Fair emerges from stealth, announces big seed round
Fair emerged from stealth last week, revealing its mobile car financing platform to the world. Founded by LA tech veteran Scott Painter, the company also announced a $16 million seed round of funding. Painter, who founded TrueCar and headed-up CarsDirect, co-founded Fair with Georg Bauer, an auto finance veteran who has worked for Mercedes-Benz, BMW and, most recently, Tesla. [Fair]
Blizzard unveils new e-sports arena
SoCal-based gaming giant Blizzard Entertainment recently announced plans to open an e-sports arena at Burbank Studios, a well-known television production facility. The facility will be open to locals, and will feature multiple sound stages, control rooms, areas for practice and a Blizzard merchandise store. [The Verge]
Local startup launches fantasy e-sports wagering platform
In other e-sports news, a Chatsworth-based startup is looking to get in on the action. This week, esports For The Win announced the launch of a free mobile fantasy e-sports wagering app. Users will receive free credits to wager on e-sports matches for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), DOTA 2, among other games. [eFTW]
PrazoNow launches new car leasing service
PrazoNow, a Mucker Labs incubated startup based in LA, officially launched its subscription-based, short-term car leasing service. The startup offers up three-, six- or nine-month leases for pre-owned electric vehicles starting at $349 a month. [SoCalTech]
Fundings of the week
Happy Returns, $4 million
Investors: Upfront Ventures
Happy Returns, a startup that partners with e-commerce brands to streamline the returns process, announced this week that it has closed a $4 million Series A led by Santa Monica's Upfront Ventures. In addition to the funding, the startup reported it had partnered with new e-commerce brands, including Chubbies and LA-based Jaanuu. [Happy Returns]
Maestro, $3 million
Investors: Hersh Interactive Group, Rubicon Venture Capital and the Stanford-StartX Fund.
Maestro, a startup that has developed an engagement and analytics platform for enterprise live streamers, announced the close of a $3 million round of funding this week, bringing its total amount raised to $5.8 million. Known predominantly for its work in the world of e-sports, the company plans to expand to new verticals. [Press Release]
Camera IQ, $2.3 million
Investors: Shasta Ventures, Presence Capital, GC Tracker, Brilliant Ventures and Act One.
Camera IQ, a Santa Moncia-based startup that helps companies use smartphone cameras to build marketing campaigns, added $2.3 million this week. The company's platforms combines AR toolkits, OS platforms and native apps to provide new features for marketers. [TechCrunch]
Images via social media and Shutterstock.
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