Coronavirus Updates: Headspace Makes App Free to Unemployed; Cali's Economic Fallout Eclipses Great Recession

Coronavirus Updates: Headspace Makes App Free to Unemployed; Cali's Economic Fallout Eclipses Great Recession

Here are the latest headlines regarding how the novel coronavirus is impacting the Los Angeles startup and tech communities. Sign up for our newsletter and follow dot.LA on Twitter for the latest updates.

  • Newsom: Employment fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has exceeded the Great Recession
  • Headspace makes meditation app free for the nation's 23 million unemployed


    Newsom: Employment fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has exceeded the Great Recession

    live.staticflickr.com

    Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that the employment fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has exceeded the economic crisis that brought on the Great Recession. Some 4.6 million Californians have filed jobless claims, and has forced the stater to borrow billions of dollars from the federal government to cover claims. "These unemployment numbers are jaw dropping," Newsom said at a press conference. "We are at a time that is simply unprecedented."

    Newsom said the state will need $43.8 billion to cover unemployment claims in the new year, a 650% increase over what was originally predicted. The federal government controls a trust that helps states cover jobless benefits during a recession. The governor said the state's unemployment rate is expected to peak at more than 24.5% this year. But, the rate for the whole year will hover at about 18% -- still significantly higher than the 12.3% peak during the height of the economic crisis.

    Headspace makes meditation app free for the nation's 23 million unemployed

    Shutterstock

    Headspace, the Santa Monica-based meditation and wellness app, is giving the nation's unemployed workers a free year to help them during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Labor Department reported that jobless claims were up by another 2.98 million last week, bringing the total unemployment claims number to a massive 22.83 million people.

    "The current state of unemployment in America has become an alarming crisis," the company said in its pitch to get people to sign up. "To help those affected, we're offering a full year of Headspace Plus for free. Discover meditation and mindfulness tools to help you feel less stressed, more resilient, and kinder to yourself." The company was previously working with the City of Los Angeles in offering residents a free trial. Headspace requires that people list their last employer and date of separation, but it was not known how the company would verify that information. There are more than 1,200 hours of meditation content on the app.

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    LA Tech ‘Moves’: Mapp Gains New CPO and CTO, Prodoscore Taps Boeing Exec

    Decerry Donato

    Decerry Donato is a reporter at dot.LA. Prior to that, she was an editorial fellow at the company. Decerry received her bachelor's degree in literary journalism from the University of California, Irvine. She continues to write stories to inform the community about issues or events that take place in the L.A. area. On the weekends, she can be found hiking in the Angeles National forest or sifting through racks at your local thrift store.

    LA Tech ‘Moves’: Mapp Gains New CPO and CTO, Prodoscore Taps Boeing Exec
    LA Tech ‘Moves’:

    “Moves,” our roundup of job changes in L.A. tech, is presented by Interchange.LA, dot.LA's recruiting and career platform connecting Southern California's most exciting companies with top tech talent. Create a free Interchange.LA profile here—and if you're looking for ways to supercharge your recruiting efforts, find out more about Interchange.LA's white-glove recruiting service by emailing Sharmineh O’Farrill Lewis (sharmineh@dot.la). Please send job changes and personnel moves to moves@dot.la.

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    This Week in ‘Raises’: GITAI Lands $30M, Steno Gains $15M

    Decerry Donato

    Decerry Donato is a reporter at dot.LA. Prior to that, she was an editorial fellow at the company. Decerry received her bachelor's degree in literary journalism from the University of California, Irvine. She continues to write stories to inform the community about issues or events that take place in the L.A. area. On the weekends, she can be found hiking in the Angeles National forest or sifting through racks at your local thrift store.

    Raises
    Image by Joshua Letona

    A local space robotics startup raised fresh funding to expand the flight model manufacturing facilities throughout the U.S. and increase employment, while a remote litigation platform raised more funding to continue growing its footprint in new markets across the country, develop service channels for its clients and continue expanding its tech team.

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    Gitai Raises $30 Million to Expand Manufacturing Footprint in Los Angeles

    Samson Amore

    Samson Amore is a reporter for dot.LA. He holds a degree in journalism from Emerson College. Send tips or pitches to samsonamore@dot.la and find him on Twitter @Samsonamore.

    Gitai Raises $30 Million to Expand Manufacturing Footprint in Los Angeles
    \u200bPhoto: Gitai

    Space robotics company Gitai raised a $30 million Series B extension this week, bringing the total value of the round to roughly $47 million.

    The funding will be used to further develop Gitai’s suite of space robots as well as build out its manufacturing footprint in Torrance. Previously Gitai announced it raised a $17.1 million Series B in March 2021; this additional raise is still part of that round.

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