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XFirst Resonance Lands $3.5M as Aerospace and EV Manufacturing Expand
Samson Amore is a reporter for dot.LA. He previously covered technology and entertainment for TheWrap and reported on the SoCal startup scene for the Los Angeles Business Journal. Send tips or pitches to samsonamore@dot.la and find him on Twitter at @Samsonamore. Pronouns: he/him

A work collaboration and inventory management software for aerospace manufacturers — including rocket-part maker Phase Four — First Resonance is poised to take off.
The startup raised a $3.5 million Series A on Wednesday, and will use the funding to expand its footprint in Los Angeles.
Eventually, the downtown-based company wants to be the software behind a new wave of mobility, from jetpacks to air taxis.
First Resonance initially targeted aerospace companies, but has since expanded to other industries, including automotive and robotics. CEO Karan Talati said the company eventually plans to help build air taxis.
"We're bringing on companies even right now that start to get into the kind of blurry lines of what the future of mobility looks like," Talati said.
A screenshot of First Resonance's inventory management software.
The new round of funding will allow the company to double — "if not triple" — its headcount by the end of this quarter and develop its main product, the Ion factory management software, which allows manufacturers to automate and streamline operations.
The funding round was led by Blue Bear Capital, a Beverly Hills-based venture capital firm that looks to invest in automation, artificial intelligence and the industrialization of renewable energy.
First Resonance has now raised a total of $5.3 million since its 2018 launch.
The startup began working remotely last March. Its six-person team is made up of engineers that come from top manufacturers in town including SpaceX, Toyota and NASA.
Blue Bear Capital partners Ernst Sack and Vaughn Blake decided to invest in First Resonance because they saw the long-tail potential for First Resonance's software as the market for electric cars soar and the space market expands.
First Resonance CEO Karan Talati
Manufacturing in both of those areas requires a complex set of processes.
"At the global level, the revolution of next-gen manufacturing is critical to solving the climate and mobility challenges that we'll be facing in the years ahead," Blake said. "First Resonance' software ignites that revolution by enabling the manufacturing workflows required to electrify transport, reach orbit and propel satellites."
The software lets factories automate their manufacturing and manage their supply chains, freeing up more time for engineers to focus on futuristic designs, Talati said. It also uses data visualization and analytics to help builders troubleshoot design issues.
First Resonance is already backed by notable firms including Santa Monica-based Wavemaker Partners and Westwood-based Fika Ventures, but Blue Bear has a foothold in Texas, where aerospace activity and manufacturing are exploding, giving it an edge over other firms. Elon Musk has reportedly moved to Austin, and some of SpaceX's manufacturing has migrated to Boca Chica Village in Texas.
"It's been really great [to access] new customer acquisition or networks, with their extended team in San Francisco as well as Texas," Talati said, noting at First Resonance has plans to expand far beyond Los Angeles' borders.
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Samson Amore is a reporter for dot.LA. He previously covered technology and entertainment for TheWrap and reported on the SoCal startup scene for the Los Angeles Business Journal. Send tips or pitches to samsonamore@dot.la and find him on Twitter at @Samsonamore. Pronouns: he/him
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YouTube Shorts Is Big in India—But Can It Dethrone TikTok in America?
Kristin Snyder is an editorial intern for dot.la. She previously interned with Tiger Oak Media and led the arts section for UCLA's Daily Bruin.
YouTube Shorts has gained major traction in India, where its primary competitor, TikTok, is banned—and YouTube executives are hoping the service can parlay that momentum over to the States.
Shorts creators are reaching large audiences in India, a nation of more than 1.4 billion people, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. The Google-owned short-form video platform—which recently surpassed 1.5 billion monthly users—initially launched in India in September 2020; within months of that launch, Shorts was racking up more than 3.5 billion views daily, YouTube CEO Susan Wojicki told the Journal. YouTube subsequently rolled out Shorts in the U.S. in March 2021 and has since focused on growing the service as a competitor to TikTok.
While YouTube has not released country-specific user data and metrics, executives told the publication that India remains one of Shorts’ biggest markets. That’s likely been aided by India’s decision to ban TikTok—which is owned by Chinese tech firm ByteDance and bases its U.S. operations in Culver City—in June 2020 due to national security concerns. Data security concerns continue to plague TikTok in the U.S. and other countries where it is allowed to operate, as well.
YouTube Shorts, in turn, continues to gain ground on TikTok. The Journal cited a June survey by data research platform Inmar Intelligence in which more than 29% of respondents identified Shorts as their preferred short-form video service, compared to only 25% in September 2021. TikTok, meanwhile, fell in popularity—with 44% picking it as their top choice in June, compared to 49% in September.
