2019

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Why Has Seed Investing Declined? And What Does this Mean for the Future?

Both Sides of the Table

Seed investments are down by any measure (funds, deals, dollars) over the past 3 years in deals < $1 million AND in deals between $1–5 million. What gives? Over the past month a colleague ( Chang Xu ) and I sifted through data on the venture capital industry (as we do every year) and made a bunch of calls to VCs and LPs to confirm our hypotheses.

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How TuesdayNights is Helping Women Entrepreneurs Connect With Capital

socalTECH

Raising capital for a female-led startup can be very diffiult--which is what Justine Lassoff and Melinda Moore found out when they started their own company, LovingEco, in Los Angeles. So, to help other female entrepreneurs, they founded TuesdayNights (www.tuesdaynights.org), a group in LA which helps female entrepreneurs connect with capital and each other to improve their access to capital.

Help 224
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With its Greenlots acquisition, Shell is moving from gas stations to charging stations

TechCrunch LA

In a bid to show that it’s getting ready for the electrification of American roads, Royal Dutch Shell is buying Greenlots , a Los Angeles-based developer of electric vehicle charging and energy management technologies. Shell, which is making the acquisition through its Shell New Energies US subsidiary, snatched the company from Energy Impact Partners, a cleantech-focused investment firm.

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Should a leader support constant change?

Berkonomics

The worrying that always precedes a change. When a new CEO or manager is hired into a company, for a while lots of energy flows from the top and new ideas seem to be generated daily. It is one reason not to fear the unknown when upper level management long in place turns over, often leaving most everyone worrying over how they’ll ever do without their lost leader.

Ideas 120
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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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BYD Sells 130 Electric Buses to LADOT

L.A. Business Journal

BYD Motors will deliver 130 electric buses to the L.A. Department of Transportation, the company's largest order yet.

Company 222
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The Truth About the Scooter Economy?—?An Insider’s Perspective

Both Sides of the Table

The Truth About the Scooter Economy?—?An Insider’s Perspective “Bird Zero” that are custom designed by the company There is a story arc of the electric scooter market that took the world by storm in 2018, was second-guessed late in the year and has quietly re-emerged as a powerful force of growth where few really appreciate the speed and scale of what has happened.

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Managing Your Startup Board?—?A Short Presentation

Both Sides of the Table

Managing Your Startup Board?—?A Short Presentation I was invited to do a keynote presentation at the Khosla Ventures CEO Summit this week in Sausalito. It was an amazing gathering of some of the most ambitious early-stage CEO’s looking to make a dent in fields related to healthcare, biology, AI and other transformative fields. It’s encouraging to know that there are still great VC firms like KV that are looking to make these short of big bets on shaping the future.

Startup 234
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Framework Benchmarks Round 18

TechEmpower

Round 18 of the TechEmpower Framework Benchmarks project is now available! When we posted the previous round in late 2018, the project had processed about 3,250 pull requests. Today, with Round 18 just concluded, the project is closing in on 4,000 pull requests. We are repeatedly surprised and delighted by the contributions and interest from the community.

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Which Circle Do You Want To Be In…The Blue One (NHL) or the Red One (TED)?

Eric Greenspan

The NHL centre ice circle is blue. The TED carpet that speakers stand on is a red circle. Both are highly desired places to stand, speak or skate. But the best way to get to either is to focus on what will get you there, not on getting there. Focus on the work, development, the achievements and the ride, and maybe, although unlikely, you’ll stand in one of those circles one day.

Writing 179
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Make More, Work Less – Create A Veblen Brand

InfoChachkie

A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. This Louis Vuitton / Supreme boxed logo t-shirt recently sold for $1,750. The shirt was produced by Supreme, which originally sold it for $485. You may think that this item is an anomaly, but it is not. A Louis Vuitton / Supreme hoodie resold for $7,500. Other Supreme apparel sells in the aftermarket for hundreds more than their retail prices, including box logo hoodies which typically sell for between $500 – $1,000.

Demand 160
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Fractional CTO

SoCal CTO

CTO Hire 238
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How Rolebot Wants To Eliminate The Resume, With Shane Bernstein

socalTECH

Anyone who hires anyone, or has ever looked for a jobs knows how important a resume is. However, in the technical arena--as a programmer, developer, or software engineer--it's hard to tell from a resume how good you really are. Plus, it's often difficult to find that technical talent, which might not be looking for a job. That's where Los Angeles-based Rolebot (www.rolebot.net) comes in.

