Elijah Chiland
Stories by Elijah
Are Virtual Concerts the Future of Live Entertainment?
In a year in which massive music festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza were called off, it’s not surprising that the biggest concert of 2020 took place inside a video game.
EVgo Is Ready to Help Drive EV Revolution
From the perspective of Jonathan Levy, chief commercial officer for EVgo Services, it’s only a matter of time before EVs phase out the gas-guzzling cars and trucks.
Dispo Gets $20 Million for Trendy Photo App
Dispo Inc., the company behind one of the hottest apps of the new year, has reportedly raised $20 million in new funding at a hefty $200 million valuation.
Fisker to Partner With Foxconn for New Vehicle
Manhattan Beach-based electric vehicle maker Fisker Inc. plans to partner with electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn Technology Group on a new vehicle that could enter production by the end of 2023.
Relativity Plans Larger, Reusable Rocket
Long Beach-based rocket manufacturer Relativity Space Inc. will begin development on a fully reusable launch vehicle.
Archer Aviation Plans Electric Air Taxis in LA by 2024
Bay Area company Archer Aviation is developing electric aircraft for L.A.'s Urban Air Mobility Partnership.
NXCR Raises $30 Million for Vehicle Subscription Service
Scott Painter, founder and chief executive of NXCR, said the company had raised $30 million in seed funding for its vehicle subscription platform.
Mahmee’s Digital App Connects New Moms and Physicians
Black Entrepreneurs Month Special Report
MCH Ventures Inc., doing business as Mahmee, is a family-run business in the business of supporting families.
Metropolis Raises $41 Million to Automate Parking Garages
Alex Israel, co-founder and chief executive of Venice-based startup Metropolis Technologies Inc., said it’s time for a shakeup in Los Angeles’ parking industry.
SpaceX Raises $850 Million in New Funding Round
Fresh off an enormous funding round completed over the summer, Space Exploration Technologies Corp. has reportedly raised another $850 million.
Snap Drives Growth of LA’s AR Industry
Visual artist Clay Weishaar said he was incredulous when someone from Snap Inc. contacted him in 2018 to let him know one of his lenses was trending.
Software Developer Nobl9 Raises $21 Million, Releases Signature Product
It’s not every day that a startup attracts more than $20 million from investors without having released a product.
Dr. Squatch Cleans Up With Super Bowl Ad
Familiar beer brands and automakers weren’t the only ones competing for the attention of Americans during commercial breaks in Super Bowl LV.
HyreCar Completes $29.7 Million Public Offering
Downtown-based HyreCar Inc. has completed a public offering that netted $29.7 million.
MuckerLab Marks a Decade of Driving Top LA Startups
It’s been nearly a decade since Santa Monica-based venture capital firm Glenmont Mucker Management, doing business as Mucker Capital, launched its startup accelerator for fledgling tech companies.
Universal Music Group, TikTok Reach Music Agreement
Santa Monica-based Universal Music Group announced a “global alliance” on Feb. 8 that gives TikTok users access to music by artists like Drake, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande
TikTok Sale to Oracle, Walmart in Limbo
Plans for the sale of TikTok’s U.S. business to Oracle Corp. and Walmart Inc. have reportedly stalled as the Biden administration eases pressure on the social media company’s Beijing-based parent company.
Aerojet Rocketdyne Wins Contract for Deep Space Power Systems
Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc. received a contract from the Department of Energy to build and test power systems for future NASA missions into deep space.
Slingshot Aerospace Names Stricklan as CEO
Startup Slingshot Aerospace Inc. announced that co-founder Melanie Stricklan has taken over as chief executive.
Starburst, UCLA Launch Aerospace Accelerator
Starburst Aerospace and UCLA announced the launch of SCALE Aerospace Ventures, a startup accelerator and “innovation hub.”
SpaceX Continues to Aim High Despite Setbacks
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. continues to make bold plans for the future of human space travel, even as it faces setbacks here on Earth.
BloomNation Adds Pizza, Liquor Delivery Businesses
With the pandemic accelerating ecommerce sales nationwide, the founders of online flower marketplace BloomNation are broadening their business.
LeaseLock Raises $52 Million in Bid to Eliminate Security Deposits
Insurance technology startup LeaseLock Inc. has ambitious plans to make security deposits irrelevant, and the Marina del Rey-based business now has significantly more funding to make that happen.
ServiceTitan Acquires Software Developer ServicePro
ServiceTitan Inc., the Glendale-based developer of management software for the home services industry, announced Feb. 2 that it had acquired Service Pro.Net Inc.
