It's official in L.A. County: bars and restaurants and other indoor venues will soon require proof of vaccination. The county's new rule that says every single employee and patron at bars, clubs and wineries will need to have at least one shot by Oct. 7 and two shots (if applicable) by Nov. 4. If you're vaccinated, here's how you can show proof so you can get in and get on with your business.
🎶 Music streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music make up almost two-thirds of music retail revenues and more than 80 million paid subscriptions, per RIAA.
⚽️ ViacomCBS' streaming service Paramount Plus will carry the UEFA Women's World Cup Qualifying matches throughout 2021 and 2022.
📺 YouTube TV is adding more Spanish-language networks — including Univision, UniMás and Galavisión — for paying subscribers.
💡 Leap Venture Studio is seeking applicants for its Cohort 5 accelerator program by Oct. 17.
⚖️ App Annie has agreed to pay $10 million to settle an SEC securities fraud investigation.
🚙 Rivian, the Amazon-backed EV maker based in Irvine, now has the regulatory green light to sell and deliver its electric vehicles.
⬆️ Welcome Tech, a new L.A.-based digital platform designed to help immigrant families, has hired Daniel Ayala as its new executive vice president, managing director of financial services.
But Will Vaccine Mandates Make a Difference?
"As evidence mounts that affirms the safety and effectiveness of these vaccines, it's a critical part of our policy strategies to prevent future surges of COVID from causing the kind of widespread suffering we have endured for the past year and a half," L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer told the county Board of Supervisors on Wednesday.
L.A. County's hospitalization rates for COVID patients are in decline, but the county has reported over a thousand new cases as of yesterday.
What Newsom's Recall Victory Means for Big Tech
Californians on Tuesday voted to keep Gavin Newsom in the governor's mansion until his term expires. While Newsom credited his win to a voter rejection of loosening mask and vaccine mandates, the victory also signals that the state's unusually close ties with the tech industry will go uninterrupted. Reporter Harrison Weber spells out what Newsom's win may mean for big tech.
Inspiration4 and the Dawn of a Second Space Age
One of Inspiration4's mission managers, Todd "Leif" Ericson, argues that the flight could mark the true beginning of a second space age. And Ericson isn't some starry-eyed space geek: He's a former Air Force test pilot who's also a veteran of Virgin Galactic's suborbital space program. Read this Q&A with Ericson on what the mission means to space exploration.
LA Venture: Threshold Ventures’ Chirag Chotalia on Investment Focus
Chirag Chotalia made name for himself in L.A.'s tech community while working at Pritzker. There, he led investments and worked with a number of successful startups, including Dollar Shave Club and The Honest Company. Today, he is a partner at Threshold Ventures, where he is focused on the intersection of consumer and health care. Listen to this LA Venture podcast episode with Chotalia.
Nominate Innovators for dot.LA's Startup Awards
Nominate Innovators for dot.LA's 2021 Startup Awards
We are thrilled to announce the dot.LA Startup Awards 2021, a celebration of the most innovative people and companies in the L.A. startup and tech community. The event will be hosted live on Friday, October 29th, during the dot.LA Summit. We will recognize and celebrate L.A.'s most coveted startup pioneers, rising tech companies and disruptive innovators.
Nominations are open for company submissions in six categories. Get involved and nominate a startup or an individual to win an award by clicking here. Nominate who you think should win each category!
Nominations Are Open for Our Summit LA Pitch Showcase
We're looking for Southern California startups that have a product on the market and have raised less than $1 million in funding to pitch at dot.LA's Summit on Thursday, October 28th at 6:00pm PT on the main stage at Fairmont Miramar.