Sites 240
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More Than 50 E-Scooters Pulled From Portland River

Tech.Co

The e-scooter vandalism pandemic continues, as Portland authorities have reportedly hauled more than 50 e-scooters out of a Portland river last week. E-scooters have begun taking over US cities in recent months, with Chicago being the latest to implement the technology just last month. While the innovative two-wheeled vehicles have given thousands access to affordable means of transportation, as well as quite a bit of fun, many citizens believe they are dangerous, tedious, and generally just get

News 156
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How much of my business do I have to give to an investor?

Berkonomics

If you’re looking for growth capital, this one’s for you. We’ll cover what information you’ll expect to provide, your range of expected values and amounts of investment to expect. All to help you set your expectations. OK? Financial History and Projections. Let’s start with the basics. If you are a going business with a track record of revenues, then the importance of accurate current financial statements cannot be overstated.

Equity 159
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Fintech Startup Altruist Raises $8.5 Million

L.A. Business Journal

Venice-based startup Altruist Corp. raised an $8.5 million Series A round.

Venice 327
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Five Questions With a16z’s Vijay Pande on AI and Making New Drugs

Xconomy

In startup world these days, the word “biotech” is increasingly accompanied by “computational” and two, two-letter initialisms: AI and ML. Those tools—artificial intelligence and machine learning, respectively—have been around for decades, but in recent years have become faster and cheaper, accelerating their use by those in the business of discovering and developing new drugs.

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Flying taxi startup Blade is helping Silicon Valley CEOs bypass traffic

TechCrunch LA

One year after a $38 million Series B valued on-demand aviation startup Blade at $140 million, the company has begun taxiing the Bay Area’s elite. As part of a new pilot program, Blade has given 200 people in San Francisco and Silicon Valley exclusive access to its mobile app, allowing them to book helicopters, private jets and even seaplanes at a moments notice for $200 per seat, at least.

Van Nuys 279
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A Deep Dive into What Has Really Changed in Venture Capital

Both Sides of the Table

I’ve heard a lot of people question whether there is too much money in venture capital chasing too few great deals. “We’re in a new tech bubble!” some have pronounced. “Valuations are out of control” is the mantra of others. Others believe that new business models are emerging that could replace venture capital all together. Every year I try to answer the question of “what has changed in the Venture Capital industry” and this year my colleague Chang Xu and I took a deep dive through the data and

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Audi’s new V2I feature helps drivers hit every green light

TechCrunch LA

Audi has added a new feature to the vehicle-to-infrastructure technology embedded in its newer models that’s designed to help drivers catch every green light. The tech, called GLOSA or Green Light Optimized Speed Advisory, is part of the automaker’s built-in traffic light-reading technology. And Audi says it’s the first automaker to include this GLOSA feature in its cars.

Help 279
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Using full-body MRIs, Ezra can now detect 11 cancers in men and 13 in women

TechCrunch LA

When Ezra first launched about six months ago, the company was using magnetic resonance imaging machines to test for prostate cancer in men. But the company’s founder, Emi Gal, always had a larger goal. “One of the biggest problems in cancer is that there’s no accurate, fast, painless, way to scan for cancer anywhere in the body” Gal said at the time of his company’s debut.

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Marcus Hutchins, malware researcher and ‘WannaCry hero,’ sentenced to supervised release

TechCrunch LA

Marcus Hutchins, the malware researcher who became known as an “accidental hero” for stopping the WannaCry ransomware attack in 2017, has been sentenced to supervised release for one year on charges of making and selling the Kronos banking malware. Presiding Judge J. P. Stadtmueller described Hutchins, 25, as a “talented” but “youthful offender” in remarks in federal court in Milwaukee Friday.

Research 277
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A new Tesla Model S can now drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco on a single charge

TechCrunch LA

Tesla has announced that it has extended the range of its Model S vehicle to 370 miles and Model X to 325 miles on a single charge — extending the range of its flagship car to make the trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco on a single charge. . The extensions beat Tesla’s previous records for mileage per charge using the same 100 kWh battery pack, the company said.

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One Simple Way to Eliminate Distractions in a Board Meeting

Both Sides of the Table

Photo by ROBIN WORRALL on Unsplash Several members of your executive taken hours to prepare board materials so that you can inform your board of how things have gone since you last met 3 months ago and you have 3 hours together to make sure they have an accurate picture and to make sure you have their input into how to proceed in the months ahead. Given how seldom you come together you’d imagine you’d have the boards’ full attention during this time.