SatCom: LinQuest Lands $500 Million Contract With US Space Force
Ladera Heights-based defense contractor LinQuest Corp. received a five-year contract from U.S. Space Force worth $500 million.
Activision Blizzard Earnings Shatter Expectations
Santa Monica-based video game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc. collected more than $2.4 billion in revenue in the fourth quarter.
Snap Expects Disappointing Start to 2021
Snap Inc. announced strong fourth-quarter results, but said that it expected disappointing revenue numbers in the first quarter of 2021.
SpaceX Test Flight Ends in Another Crash
SpaceX lost another prototype of its Starship rocket when a test flight of the enormous spacecraft ended in a crash landing.
SpaceX Plans to Launch All-Civilian Crew
SpaceX is planning a new mission with a crew entirely made up of civilians later this year.
Who’s Who in Tech: Rising Stars That Are Worth Watching
In 2017, backed by early investors including Capital One Ventures and Mark Cuban, Dave Inc. launched a mobile app to help users manage expenses and avoid overdraft fees.
Who's Who in Tech 2021
Companies Worth Watching in Silicon Beach
The tech sector in Los Angeles has grown tremendously over the past decade. These companies reflect where L.A.'s tech scene is headed.
Who’s Who in Tech: The Big Players Casting a Long Shadow in LA
Video games surged in popularity last year, and Activision Blizzard reaped the benefits with revenue for the first three quarters of 2020 up 26% over the same period in 2019.
Insurance Tech Startup Sidecar Health Raises $150 Million
El Segundo-based health insurance startup Sidecar Health Inc. announced Jan. 26 that it had raised $125 million in a Series C funding round that valued the company at $1 billion.
NewNew Creates Customizable Polls for Social Media
Black Entrepreneurs Month Special Report
Filip Diarra, co-founder of social media startup Surprize Inc. (doing business as NewNew), says that when he met company co-founder Courtne Smith, it was “business love at first sight.”
Dave Lands $100 Million Credit Facility to Grow Banking App
Personal finance app developer Dave Inc. has secured a $100 million credit facility to expand its product offerings.
USC, Amazon Plan Center for Machine Learning Research
USC is partnering with Amazon.com Inc. to create a research center focused on privacy and security issues related to machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Ring Reveals Smaller, Cheaper Video Doorbell
Home security system developer Ring unveiled a smaller, less expensive video doorbell.
SpaceX Sets Record With Latest Launch
SpaceX set a record on Jan. 24, carrying 143 small satellites into space — the most ever deployed in a single launch.
Rocket Lab Launches First Mission of 2021
Long Beach-based aerospace company Rocket Lab successfully completed its first mission of 2021 on Jan. 20, deploying a microsatellite into orbit on behalf of German space technology company OHB.
Hello Genius App Courts Parents and Kids
At a time when both parents and children are spending more time using mobile devices, Malibu-based startup G3NIU7 Inc. is betting its newly released app.
PlayVS Acquires Canadian Esports Company
Play Versus Inc., the Sawtelle-based organizer of high school and college esports programs reached a deal to acquire Vancouver-based GameSeta Esports Inc.
There’s No Slowing Silicon Beach, Even for Covid
The 2021 Money Issue
Even as a global pandemic wreaked havoc on wide swaths of the global economy, Los Angeles tech companies continued to draw huge sums from investors in 2020.
Pandemic Brings Changes, Closures for LA Tour Companies
These days, there’s scarcely a tour bus in sight, and tour companies are taking various routes to survive Covid-19's effect on L.A.'s tourism industry.
Ordermark Scales Up Food Delivery Platform
Long before the pandemic forced restaurants in Los Angeles and other cities to close their doors to indoor diners,
OpenDrives Raises $20 Million to Grow Data Storage Business
Culver City-based company OpenDrives Inc. has raised $20 million in a Series B funding round led by IAG Capital Partners.
SpaceX Launches New Batch of Starlink Satellites
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. deployed another 60 satellites into space on Jan. 20 in support of the company’s ambitious Starlink global broadband project.
Santa Monica Startup Nacelle Pulls in $18 Million
Santa Monica-based startup Nacelle Inc. has raised in $18 million in Series A funding led by Inovia Capital.
Local EV Companies Expect Jumpstart From Biden Administration
With the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden days away, local companies are preparing for an array of proposed policy changes.
Virtual CES Is Light on Reveals
The halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center were empty last week as the annual Consumer Electronics Show carried on in a virtual format.
Brace Raises $15.7M Series B Round for Mortgage Platform
Brace Software Inc., the Santa Monica-based developer of a digital mortgage servicing platform, announced Jan. 12 that it had raised $15.7 million in a Series B funding round.
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