Anduril Industries, the Irvine-based maker of autonomous drones, towers and small ground sensors, recently drew in almost half a billion dollars from investors to develop a "smart wall" along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Reporter Francesca Billington reports on the company's entry to the border security sector and the technology it has developed to monitor and contain the flow of illegal border crossings.
📡 Dish has reached a 10-year agreement to use AT&T as its primary network provider.
⚠️ The U.S. government officially blamed China for a massive hack of Microsoft's email software.
💻 Irvine-based U, Inc. launched a bootcamp platform for creators today.
📺 Tinuiti is looking to acquire Santa Monica-based Bliss Point Media, a leading purchaser of digital streaming media.
🚀 After a failed mission in May, Long Beach-based Rocket Lab says it is returning to the launchpad later this month.
🖥 CNN is launching its first standalone streaming service, CNN Plus, by early 2022.
💬 Duolingo, the language-learning app, says it is aiming for a $3.41 billion IPO valuation.
Anduril Industries Gets Big VC Money To Build A 'Smart Wall'
Anduril says it is providing the U.S. government with a crucial security mechanism for the U.S.-Mexico border. But activists and security experts are raising flags about the technology, pointing to privacy violations and civil liberties infringements.
Bill Ackman Withdraws Plans To Buy Stake In Universal Music Group
Hedge-fund billionaire investor Bill Ackman has withdrawn his plan to acquire a stake in Universal Media Group via his SPAC, telling shareholders on Monday that he did not think the SPAC "would be able to consummate the transaction" after the SEC had questioned the legality of the arrangement.
A Preview Of TechStars LA's 2021 Accelerator Cohort
TechStars LA announced its 2021 Accelerator cohort that includes a social network platform for traders, a startup making a wristband that detects strokes and an app to handle small claims court cases. Each of the 12 chosen companies will receive three months of training mentoring and $20,000 in exchange for 6% equity in the company, per TechStars' usual accelerator agreements.
Bitmojis Get An Upgrade on Snapchat
Snap is making further inroads into virtual fashion with the rollout of new Bitmoji avatars with more 1,200 combinations of poses, gestures and backgrounds like cow prints to beach locations. The rollout comes the same day Snap confirmed that it acquired Culver City-based Vertebrae.
EVgo Wants To Make Faster EV Charging Stations
As carmakers from Volvo to Tesla race to make EV charges speedier and more powerful, there is pressure for charging stations to keep up. EVgo is aiming for chargers to fill up your electric vehicle in the time it takes you to shop for groceries.
Jeff Bezos Says He Is Ready For His Suborbital Spaceflight
Blue Origin's launch is scheduled for 6 a.m. PT Tuesday. The company's website is set to stream video coverage of the countdown and the roughly 11-minute, up-and-down flight starting at 6:30 a.m. CT (4:30 a.m. PT).