Sat.Mar 07, 2020 - Fri.Mar 13, 2020

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Cadillac cancels debut of all-electric Lyriq over COVID-19 concerns

TechCrunch LA

Cadillac has cancelled the upcoming debut of the Lyriq, an all-electric mid-sized SUV designed to be an entry point into luxury brand’s new EV lineup, over concerns about the COVID-19 outbreak. GM’s luxury brand had planned to reveal the Lyriq on April 2 at an event in Los Angeles. COVID-19, a disease caused by a new virus that is a member of the coronavirus family and a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses that have caused outbreaks in the past, has caused governments and compa

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Remember the FAIRNESS doctrine

Berkonomics

Reduce the emotion; reduce the threat of lawsuit. You’ve certainly experienced the angry outburst from an associate or employee who has just learned of an event that the person took as “unfair,” no matter how rational the explanation by the decision maker. Most emotional responses to decisions in business are generated not because the person making the response feels the decision was unwise, but rather unfair.

Examples 156
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Best Tips for Working from Home Effectively

Tech.Co

The coronavirus outbreak has many businesses urgently considering their work-from-home policies. If you're soon likely to be logging on from your living room, there are some best practices for working from home that will keep your tasks efficient and your business secure. Working from home has become standard for many professionals in recent years. Whether the flexibility of remote work is an added perk for busy staff, or simply a necessity for out-of-town workers, it's an increasingly popular a

Tips 160
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8 Business Realities You Only Learn From Experience

Startup Professionals Musings

Every new entrepreneur who has not spent years in corporate life has the advantage of an unbiased look at business opportunities, but at the same time has the disadvantage of missing critical business experiences that can cost them dearly in their first startup venture. In my experience, building a successful business is more difficult than building an innovative solution.

Training 144
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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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New York Auto Show delayed until August over coronavirus concerns

TechCrunch LA

Organizers of the 2020 New York International Auto Show have postponed the event until August due to concerns about the COVID-19 outbreak. The New York Auto Show, which is organized by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, was scheduled to begin April 10 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. The event will now be held August 28 to September 6, according to a statement from Chris Sams, the show’s spokesman.

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Semtech Gets LoRa Win For Pallet Tracking

socalTECH

Camarillo-based analog and mixed-signal semiconductor developer Semtech says that its LoRa low power wireless networking device technology has been adopted by the Pallet Alliance , a developer of systems used for pallet management at multi-site manufacturing and distribution companies. Semtech said that the Pallet Alliance has integrated its devices and the LoRaWan protocol into its IntelliPallet Internet of Things (IoT) pallet monitoring logistics platform.

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8 Keys To Scaling The Business After Initial Traction

Startup Professionals Musings

A common pain of startups after an exhilarating first surge of early adopters is a long and frustrating plateau of slow growth, where it seems like nothing you do will get your business to profitability. Too many entrepreneurs don’t know what to do at this point, largely accounting for that disappointing 50 percent of startups that fail in the first five years, according to Gallup.

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Airlines start canceling more flights from Europe as new restrictions go into effect

TechCrunch LA

With the White House’s surprise decision to bar foreign nationals from Europe from entering the United States, the already battered airline industry is facing yet another challenge. Unsurprisingly, we are now seeing even more cancellations across the industry as even U.S. citizen and legal permanent residents can now only enter the United States through 11 CDC-approved airports.

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Interview with Dmitri Leonov and Constantine Suychmez, Ulevate

socalTECH

Our interview today is with Dmitri Leonov and Constantine Suychmez of Ulevate (www.ulevate.com), a startup which is combining technology with the beauty and spa industry. Constantine is CEO of Ulevate, and Dmitri is an advisor, and also is known as the co-founder of email management and filtering software developer SaneBox. What is Ulevate? Dmitri Leonov: We built a distribution business for equipment for the spa industry, and have had 10,000 client over that time, but in the last few years, we'

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Bio Roundup: Pandemic Declared, Rubius Restarts, Kymera’s Cash & More

Xconomy

The financial markets are tumbling , event cancellations are mounting , and sports leagues are suspending their seasons. March Madness is in full swing but not in any way that people wanted or expected. The World Health Organization this week declared that the COVID-19 outbreak was serious enough to classify as pandemic. The toll on public health is continuing, and the economic fallout is following as stock market indexes slid into bear market territory.

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7 Ways To Maximize Team Motivation And Productivity

Startup Professionals Musings

I was shocked to read an old Gallup study that indicates only 13 percent of employees worldwide are actively engaged at work, and more recent data shows only a small change in the right direction. In my own experience as a startup advisor and mentor, I find that entrepreneurs who can’t attract and maintain a highly motivated team rarely even get off the ground.

