If homelessness in Los Angeles comes down to housing stock, one engineer has an idea for a solution: 3D printing.
Berok Khoshnevis, a professor of engineering at the University of Southern California, believes 3D printing construction technology could be used to meet Los Angeles' dire need for new housing solutions. Could it work? Read more...
Here's what else we're reading in the news:
- HackEDU, a Santa Monica-based coding training for developers, received investment from Level Equity and has appointed a new chief executive officer.
- MedMen, the L.A.-based cannabis retailer, has appointed Roz Lipsey as its chief operating officer.
- L.A.-based Lendistry has launched a new $150 million grant program to support independent live venues in California.
- Goldman Sachs estimates there is $24 billion worth in goods sitting on ships outside the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.
- Tesla has reached a $1 trillion valuation.
- PayPal says it has backed away from a potential acquisition of Pinterest after taking shareholder feedback into account.
- Dozens of stories have now been published based on a cache of leaked internal Facebook documents, and there's a roundup of those here.
3D Printing Buildings on Demand
Berok Khoshnevis has invented a new method of 3D printing structures called Contour Crafting. In 2020, he was given a contract by the L.A. County Development Authority to build four low-income housing units. With a single user machine, the user prints each layer of the structure in sequence, pausing in between each layer to allow the substrate to dry.
ABL Space Systems Rockets to $2.4 Billion Valuation
Rocket builder ABL Space Systems announced a $200 million funding round on Monday, its biggest to date. The deal values the El Segundo-based firm at $2.4 billion, seven months after it reached a $1 billion valuation.
FaZe Clan to Go Public With $1 Billion Valuation
FaZe Clan, the Los Angeles-based esports team owner and collective of gaming influencers, will go public through a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company valued at $1 billion, as it expands its gaming brand and eyes original content for streaming services like Netflix.
Cameo Buys Merch Maker Represent
Cameo, the app for buying personalized video messages from celebrities like "Succession" actor Brian Cox or "Tiger King" star Carole Baskin, picked up Los Angeles-based celebrity merchandise retailer Represent for an undisclosed sum.