YouTube is now hoping that it can translate Shorts’ success in global markets like India over to the U.S., specifically among the younger users who have driven much of TikTok’s growth. The two firms are already competing on better ways to monetize their platforms for creators, while TikTok recently expanded its maximum video length to compete with YouTube for longer-form content.- TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube and Facebook: Who's Paying What for ... ›
- YouTube, TikTok Amp Up Creator Monetization Race - dot.LA ›
Kristin Snyder is an editorial intern for dot.la. She previously interned with Tiger Oak Media and led the arts section for UCLA's Daily Bruin.
Netflix Facing Another Round of Layoffs: Report
Christian Hetrick is dot.LA's Entertainment Tech Reporter. He was formerly a business reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and reported on New Jersey politics for the Observer and the Press of Atlantic City.
Netflix could have another round of layoffs as early as this week, according to Variety.
The streaming giant, which has seen its stock price plummet more than 70% this year, already cut 150 positions across its organization in May. The upcoming layoffs could be similar in size, with impacted employees expected to be informed at the end of this week, Variety reported Monday.
Netflix shares have cratered since the streaming platform reported in April that it lost 200,000 subscribers during the first quarter—the first time that the company shed customers in more than a decade—and expects to shed another 2 million subscribers in the current second quarter. The streamer has blamed heightened competition, password sharing and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, among other issues, for the loss in customers.
On Netflix’s first-quarter earnings call, CFO Spencer Neumann said that amid slowing revenue growth, the company will look to “protect our operating margins” over the next two years by “pulling back on some of our spend growth across both content and non-content spend.” Netflix began cutting costs a few weeks later, laying off about 25 people in its marketing division, including at its editorial website Tudum.
Although Netflix is navigating unique problems, it is far from the only tech firm that has slashed staff in recent weeks amid increasingly precarious economic conditions.
- Netflix Lays Off 150 Employees - dot.LA ›
- Netflix Hit With Lawsuit Amid Plummeting Stock Price - dot.LA ›
Christian Hetrick is dot.LA's Entertainment Tech Reporter. He was formerly a business reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and reported on New Jersey politics for the Observer and the Press of Atlantic City.
LA Tech ‘Moves’: Jam City Shakes Up Games Leaders, Viant Lures Amazon Vet
Kristin Snyder is an editorial intern for dot.la. She previously interned with Tiger Oak Media and led the arts section for UCLA's Daily Bruin.
“Moves,” our roundup of job changes in L.A. tech, is presented by Interchange.LA, dot.LA's recruiting and career platform connecting Southern California's most exciting companies with top tech talent. Create a free Interchange.LA profile here—and if you're looking for ways to supercharge your recruiting efforts, find out more about Interchange.LA's white-glove recruiting service by emailing Sharmineh O’Farrill Lewis (sharmineh@dot.la). Please send job changes and personnel moves to moves@dot.la.
Cash ecosystem integrator Sesami named Nicolas Van Erum as chief marketing officer. Van Erum joins from creative agency Sid Lee.
8minute Solar Energy, a solar and energy storage company, hired Kip Larsonas chief technology officer. Larson previously led technology teams at Amazon and Convoy.
Advertising software company Viant Technology tapped Dustin Kwan as chief product officer. Kwan was most recently general manager of advertising products at Amazon DSP.
Tamara Armstrong joined Loyola Marymount University as chief information officer and vice president for information technology services. Armstrong was most recently associate vice chancellor and CIO at the Los Rios Community College District.
TigerConnect, a health care clinical collaboration platform, hired Melissa Bellas president. Bell was previously chief growth officer for Intelligent Medical Objects.
Visual effects and animation studio DNEG tapped Disney Animation and Dreamworks veteran Erika Burton as co-president of its animation arm.
Video game developer Jam City promoted Lisa Anderson to executive vice president, from her previous role as senior vice president of studio operations. The company also hired Dan Lipa to head its casino division and King’sBrent Blazek to lead its puzzle division.
Seth Rogan’s cannabis lifestyle brand Houseplant brought in Kelly Natenshon as senior vice president of housegoods. Natenshon was most recently a consultant for home brands including California Closets, Cravings by Chrissy Teigen and Wayfair.
Cancer research organization City of Hope named Philip Okala as system president to oversee its portfolio of clinical care and research entities. Okala was previously chief operating officer at the University of Pennsylvania Health System.
Law firm Perkins Coie added attorney Patrick Anding, who has previously provided legal counsel for tech companies, as a partner at its Emerging Companies & Venture Capital practice in its Los Angeles and San Diego offices.
Kristin Snyder is an editorial intern for dot.la. She previously interned with Tiger Oak Media and led the arts section for UCLA's Daily Bruin.