Los Angeles-based ZEFR has sold its rights management and content-flagging assets--RightsID and ChannelID--to Vobile Group , a provider of video content protection, measurement, and monetization, in a deal worth $90M, the two companies annoucned late Thursday. According to Vobile, it will open up a new office in Los Angeles as a result of the acquisition, with approximately 100 employees. Vobile said ZEFR's businesses produced over $40M in recurring, profitable revenue in 2018. MORE

Alumni of SpaceX are leading a renaissance in aerospace MORE

Downtown-based digital car-sharing marketplace HyreCar Inc. announced July 19 it will sell an additional 3.5 million shares to raise capital to expand its staff and technology offerings MORE

Long Beach-based Virgin Orbit , the satellite launch startup backed by Richard Branson, said on Friday that it has been selected by the UK's Royal Air Force, to launch satellites for a project called Team ARTEMIS. Financial details of the launch deal were not announced. Virgin Orbit--which only recently completed "drop" tests for its aircraft--is planning to use a modified 747 to deliver rockets up to a high altitude, and then release those rockets for delivery into space. MORE

San Diego-based medical technology startup CARLSMED has merged with Seattle-based Precisive Surgical , the two said this week, to combine their efforts to develop a personalized surgical workflow platform for spine deformity intervention. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. CARLSMED is part of the EvoNexus technology incubator; Precisive Surgical is a spinout from IntuitiveX, a life sciences technology incubator. MORE

Welcome to socaltech interviews, where we talk to the startup entrepreneurs, investors, and others in Southern California's technology industry. MORE

Carlsmed, a San Diego-based medical technology company that’s developing personalized spinal implants, has merged with Precisive Surgical, a spine imaging system startup in Seattle. MORE

Too busy at work to spend time with your dog or cat? Does your dog get separation anxiety? Maybe a robot can help--at least, that's the thought of Los Angeles-based VARRAM , which announced this week that it has launched a "pet fitness robot". Varram said its robot is "specially designed to keep dogs and cats mentally and physically engaged", by automatically interacting with your pets while you are away. MORE

Santa Monica-based Fair , the automotive startup which offers up subscription-based access to vehicles with much more flexibility than a traditional lease, is expanding its partnership with Uber , saying that eligible "Uber Pro" drivers can earn "Fair Credits" to help cover their weekly Fair vehicle payments. Uber Pro is Uber's program for rewarding the most consistent and higher rated drivers on its platform. MORE

Web security firm Signal Sciences Corp. celebrates its fifth anniversary this year, and the startup has quickly grown from a six-person operation in a Venice apartment to a 150-strong workforce rapidly outgrowing office space MORE

Irvine-based CoreLogic , a provider of property information and data analytics, says that it estimates a total of between $500M and $900M in losses from Hurricane Barry, including both residential and commercial flood and wind losses. MORE

Los Angeles-based HyreCar , a publicly listed, carsharing marketplace operator (Nasdaq: HYRE), says it has priced an offering of 3.5M shares of its common stock, at $3.00 per share. The stock offering will provide the company gross proceeds of $10.5M, which it says it will use to expand sales and marketing, customer support, and technology investments to continue to grow its platform. HyreCar operates a car sharing marketplace which connects ride sharing drivers with fleet operators. MORE

100 Thieves raises $35 million to fuel expansion and a new headquarters MORE

Thursday, July 25, 2019 -- Pitch to and Network with Investors: Angels, VCs, High Net Worths, Strategic Partners and 100 entrepreneurs seeking capital and counsel. DEAL DISPLAYtm showcases growing firms needing capital and counsel. View products, videos, online demos. Hot Networking Breakfast at 7:00am sharp! See [link] (more MORE

Comic-Con International may be holding everyone’s attention this week, but the tech community has stayed busy amid all the action (and increased traffic). Let’s catch up with the latest tech news in San Diego. —San Diego’s AON Devices was among 10 startups selected to compete at a recent pitch competition hosted by the corporate venture capital arm of Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM ). MORE

ZEFR sells to Vobile; HyreCar prices 3.5 million additional shares; Virgin Orbit to provide RAF launch services MORE

In late 2017, a federal watchdog unit assigned a working group to keep an eye on cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, and to sound an alert if those alternate currencies showed signs of becoming a risk to the stability of the US financial system. MORE

Snap Inc. will report second quarter 2019 earnings July 23, and analysts and shareholders expect the company’s finances to continue improving MORE

The opioid crisis reaches all corners of the nation, and newly released data this week revealed how the growth of the epidemic tracked with a massive increase in the production and distribution of these drugs. From 2006 to 2012, the number of pills distributed to pharmacies increased by more than 50 percent. In total, 76 billion pills flooded the market. MORE