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Weekly Tech Recap: A Carbon Conversion Moonshot Comes Out of Stealth in LA
Image by Alexander Limbach/ Shutterstock

Hydrogen accounts for roughly 70% of all matter in the universe—and these days, it seems that hydrogen power startups account for about the same share of emerging green-tech companies in California. But while the space is replete with big dreams using hydrogen to power planes, cars, buildings and more, most companies are still years away from finishing a prototype—let alone building a plant or going to market.

Not so for Kore Infrastructure. The energy startup is already online at its plant in Downtown Los Angeles, where it’s quietly converting tons of waste into hydrogen, biogas, natural gas and carbon char every day.

Here’s What Happened in LA’s Entertainment Tech World This Week 🍿

The Music Tectonics conference hopes to capitalize on L.A.’s emergence as a music tech hub.

Netflix and Hulu have won another ‘franchise fee’ legal battle–this time in California.

Governor Newsom is calling the allegations he interfered in the state’s investigation of Activision “categorically false.”

Why the world of esports is primed for a huge opportunity in the metaverse.

While streaming giants are busy battling each other for subscribers, their real competition may be in an entirely different market: gaming.

Netflix users can now profess their love for a title not just with a heart, star or single thumbs up—but with the Siskel and Ebert-approved rating system of two thumbs up.

Social Media 📱

More bad news for TikTok: Two federal agencies are reportedly investigating the company over its moderation of content depicting child sexual abuse. Also, a study publish this week found users were able to bypass its ban on Russian pro-war propaganda.

Snapchat adds a "Dynamic Stories" feature that enables news organizations to share their content on the social media app.

“Ratatouille” and “Bridgerton” have been the subjects of recent TikTok musicals. On Thursday, the platform launched its own production.

Venture Capital 💰

Newport Beach-based Obsidian Security, a cybersecurity startup that looks to address security gaps in businesses’ software applications, raised $90 million.

Welcome Tech, a Los Angeles-based startup building financial tools and services for immigrants in the U.S., raised $30 million.

Music tech startup Trac, which helps independent artists distribute songs and merchandise, raised $2.5 million.

Studio, an online learning platform, received $50 million in funding for rebranding while maintaining its month-long course model.

Virtual avatar startup Genies received $150 million.

🎧 Listen Up 

On this episode of LA Venture, Crosscut’s Brett Brewer talks about building Myspace, the importance of education and his company, Intermix.

In this episode of Behind Her Empire, Bassima Mroue, CEO of SkinTē, describes how her battles with her health led to the cultivation of a collagen-infused sparkling tea remedy.

Also...

Faraday Future’s founder and former CEO is no longer an executive officer after an internal investigation.

Miso Robotics and Panera Bread’s new partnership is making sure that your coffee order is always freshly brewed.

Here's why workplaces are likely to continue with a hybrid work model long into the future.

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