Sat.Aug 19, 2017 - Fri.Aug 25, 2017

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There’s no second chance to create first quality.

Berkonomics

Close. Let me illustrate this insight with a personal story. As my enterprise computer software company which produced innovative lodging systems for hotels and resorts grew quickly, we found ourselves straining to keep up with the hiring and training of good customer support representatives, a critical part of the equation then and still so today in the 24-hour environment of hotel front desk operations.

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Panda Pop passes 100 million users as Jam City readies for an IPO

TechCrunch LA

The flagship game from Los Angeles-based mobile game developer Jam City, Panda Pop, has reached over 9.3 million monthly active users and climbed above its 100 millionth download. The tentpole game for Myspace founder Chris DeWolfe’s latest LA-based juggernaut of a company has certainly had its moment. Read More.

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CALIENT Acquired By Chunxing

socalTECH

Santa Barbara-based CALIENT , the developer of optical MEMs switching technology, has been acquired by Chinese company Suzhou Chunxing Precision Mechanical Co., Ltd. , the two said this morning. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. According to the two, Chunxing buys a controlling stake in the company, and will also provide manufacturing services to CALIENT as part of the acquisition.

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Silicon Beach Report Aug. 25: Snapchat Builds Relationship with Social Media Stars After Years of Ignoring Them

L.A. Business Journal

Snapchat builds relationship with social media stars after years of ignoring them, rocket industry worries government might dump ICBM engines on the market and Panda Pop passes 100 million users as Jam City eyes IPO.

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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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8th Annual Women in Green Forum

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, August 30, 2017 -- 8th Annual Women in Green Forum. Now in its 8th year, the Women In Green Forum is the largest conference of its kind. It highlights women’s impact on the environmental industry and has attracted a global audience from a wide range of sectors including government officials, corporate executives, academic researchers, technology developers, and clean tech financiers.

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Panda Pop passes 100 million users as Jam City readies for an IPO

TechCrunch LA

The flagship game from Los Angeles-based mobile game developer Jam City, Panda Pop, has reached over 9.3 million monthly active users and climbed above its 100 millionth download. The tentpole game for Myspace founder Chris DeWolfe's latest LA-based juggernaut of a company has certainly had its moment.

More Trending

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Bright Spot In Australia?

L.A. Business Journal

SolarReserve hopes a $512 million project in Australia will heat up demand for its power plants.

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Better Living Through Analytics - Strategies for Data Decisions

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, August 29, 2017 -- Better Living Through Analytics - Strategies for Data Decisions. Product School. Data is king! Get ready to understand how a successful analytics team can empower managers from product, marketing, and other areas to make effective, data-driven decisions. Louis will be sharing some case studies and successful strategies that he has used at ZipRecruiter as well as previous experiences.

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The Downside of Immersive Tech: An Increasingly Isolated World

Xconomy

As an entrepreneur who has been involved in tech and media for over two decades, I have seen my share of disruptions (I so hate that word!) and even participated in a few. Back in the 1990s, while we were developing some broadband technologies at Sourcecom, my first startup, we also had to develop the business case for the Telco-heads who were clueless about how to monetize this emerging “broadband thing.

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SpaceX Plans Launch Today From Vandenberg

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based SpaceX is planning to send yet another rocket into space today, this time from Vandenberg Air Force Base, just north of Santa Barbara, in a launch which should be visible to residents across Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, and parts of Los Angeles County. According to SpaceX, the launch window for the FORMOSAT-5 satellite launch mission is today at 11:51 a.m.

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Silicon Beach Report Aug. 22: Facebook Predicted to Lose Teens to Snapchat and Instagram

L.A. Business Journal

Facebook predicted to lose teens to Snapchat and Instagram, Uber and Lyft drivers protest their pay at LAX, and FreedomPop launches $49 per year mobile phone plan.

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8 Ways The Maker Movement Turns Ideas Into Businesses

Startup Professionals Musings

In case you haven’t noticed it, the rapid evolution of do-it-yourself (DIY) facilities for developers, including 3-D printers, SketchUp and makerspaces such as TechShop , have scaled down the cost of prototypes and hardware design by an order of magnitude. This movement, coupled with free websites and apps, makes it possible for almost any technical person to start a business.

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Nvidia Joins $20M Deal in Chinese Self-Driving Startup TuSimple

Xconomy

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA ), the Santa Clara, CA-based maker of specialized graphics processing chips that have become workhorses in artificial intelligence, has joined a group of investors that put $20 million into TuSimple, a Chinese startup developing self-driving technology for long-haul trucks. In a blog posted Wednesday, Nvidia says TuSimple has used Nvidia GPUs, the Nvidia Drive PX 2 computing module, and other devices and technologies to develop its autonomous navigation system.

