A gaggle of LA-based companies named to 2016 Entrepreneur 360 list
Online and print magazine Entrepreneur named 150 companies the publication defines as built as a 360-degree small business, or, a company built not in neat layers, but consisting of evolving parts which work together to contribute to the company's success. LA-based TaskUs, Ubermedia, Sports1marketing, The Bouqs Company and Chargebee all finished in the list's top 50 companies, while Snapwire Media, RealtyMogul, RingDNA and Stage32 rounded out the top 150. [Entrepreneur]
TEDxLA reveals list of speakers
TedxLA finally revealed the list of speakers for its December 3rd event at the iconic Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, and it's loaded. With a theme focused on inspiration, the list includes producer and pioneer of time-lapse cinematography Louie Schwartzberg, Jawbone co-founder and chairman Alexander Asseily, Dolby Labs Chief Scientist Poppy Crum and MIT research scientist Dr. Barmark Heshmat. [Press Release]
Techstars announces third LA-based accelerator
Techstars scored a hat trick this week with the announcement of its third LA-based accelerator, following Techstars Healthcare and the forthcoming Techstars Music. The new accelerator will take a more traditional, horizontal accelerator approach (as opposed to the company's vertical, industry-specific idea it implements elsewhere). Applications will be open in January. [Built In LA]
Joymode emerges from stealth
Joymode, Joe Fernandez's follow-up to the immensely successful Silicon Valley-based startup Klout, emerged from stealth mode late last week, also revealing a $3 million round of funding in the process. The company will help users rent things like camping gear and party equipment, centralizing a process which for years had relied on specialized, non-tech companies to facilitate. [Built In LA]
Elon Musk reveals plans for settling Mars
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk spoke this week about his big plans for Hawthorne-based SpaceX's initial trip to Mars, revealing his plans to populate Mars by using mining robots and glass domes. During his Reddit AMA, Musk discussed the use of glass panes with carbon fiber frames to house human settlers, while using an army of drone robots to build a living space within the surface of the planet. [SoCal Tech]
Fundings of the Week
Hixme, $14.1 million
Investors: Propel Venture Partners, Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield and Byers (KPCB), Transamerica Ventures and Rosemark Capital.
Agoura Hills-based Hixme brought in a $14.1 million Series B this week to help the company streamline employer the traditional group insurance model for employers [Built In LA]
Mobcrush, $20 million
Investors: Evolution Media, Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers, Raine Ventures, Lowercase Capital, First Round Capital, among others.
Mobcrush, which develops an app allowing mobile gamers to stream their adventures to more than a million active monthly users, announced a $20 million Series B this week, noting it planned on growing its engineering team. [Built In LA]
Images via Facebook and Shutterstock.
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