How would you like to see the news articles that people in your line of work find relevant? Newsology, a news aggregator app based in L.A., is betting that its new spin on news feeds curated around people's professions will intrigue enough users to help it compete with the Silicon Valley giants.
Founder Mark Hasan tells dot.LA that what distinguishes Newsology's AI recommendation engine from competitors like Apple News, Google News, Flipboard and News 360 is that it incorporates the "extra dimension" of a user's industry, title and location. Hasan, who has a background in mechanical engineering and machine learning, says his patent for grouping multiple descriptors about a user gives his app an edge.
<p>"Say you do real estate in California," he says. "Newsology can show you what's popular among real estate professionals in California. Or someone can say, 'I'm in the pharmaceutical industry,' and Newsology's algorithm will show them what's popular with people in that industry."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQyNzY0Mi9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NDg1MTUwOX0.Ll0i9ypC7WzH6DCPqGdDFvlDhUi1XO83pR_luzs_5c0/image.png?width=980" id="e9de0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="467292f242dc1cb334f8e1c0eecd7106" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Newsology incorporates users' professions into its AI recommendation algorithms</small></p><p>When Newsology first launched, it captured users' professional information via their LinkedIn profiles. But when LinkedIn disabled that capability in May 2019, Newsology started asking people to voluntarily provide that data. Hasan says about 30% to 50% of users comply.<br/></p><p>When they don't, or when the algorithm doesn't have enough data to identify that a given article is popular with a specific profession, users receive recommendations based on which of the 30,000-plus interests<strong> </strong>they add to their profiles.</p><p>The model uses natural language processing to classify news articles, then assesses a story's popularity among a given profession by tracking how long users in that profession stay on the page. But Hasan says this method has pitfalls, as it misses the occasions when a user finds an article relevant even if they don't read it – such as when a story has a useful headline. To counteract that, Newsology has added new functionality to allow users to explicitly state when an article is of interest, rather than relying entirely on the algorithm.</p><p>Hasan says it's still early days for the app. His team is small – five including him, plus the odd contractor. The company is self-funded – he won't share how much they've invested – but Hasan says they are not looking for outside investment.</p><p>Right now the app has approximately 37,000 monthly users, and soon the company will ramp up its marketing.</p><p class="">"Our goal right now is to scale users. We're not even looking at monetization," he says. Hasan notes that it will only make financial sense to do so when Newsology has around 300,000 users. At that point, the plan is to monetize through advertising. <br/></p><p>He points to a recent trend of legacy media companies expanding into news aggregation as an encouraging sign, suggesting that this may bring future partnership opportunities. CNN is reportedly <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2019-10-23-cnn-newsco-news-aggregator-service.html" target="_blank"><u>working on a news aggregator</u></a> called NewsCo; in April <a href="https://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2020/04/07/cnn-acquires-canopy/" target="_blank"><u>it acquired Canopy</u></a>, which makes content-personalization tools, to bolster the effort. News Corp <a href="https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/news-corp-launches-knewz-with-400-plus-publishers-promising-no-clickbait-or-narrow-minded-nonsense-1203485249/" target="_blank"><u>recently launched its own aggregator</u></a>, Knewz. And scholars in South Korea <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/8/3296" target="_blank"><u>have documented a trend</u></a> of legacy news publishers forming joint ventures with search portals. </p><p>"In a world where content is being thrown at you in such high volume, it's great that AI and ML...can allow people another medium to see quality, ranked news articles," Hasan says. "We are now at a point with data analytics where we can make that even better."</p>
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Culver City-based Airvet's mission to connect more pets with vets is getting a boost.
The company announced Friday they have raised $14 million in a Series A round to expand their telemedicine and telehealth veterinary network.
CEO Brandon Werber said he's seen the number of users and doctors on its platform surge during the pandemic, as homebound pet owners scrambled to find pet care online. The company — which was launched in 2018 — now has a network of 2,600 veterinarians across 43 states, according to Werber.