Slides 275
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Techstars and Starburst Aerospace are launching a space industry accelerator in Los Angeles

TechCrunch LA

With the help of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, the U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin, Maxar Technologies, SAIC and the Israel Aerospace Industries company, Techstars and Starburst Aerospace are launching an accelerator focused on the space industry in Los Angeles. Already a major hub for the space and aerospace startup industry, with companies like SpaceX, Relativity Space, Virgin Orbit, Rocket Lab, Phase Four, and others calling Los Angeles home, the new accelerator will provide another booste

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Fortnite World Cup has handed out $30 million in prizes, and cemented its spot in the culture

TechCrunch LA

The Fortnite phenomenon — the wildly popular battle royale game from Epic Games — has manifested itself in concerned articles , cultural shoutouts and now has sealed its place in the cultural firmament by wrapping up its first “World Cup” which saw the company give away $30 million in prizes. Congrats to all of our winners this weekend at the #FortniteWorldCup Finals.

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Elon Musk says Tesla Model Y will be revealed at its LA design studio on March 14

TechCrunch LA

Tesla will pull back the curtains and unveil its Model Y crossover vehicle at an event in Los Angeles on March 14th, according to a tweet from chief executive Elon Musk. Model Y unveil event on March 14 at LA Design Studio. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 3, 2019. It’s the fifth new car design to come from Tesla’s shop since the company was founded in 2003.

Design 272
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High Functioning vs. Low Functioning Startup Boards

Both Sides of the Table

I’ve sat on many boards over the past 2 decades and seen my share of high-functioning boards and low-functioning boards. Here are some observations I have from this exposure: If a company moves from strength-to-strength with predictable outcomes, easy financings, low staff turn-over, limited competitive threats then the composition of the board probably doesn’t matter as much.

Startup 269
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Solar Startup Heliogen Looks to Power Plants, Refineries

L.A. Business Journal

For decades, solar technology experts have sought to generate electricity. But Pasadena-based Heliogen has a new technology that swaps fossil fuels for solar energy in industrial applications.

Pasadena 263
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Upstart banking company Dave is now worth $1 billion, as Norwest puts in $50 million

TechCrunch LA

Two years after the Los Angeles-based fintech startup Dave launched with a suite of money management tools to save consumers from overdraft fees , the company is now worth $1 billion thanks to a nascent banking practice that had investors lining up. The company used its overdraft protection service and money management display to shift customers’ focus away from the total balance that their account would show by giving them a sense of how much was actually left in their accounts once debit

Company 262
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The One Thing That Great Leaders Understand

Both Sides of the Table

One Thing That Great Leaders Understand I was scanning Twitter this past week and I came across these great Tweets by Michael Seibel at Y Combinator. When I was young I thought management was about distribution/delegation of responsibilities. I now realize it is truly about the maintenance of morale and motivation. Morale and motivation are moving targets that require consistent and proactive effort to maintain.

Course 264
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How to Run an Effective Networking Dinner

Both Sides of the Table

Photo by Juliette F on Unsplash Networking is a critical part of relationship building and there is no event more valuable to building relationships than the proverbial “breaking of bread” with people. I personally run many group lunches & dinners and I attend even more so I’ve developed a set of tips I often pass along in how to make these the most effective they can be.

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Google partners with Sony Pictures Imageworks to launch an open source VFX render manager

TechCrunch LA

Google today announced that it has partnered with Sony Pictures Imageworks , Sony’s visual effects and animation studio, to launch OpenCue , an open source render manager. OpenCue doesn’t handle any of the actual rendering processes but it provides all the tools to break down those different steps and then schedule and manage the different rendering jobs across large rendering farms, both local and in the cloud.

Google 261
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Should You Allow “Board Observers” on Your Startup Board?

Both Sides of the Table

Should You Allow Board Observers on Your Startup Board? Photo by Antenna on Unsplash A board observer is somebody who attends your board meeting but doesn’t have a voting right. There are also certain points in a board meeting where you can ask the board observers to step out of the room unless they’ve negotiated specific rights that preclude this.

Startup 255
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My Commencement Speech?—?Life at Your Crossroads

Both Sides of the Table

My Commencement Speech?—?Life at Your Crossroads Photo by Justin Luebke on Unsplash Crossroads Cal Poly Pomona! What’s up!?! I’m so grateful to be up here addressing you today. Today you’re either here to graduate or support somebody graduating. A graduate is at his or her first major crossroad in life. You are faced with decisions about which road to take.

Pomona 253
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Fifty years of the internet

TechCrunch LA

Leonard Kleinrock. Contributor. Share on Twitter. Leonard Kleinrock is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering. When my team of graduate students and I sent the first message over the internet on a warm Los Angeles evening in October, 1969, little did we suspect that we were at the start of a worldwide revolution.

UCLA 253
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How to Be a Good Board Member

Both Sides of the Table

I have been writing a series on how startup boards get selected, who sits on them and what to avoid. I will also delve into how to prepare for them, how to make the meeting effective and how to best follow up to make sure people take action. Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash In response to one of my posts I saw this great Tweet by Bilal Zuberi and it resonated.

Startup 251