Coronavirus Updates: Newsom Talks Businesses Opening; Wave Hosts Virtual Concerts; Film Release Rumblings

Coronavirus Updates: Newsom Talks Businesses Opening; Wave Hosts Virtual Concerts; Film Release Rumblings
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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 eyeing how to reopen businesses -- at least in parts of the state
  • No concerts? No problem. Wave to host virtual performance series with avatars
  • Trolls scores $100 million in revenue from streaming, bypassing shuttered theaters; AMC lashes out

    Newsom says eyeing how to reopen businesses -- at least in parts of the state

    live.staticflickr.com

    Los Angeles startups like Bird, ZipRecruiter, Shipsi and Tender Greens have been slammed in the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, being forced to layoff and furlough vast portions of their workforce. There was a glimmer of hope Tuesday that perhaps some businesses are getting closer to getting back to work. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday that he believes the state is "weeks, not months, away from making meaningful modifications" to its current shelter-at-home restrictions.

    However, Newsom's announcement of a four-phase plan did not mention any specific dates in which non-essential business can open their doors. He said the state is examining data, and that additional progress needs to be made. During the same press conference, he said California education and health officials are examining even opening up school districts in certain parts of the state in late July or August. However, he is leaving many of the major decisions to regions of the state. Los Angeles County announced it surpassed 1,000 deaths on Tuesday from the coronavirus.

    No concerts? No problem. Wave to host virtual performance series with avatars 

    Wave

    Wave, an L.A.-based entertainment technology company, announced it will host a series of virtual concerts throughout the spring and summer. Performers will include John Legend, Tinashe, and Galantis, the last of whom will kick off the "One Wave" series on Thursday, April 30. "Through our proprietary technology and core gaming capabilities," said Wave CEO Adam Arrigo in a statement, "Wave can go beyond the traditional live streaming concerts and create artist avatars, virtual environments and interactive experiences that truly immerse audiences at the nexus of gaming and entertainment."

    "Performances will stream across various social media and gaming platforms, so fans can socialize and interact with the artists as they perform, cheer as part of a global avatar audience, voting on key show moments, play mini games, and socialize with each other," the statement continued. Wave, founded in 2016, claims that up to 500,000 fans have tuned in to its past virtual concerts. Proceeds from the One Wave series will go to non-profit organizations that could use a hand during the coronavirus pandemic, the company said.

    Trolls scores $100 million in revenue from streaming, bypassing shuttered theaters

    upload.wikimedia.org

    Universal Pictures' Trolls World Tour earned nearly $100 million in revenue over three weeks via streaming, The Wall Street Journal reported today. The sequel reportedly has already earned more revenue than the original Trolls film did over the five months of its traditional-style theatrical release. Theater owners have long fought for exclusive exhibition windows at the beginning of a film's release cycle, but with venues shuttered due to the coronavirus, studios have begun to look at streaming as an option to circumvent this entrenched arrangement.

    The encouraging figures (which may have been boosted by circumstances) could add momentum to the theater-window paradigm's further unraveling. But not if the theater owners have their say. AMC, the nation's largest theater chain, already threw down the gauntlet pledging to boycott all Universal movies: "Effectively (sic) immediately AMC will no longer play any Universal movies in any of our theatres in the United States, Europe or the Middle East," AMC CEO and President Adam Aron said in a statement. "This policy affects any and all Universal movies per se, goes into effect today and as our theatres reopen, and is not some hollow or ill-considered threat."

    LA Tech Week: Final Days • Coco’s bots, Anduril’s helmet AI, Impulse’s moon freight

    🔦 Spotlight

    Happy Friday Los Angeles,

    Founders are closing out Tech Week, robots are getting a new research brain, space logistics are taking shape, and defense tech just moved mission command into a helmet.

    Anduril’s EagleEye: mission command, heads up

    Image Source: Anduril

    Anduril introduced EagleEye, a helmet mounted system that puts maps, comms, sensor fusion, and on device AI directly in a warfighter’s line of sight, integrated with the Lattice stack. The goal is simple: less time looking down at a tablet and more decisions made at the edge.

