LA Tech Updates: Panic Buying is Broadening Soylent's Reach; Curative Sends Tests to Texas

Francesca Billington

Francesca Billington is a freelance reporter. Prior to that, she was a general assignment reporter for dot.LA and has also reported for KCRW, the Santa Monica Daily Press and local publications in New Jersey. She graduated from Princeton in 2019 with a degree in anthropology.

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Today:

  • Watch: Curative Sends 240K COVID-19 Tests to Texas
  • Pandemic Panic Buying is Bringing Soylent a New Kind of Customer

          Pandemic Panic Buying is Bringing Soylent a New Kind of Customer

          upload.wikimedia.org

          Pandemic panic buying is opening up a new customer base for Soylent.

          The meal replacement startup says it saw a spike in new online customers in March and April when COVID stay-at-home orders began.

          "It's a completely different consumer than what you might think about — the gamer, techie, Silicon Valley profile," CEO Demir Vangelov told dot.LA "That validates the strategy we've had to expand the profile of our consumers and reach into different demographics."

          That panic-buying trend, the company said, coupled with Soylent's move into some traditional retail outlets is changing who they're selling to.

          Soylent debuted in 7-Elevens in July 2017. As demand in traditional brick-and-mortar stores expanded, they added more national chains in October 2018, including Walmart and Target. Walmart remains their best-performing retailer.

          Now, the Los Angeles-based company is working to keep those shoppers in the Soylent community.

          "Some of these [customers] bought 20 boxes of powder, a significant amount of food," Vangelov said. "It was very interesting to see how many of those folks are actually going to stick with us."

          In June, Soylent released two new flavors, banana and creamy chocolate, and revised their original recipes to include fewer carbs and a lower sugar content per bottle.

          "It was a nice way to follow up on all these new consumers," Vangelov said. "March and April were the crazy months when people were buying and over-buying. In May, we saw stable consumption. Now, we're starting to see an extremely strong performance in the retail channels."

          Watch: Curative Sends 240K COVID-19 Tests to Texas as Infections Spike 

          assets.rebelmouse.io

          Fred Turner, the twenty-something leading the charge behind coronavirus testing across L.A., posted video on Twitter Tuesday showing 240,000 tests getting ready to head to Texas to support the state's COVID response.

          The tests, produced by Turner's company Curative Inc., will land at 11 Texas A&M System universities across the state, according to Texas TV news station KBTX. About 15,000 tests will be shipped to campuses each month, a plan that offers students, faculty and staff access to testing free of charge.

          On Wednesday, California reported its highest daily count yet of coronavirus cases, reaching 11,000 confirmed infections. Texas saw its highest daily increase on Tuesday, reaching 10,859 cases.

          Curative has been supplying L.A. with their FDA-approved saliva-based test since March. According to the company's studies, Curative's product has a 10% false negative rate — a sensitivity as good if not better than the nasal pharyngeal swab tests, dot.LA's Rachel Uranga reported in her interview with Turner.

          Turner, an Oxford dropout, stepped down as head of Shield Bio in January and moved to Southern California for an opportunity to build a lab for coronavirus tests. He now operates labs out of San Dimas and Washington D.C.


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          LA Tech Week 2025: Sunday’s Event Lineup

          Here's the Sunday, October 19th lineup for LA Tech Week 2025, organized by location so you can easily explore events that fit your goals and schedule. Dive in and see what’s happening near you!

          ARTS DISTRICT

          3:00 PM

          BEL AIR

          3:00 PM – 7:00 PM

          BURBANK

          6:30 PM – 9:30 PM

          CULVER CITY

          9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

          4:30 PM – 7:30 PM

          INGLEWOOD

          10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

          • Spinovation: The Future Is Femme, The Future is Frequency: See Details Here
            Sonder Impact, Black Women Spin, Sip & Sonder

          KOREATOWN

          12:00 PM – 3:00 PM

          MARINA DEL REY

          12:00 PM

          • Sunday Tech Brunch
            Sawubona

          MID CITY

          9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

          • Women in Cleantech Hike and Network: See Details Here
            Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

          SANTA MONICA

          9:00 AM

          10:00 AM

          3:45 PM

          4:00 PM – 7:30 PM

          • OFF THE HOOK Santa Monica Seafood Festival: See Details Here
            Spin PR Group, City of Santa Monica, Tech St.

