Action Network raises $17.5 million Series B; Kotick, Iger listed among most overpaid executives; Dragon’s Space Station test scheduled for March 2

SpaceX’s Dragon Vehicle Passes NASA Safety Test

Despite earlier reports that at least 30 safety concerns were found in Space Exploration Technologies Corp.’s crewed Dragon vehicle, ArsTechnica reports the craft was given the “ready to fly” signal from NASA on Feb. 22. With safety flaws resolved, the Dragon capsule can retain its original March 2 date for a test flight to the International Space Station, where it will dock and then return to Earth with parachutes. This approval is a step towards SpaceX being the first private company to revive commercial spaceflight, which has not seen a crewed launch since 2011.

Action Network Nets $17.5 Million for Sports Betting

Created by Santa Monica-based Chernin Group in Oct. 2017, online sports betting platform Action Network raised $17.5 million in a Series B funding round. Action Network’s backers include Bitkraft Esports Ventures, based in Santa Monica, and San Francisco-based Social Finance Inc. Chief Executive Anthony Noto (the former chief operating officer of Twitter Inc.), according to Variety.

Activision CEO Kotick Among Highest Paid Game Executives

According to VentureBeat and activist investor nonprofit As You Sow, Activision Blizzard Chief Executive Bobby Kotick was paid 306 times more than the average Activision employee last year, making him one of the top-paid game executives in the business. The Feb. 25 report lists Kotick as number 45 of 100 high-paid executives, and also includes Burbank-based Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Iger as the sixth highest paid with a salary 787 times higher than the average Disney employee. VentureBeat notes many of the execs’ compensation are influenced by their companies’ stock performances.

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