    Impulse Space: a practical path to lunar deliveries

    Image Source: Impulse Space

    Impulse outlined a two piece ride to the Moon. Its Helios stage ferries an Impulse built lander to lunar orbit in about a week, the lander detaches, then descends to the surface without in-space refueling. The company says each mission could carry about three tons and that starting in 2028 it could run two missions per year for roughly six tons total, filling the gap between today’s small CLPS deliveries and future heavy landers.

    Coco Robotics: new lab, new chief AI scientist

    Image Source: Coco Robotics

    Coco named UCLA’s Bolei Zhou chief AI scientist and is launching a physical AI research lab to turn years of curbside driving data into faster, more autonomous sidewalk deliveries. Expect quicker iteration from data collection to local models on the bots.

    LA Tech Week: last three days

    We are down to the final few days of LA Tech Week 2025. If you are still slotting meetings or panels, use the rundowns to plan your route:

    Friday's Event Lineup

    Saturday’s Event Lineup

    Sunday’s Event Lineup

    Scroll for the most recent LA venture deals, funds, and acquisitions.

    🤝 Venture Deals

        LA Companies

        • Second Nature, an AI role-play training platform for sales and service teams, raised $22M Series B led by Sienna VC with participation from Bright Pixel, StageOne Ventures, Cardumen, Signals VC, and Zoom (also a customer). The company will use the funding to expand operations and advance its platform, which generates AI-driven practice scenarios and feedback for enterprise clients like Oracle, Zoom, Adobe, Teleperformance, and Check Point. - learn more
        • Pelage Pharmaceuticals, a Los Angeles–based biotech developing regenerative treatments for hair loss, raised a $120M Series B co-led by ARCH Venture Partners and GV. Participants include Main Street Advisors, alongside Visionary Ventures and YK Bioventures; proceeds advance PP405, a topical small molecule that reactivates dormant hair-follicle stem cells, toward Phase 3 in 2026 following positive Phase 2a data. - learn more
        • Launchpad, an AI-first robotics company for factory automation, raised an $11M Series A to speed product development and meet demand across the U.S., U.K., and Europe. The round was co-led by Lavrock Ventures and Squadra Ventures, with participation from Ericsson Ventures, Lockheed Martin Ventures, Cox Exponential, and the Scottish National Investment Bank; it follows $2.5M in grant funding from Scottish Enterprise. - learn more
        • Mythical Games raised a Series D round, with a strategic investment from Eightco Holdings alongside ARK Invest and the World Foundation. The partnership focuses on human verification and digital identity in gaming, tapping Worldchain/Worldcoin’s Proof-of-Human infrastructure. The transaction is expected to close the week of October 20. - learn more
        • Electric Entertainment, the L.A. studio behind “Leverage,” “The Librarians,” and “The Ark,” secured a $20M investment from Content Partners Capital. The funding follows CPC’s launch of an investment arm in April 2024 and is aimed at supporting Electric’s growth across production and distribution. - learn more
        • Everyset raised $9M to launch Background Payroll, a SAG-AFTRA approved platform that automates timecards and payroll for background performers, including overtime, penalties, and premiums. The round was led by Crosslink Capital and Haven Ventures, and the company says studios such as Netflix, CBS, Apple TV, Sony, and Amazon already use its tools as it expands into fully integrated background payroll. - learn more
        • TORL Biotherapeutics raised $96M in Series C funding to advance TORL-1-23, its Claudin-6 targeted antibody-drug conjugate, through a pivotal Phase 2 study in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer and into a confirmatory Phase 3 program. The company also reported that updated Phase 1 data for TORL-1-23 will be presented at ESMO 2025, bringing total funding since its 2019 founding to more than $450 million. - learn more
        • The Plug, a plant-based liver health brand, raised $5M in a venture round of equity and debt to fuel marketing and retail expansion after rolling out its Pill Jar in June and entering all Total Wine & More locations nationwide in September. The company is keeping the round open for additional strategic investors and says it recently hit its first profitable month, is pursuing a partnership with a $500 million nutrition telehealth company, and is targeting a 40% boost to gross margins through a new operational milestone. - learn more

