The idea of building a creative community around a product is not unfamiliar to beverage brands—after all, generations of beverage aficionados gave us the concepts of the bar, the tea house and the coffee joint. We take a look at three L.A.-based beverage companies that are using the blockchain in creative new ways.
Here’s what else we’re reading in the news:
- NASA taps Rocket Lab to provide launch services for future missions
- While the pandemic made students accustomed to Zoom, this Stanford professor is exploring the idea of VR classes.
- Aliso Viejo-based BrainChip is now taking orders for its new 'Akida' AI-based microchip.
- Cancer research company Atara Biotherapeutics, based in Thousand Oaks, gets acquired by FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies for $100 million.
- L.A.-based marketing startup System1 debuts on the NYSE.
- Waymo sues California's DMV to keep its robotaxi safety details secret.
- LeBron James' nonprofit partners with Crypto.com to bring educational opportunities to underserved communities.
Three New LA-Based Beverage Brands, Three Different NFT Experiments
Beverage startups Bored Breakfast Club, Yerb and Leisure Project are all using the blockchain in different ways to kickstart their direct-to-consumer businesses and build interest in their brands.
A Device That Lets Users Touch the Metaverse
Marina del Rey-based Emerge is looking to bring physical touch into the digital universe after unveiling a series of devices designed to make the metaverse more realistic. The startup closed $13 million in new funding to finance the product’s launch.
NFT Startup Unblocked May Move Beyond Music
With $10 million in new funding, NFT startup Unblocked is teasing a future beyond music that could include sports, fitness, gaming and art.
🎧Listen Up: JibJab CEO Paul Hanges on Creating a Viral Joy
On this week’s Office Hours podcast, JibJab CEO Paul Hanges talks about the company’s rise from YouTube sensation to making people laugh with e-greeting cards.
Moves: Our Weekly Recap of Job Changes in LA Tech
Cannabis retailer MedMen has a new chief strategy officer, venture firm B Capital Group has three new partners and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has a new director. Catch up with the big career changes in L.A. tech with our new weekly recap.