Sat.Nov 11, 2017 - Fri.Nov 17, 2017

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What Happens When Startups Turn from Their Innovation Stage to Operational Excellence?

Both Sides of the Table

Nearly every successful tech startup I’ve observed over the past 20 years has gone through a similar growth pattern: Innovate, systematize then scale operations. An alternate outcome that I also unfortunately observe in some cases are companies who had extreme early success with an initial product adoption but failed in key areas that limited the growth and therefore the ultimate financial outcomes.

Startup 286
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Are you uncomfortable with home-based workers?

Berkonomics

Do home-based employees work with the same dedication and productivity as those in office cubicles next to each other? That depends upon the management as much as the employee. I have a friend who is a. CEO of a recruiting firm who “virtualized” her company after a decade of maintaining a fixed office location. She organizes morning conference calls, has each employee tweet the others in their department when starting work and ending the day, creates the feel of closeness with employee contest

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Borrow Debuts New, Short Term Subscription EV Service

socalTECH

West Hollywood-based automotive startup BORROW has launched a new, subscription service which gives users access to a pre-owned, electric vehicle (EV) through short term leases, the company said this week. According to Borrow, it allows customers to "subscribe" to short term, three, six, or nine month renewable subscriptions to such vehicles as the Nissan Leaf, BMW i3, or Tesla Model S.

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5 Intrapreneur Startup Lessons From The Co-Father Of The Xbox

InfoChachkie

A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. I was great fun to interview Robbie Bach, Co-Father of the Xbox, as part of UC Santa […]. The post 5 Intrapreneur Startup Lessons From The Co-Father Of The Xbox appeared first on John Greathouse.

Startup 149
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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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Sniffing Out New Business

L.A. Business Journal

SeekOps Inc., a Pasadena startup, manufactures a methane sensor that it attaches to a quad-copter drone and flies over oil and gas fields looking for leaks.

Pasadena 150
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Startup Spotlight: Cyber Security, Car Care, and Reducing Grunt Work

Tech.Co

With the new iPhone X, biometric security was taken to the next level with FaceID to protect one’s personal and banking information. Each week, TechCo features tech startups that can help streamline your daily life. This week in Startup Spotlight, we found an affordable cyber security service for small businesses, biometric startup with facial recognition tech for businesses, car care for smart cities, a platform that will reduce the grunt work at marketing agencies, and more.

More Trending

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Raken Aims for Growth in Mobile App for Construction Site Reporting

Xconomy

When it comes to disrupting an industry, Raken founder and CEO Kyle Slager says it would be hard to find a sector that is more resistant to spending money on new technologies than the construction business. As Slager puts it, even bankers and insurers spend more on technology as a percentage of revenue than building contractors. But Slager says that’s starting to change as construction companies realize that technology isn’t just an expense; it can represent an investment in money-saving efficie

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Silicon Beach Report Nov. 14: Fox Exec to Launch Harassment Reporting App

L.A. Business Journal

Fox exec to launch harassment reporting app, Arrivo proposes maglev system for the inner city, and Fullscreen shutting down subscription VOD service and will lay off 25 employees.

Report 100
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How Milwaukee’s Tech Ecosystem Found Their Sweet Spot

Tech.Co

When you hear of Milwaukee, WI, baseball and a cold beer might come to mind, and maybe snow. But what you’ll find when the tech community steps up to the plate are more home runs happening each month. In this #StartupsEverywhere , interview, we talked with Joe Poeschl, Program Director and Cofounder, The Commons about community engagement, the latest startups and expandable growth.

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Robot Trucks Now Hauling Appliances To Palm Springs

socalTECH

Watch out, truckers! Appliance maker Frigidaire and robotic truck technology maker Embark , along with commercial fleet management provider Ryder Systems revealed late Sunday evening that they have been using automated, robotic trucks to deliver loads of appliances from El Paso, Texas, across the I-10, to a handoff point in Palm Springs, as a pilot of a Level 2 automated trucking system.

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Stratim CEO Sees Future with Costly Driverless Cars, but Low Ride Fares

Xconomy

Like many tech entrepreneurs, Sean Behr had a young business that was popular with consumers, but was also losing money. So in February of 2016, he decided to refocus his San Francisco startup on the small, but unexpectedly profitable aspect of his service that could operate in the black. That pivot put Behr in a prime position to reflect on the coming sea change in the automotive industry—big fleets of autonomous vehicles—and carve himself a niche in it.

