"I wish it was under different circumstances."
L.A. was home to the first aviation boom with the rise of Lockheed, JPL and Northrop Grumman. Now second crop is growing, led by drones, and the pandemic has helped a handful of Southern California companies — including Dronebase, AirMap and Auterian — flourish. Senior tech reporter Tami Abdollah has a look at their recent success.
Speaking of prospering during the pandemic, Snap and Netflix reported their earnings today.
Senior finance reporter Ben Bergman led a discussion with influential VCs about they're shifting strategies in the new funding landscape.
Are you a founder with some time on your hands? Wonder Ventures wants to back three Los Angeles-area startups in the next month. Details here.
Join us Thursday for our next startup pitch showcase, featuring the gaming industry. The event is free, but space is limited!
Don't Look Now, But Drones Are Taking Over L.A.
Drone companies are seeing enormous growth during the pandemic, and many of them are based here in L.A.. "This was very much a military technology that was subsidized by the U.S. taxpayer that's now becoming a commercial industry, not unlike fast-food," Dronebase's founder says. Read more >>
Wonder Is Looking to Back 3 L.A. Founders This Month
Wonder Ventures has carved a niche by writing checks to young companies below the radar of bigger VCs. Now, it's upping the ante as part of its WFH (that's "Wonder From Home") program. The Santa Monica-based firm has committed to fund at least three Los Angeles founders in the next month with checks starting at $100,000. Read more >>
Can Musso & Frank's Survive a 2nd Pandemic?
The iconic100-year-old L.A. restaurant filed a lawsuit Tuesday against its insurance company, alleging breach of contract and bad faith for not covering its loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more >>
Snap Surges On Earnings Report
Snap's earnings for the first quarter of 2020 beat analyst expectations, and saw its stock surge 17% in after-hours trading. The social media and self-described camera company saw its revenue increase to $462 million during the pandemic. Read more >>
Netflix Blows Away Expectations During Pandemic
Netflix earnings on Tuesday held no real surprises for Wall Street. Global subscribers surged by 15.8 million, obliterating analyst expectations as the company dominated a captive, homebound audience looking for content. Read more >>
Fashion Nova Coughs Up $9.3M to FTC
The fast-fashion retailer told customers to "Expect Your Items Quick!" yet repeatedly failed to ship orders on time and then illegally denied users cash refunds. The case against the company marks the largest settlement the commission has received in a mail order rule case and sends a signal to other direct-to-consumer companies. Read more >>
WATCH: Investing in Uncertain Times
"Whereas growth-at-all-costs was really cool the last few years the coolest thing going forward is controlled growth with profitability." Senior reporter Ben Bergman led a virtual roundtable with two of L.A.'s most influential VCs on how investors are changing their strategies to adapt to the new reality. Watch the discussion and read our takeaways >>
Register To Watch Our Next Startup Pitch Showcase
Join us Thursday, April 23rd at 11:00 am PST for a dot.LA Virtual Pitch Showcase focused on gaming. With the new shelter-in-place economy, the video game ecosystem has been exploding, especially among tech startups in Southern California. Founding Entrepreneurs from Artie and RCT Studio will be pitching to Peter Levin, Managing Director as Griffin Gaming Partners along with another judge renowned in the space. Register here. Space is limited!