        LA Venture Funds

          • Clocktower Technology Ventures participated in MGT’s $21.6M Series B, an oversubscribed round led by Mubadala Capital with Tacora Capital and existing backers also joining. The AI-native commercial P&C neo-insurer for small businesses will use the capital to accelerate R&D, deepen vertical AI capabilities, and expand its E&S initiatives nationwide. - learn more
          • M13 participated in Daylight’s $75M financing, which combines $15M in equity led by Framework Ventures with a $60M project facility led by Turtle Hill Capital. Daylight is building a decentralized energy network that turns homes into mini power plants via a subscription model and crypto-enabled incentives, aiming to lower costs and dispatch battery power back to the grid. - learn more
          • Presight Capital co-led Peptilogics’ $78M Series B2, with Beyond Ventures participating, to fund a Phase 2/3 pivotal trial of zaloganan (PLG0206) for prosthetic joint infections. The raise brings Peptilogics’ total equity financing to about $120M and positions the company to begin the pivotal program in late 2025, pending approvals. - learn more
          • Patron participated in Ego AI’s $6.7M seed round to help the YC-backed startup launch human-like AI characters for games via its new character.world engine. The round also included Y Combinator, Accel, and Boost VC, and the capital will support research on Ego’s proprietary model, which combines small language models with reinforcement learning, plus partnerships in Singapore to scale compute and development. - learn more
          • Untapped Ventures participated in Woz’s $6M seed round, joining Cervin Ventures (lead), Y Combinator, Burst Capital, MGV, and the Lacob family. The funding will help Woz scale its platform that blends agentic AI with expert human oversight to deliver production-ready mobile apps for enterprises. - learn more
          • Perseverance Capital participated in Kailera Therapeutics’ $600M Series B, which was led by Bain Capital Private Equity. The funding advances KAI-9531, an injectable dual GLP-1/GIP agonist, into global Phase 3 trials by year end and supports a broader pipeline of oral and injectable obesity therapies. - learn more
          • March Capital participated in Lila Sciences’ $350M Series A, which lifts the company’s total funding to $550M. The capital will scale Lila’s AI Science Factories and commercialize its “scientific superintelligence” platform for partners across materials, energy, and biopharma. - learn more
          • Mucker Capital participated in Pear Suite’s $7.6M Series A, which was co-led by Rock Health Capital and Nexxus Holdings. The L.A. based company equips community health workers with an AI-powered platform and provider network, and it will use the funding to expand product development, grow its network, and support new Medicaid and Medicare health plan contracts. Other investors include Enable Ventures, The SCAN Foundation, Acumen America, Impact Engine, and the California Health Care Foundation. - learn more
          • Upfront Ventures participated in Renew’s $12M Series A, which was led by Haymaker Ventures with Goldcrest Capital and several Renew customers also investing. Renew’s AI-powered resident retention platform helps apartment operators automate renewals and prevent fraud, and the company says the new funding will scale the product and launch what it calls the industry’s first Resident Referral Network. - learn more
          • Acre Venture Partners co-led Ascribe Bio’s oversubscribed $12M Series A with Corteva to scale its natural crop protection platform and launch Phytalix, a broad spectrum “biofungicide without compromise.” The funding advances Ascribe’s small molecule technology derived from the soil microbiome toward commercial rollout, with participation from Syngenta Group Ventures, Trailhead Capital, Silver Blue, Cultivation Capital, and others. - learn more
          • Alexandria Venture Investments participated in Tr1X’s $50M financing, announced alongside FDA clearance of the IND for TRX319, an allogeneic CAR-Tr1 Treg cell therapy for progressive multiple sclerosis. The funding extends Tr1X’s runway into 2027 and supports a Phase 1/2a dose-escalation trial slated to start in early 2026, while the company continues its TRX103 studies in Crohn’s disease and other indications. - learn more