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Silicon Beach Report Nov. 17: Hollywood Producer Plans to Fund Next Blockbuster with Cryptocurrency

L.A. Business Journal

Hollywood producer plans to fund next blockbuster with cryptocurrency, SpaceX Zuma launch slips again as teams investigate hardware issue and SpaceX expects government support for development of BFR launch system.

Hollywood 100
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Solving Problems or Producing Outcomes?

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, November 15, 2017 --.

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Virgin Orbit Snags Defense Department Launch Contract

socalTECH

Mojave-based Virgin Orbit , the Richard Branson-backed space launch startup which spun out of Virgin Galactic, said on Thursday afternoon that it has received a contract from the U.S. Department of Defense. According to Virgin Orbit, the DOD has purchased a launch on its LauncherOne aircraft, with technology development payloads from the DOD's Space Test Program planning to launch on its rockets as early as January 2019.

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6 Strategies To Optimize Self-Leadership For Business

Startup Professionals Musings

In my experience as an advisor and mentor to entrepreneurs in business, one of the biggest failures I see is a lack of self-leadership. You can’t lead a business to success, if you can’t lead yourself. I define self-leadership as the capacity to set direction and make decisions, to positively drive your own performance. Leadership in business starts with making good personal choices.

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Silicon Beach Report Nov. 16: Ziff Davis Agrees to Buy Mashable for $50 Million

L.A. Business Journal

Ziff Davis agrees to buy Mashable for $50 million, Virgin Orbit wins its first Defense Department launch contract and mystery surrounds payload SpaceX is launching.

SpaceX 100
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LAVA Digital Media: AI + Media and Entertainment

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, November 16, 2017 --.

LAVA 100
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J2 Global's Ziff Davis To Buy Mashable For Around $50M, Says Report

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based J2 Global --via its publishing arm, Ziff Davis , is getting set to acquire online tech publication Mashable , in a deal worth around $50M, according to a report on Thursday afternoon from the Wall Street Journal. Neither J2 Global nor Mashable have yet announced the deal. The deal apparently comes after Mashable failed to raise additional funding for the company, despite a round valued at around $250M in March of 2016.

Report 133
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10 Sharing Principles To Improve Your Business Image

Startup Professionals Musings

Too many customers have long felt distanced from many successful brands, seeing them as closed and mysterious environments, focused only on profits and killing competitors. They may not have noticed the wave of “open businesses,” spawned by the Internet and social media. These are responding to the demands of this new world for collaboration, trust, and transparency.

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Augmented Reality Company Daqri Begins Shipping Smart Glasses

L.A. Business Journal

Augmented reality company Daqri of downtown Los Angeles has begun shipping its $5,000 Smart Glasses.

Company 133
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LA CoMotion

SoCal Tech Calendar

Saturday, November 18, 2017 --.

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Upfront Ventures Leads Investment In Electric Skateboard Startup Inboard

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based venture investor Upfront Ventures is the lead investor this morning in a startup, Inboard Technology , a developer of a battery powered, electric skateboard. Inboard said it raised $8M in its Series A funding, which was led by Upfront Ventures, and also included LION Smart and Sunstone Capital. The company was seeded by Sweet Capital, the investment fund of the founders of King Digital Entertainment (the makers of Candy Crush).

Invest 133
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6 Steps Required From A New Venture Dream To Reality

Startup Professionals Musings

It seems like everyone wants to be an entrepreneur and get rich these days. As a business mentor, I sometimes feel besieged by people begging for my view and support of their latest idea. In reality, I like most ideas, but I have to tell them that the real challenge is taking the inspiration from a dream to a business reality. All the evidence says that over 99% fail to make that leap.

Ideas 56
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Poshmark Picks Up $87.5M to Power the Social, Digital Wardrobe

Xconomy

Poshmark , a social media e-retail company, has raised $87.5 million in a Series D investment round led by Singapore sovereign wealth fund Temasek. That brings the total funding raised by the Redwood City, CA-based company to $160 million. Other investors in the firm include Mayfield , Menlo Ventures , GGV Capital , Inventus Capital , SoftTech VC , Union Grove Venture Partners , and Cross Creek Advisors.

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Live Talks LA with Tim O'Reilly (2017-11-14)

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, November 14, 2017 --.