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Sorrento Therapeutics Invests In New Company, Celularity

socalTECH

San Diego-based biopharmaceuticals developer Sorrento Therapeutics announced on Monday that it has invested in a newly former company, Celularity , focused on treatment of cancer, inflammatory and degenerative diseases, and functional regeneration using placental technology. Sorrento said it will make a capital investment, and also provide certain immuno-oncology and cellular therapy intellectual property and assets to Celularity.

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Silicon Beach Report Aug. 24: Battery Pack Manufacturer Romeo Power Raises $30 Million

L.A. Business Journal

Battery pack manufacturer Romeo Power raises $30 million, Blend raises $100 million and SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket carrying Earth-observing satellite.

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10 Common Dilemmas That Derail Many Entrepreneurs

Startup Professionals Musings

Most entrepreneurs struggle with many startup founders dilemmas in building their business, and these key dilemmas are probably the biggest source of pain and failure for the entrepreneur lifestyle. People may jump into the lifestyle to be their own boss, achieve great wealth, start a new trend, or all the above. The dilemma is that these goals are usually mutually exclusive.

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On Drug Pricing: FDA Backs Up Its Calls for Increased Competition

Xconomy

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has been very public in expressing his desire to provide increased competition and greater choice to American consumers in a bid to drive down prices of prescription medicines. Recently, the agency he oversees took some unusual steps to back up those statements with action. Last week, the FDA approved the use of the drug olaparib (Lynparza) , sold by AstraZeneca and Merck, to include ongoing treatment of patients with recurrent ovarian cancer who have responded to

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MANDT VR Names CTO

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based MANDT VR , an augmented reality and virtual reality production company, said on Thursday that it has named Mike Dunn as the company's Chief Technology Officer. Mandt was most recently CIO at VER, and also had previously served as Chief Technology Officer at Time Warner, Hearst Interactive Media and TrueCar. Dunn also was CTO at Dell Online, Dell's original e-commerce site, according to MANDT VR.

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Silicon Beach Report Aug. 23: SpaceX Reveals Space Suit

L.A. Business Journal

SpaceX reveals space suit, Snapchat to again produce original scripted shows and Jukin Media to expand studio for original content production.

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Recognizing and Reducing Fear Makes Leadership Work

Startup Professionals Musings

Trying to be a business leader by instilling fear in your employees and partners is never a good approach, but it is particularly devastating in a startup. Yet I see this approach used all too often by new entrepreneurs, most of whom are not natural tyrants, but who are fighting to mask their own internal fears and insecurities about starting a business.

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Tech Has an Anxiety Problem. This CEO Is Working to Combat It.

Tech.Co

Entrepreneurs need to make rapid decisions and act quickly in order to thrive. But those suffering from anxiety — which affects around 40 million Americans a year — actually make decisions with less clarity. And since running a startup often leads to problems like depression and anxiety , entrepreneurs should all prioritize their mental health a little more than they currently do.

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Scopus Ventures Aims At $25M For First Venture Fund

socalTECH

A new, Los Angeles-based venture capital firm, Scopus Ventures , is seeking to raise $25M for its first ever venture capital fund, Scopus Ventures I, according to a regulatory filing from the firm. The new fund is led by Bahram Nour-Omid, Eran Gilad, and Robert Mai. Nour-Omid was previously Founding Member of Shelter Capital Partners, and was co-founder of Scopus Technology; the firm says his prior investments have been in such companies as VMWare, K12, SweetIP (acquired by Perion Network) and m

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Silicon Beach Report Aug. 21: Steve Bannon Returns to Brentwood’s Breitbart News

L.A. Business Journal

Steve Bannon returns to Brentwood’s Breitbart News, CNN launches daily Snapchat news show and SpaceX to unveil spacesuits next week.

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Bio Roundup: Drug Price Debates, NY Bio Blooms & CEOs Take Social Stand

Xconomy

In these politically divided times, Americans this week found near universal agreement on one thing: A celestial event that plunges a summer day into temporary darkness is a captivating experience. The totality of the solar eclipse lasted less than 3 minutes. If you missed it, you’ll have to wait until 2024 for the next one. Those of us who stepped outside with eclipse glasses, pin-hole projectors, or even colanders found a brief respite from the news.

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Elon Musk Unveils First Photo of SpaceX Spacesuit

Tech.Co

Elon Musk and his SpaceX team have done it again. Today Musk unveiled the first photo of the SpaceX spacesuit on his personal Instagram account. All we’ve got is the one photo to go by right now, but his message implies SpaceX will reveal more details soon on the spacesuit. In a post to Instagram Elon Musk said: “First picture of SpaceX spacesuit.

