Monday, April 24, 2017


New App, JobFlare, Looks To Sharpen Your Brain--And Maybe Get You A Job
A new app, JobFlare, developed by Los Angeles-based Criteria Corp., is hoping to tap into the enthusiasm of consumers for games--which just might attract employers. According to Criteria, which has been offering up pre-employment testing services to employers since 2006, its new cam allows job seekers to play a set of six, 90-second brain games, which it says are "scientifically crafted" to test key talents and cognitive abilities. Criteria said that--based on performance in those games--it wil (More info...)
posted on Monday, April 24, 2017(Full story)

Soylent Recalls Powder, Again
Los Angeles-based food alternative firm Soylent has issued another recall of its Soylent Powder, after it found that its Soylent 1.8 Powder may have accidentally included milk in the product. The company said that a "small amount" of whey powder may have been incorporated into one production lot of Soylent 1.8 powder during manufacturing, saying that people who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of "serious or life-threatening allergic reaction" if they consume the produc (More info...)
posted on Monday, April 24, 2017(Full story)

Influential Names New CFO, COO
Los Angeles-based influencer marketing software developer Influential says it has named Michael Lin as its new dual CFO and COO. Lin was previously CFO at Mavenlink and Cake, and also served at Gehry Technologies and Fast Search and Transfer. The company said that Lin will play a "vital role" in its growth, directing financial strategy, business planning, and operations. Influential says it is using artificial intelligence and technlogy from IBM Watson to help brands and agencies tap into a net (More info...)
posted on Monday, April 24, 2017(Full story)

Hot On Heels Of DogVacay Buy, Rover.com Launches National Ad Push
Pet sitting and dog walking marketplace operator Rover.com--which just acquired Santa Monica-based DogVacay last month--has has launched a big re-branding as "The Dog People", in its first, national advertising campaign. Rover.com said the move is a result of its recent acquisitino of dog sitting network DogVacay. Rover.com says it the new campaign is the biggest media investment that it has made to date, with a planned spending of $4.5 million in marketing this year. Rover.com rolled out a new (More info...)
posted on Monday, April 24, 2017(Full story)

Precellerator Names Sixth Class
Santa Monica-based The Preccelerator Program, which is run by Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP, has announced its sixth class, saying it has added five startups to its startup accelerator program. The accelerator said it has added Animate Objects (AR/VR technology); RentSpree (apartment rental applications); Tapp That App (mobile app discovery); Ca$het (product placement in TV shows and movies); and Swoppit (social marketplace for fashion) to the program. The Precellerator Program says that over (More info...)
posted on Monday, April 24, 2017(Full story)

MakeSpace Raises $30M More For On Demand Storage To Expand In LA
MakeSpace, a provider of "on-demand" self storage in Los Angeles, new York City, Chicago, and Washington D.C., has raised $30M in a funding round, from 8VC and Upfront Ventures. MakeSpace is led by Sam Rosen. According to the company, the funding will go towards building outs its operations in Los Angeles as well as its other cities. MakeSpace picks up items from people for storage, on a bin-by-bin basis, and also has mobile apps which lets people see what is in those bins. The company has plans (More info...)
posted on Monday, April 24, 2017(Full story)

Inseego Resets Effort To Gain Approval For MiFi Sale, Again
San Diego-based Inseego--the company once known as Novatel Wireless--along with Jade Ocean Global Limited, which is a subsidiary of T.C.L. Industries Holdings, say they once again have withdrawn their request for regulatory approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The firms said that the withdrawal, and immediate re-filing, of its request, is intended to provide additional time to provide a "definitive mitigation agreement" for approval from CFIUS. This is (More info...)
posted on Monday, April 24, 2017(Full story)

Ozobot Boosts Executive Team
Redondo Beach-based Ozobot, which develops educational robotics products, says that it has named Joby Otero as its Chief Product Officer, and Kim Salzer as Chief Marketing Officer. Otero was most recently Chief Creative Officer at Anki, and Salzer was most recently Chief Marketing Officer at Hyperloop One. Both also had served at Activision. Ozobot is backed by Tribeca Ventures, and recently raised $3M in a Series A funding. The company says it has already shipped half a million units of its "hy (More info...)
posted on Monday, April 24, 2017(Full story)

Neural Analytics Expands In Europe
Los Angeles-based medical device developer Neural Analytics, which makes a medical device used to track and measure brain health, has opened up a new office in Hamburg, Germany. The company said it the new office will help it provide its technology to European clinicians and patients. Lucid's ultrasound system is designed for measuring and displaying cerebral blood flow velocities and monitoring of patients with brain disorders.
posted on Monday, April 24, 2017(Full story)

Qualcomm Signs Patent License With Firm In India
San Diego-based Qualcomm announced on Sunday that it has signed a 3G and 4G patent license agreement with Smartron India Private Limited, which will allow Smartron to develop, manufacture and sell WCDMA, CDMA2000, and 4G LTE devices. Financial details of the patent deal were not announced. The two also said they will "strategically collaborate" on early technology access and advancements in RF, camera testing and tuning and other critical calibrations required for smart devices. Qualcomm says i (More info...)
posted on Monday, April 24, 2017(Full story)

Skyworks Reports On Sustainability Efforts
Irvine-based analog semiconductor maker Skyworks has released information on its sustainability efforts, saying that it has reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by 22 percent, reduced municipal waste by 20 percent, and reduced its hazardous waste by 16 percent. The company released the information in a voluntarily public report, to showcase its commitment to sustainable business practices. The company said those reductions were on a "per-unit" basis. CO2 is the main culprit behind human created (More info...)
posted on Monday, April 24, 2017(Full story)