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CombiMatrix Acquired By Invitae For $34.9M

socalTECH

Irvine-based CombiMatrix , which had developed genetic testing technology for the pediatric and prenatal disorder area, has been acquired by Invitae , in a deal worth approximately $34.9M in stock. Invitae, which is based in San Francisco, said the acquisition will bolster its efforts in the family and reproductive health genetic information area. CombiMatrix had provided providing genetic information for prenatal diagnosis, miscarriage analysis and diagnosis of pediatric developmental disorders

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8 Ways That Creating A New Business Helps Your Career

Startup Professionals Musings

If you are one of the many professionals still trapped between jobs by circumstances outside your control, or are about to dump the loser job you have now, you should be actively defining and starting your own business, in parallel with looking for that ideal job. Let me explain why this is a win-win deal, no matter what the outcome. You have probably secretly always wanted to run your own show, but with an existing job, never took the time to consider a startup.

Help 56
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Acorda Takes Another Hit, Reports Patient Deaths in Parkinson’s Study

Xconomy

Acorda Therapeutics’ rebuilding plan just suffered another setback, leaving the fate of one of the experimental Parkinson’s disease drugs that is closest to market unclear. Ardsley, NY-based Acorda (NASDAQ: ACOR ) said Wednesday morning that it has seen troubling safety problems in a Phase 3 trial of its experimental Parkinson’s disease drug tozadenant.

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LA CoMotion

SoCal Tech Calendar

Sunday, November 19, 2017 --.

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SpaceX Abruptly Calls Off Launch Of Mysterious Zuma Payload

socalTECH

Adding to the mystery surrounding its planned launch of a super-secret payload, called "Zuma", into orbit, Los Angeles-based SpaceX says it has "decided to stand down" from the launch of the mysterious, top secret payload. According to SpaceX, it has instead decided to "take a closer look at data from recent fairing testing" for another customer. SpaceX said it will confirm a new launch date later.

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How to Make Employee Training Count

Startup Professionals Musings

This article was originally published under Jeff Miller’s column “The Science of Workplace Motivation” on Inc.com. When most people think of training , the first thing that comes to mind is a mandatory meeting in a stuffy conference room with a boring instructor walking through poorly designed slides. Even though US companies spent more than $70 billion last year on learning and development , this training stereotype is unfortunately the reality for many employees.

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Milestones of Innovation 14: The Biggest Damn Firecracker I Ever Saw

Xconomy

At exactly 7 a.m. on Nov. 9, 1967, the roof of the press viewing stand at Cape Canaveral began shaking from what was happening more than three miles from us. The sky seemed to be cracking as a gleaming 363-foot tall rocket began pushing up from Launch Pad 39 and eastward over the Atlantic. As a reporter for The Boston Globe , I was witnessing the first test of the Saturn V rocket designed to carry Americans to the moon by New Year’s Eve, 1969.

Press 55
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LA CoMotion

SoCal Tech Calendar

Friday, November 17, 2017 --.

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Tortuga Logic, Co-Founded By UCSD, UCSB Profs, Raises $2M For Hardware Security

socalTECH

Tortuga Logic , a new startup focused on chip-level cybersecurity technology whose founders include professors from UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara, has raised $2M in a seed funding, the company disclosed on Thursday. The seed funding came from Eclipse Ventures. Tortuga Logic, which is based in Palo Alto, was co-founded by UC San Diego alumni Dr. Jason Oberg, former UC San Diego postdoc researcher Dr.

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New software lets marketers better leverage social media influencers

StartUp Beat

“When was the last time a commercial came on and you didn’t pull out your phone?,” asks Forbes contributor AJ Agrawal. If you’re like today’s typical consumer, you most likely tune out TV ads – and you probably can’t remember the last time you heard a radio advertisement. While the glory days of TV and radio ads have come and gone, digital media influencer marketing is gaining momentum.

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DFJ Co-Founder Jurvetson Exits Firm Amid Harassment Charges

Xconomy

One of Silicon Valley’s most prominent venture capital firm founders has joined the list of VCs who departed from their positions this year in the wake of sexual harassment allegations. Steve Jurvetson, co-founder of Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ), confirmed via a Twitter post Monday that he has left the Sand Hill Road firm, where he has long focused on emerging technologies, from genomics to space exploration.

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