JPL technology observes seismic shifts on Mars; March Capital leads $15 million funding round; Snap revenues exceed analyst expectations

JPL InSight Lander Reads First “Mars Quake”

NASA’s InSight Mars Lander, developed and overseen by Pasadena-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory, recorded the first seismic activity on Mars last week, Space.com reports. InSight lander was developed to take readings of the red planet’s surface and interior. It was launched in May 2018. Because Mars doesn’t have tectonic plates that can cause quakes, the seismic energy is likely generated from energy traveling through the planet’s interior as it cools

March Capital Leads $15 Million Astound Funding Round

Automated help desk software developer Astound Commerce Corp. raised $15.5 million in a funding round led by Santa Monica-based March Capital Partners. To date, San Bruno-based Astound has raised $27 million. It will use the new funding to increase sales, marketing and product development, according to TechCrunch.

Snap Releases First Quarter Earnings

Snap Inc. announced financial results for the first quarter on April 23, reporting $320 million in revenue and beating analyst expectations with 39% revenue growth from the first quarter of last year. The company also added four million daily active users to its Snapchat app, growing its total daily active users to 190 million worldwide in the first quarter of 2019, The Business Journal reports.

Tech reporter Samson Amore can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 556-8335. Follow him on Twitter @samsonamore.