This year's wildfire season in California is on track to outpace last year's record as the most destructive season. Luckily, firefighters can now rely on drone technology to better assess burned areas without putting humans at risk. Among those playing a role is KSI Data Sciences, a Playa del Rey-based company that provides real-time video and data using drones. Their use on high-risk areas are a sign that the promise of drone and video technology is coming to fruition.
🔬 The FDA has granted Bionaut Labs a humanitarian use device designation for its treatment of Dandy Walker Syndrome, a rare pediatric neurological disorder.
💰 Five Los Angeles startup founders were among 50 recipients of the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund.
⚠️ California has become the first state in the nation to pass a law that protects warehouse workers from quota systems like those used by Amazon.
🏋️♀️ Elysian Park Ventures and Dream Capital are backing Fittr, an India-based company that runs a fitness app that plans to expand in the U.S.
🔋 Perch Mobility, an L.A.-based startup creating portable charging pods for scooters and e-bikes, says it has raised seed funding to expand in California and Texas.
🛰 Exo-Space, a Pasadena startup that makes satellite hardware, is pivoting to making orbital hardware powered with AI to offer high-quality imaging to customers in under 30 minutes.
💲 Snoop Dogg says he is the mysterious figure known on Twitter as @CozomoMedici who reportedly owns an NFT wallet worth roughly $17 million.
How Drones Are Used to Fight Wildfires
Dirk Giles, the unmanned aircraft systems program manager at the United States Forestry Service, tells dot.LA that the growth in drone technology over the last six years has been tremendous. And he's seen first hand how replacing pilots in the air with pilots on the ground has made the job safer.
"From a safety standpoint, now we can do it in the smoke, at night. We have teams that are flying almost 24 hours a day now," Giles said. After the fire has burned through an area, firefighters can use the technology to survey for hotspots where flames might reappear.
Tinder Co-Founder Justin Mateen Grabs $247.5 Million for a New Fund
JAM Fund, the venture capital firm launched by former Tinder chief marketing officer Justin Mateen, secured nearly a quarter of a billion dollars over the summer for a new fund. JAM Fund frequently invests in early-stage startups outside the U.S., such as Venezuela-based food delivery app Yummy and Kenya-based restaurant inventory app Kibanda TopUp.
Welcome Travel App Raises $3.5 Million
Welcome — a sort of social Yelp for travelers — raised $3.5 million in seed funding from Accel Ventures, a global venture capital firm that has backed Slack, Spotify, Squarespace with participation from Lakestar Ventures. The AI-fueled app launched in the Apple store on Thursday.
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.
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.
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.