Product 129
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White House and House Democrats agree to funding package for paid sick leave, funding for tests

TechCrunch LA

Late Friday night, after nearly two full days of negotiations, the House of Representatives is finally set to pass a bipartisan plan to provide sweeping new benefits to workers and businesses affected by the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the U.S. The new bill will offer paid sick leave, stronger unemployment benefits, free virus testing and more money for food assistance and Medicaid and was approved only after 13 phone calls between the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary S

Funding 145
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Paper Picks Up $7.5M For Remote Learning

socalTECH

Los Angeles- and Montreal-based Paper has raised $7.5M in a funding round, to go towards its remote learning systems, the company said this week. The company--formerly known as GradeSlam--said the funding was led by Reach Capital, and also included Bullpen Capital, along with Birchmere Ventures, BDC Capital, Real Ventures, Google, Red House Education, Edovate Capital, and Anges Quebec.

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Xcelerating Life Sciences San Diego Will Be Delivered Digitally

Xconomy

At Xconomy, we are here to serve the global biotech community and help biotech and pharma companies connect, do business, and find investment opportunities. We take this role seriously, and over the last week we have been engaged with many of you on how to deliver the value that Xcelerating Life Sciences San Diego provides at a time when travel restrictions from Covid-19 are affecting many members of the community.

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10 Personal Attributes That Indicate Real Potential

Startup Professionals Musings

As a startup advisor and investor, I’ve met many aspiring entrepreneurs, and I often get asked the question, “I have a great idea for a startup – do you agree that it real potential?” They don’t know that most experts agree the person is more important than the idea, yet I’ve never been asked, “I have a great idea for a startup – do you agree that I have real potential as an entrepreneur?

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Pragma is a back-end toolkit for gaming companies, so game developers can focus on games

TechCrunch LA

These days, most of the games developed need to be social, multi-platform and extensible, but there are only a few developers with the expertise to bring those toolsets to the profusion of new games that crop up every year. Well, now those development studios can turn to Pragma , which is building the back-end toolkit for gaming companies so their developers can focus on what they do best — making games.

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Mica Energies Gets Seed Funding

socalTECH

Irvine-based Mica Energies announced Wednesday afternoon that it has received a seed funding, and says it is working on a "proof of concept" for ite technology, focused on harvesting radio frequencies from the environment. Source and amount of that seed funding was not announced. The company claimed that the seed funding values the company at $39M. Mica Energies claims that it is working on technology that will allow for the charging of a smartphone battery while it is in a pocket or inside a bu

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spurse Launches Social Reward Platform at Influencer Marketing Conference & Expo

StartUp Beat

spurse announced the pre-launch of its Social Reward platform at the Influencer Marketing Conference & Expo 2020 (IMCX 2020) that took place the 25th February in Los Angeles. Attendees of this year’s networking and educational event included senior-level marketing decision-makers […]. The post spurse Launches Social Reward Platform at Influencer Marketing Conference & Expo appeared first on StartUp Beat.

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10 Keys To Investor-Friendly New Venture Financials

Startup Professionals Musings

If you need to attract investors to your startup, your financial projections have to be as attractive as the idea. The problem is that these business financials are future projections, while the idea is “now,” so you believe the idea can do most of the selling. Your challenge is that investors recognize a good business, and they judge your idea by how you translate it into financials.

Ideas 123
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AppliedVR Links Into VA

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based virtual reality technology developer AppledVR said this morning that it has linked into the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), via the VHA Innovation Ecosystem program. According to AppliedVR, the two will explore various use cases for cutting edge VR programs within the VA system. Financial details of the deal were not announced.

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US Marine Corp Seeks Socal Tech Companies For Ground Sensor Designs

socalTECH

The US Marine Corp says it is looking for companies in the Southern California technology community to submit their proposals for ground sensors, to help the Marines develop "next generation" ground sensors for the battlefield. According to the USMC, Marines need a way to efficiently sense an adversary's location (people, vehicles, drones, etc) or network signatures (e.g., RF) using rapidly deployable sensors to provide accurate and real-time info from the field.

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Inseego Gets $25M Injection

socalTECH

San Diego-based Inseego , which develops 5G and Internet-of-Things technology, said this morning that it has received $25M via a private placement, in a Series E Preferrred Stock sale. The funding came from a private fund managed by Mubadala Investment Company's asset management arm, Mubadala Capital. The company said Mubadala Capital joins other major investors, including Tavistock Group and North Sound Partners.

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NantHealth Expands Board

socalTECH

Culver City-based NantHealth said this week that it has named Deanna L. Wise to its board of directors. The company, which develops personalized healthcare and clinical decision making software, said Wise is currently Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Banner Health. Wise also was Chief Information Officer at Dignity Health, where she was in charge of the implementation of electronic health record (EHR) software for that healthcare provider; she also has served at Vanguard H

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BlackLine Shifts User Event To Virtual Conference

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based accounting software developer BlackLine is taking a new approach to its annual user conference in Europe, saying that it will now run its InTheBlack London 2020 event as a fully virtual event--but which will still feature thought leaders from its customers and users, instead as a series of virtual event sessions. The company--like the rest of the world--has had to rapidly shift its plans in light of the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.

