Friday, February 2, 2018LA's Blockchain Moguls Flock To Puerto Rico
There's a huge amount of newly minted Bitcoin and Blockchain wealth in Southern California--and in particular, Los Angeles--which is now setting down a new base of operations in Puerto Rico, according to a new report from the New York Times, published Friday. The report details how such LA Blockchain moguls as Brock Pierce--director of the Bitcoin foundation--have been looking to remake Puerto Rico into a Bitcoin paradise.
The article highlights the efforts of Pierce, saying that Pierce's st (More info...)
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Anzu Partners, With Offices In San Diego, Raises $128.4M Venture FundAnzu Partners, a venture capital and private equity investors focused on industrial technology with offices in the San Diego area, has quietly raised $128.4M in its first venture capital fund. The company--which has offices in La Jolla, plus Massachusetts, Florida, and Washington, DC.--revealed its fund in December, saying it invests in breakthrough industrial technologies, with a focus on manufacturing, materials, monitoring and measurement, and modeling. Among Anzu's Venture Partners is Carl E (More info...)
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LA Massage Startup Soothe Buys LA's MeltLos Angeles-based on-demand, massage service Soothe says it has acquired fellow LA massage service Melt, the two said this week, to grow Soothe's Los Angeles network. Soothe--which says it is available in over 55 cities across the US, Canada, UK, and Austrlia--did not disclose financial details of the buy. Soothe's CEO and founder is Merlin Kauffman. Soothe offers up on-demand massage service in homes and hotels, and says it uses vetted, certified massage therapists for its service.
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TS2 Holdings Acquires Three Companies, Including Neohire South, Hero.jobsLos Angeles-based TS2 Holdings, a strategic business development firm focused on the technology industry, said on Friday morning that it has acquired three companies, including Neohire South, RockIT Recruiting, and Hero.jobs. Neohire South is a recruiting company with offices in Santa Monica and Tarzana, RockIT Recruiting is a tech recruiting company based in San Francisco, and Hero.jobs is a recuiting software company based in Santa Monica. Financial details of the acquisitions were not announc (More info...)
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Bitvore Brings Latest Funding Round To $14.2MIrvine-based Bitvore, the big data, artificial intelligence, and data analytics startup, has upped its latest funding round to $14.2M, as part of what appears to be an ongoing $17.75M funding effort. According to a regulatory filing by Bitvore, the funding comes as part of an round which kicked off in December of 2016, and so far includes 36 investors. Bitvore has created an intelligence gathering and analysis system--originally developed for secretive intelligence agencies--but is now being use (More info...)
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HyreCar Raises $1.46M In Debt FundingLos Angeles-based online car rental service HyreCar has just raised $1.465M in debt funding, as part of an ongoing $2.3M funding round, according to a regulatory filing from the firm on Thursday. Details on the funding--which appears to be a convertible note or bridge round, with warrants--have not yet been announced. According to those filings, the funding comes on top of $1.65M in equity raised in a round which opened in June of 2017. That earlier equity funding had a target of $2.975M, and ha (More info...)
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Factual Launches New Data ToolsLos Angeles-based Factual, the location data startup led by Gil Elbaz, said this week that it has launched a brand new set of tools, called Geopulse Insights and Geopulse Measurement. Accordign to Factual, the new tools help marketers understand customer behavior, and link real-world, customer behavior to their online marketing campaigns. Pricing on the new software was not announced. Factual said the new tools is based on its gigantic Global Places databased which now has data on more than 130 (More info...)
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FriendO Claims 2.4 Million Players, Rapid GrowthLos Angeles-based mobile gaming developer FriendO, which develops a social game which lets friends ask each other questions and gather answers, says it has just reached 2.4 million players, only six months of launch. The startup says it is backed by such investors as Brad Jones (of Redpoint Ventures), Mucker Capital, and Michael Greenberg (President of Skechers). FriendO's app runs both on iOS and Android.
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Beyond Meat Expands Footprint In Los AngelesEl Segundo-based Beyond Meat, which develops plant-based foods which look and taste exactly like real meat, says is in a major expansion in Los Angeles. According to Beyond Meat, it is creating a new 26,000 square foot Innovation Center in Los Angeles, with enough room for more than 100 employees. According to Beyond Meat, the new center said the new center will house the "best and brightest" scientists, scientists, engineers, food technologists, chefs, and researchers together for what it calls (More info...)
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Yardi Wins Customer In LondonSanta Barbara-based property management software developer Yardi continues to add to its long list of customers, saying late last night that it has added a new customer in London. Yardi said that Triple Point Social Housing will use its Yardi Voyager software for property management, including leasing, tenant services, and accounting operations. Financial details of the win were not announced.
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