TOP NEWS

Fisker Automotive Pauses Production As It Seeks Funding

Los Angeles-based electric vehicle maker Fisker Automotive says it has paused all ofits production for six weeks to "align inventory levels and progress strategic and financing initiatives", as the company runs low on cash. The pause comes as Fisker is attempting to raise funding to continue operations. The company said it is "continuing negotiation with a large automaker" for a potential investment....Continue →


Bitbrand Gets $500K For Blockchain Apple Watch Graphics

Los Angeles-based Bitbrand announced this morning that it has raised $500K in its first funding round. The company said the funding came from Hustle Fund, Side Door Ventures, GFR Fund and others, including others blockchain and luxury investors. The company offers up "Blockchain-based" watch faces for the Apple Watch.Continue →


VeVe Launches Digital Comics Service

Los Angeles and Auckland, New Zealand-based VeVe, a provider of "digital collectibles, comics, and artwork" said it is launching a new "digital comic" service called VeVe Comics. According to the company, the service brings non-subscription access to premium, licensed digital comic books. The company says it is debuting with access to Marvel Comics. VeVe is led by CEO and co-founder David Yu.Continue →


Group Dangles $16M For Hydrogen Infrastructure

The Energy Infrastructure Incentives for Zero-Emission Commercial Vehicles (EnergIIZE) says it is awarding up to $16M in incentives to grow hydrogen infrastructure in California, in an effort funded by the California Energy Commission (CEC) and administered by CALSTART. According to the grant provider, they are covering up to 50 percent of eligiable equipment and software costs for projects, of up to $3M per project, to install hydrogen infrastructure in California....Continue →


MDpanel Adds To Board

Los Angeles-based MDpanel said this week that Dr. Sonu Ahluwalia has joined the company's board of directors. The company said that Dr. Ahluwalia is Vice Chair and Medical Director in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and a member of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Board of Directors. Ahluwalia provides expert medical opinions from medical professionals.Continue →


Activision's Kotick Among Possible Buyers For TikTok

Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Santa Monica-based Activision, is among the possible buyers for TikTok, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. The rumors come as US lawmakers are focused on possibly banning TikTok or forcing its sale.Continue →


Kajabi Ties Into Adobe Express For Generative AI

Irvine-based Kajabi, which offers up an e-commerce platform aimed at creators, says it has linked its tools into Adobe Express. The company said its product is Creator Studio, a generative AI tool which helps turn a single video into more than 40 other pieces of content. The company said the tool is designed to "create the most optimal marketing campaigns, quickly and easily for creators." Pricing on the tool was not announced.Continue →


Liquid Death Gets $67M, Joins Unicorns

Los Angeles-based Liquid Death, the maker of a heavily branded, flavored sparkling water, has raised $67M in a financing round, the company said this week. The company said the funding came from strategic partners, plus new investors, including SuRo Capital; follow-on investors Live Nation, Science, Inc....Continue →


Zeitview Adds To Board

Los Angeles-based software company Zeitview announced today that it has added Scott G. Stephenson to its board of directors. According to the company, Stephenson is the former CEO of Verisk and founder of SGS Capital. Zeitview says it develops software that helps renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure owners manage maintenance and assets, covering solar, wind, commercial real estate, telecom, and utility assets. Zeitview's CEO is Dan Burton.Continue →


BoatBot Applies AI To Boat Maintenance

Can conversational AI help you maintain your boat? Newport Beach-based BoatBot says it has launched a new service, which uses AI to help people deal with maintenance and ownership of boats. According to the company, it is using "AI-powered technology' for boat management and service provisioning. The startup is led by David and Maryann Johndrow, who describe themselves as "avid boaters"....Continue →


Stratolaunch Successfully Launches Test Vehicle

Mojave-based Stratolaunch, the developer of a massive airplane and hypersonic testing vehicle, says it has had its first, powered flight of its Talon-A test vehicle, the TA-1. According to the company, the company was able to have a safe safe air-launch release of the TA-1 vehicle, engine ignition, acceleration, sustained climb in altitude, and a controlled water landing of its TA-1 vehicle on March 9th. The company launched its massive airplane--the Roc--from Mojave Air and Space Port....Continue →


Atomic Canyon Applies AI To Nuclear Reactors

San Luis Obispo-based Atomic Canyon said this morning that it has launched a new, AI-powered search platform based on an LLM which has been trained on millions of digitized documents from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). According to the company, its AI engine is designed to "improve efficiency, modernize the regulatory approval process and streamline workflows". Atomic Canyon's CEO and founder is Trey Lauderdale.Continue →


Causal IQ Links With Marketing Group

Los Angeles-based programmatic advertising company Causal IQ said this morning that it is partnering with The Philly Ad Club, a marketing organization that provides education, networking, professional development, and programming in a strategic partnership. According to the company, the deal will help with "advancing community impact and fostering innovation in the industry....Continue →


Faraday Future Recalls Eleven Vehicles

Los Angeles-based EV maker Faraday Future has had to issue its very first vehicle recall--for a grand total of eleven (11) vehicles. In a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), Faraday Future said certain FF91 2.0 Alliance vehicles have an issue with a module, which causes the air bag malfunction indicator light to not illuminate. The company said all of the FF91 2....Continue →


Rivian Pauses Georgia EV Plant Efforts

Irvine-based EV maker Rivian has paused work on a $5 billion EV plant it had been working on in Georgia, as it looks to cut costs at the auto maker. Rivian said it intends to produce its R2 at its existing, Normal, Illinois manufacturing plant instead of Georgia, saving $2.5 billion for the company. Rivian said that its Georgia plant "remains an extremely important part of its strategy to scale production of R2 and R3" but did not give any timing on when it might resume work in Georgia....Continue →


SpaceX Sued Over Sexual Harassment, Gender Discrimination

Hawthorne-based SpaceX has been sued by an ex-employee, who accuses the company of supporting a supervisor who "pressured her into having sexual relations with him". The lawsuit claims the company fostered serial sexual abuse. The lawsuits are not the first for the company, which was sued by five former SpaceX employees in 2021; another Musk company, Tesla, has also faced similar lawsuits....Continue →


Rakuten Medical Gets $119M In Series E

Rakuten medical, a company developing precision therapies for treating cancer, has raised $119M in a Series E funding round. The company said the new funding came from Hikma, a global pharmaceutical company, and Mizuho Bank and Dai-ichi Life, plus SBI Group, Rakuten Group and its Chairman and CEO, Mickey Mikitani. The company said it will use it to support development of its pipeline. As part of the funding, the company said it has added Mazen Darwazah of Hikma to its board....Continue →


Sendlane Rolls Out New Tool

San Diego-based Sendlane, which develops retention marketing software for the e-commerce industry, says it has rolled out an update to its email and SMS marketing product. According to the company, it has launched "Forms", a tool which helps its customer grow their email and SMS lists. The company says the tool is available at no cost to its existing customers.Continue →


A Look At Plug In South LA

What is Plug In South LA? Techcrunch looks at the accelerator program, which is aimed at helping accelerate startups based in South Los Angeles, and bolsters "Black & Brown early-stage entrepreneurs", who have historically had a very difficult time getting venture capital money. Plug In South LA is led by Derek Smith.Continue →


Funraise Applies AI to Nonprofit Fundraising Tool

Los Angeles-based Funraise, which develops on online platform that helps nonprofits raise funding, says it has launched new AI features within its products. According to the company, it has added ""AI forecasting, AI data explanations, and AI natural language queries" using technology from Sisense. Funraise is led by CEO and co-founder Justin Wheeler.Continue →



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