          • LFX Venture Partners participated in FleetWorks’ $17M funding, which supports the launch and expansion of its “always-on” AI dispatcher for the U.S. trucking industry. The round was led by First Round Capital with participation from Y Combinator and Saga Ventures, and the company says the capital will go toward hiring, commercial rollout, and product development. FleetWorks’ platform automates freight matching between carriers and brokers to speed up bookings and reduce manual calls, emails, and texts. - learn more
          • Clocktower Technology Ventures participated in Yendo’s $50M Series B. The fintech behind a vehicle-secured credit card will use the funding to expand its AI credit platform toward an inclusive digital bank that taps “trapped” consumer equity, aiming to unlock up to $4 trillion from assets like cars and homes for underserved borrowers. - learn more
          • Alpha Edison participated in TransCrypts’ $15M seed round. The company builds a blockchain-based verified-credentials platform to fight AI-driven fraud and plans to expand beyond employment verification into health and education records. - learn more
          • Alexandria Venture Investments participated in Nilo Therapeutics’ $101M Series A, which launched the company to develop medicines that modulate neural circuits to restore immune balance in disease. The round was led by The Column Group, DCVC Bio, and Lux Capital; Nilo also appointed Kim Seth, Ph.D., as CEO and plans to build out New York labs and advance preclinical programs. - learn more
          • Chapter One participated in Glue’s $20M Series A. Glue builds an “agentic team chat” platform that embeds MCP-powered AI directly in workplace messaging, with 35 in-app integrations and support for thousands more via custom MCP servers. The funding will help expand product development and infrastructure as Glue pushes this model to more teams. - learn more
          • StillMark participated in Meanwhile’s $82M raise, backing the Bermuda-regulated bitcoin life insurer as it expands bitcoin-denominated savings, retirement, and life insurance products for individuals and institutions. The round was co-led by Bain Capital Crypto and Haun Ventures with participation from Apollo, Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, and Pantera Capital, and brings Meanwhile’s 2025 funding to $122 million after an earlier $40 million Series A. - learn more
          • Blue Bear Capital co-led Energy Robotics’ $13.5M Series A with Climate Investment. The Darmstadt-based company provides AI software that lets robots and drones autonomously inspect critical infrastructure, and it will use the funding to scale deployments across energy, chemical, industrial, and utility sites. Customers already include majors like Shell, BP, BASF, Merck, and E.ON, and the company reports more than one million inspections completed to date. - learn more
          • B Capital participated in EvenUp’s $150M Series E, which values the AI legal-tech company at over $2 billion. EvenUp builds AI tools for personal-injury law firms and plans to use the new capital to scale its platform and product suite; the round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with investors including REV (LexisNexis) and others. - learn more
          • WndrCo participated in Zingage’s $12.5M seed round to build an AI care-delivery platform for home-based healthcare. Zingage is rolling out “Operator,” which automates scheduling, staffing, billing, and compliance for home care agencies, and “Perform,” which boosts caregiver retention, with the new capital supporting product expansion and go-to-market. The round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners with additional investors including TQ Ventures and South Park Commons. - learn more
          • Alexandria Venture Investments participated in AeroRx Therapeutics’ $21M Series A, which was led by Avalon BioVentures with Correlation Ventures also investing. The funding advances AERO-007, a first-in-class nebulized LABA/LAMA for COPD, into late-stage clinical development aimed at patients who struggle with handheld inhalers. - learn more
          • Alexandria Venture Investments participated in Affinia Therapeutics’ $40M Series C, alongside lead investor NEA and new investor Eli Lilly, to advance its AAV gene therapy pipeline. Proceeds will fund an IND submission in Q4 2025 and initial clinical work for AFTX-201 in BAG3 dilated cardiomyopathy, with a Phase 1/2 trial targeted for Q1 2026. - learn more
          • Clocktower Ventures participated in Vycarb’s $5M seed round, which was led by Twynam with participation from MOL Switch, Hatch Blue, Idemitsu, and SGInnovate. The Brooklyn startup develops sensor-driven, water-based carbon capture and storage systems that convert CO₂ into stable bicarbonate, with the new funding aimed at scaling deployments at industrial sites. - learn more