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United Talent Agency Backs ART19 For Podcast Technology

socalTECH

The United Talent Agency is one of the investors today in ART19 , a San Francisco-based startup developing a podcast hosting platform and technology. ART19 said today that it has raised $7.5M in a Series A funding, which was led by Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI) and DCM Ventures, and also included the United Talent Agency, Gallo Digital, Zach Coelius and Array Ventures.

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5 Principles For Working With Someone You Don’t Like

Startup Professionals Musings

One thing is certain in any business – not everyone you have to deal with will be like you, or will like you (and vice versa). These people may include one of your business partners, an investor, a key vendor, or even one of your best customers. In my role as a business advisor, I see more and more how business people must bridge these differences to accomplish shared business goals.

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Stand up to “Bully” Trump: Bio CEOs Levin, Holtzman Call to Their Peers

Xconomy

Biotech CEOs Jeremy Levin and Steve Holtzman have watched the violence in Charlottesville, VA , and its continuing aftermath with disgust. But they aren’t just upset about the rally, the violence and death, and President Trump’s equivocating blame of “many sides.” Levin, of Ovid Therapeutics (NASDAQ: OVID ), and Holtzman, of Decibel Therapeutics, have been disappointed with their peers.

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5 Design Apps to Help You Plan Home Renovations

Tech.Co

If you are tired of the outdated look in your home, you do not need to buy a new home or move to another house. You can remodel your house and give it a modern outlook. Luckily, you use design tools on your mobile device to help you with different aspects of renovations. The apps are useful to homeowners who intend to do renovations on their own and to professional constructors and designers.

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Elon Musk Shows Off First SpaceX Spacesuit

socalTECH

Elon Musk , the founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based SpaceX , has released the first photo of a SpaceX designed spacesuit. Musk posted a photo of what he said is a working spacesuit to Instagram on Tuesday, saying it was "incredibly hard to balance esthetics and function" in the design, and that the spacesuit was working and tested to "double vacuum pressure.

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8 Keys To Raising Your Level Of Employee Engagement

Startup Professionals Musings

As a business advisor, one of the most disheartening things I see in business today is a serious lack of engagement at all levels, consistent with Gallup’s most recent global engagement survey , finding only 13 percent of workers fully engaged in their job. I see people walking around every day like zombies in a trance. The sad part is that is seems to be getting worse, rather than better.

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HelloTech Behind New Samsung Galaxy Note 8's In Home Support

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based HelloTech , the in-home, technical support service started by Richard Wolpert, is providing the support for the launch of Samsung's new Galaxy Note 8 smartphone , in a major win for HelloTech. According to Samsung, it will offer up 60 days free Samsung Premium Care service to purchasers of its new smartphone. Samsung is charging $11.99 a month for its Premium Care service, after that 60 days.

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Spokeo Taps Technology Vet As CFO

socalTECH

Pasadena-based people search site Spokeo has named longtime Los Angeles technology veteran Tom Fuelling as its new Chief Financial Officer, the company said today. Fuelling was most recently CFO over at Laurel & Wolf, and also has served at such companies as OpenX and Hulu. Spokeo said Fuelling will help support its growth and ongoing innovation, and will oversee its accounting and finance teams.

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Ross Levinsohn Named CEO, Publisher At Los Angeles Times

socalTECH

Southern California technology veteran Ross Levinsohn , best known for his efforts as Interim CEO at Yahoo! and his work at Fox Interactive Media, has been appointed CEO and Publisher of the Los Angeles Times , according to the LA Times' parent company, tronc. According to tronc Levinsohn will oversee the Los Angeles Times' operations, and look to expand its journalistic endeavors, product and content initiatives, global footprint and business and revenue opportunities.

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Washos Hails User Growth For On Demand Auto Detailing

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Washos , the developer of an on-demand, auto detailing and car wash app, said today that it has doubled its user base in the last three months. The company said it now has 40,000 active clients using its app, attributing that growth partially to the come-and-go nature of its competitors, plus its focus on consumers. The startup, led by CEO Bertrand Patriarca, says its client list includes a significant number of executives from Silicon Beach, including executives at Snapchat, V

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SpaceX Launches Satellite Into Space For Taiwan

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based SpaceX successfully delivered the Formosat-5 satellite for Taiwan into orbit on Thursday morning from Vandenberg Air Force Base, just north of Santa Barbara, and also successfully landed the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on a barge in the Pacific. The launch was obscured from view in much of the Ventura and Los Angeles areas due to coastal clouds.

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