          6:00 PM

          7:00 PM

          • Pritam: A Musical Legend - Live in Concert: See Details Here
            American South Asian Network

          7:00 PM

          • Building AI workflow editor in React with Workflow Builder SDK: See Details Here
            Workflow Builder

          7:00 PM

          8:00 PM

          • Unlock Apple's Corporate Advantage for your Startup!: See Details Here
            iStore by St. Moritz

          TOPANGA CANYON

          3:00 PM

          • Dreamore Hike and Picnic: LA Tech Week: *Invite Only*
            Dreamore

          VENICE

          10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

          • Coffee, Walk, and Schmooze: See Details Here
            JFE (Jews For Entrepreneurship) Network

          VIRTUAL (LA)

          10:00 AM

          • Level Up with LinkedIn: A Student’s Guide to Networking & Opportunities (Virtual Event): See Details Here
            FIMAC

          10:00 AM

          WEST ADAMS

          1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

          For updates or more event information, visit the official Tech Week calendar.

          Enjoy LA Tech Week 2025!

          Download the dot.LA App


          LA Tech Week 2025: Saturday’s Event Lineup

          Here's the Saturday, October 18th lineup for LA Tech Week 2025, organized by location so you can easily explore events that fit your goals and schedule. Dive in and see what’s happening near you!

          BEVERLY HILLS

          2:00 PM

          CENTURY CITY

          7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

          CULVER CITY

          9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

          10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

          1:00 PM

          DTLA

          7:00 PM

          • {MiniMax x Nakid x SkyPortalx}: TECH/MOTION/MUSIC/ART: See Details Here
            MiniMax (Hailuo AI)

          10:00 PM – 2:00 AM

          EL SEGUNDO

          10:00 AM

          • Venture on the Green: *Invite Only*
            BLCK VC

          4:00 PM

          INGLEWOOD

          7:00 PM

          • Valar Atomics, Durin and Discipulus Ventures - Night With A Nuclear Reactor: See Details Here
            Valar Atomics, Durin, Discipulus Ventures

          MARINA DEL REY

          8:30 AM

          12:00 PM – 3:00 PM

          5:00 PM

          • LOST iN Sunset Sail: Navigating the Tides of the Creator Economy & Media: See Details Here
            LOST iN

          PASADENA

          9:00 AM

          PLAYA VISTA

          2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

          SANTA MONICA

          7:00 AM

          9:00 AM

          • Pedal & Network: Tech Cyclists @ LA Tech Week 🚵: See Details Here
            Instafill.ai

          9:30 AM

          • Getty Center Guided Tour & (Optional) Photography Scavenger Hunt: See Details Here
            NEW MOON Impact Productions

          10:30 AM – 11:30 AM

          11:00 AM – 2:15 PM

          12:00 PM – 5:00 PM

          1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

          1:30 PM

          • Self-Defense in Court and the Streets: See Details Here
            Santa Monica Striking, Luri Inc.

          2:00 PM

          • SMARTUP 500: THE FIRST AT TECH WEEK LA - Launching the world’s first Startup Ranking: See Details Here
            Smart Times

          2:00 PM

          • NLPs (No Lame Panels) The Creator X Founder Rooftop Party: See Details Here
            Startup Village, Sanctuary

          3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

          4:00 PM – 6:30 PM

          • Just Do It?: Helping Founders Perform Like Olympians: See Details Here
            Elite Psychology Group

          5:00 PM

          6:00 PM

          6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

          6:00 PM

          6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

          • The Future of Hospitality: Poetry, Provenance & Passports: See Details Here
            Villa Kitchen, Airble, We Speak Dance, Techstars San Francisco

          7:00 PM

          • 🚀 Investor x Founder Open Mic Pitches: See Details Here
            Feathr, Los Angeles Fun Events