          LA Exits

          • Empaxis Data Management was acquired by Communify, which is integrating Empaxis’ custodial and accounting data connections and operations expertise into its financial AI platform. The aim is to remove fragmented data so wealth and asset managers can deploy MIND AI apps like Client Stories and Portfolio Stories more quickly with cleaner, unified data. Communify also cites pre-integrations with over 175 market-data vendors to speed rollouts. - learn more
          • TrueCar is being acquired by founder-led Fair Holdings (Scott Painter) in an all-cash deal at $2.55/share (~$227M), with Painter set to return as CEO. A 30-day go-shop runs through Nov. 13, 2025; largest holder Caledonia supports the acquisition, which is expected to close Q4 2025 or early 2026 pending approvals. - learn more
          • Kate Somerville Skincare was acquired by Rare Beauty Brands, as Unilever moves to divest the prestige label it has owned for a decade. The deal includes the skincare and body-care lines as well as the brand’s Melrose Place clinic in Los Angeles; terms weren’t disclosed and closing is expected in Q4 2025 pending approvals. - learn more
          • 3GC Group was acquired by Pandoblox, combining 3GC’s enterprise IT operations and cybersecurity services with Pandoblox’s Themis AI data platform to form a unified, AI-ready data and IT operations offering for mid-market companies. The deal aims to solve fragmented data and IT workflows so growing businesses can get enterprise-grade intelligence, security, and support through a single partner. - learn more
          • The Free Press was acquired by Paramount, and co-founder Bari Weiss will become editor in chief of CBS News as part of the deal. Paramount says the move pairs CBS News’ scale with The Free Press’ voice, with Weiss reporting to CEO David Ellison and working to “modernize” the brand. - learn more

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                LA Tech Week 2025: Sunday’s Event Lineup

                Here's the Sunday, October 19th lineup for LA Tech Week 2025, organized by location so you can easily explore events that fit your goals and schedule. Dive in and see what’s happening near you!

                ARTS DISTRICT

                3:00 PM

                BEL AIR

                3:00 PM – 7:00 PM

                BURBANK

                6:30 PM – 9:30 PM

                CULVER CITY

                9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

                4:30 PM – 7:30 PM

                INGLEWOOD

                10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

                • Spinovation: The Future Is Femme, The Future is Frequency: See Details Here
                  Sonder Impact, Black Women Spin, Sip & Sonder

                KOREATOWN

                12:00 PM – 3:00 PM

                MARINA DEL REY

                12:00 PM

                • Sunday Tech Brunch
                  Sawubona

                MID CITY

                9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

                • Women in Cleantech Hike and Network: See Details Here
                  Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

                SANTA MONICA

                9:00 AM

                10:00 AM

                3:45 PM

                4:00 PM – 7:30 PM

                • OFF THE HOOK Santa Monica Seafood Festival: See Details Here
                  Spin PR Group, City of Santa Monica, Tech St.

                6:00 PM

                7:00 PM

                • Pritam: A Musical Legend - Live in Concert: See Details Here
                  American South Asian Network

                7:00 PM

                • Building AI workflow editor in React with Workflow Builder SDK: See Details Here
                  Workflow Builder

                7:00 PM

                8:00 PM

                • Unlock Apple's Corporate Advantage for your Startup!: See Details Here
                  iStore by St. Moritz

                TOPANGA CANYON

                3:00 PM

                • Dreamore Hike and Picnic: LA Tech Week: *Invite Only*
                  Dreamore

                VENICE

                10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

                • Coffee, Walk, and Schmooze: See Details Here
                  JFE (Jews For Entrepreneurship) Network

                VIRTUAL (LA)

                10:00 AM

                • Level Up with LinkedIn: A Student’s Guide to Networking & Opportunities (Virtual Event): See Details Here
                  FIMAC

                10:00 AM

                WEST ADAMS

                1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

                For updates or more event information, visit the official Tech Week calendar.

                Enjoy LA Tech Week 2025!

