Catch Up On This Week's Startup News With Our Video Recap
The L.A. tech and startup community was active as ever this week. dot.LA chief host and correspondent Kelly O'Grady takes you through the key stories:
- You Can Now Order Dodger Stadium Food Straight to Your Couch
- Vehicle Maker Karma Seeks to Go Public Amidst Electric Car Frenzy
- Can Niche Streaming Services Survive?
- TikTok Announces Creator Fund & Increased Transparency
- Density Raises $51M to Aid Social Distancing
Weekly Recap: Electric Car-Maker Karma Seeks to Go Public, Streaming Wars Update, TikTok Swings Big www.youtube.com
Watch to stay smart on what is happening, and follow us on Instagram for daily video content.
From Your Site Articles
- Los Angeles' Tech and Startup Scene is Growing. - dot.LA ›
- Catch Up With This Week's Startup News in Our Weekly Video Recap ›
- Catch Up With This Week's Startup News in Our Weekly Video Recap ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Subscribe to our newsletter to catch every headline.
What's going on with L.A.'s tech and startup community? A lot! dot.LA chief host and correspondent Kelly O'Grady takes you through the key points of the top five headlines. Don't miss out on the essential news you need to know:
- TikTok Faces Uncertainty from Both U.S. and China on Deal with Oracle
- GoodRx Shares Soar 50% on Wall Street Debut
- Have a Look Inside Amazon's First 'Smart' Grocery Store
- Leonardo DiCaprio Joins LA Venture Fund Struck Capital as Limited Partner
- GOAT's $100M Raise Fuels its Trendsetter Ambitions in a Casual Era of Ecommerce
<ul class="ee-ul"></ul><p><br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="41ba0cc7c170e310a7abc86733d02787"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aen437UplaI?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Weekly Recap: TikTok drama continues, GoodRx goes public, Leonardo DiCaprio Invests & More!</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aen437UplaI&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
</small>
</p><p><br></p><ul class="ee-ul"></ul><p><em>Watch to stay smart on what is happening, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dotla/?hl=en" target="_blank">follow us on Instagram</a> for daily video content.</em><br></p>
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Read more
Show less
You'll soon be able to take a rapid COVID-19 test before boarding a plane at Los Angeles International Airport.
Two design companies — one known for transforming shipping containers into pop-up businesses and homes, another that focuses on an eco-friendly approach to architecture — will erect modular COVID testing center at LAX by Nov. 1. New Jersey-based Clarity Labs will eventually staff those sites with technicians.
<p>Details of the labs are still unclear. A spokesperson for LAX confirmed the deal, but neither company nor the airport would immediately comment on it. The news comes as the airline industry — reeling from the virus with layoffs and plummeting passenger bookings — is looking for ways to assure passenger safety.</p><p>Earlier this week, United Airlines announced it would be the first U.S. airline to test travelers for the virus, beginning with a flight from San Francisco to Hawaii on October 15. German airline Lufthansa will also start providing tests in October to passengers on international flights. </p><p>The converted shipping containers will hold federally certified labs — so-called testing pods — that can return test results in two hours, according to a statement announcing the news. It is unclear when they will be open for the public. </p><p>"We are proud to work with LAX to help bring passengers and staff a greater sense of security and safety when it comes to air travel," said Paul Galvin, Chairman and CEO of SG Blocks in a statement. </p><p>Lab technicians will use nasal swab tests that the FDA has approved for emergency use. The tests are produced and distributed by South Korea-based company OSANG Healthcare. </p><p>Unlike antibody tests, which the FDA does not consider sufficient to diagnose the virus, the lab will use a molecular diagnostic test to check whether travelers have an active infection. </p><p>This won't be the first shipping container-turned-lab created by SG Blocks. Earlier this month, the company announced a joint venture with Clarity Labs to launch rapidly produced testing centers under the name "Clarity Modular Lab Solutions" for use in underserved hot spots, according to a statement released by the company. </p><p>While the partnership with Clarity is focusing on COVID testing, the venture will eventually offer screening for a range of illnesses including cancer and swine flu, according to the statement.