          7:00 PM

          • Life is a Pitch - LA Edition: *Invite Only*
            DeepMyst

          TOPANGA CANYON

          5:00 PM – 8:30 PM

          • Walk&Jam: Use AI to make art while hiking Topanga Canyon: See Details Here
            Formhaus llc, Wonderland Immersive Design

          TORRANCE

          1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

          • Crunches & Conversations Presented by The Differentials and KIS Training Studios: See Details Here
            The Differentials, KIS Training Studios

          VENICE

          1:00 PM – 4:30 PM

          • Beyond the Language Barrier: Exploring AI's Next Frontier: See Details Here
            Medusa AI

          VENICE BEACH

          8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

          • SŨRFED Club @ Venice Beach: Founders, Creators, Investors share the waves: See Details Here
            SŨRFED Club, Go Vitamins

          WEST ADAMS

          9:30 AM – 10:45 AM

          • Funders Shaping Democracy, AI & Media: See Details Here
            New Media Ventures, New Rising Ventures

          WEST HOLLYWOOD

          4:00 PM

          6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

          9:30 PM

          • Vibe Check Comedy Show, Tech Week Edition! @ Hollywood Improv: See Details Here
            Vibe Check Comedy

          For updates or more event information, visit the official Tech Week calendar.

          Enjoy LA Tech Week 2025!

          Download the dot.LA App


          LA Tech Week 2025: Friday’s Event Lineup

          Here's the Friday, October 17th lineup for LA Tech Week 2025, organized by location so you can easily explore events that fit your goals and schedule. Dive in and see what’s happening near you!

          ARTS DISTRICT

          8:30 AM – 12:00 PM

          • Power Day: Ideas, Pitches, Connections: See Details Here
            Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI)

          6:00 PM

          • WEB3 GAMING IS DEAD - Happy Hour: See Details Here
            Plassa Capital, Yee-Haw Monster Trucks

          BEVERLY HILLS

          10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

          1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

          2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

          3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

          4:00 PM

          6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

          • So you went viral, Now what? (pt II): See Details Here
            Verci, Study Fetch, TechSpace

          8:00 PM

          • Private Pool: GP x LP x FO: *Invite Only*
            Visionlist Commons , Bay Area Innovest

          BRENTWOOD

          8:00 AM

          • Founders & Investors Hike: See Details Here
            Salehpour Legal, Technology Founders of America

          CARSON

          11:45 AM

          • Lightspeed x SVB Porsche Experience: *Invite Only*
            Lightspeed Venture Partners, SVB

          CULVER CITY

          8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

          11:00 AM

          1:00 PM

          • Surf Parks & Wave Pools: From Doja Cat to Mark Zuckerberg: See Details Here
            Surflytics

          8:00 PM – 12:00 AM

          EL SEGUNDO

          11:30 AM – 2:00 PM

          5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

          HOLLYWOOD

          10:00 AM

          • AI, Revenue, and Reality: How Fortune 500s Work With Startups That Ship: See Details Here
            Sunrise AI, OpenTable

          12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

          • Unplugged: LA Tech Week Recharge Experience with TAY × Checked Out: See Details Here
            TAY Fitness, Checked Out

          9:00 PM

          INGLEWOOD

          8:00 AM

          • TCSI Presents: Caffeine & Connections: See Details Here
            The Cyber Security Intellects Nonprofit

          LONG BEACH

          7:00 AM

          MALIBU

          10:00 AM

          • Great Leaders Podcast & Profiles: See Details Here
            NEW MOON Impact Productions, Origin Studios

          12:30 PM

          MARINA DEL REY

          9:00 AM

          • Keeping Your Freedom as a Founder: Real Talk on Funding: See Details Here
            Lighter Capital

          10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

          • D-Wave Research Day & Hackathon!: See Details Here
            USC Information Sciences Institute, D-Wave

          4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

          • The Sky is Not the Limit: All About Aerospace: See Details Here
            Sunstone Management, USC Viterbi Startup Garage

          PASADENA

          10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

          11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

          • Deep Tech Entrepreneurship Pillars of Pasadena Tech: See Details Here
            Innovate Pasadena, Pasadena SBDC, City of Pasadena