                Download the dot.LA App


                LA Tech Week 2025: Saturday’s Event Lineup

                Here's the Saturday, October 18th lineup for LA Tech Week 2025, organized by location so you can easily explore events that fit your goals and schedule. Dive in and see what’s happening near you!

                BEVERLY HILLS

                2:00 PM

                CENTURY CITY

                7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

                CULVER CITY

                9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

                10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

                1:00 PM

                DTLA

                7:00 PM

                • {MiniMax x Nakid x SkyPortalx}: TECH/MOTION/MUSIC/ART: See Details Here
                  MiniMax (Hailuo AI)

                10:00 PM – 2:00 AM

                EL SEGUNDO

                10:00 AM

                • Venture on the Green: *Invite Only*
                  BLCK VC

                4:00 PM

                INGLEWOOD

                7:00 PM

                • Valar Atomics, Durin and Discipulus Ventures - Night With A Nuclear Reactor: See Details Here
                  Valar Atomics, Durin, Discipulus Ventures

                MARINA DEL REY

                8:30 AM

                12:00 PM – 3:00 PM

                5:00 PM

                • LOST iN Sunset Sail: Navigating the Tides of the Creator Economy & Media: See Details Here
                  LOST iN

                PASADENA

                9:00 AM

                PLAYA VISTA

                2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

                SANTA MONICA

                7:00 AM

                9:00 AM

                • Pedal & Network: Tech Cyclists @ LA Tech Week 🚵: See Details Here
                  Instafill.ai

                9:30 AM

                • Getty Center Guided Tour & (Optional) Photography Scavenger Hunt: See Details Here
                  NEW MOON Impact Productions

                10:30 AM – 11:30 AM

                11:00 AM – 2:15 PM

                12:00 PM – 5:00 PM

                1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

                1:30 PM

                • Self-Defense in Court and the Streets: See Details Here
                  Santa Monica Striking, Luri Inc.

                2:00 PM

                • SMARTUP 500: THE FIRST AT TECH WEEK LA - Launching the world’s first Startup Ranking: See Details Here
                  Smart Times

                2:00 PM

                • NLPs (No Lame Panels) The Creator X Founder Rooftop Party: See Details Here
                  Startup Village, Sanctuary

                3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

                4:00 PM – 6:30 PM

                • Just Do It?: Helping Founders Perform Like Olympians: See Details Here
                  Elite Psychology Group

                5:00 PM

                6:00 PM

                6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

                6:00 PM

                6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

                • The Future of Hospitality: Poetry, Provenance & Passports: See Details Here
                  Villa Kitchen, Airble, We Speak Dance, Techstars San Francisco

                7:00 PM

                • 🚀 Investor x Founder Open Mic Pitches: See Details Here
                  Feathr, Los Angeles Fun Events

                7:00 PM

                • Life is a Pitch - LA Edition: *Invite Only*
                  DeepMyst

                TOPANGA CANYON

                5:00 PM – 8:30 PM

                • Walk&Jam: Use AI to make art while hiking Topanga Canyon: See Details Here
                  Formhaus llc, Wonderland Immersive Design

                TORRANCE

                1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

                • Crunches & Conversations Presented by The Differentials and KIS Training Studios: See Details Here
                  The Differentials, KIS Training Studios

                VENICE

                1:00 PM – 4:30 PM

                • Beyond the Language Barrier: Exploring AI's Next Frontier: See Details Here
                  Medusa AI

                VENICE BEACH

                8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

                • SŨRFED Club @ Venice Beach: Founders, Creators, Investors share the waves: See Details Here
                  SŨRFED Club, Go Vitamins

                WEST ADAMS

                9:30 AM – 10:45 AM

                • Funders Shaping Democracy, AI & Media: See Details Here
                  New Media Ventures, New Rising Ventures

                WEST HOLLYWOOD

                4:00 PM

                6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

                9:30 PM

                • Vibe Check Comedy Show, Tech Week Edition! @ Hollywood Improv: See Details Here
                  Vibe Check Comedy

                For updates or more event information, visit the official Tech Week calendar.

                Enjoy LA Tech Week 2025!

                Download the dot.LA App


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