered about 14 months after the companies first announced the plan to combine businesses.

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DICE Setting Up New LA Studio

socalTECH

DICE , a game studio owned by Electronic Arts, is setting up a new studio in Los Angeles , to be headed by game designer Vince Zampella, according to an interview with Zampella in the LA Times. Zampella was co-founder of Respawn Entertainment, known for its Titanfall title, and was at Infinity Ward working on the Call of Duty game franchise. Respawn Entertainment was acquired in 2017 by Electronic Arts.

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5 Keys To Maximizing Your Impact In People Mentoring

Startup Professionals Musings

If you are like most entrepreneurs I know, there just aren’t enough hours in a day to get all your own work done, as well as run the many one-hour meetings each team member seems to demand for decisions and mentoring. I have found it to be more productive and effective to lead with the model that no meetings will take an hour, and may be done in as little as five minutes.

Mentor 124
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Bent Pixels Adds Clients

L.A. Business Journal

The newly established esports division of media services and video publishing house Bent Pixels landed two new clients as 2019 drew to a close.

Media 130
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MADIA Meet-up

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, January 8, 2020 --.

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Interview with Matt Danna, Co-founder and CEO, Boulevard

socalTECH

If you run a salon or spa, how do you tackle the challenges of scheduling and your point-of-sale? Los Angeles-based Boulevard (www.joinblvd.com) has develops business management software to help premium salons and spas with their operations. The company is lead by Matt Danna , who previously was at Fullscreen, and is backed by Index Ventures and Bonfire Ventures.

Startup 100
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Bio Roundup: FDA Approvals, Intrexon’s Shift, Melinta Bankruptcy & More

Xconomy

In the week leading up to Christmas, six drugs won FDA approvals. The decisions covered insomnia, migraine, and several different forms of cancer. The FDA’s final tally for the year totaled 48 new drug approvals. If you’re keeping score, that compares with 59 approvals in 2018 and 46 in 2017. Most of the nods went to small molecule drugs and cancer drugs continued to represent a significant chunk of the new approved medicines.

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5 New Year’s resolutions for your business in 2020

Startup San Diego

The post 5 New Year’s resolutions for your business in 2020 appeared first on Startup San Diego.

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5 Ways To Engage The Right People In Your New Venture

Startup Professionals Musings

In my work with new and aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that most struggle with putting together a written business plan, often pointing out that someone they know started a business without anything written down. My experience is that the discipline of documenting a plan will improve your likelihood of addressing all the right issues , as well as finding the right partner or investor.

Ideas 126
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Arena Pharmaceuticals, Beacon Discovery In Partnership

socalTECH

San Diego-based companies Arena Pharmaceuticals and Beacon Discovery said this morning that they are in a new, strategic partnership, focused on commercializing treatments for a variety of immune and inflammatory diseases. According to the two, the multi-year partnership focuses on building novel medicines across a range of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) targets.

San Diego 100
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Yardi Wins Customer In Singapore

socalTECH

Santa Barbara-based Yardi , which develops real estate management software, reported over the holidays that it has been selected by a customer in Singapore. According to Yardi, JMD Group of Companies will manage its real estate assets with Yardi Voyager, Yardi's cloud-based propert management and accounting software. Financial impacts of the deal were not announced.

Custom 100
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Amgen Expands Oncology Efforts In China With BeiGene

socalTECH

Thousand Oaks-based Amgen announced Thursday that it has entered into a strategic collaboration with BeiGene the expand its oncology research efforts in China. According to Amgen, it paid $2.8 billion in cash to acquire a 20.5 percent stake in BeiGene. Amgen said the move will "significantly accelerate" its plans to expand its oncology efforts in China.

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Sonos Under Fire For "Recycle Mode"

socalTECH

Santa Barbara-based smart speaker manufacturer Sonos is being panned for its new "Recycle Mode" and trade-up program, which deliberately bricks its older devices. Sonos is selling its trade up program as a way to be "environmentally friendly"; however, according to electronics recycling facilities, those older devices still have a lot of value on the used market, and are forcing useful equipment to be scrapped instead.

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Reflections On 2019: Peter Cowen, Sutton Capital Partners

socalTECH

Every year, at the end of the year, we share some reflections on the past year from our readers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, sponsors, and others in the local technology community. Today, we share the thoughts of Peter Cowen , Managing Director of Sutton Capital Partners (www.suttoncapitalpartners.com). Socaltech has partnered with Sutton Capital Partners with their Recurring Revenue Conference for several yars.

Capital 100
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Snapchat Plans Bitmoji Cartoon Feature

socalTECH

Venice-based Snapchat is planning to launch a new feature in February, which will feature users' Bitmoji avatars as the main characters in a custom cartoon. The new feature--called Bitmoji TV , is expected to include users' Bitmoji avatars included in "secret agent missions", piloting a spaceship, and much more. A number of users have posted the teaser for Bitmoji TV that Snapchat apparently sent out over the last couple of days.

Snapchat 100
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Reflections on 2019: Michele Ruiz, BiasSync

socalTECH

Every year, at the end of the year, we share some reflections on the past year from our readers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, sponsors, and others in the local technology community. Today, we share the thoughts of Michele Ruiz , the Co-Founder and CEO of BiasSync (www.biassync.com), a startup which develops products that helps help organizations more effectively assess and manage unconscious bias in the work environment.

Startup 100
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Reflections On 2019: Mike Jones, Science Inc.

socalTECH

Every year, at the end of the year, we share some reflections on the past year from our readers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, sponsors, and others in the local technology community. Today, we share the thoughts of Mike Jones , Co-founder and CEO of Science, Inc. (www.science-inc.com), which has been behind such companies as Dollar Shave Club, August Home, DogVacay, Hello Society, Playhaven, and many others.