          PLAYA VISTA

          9:00 AM

          12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

          • Vision to Venture - AI Media Showcase powered by Google AI: See Details Here
            Google

          SANTA MONICA

          7:00 AM – 8:30 AM

          • Signal Run : RTC x Wildwood VC: See Details Here
            Run Tech Club, Wildwood Ventures

          7:30 AM

          8:45 AM – 10:45 AM

          9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

          • Slash Burn Rates & Scale Your Startup: See Details Here
            Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA)

          9:00 AM

          • Driving a Digital Ecology Relay: What is at Stake: See Details Here
            The PORT GLOBAL, GLOBAL PORTAL INSTITUTE

          9:30 AM – 11:30 AM

          10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

          • The Enduring Value of Inclusive Capital: See Details Here
            Founders Registry. Nervana

          10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

          10:30 AM

          11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

          • Advisors to Investors Lunch: Venture Capital for enterprise leaders: See Details Here
            Collinear Capital, Worlds

          12:00 PM

          • Powerhouse Capital & a16z speedrun Investor Lunch Mixer: See Details Here
            Powerhouse Capital, a16z, speedrun

          2:00 PM

          • Where Robotics Meets Heart - Embedding Family Values in a Future with AI: See Details Here
            Trove, Puerto Rico Blockchain Association, MindfulBytes

          2:00 PM

          3:00 PM

          3:00 PM

          3:00 PM

          • Workshop: Create An Enterprise Chatbot and Unlock the 70% of Data Data You’re Not Using: See Details Here
            Aparavi

          4:00 PM

          5:00 PM – 10:00 PM

          5:30 PM

          5:30 PM – 9:30 PM

          6:00 PM – 8:30 PM

          • USC Alumni Founders & Investors: See Details Here
            USC Alumni Entrepreneurship Network, Techstars

          6:00 PM

          • Social Currency Series/Greenlit presents PitchPop: See Details Here
            Social Currency Series, Greenlit

          6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

          6:30 PM

          6:30 PM – 10:00 PM

          6:30 PM

          • Lets get the LA Bioeconomy brewing: See Details Here
            Founders, Friends & Fermentation, Saku Biosciences

          7:00 PM – 11:30 PM

          7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

          7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

          7:00 PM

          7:00 PM

          • Liquid Equity 2: The Premiere Gathering for Founders, Creator
            Coeus Collective

          7:00 PM

          7:00 PM

          • For the Love of Tech | Speed Dating for Tech Professionals: See Details Here
            Feathr, Los Angeles Fun Events

          7:00 PM

          SOUTH LA

          3:00 PM

          TORRANCE

          9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

          • The Future of Space & Security Panel: See Details Here
            Northwood Space, Anduril Industries, Impulse Space, Astranis

          VENICE

          9:00 AM – 10:45 AM

          9:00 AM – 11:30 AM

          11:00 AM

          11:30 AM – 2:30 PM

          12:30 PM

          • Creative Partners: Human + AI Storytelling: See Details Here
            Othelia, Primordial Soup

          2:00 PM – 3:45 PM

          5:00 PM

          • EarthHouse: Critical Minerals, Mobility & Modern Power: See Details Here
            The Strategye Group, Alpha Sierra One

          6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

          6:00 PM

          • Pizza+Soda: *Invite Only*
            Schmoozd , The KINN

          7:00 PM

          VENICE BEACH

          2:00 PM – 6:30 PM

          5:00 PM

          8:30 PM – 2:00 AM

          VIRTUAL (LA)

          2:30 PM – 4:00 PM

          3:00 PM

          • Government of Alberta: ProcurementAsCode // Done in 60 Seconds: See Details Here
            Government of Alberta

          4:00 PM

          • Stop Hitting Yourself 🥊: See Details Here
            Stop Hitting Yourself, HOWDY, Company Policy, Snowbird Global

          WEST HOLLYWOOD

          3:00 PM – 6:00 PM

          6:00 PM

          WESTSIDE

          5:00 PM

          5:30 PM – 8:30 PM


          For updates or more event information, visit the official Tech Week calendar.

          Enjoy LA Tech Week 2025!

          Download the dot.LA App


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