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Overwatch League Cancels March, April Homestands Events

socalTECH

The Overwatch League , the e-sports league run by Santa Monica-based Activision Blizzard , says it is cancelling all of its Homestands events scheduled for March and April. The league said that the health and safety of employees, fans, players, teams, and partners is "paramount" to Activision Blizzard Esports, and after careful review and collaboration with teams, it has cancelled all Overwatch League Homestands events for those months.

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E3 Expo Cancelled Over Virus Fears

socalTECH

The E3 Expo , the video game industry gathering which had been scheduled for June 9-11 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, has been cancelled, as a result of the global COVID-19 virus outbreak. According to the organizers of the event, E3 2020 has been cancelled over concerns for the health and safety of everyone in the industry, including fans, employees, exhibitors, and partners.

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Ring Rolls Out New Preview Feature For Doorbells

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based doorbell and security camera maker Ring rolled out a new feature on Wednesday, which it said will help the users of its battery-powered doorbells see the four seconds of video before motion is detected on its doorbells. According to the company, the new feature helps provide more context to what triggered its notifications. Ring said the feature is available exclusively on the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus.

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Scopely Elevates O'Brien To Board

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based mobile game developer Scopely said on Wednesday that it has appointed Tim O'Brien , the company's current Chief Revenue Officer, to its board of directors. O'Brien has served as Chief Revenue Officer at the company since 2014. O'Brien had joined Scopely in 2014 after serving as VP of Worldwide Business Development at Disney Interactive.

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Google Suggests Employees Work From Home

socalTECH

Google , the Internet giant, which has a big presence and offices in the Los Angeles area, is now suggesting all of its North American employees work from home, as the spread of the COVID-19 virus has extended into the Bay Area and elsewhere in the nation. Google--which had already recommended its Washington State employees work remotely last week--said it is looking to mitigate the potential spread of COVID-19 worldwide.

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MaxLinear Gets Optics Design Win

socalTECH

Carlsbad-based MaxLinear reported today that its Telluride PAM4 digital signal processor (DSP) has been selected by Centera Photonics for a 100G optical module, which will be used in hyperscale data center applications. Shipment volumes and expected financial impact of the win were not announced. Centera Photonics is a develops of optical modules for the high performance, data center market.

Design 113
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LA's Arrowroot Capital Leads $45M Funding In mParticle

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based investor Arrowroot Capital is the lead investor in a $45M funding round in New York-based mParticle , a developer of a platform used to manage customer data. The funding--a Series D--brings the total investment in mParticle to more than $120M. Arrowroot's Mathew Safaii will join mParticle's board of directors as a part of the transaction.

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Age Of Learning Opens Up Access For Families Hit By School Closures

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based educational software provider Age Of Learning said today that it is opening up free access to its software to families, whose children are in school that are closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. According to the company, it is offering families free, at-home access to its titles ABCmouse, Adventure Academy, and ReadingIQ. The company said that schools and school districts can also give their students access to the titles through a separate website.

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EZ Texting Launches New SMS Marketing Services

socalTECH

Santa Monica-based EZ Texting , a developer of SMS marketing software, says it has launched two new services. According to the firm, it has added new, two-way business text messaging which coverts an existing business phone number to send and receive text messages; and a new iOS app, which lets businesses communicate wtih their customers in real-time.

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Tech Coast Angels Orange County Launches The TCA OC Fund 20

socalTECH

The Orange County arm of Southern California's largest, angel investment group--the Tech Coast Angels --said today that it has opened up a new fund, the TCA OC Fund 20 , the first in a set of annual funds which will go to invest in startups in the region. According to the Tech Coast Angels Orange County (TCA OC), the fund will be replenished each year.

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Quibi Sues Eko

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based short-form streaming media startup Quibi , founded by Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman, has sued a competitor--Interlude US Inc, which runs the interactive multimedia entertainment service Eko , saying that it has "embarked on a campaign of threats and harassment to coerce money or a licensing deal from Quibi". Apparently, Eko has accused Quibi of infringing on a patent.

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Recurring Revenue Conference Postponed On Virus Disruption

socalTECH

The Recurring Revenue Conference , the annual conference focused on scaling software-as-a-service and subscription businesses--which is presented by Sutton Capital Partners--has been postponed until sometimes this Fall, according to the conference organizers. Citing the "disruption and uncertainty" due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, RRC said it will be announcing a new date soon for its annual event, which normally has over 700 attendees.