</p><p>"The CMLS joint venture is designed to provide fast, accurate and reliable point of care testing that has been elusive for the poor and working classes," the company said in early September. "The vision behind CMLS is to reduce barriers to diagnostic testing to enable the best possible medical outcomes. The labs are expected to be located in high risk areas, densely populated or regional hubs for rural U.S."</p><p>United is <a href="https://hub.united.com/2020-09-24-united-airlines-becomes-first-u-s-carrier-to-make-covid-19-tests-available-to-customers-2647787602.html" target="_blank">offering</a> their customers a choice to take either a rapid test at the airport or a self-collected, mail-in test 72 hours prior to the trip. The tests, developed by Abbott Laboratories, can produce results in 15 minutes, according to a statement from United. </p><p>New York-based design and construction firm SG Blocks, which was created in 2007, has made containers for a slew of national chain businesses. It's built the first Starbucks drive-through in Salt Lake City and a mobile showroom for Mini Cooper. They've also used shipping containers to build homes in the Hamptons. </p><p>Shares of SG Blocks soared after the announcement. </p><p>The structures will be designed with architecture and industrial planning firm Grimshaw, which is based in London with offices in Los Angeles.</p>
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Read more
Show less
It's never been a better time to "murder your thirst."
Seven months after raising more than $9 million in Series A funding, Santa Monica-based canned water startup Liquid Death has raised $23 million in Series B funding.
The round was led by an unnamed consumer-focused family office and participated in by Convivialité Ventures, Fat Mike (NOFX), Pat McAfee, existing investor in Velvet Sea Ventures and others.
<p>Co-founded by a former Netflix-linked creative director Mike Cessario, the Science Inc.-backed company said in a statement that it is going through a high-growth period and "setting online records every month" after rolling out to more than 1,700 new stores, including Whole Foods Markets, since its last raise. Cessario said that "the funding will go to fuel that growth."</p><p>Their water that sells for $15.99 for a 12 pack is carried in thousands of stores nationally, including bars, tattoo parlors, cafes, liquor stores and more than 1,000 7-Elevens in Southern California. A company representative said their canned tallboys are the fastest growing water brand in Whole Foods and it has broken its own record on overall sales monthly since March.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDQzOTk5MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDMzMjA4NH0.dmPPTdwLqWgXtMo4n2RuxAOJ_8WdzV3lNGvAPPPiYxY/image.jpg?width=980" id="cf1eb" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0b7e5d045f61a05a5c8dab7f01dc790e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
</p><p>Liquid Death has positioned its tallboys of still and sparkling canned water as an environmentally-friendly alternative to plastic water bottles — with a bad-boy panache. Along those lines, as part of its #DeathToPlastics initiative, the company gives 10% of profits on every can sold to nonprofits helping to fight plastic pollution and bring clean drinking water to people in need.<br/></p><p>Liquid Death has also upped the ante on its infamous "murder your thirst" tagline, <a href="https://dot.la/liquid-death-metal-album-2645888623.html" target="_self">releasing a heavy metal album of hateful comments</a> its product has received, and giving people the chance to <a href="https://liquiddeath.com/pages/sell-your-soul" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sell their soul</a> "for real. Legally binding for eternity" to join its Liquid Death Country Club. It touts more than 5,000 recurring monthly subscribers. The company uses dark humor and an irreverency to drive marketing -—for example, by offering a "fuck Corona special."</p><p>The Securities and Exchange Commission filing shows the company aimed to raise $23 million but was shy $1.9 million. A company spokeswoman said the last two wires didn't come through until after the filing.</p><p><span></span>__</p><p><em>Do you have a story that needs to be told? My DMs are open on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/latams" target="_blank"><em>Twitter @latams</em></a><em>. You can also email me, or ask for my Signal.</em></p>
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Read more
Show less
RELATEDEDITOR'S PICKS