<p>The raise was led by Canvas Ventures and includes funding from e.ventures, Burst Capital, Starting Line, TrueSight Ventures, Hawke Ventures, Bracket Capital, Michael Stoppelman, and several major veterinary industry leaders. dot.LA founder Spencer Rascoff <a href="https://dot.la/st/about" target="_blank">is also an investor</a>.</p><p>Pet owners can download the app on Android or iPhone and set up a meeting with a licensed vet for a $30 flat fee per session. There's no time limit per session. Werber said often those sessions include follow-ups.</p><p>About 71% of pet owners go to Google or social media to answer their questions about their pet's odd behavior, Werber said, where they often get amateur advice that can put their furry friends at risk. That, he says, is the behavior he hopes Airvet can change. </p><p>He adds the platform isn't intended to replace in-person vet visits, but to give people unsure of whether to take their pet in another option.</p><p>"So the goal for us, isn't to say 'hey, use Airvet instead of going to the (vet's) office', it's 'use Airvet instead of going to Google,"' he said. </p><p>Werber is the son of "veterinarian to the stars" Dr. Jeff Werber, a regular face on KTLA <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2017/05/06/dr-jeff-werber-delivers-top-notch-care-celebrities-pets/101278314/" target="_blank">who counts</a> Demi Moore, Rod Stewart and Nick Jonas's pets among his patients.</p><p>Werber calls his father the company's chief vet officer and the inspiration for the platform.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQyMDUyMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNTAzODU0NH0.5TnBhcPcxkdI6aC61EOryEL3yq8iWteEqZbLl96JYWc/image.jpg?width=980" id="308be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4f6b1be03050fec300ff9d6d53bb43a0" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Photo courtesy of Airvet
<p>"The vet industry has no face," he said. "People don't know their own vets' name, 50% of pet owners don't even have a primary vet."</p><p>Telehealth <a href="https://dot.la/can-telemedicine-stem-the-spread-of-coronavirus-2645650007.html" target="_self">has been growng in popularity</a> during the pandemic, and healthcare apps like Cloudbreak and GoodRx have been expanding their businesses rapidly. Virtual veterinary medicine would be a logical next step.</p><p>Airvet provides both telehealth and telemedicine. The difference is subtle but important in veterinary medicine. Any user can download the app to get recommendations and suggestions from licensed vets. But only veterinarians <a href="https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/veterinarian-client-patient-relationship-vcpr" target="_blank">who have an established relationship with the animal and the owner</a> can actually prescribe drugs or care. In most states, that must be done in person, largely because a pet can't describe pain over video chat the way a human can. A vet often has to be physically present to assess the animal's condition.</p>
<p>Airvet can help establish those relationships, but for many, the app might be most useful to figure out whether their pet's condition is serious enough to require a visit to the local vet.</p><p>"Part of our business is we partner with vet hospitals [...] so that they can practice telemedicine with their own clients," Weber said, adding that the app can also be downloaded by "any pet owner in the country for telehealth and they can get advice and guidance and support and things from vets on demand 24/7."</p><p>Werber says the app's aim is to provide everyone the experience he had with his father, one of the nation's most recognizable vets, and someone he had on call at any time of day.</p><p>"I want every pet owner to know that they have a vet in their pocket, and if anything were to happen, day or night — even three in the morning — they can tap a button and a vet will be there to talk to them within a minute or less." Werber said.</p>From Your Site Articles
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Before the pandemic, the fitness industry was booming. Then coronavirus forced the closure of gyms and boutique studios, and Struct Club took advantage of the moment to allow instructors to reach consumers directly.
<p>In this installment of<em> </em><em>dot.LA Dives In</em>, Kelly talks to Amira Polack, founder and CEO of Struct Club, a mobile app that provides instructors with software that simplifies planning and coaching a class.</p><p>Side gigging as a spin instructor while she received her MBA, Amira found herself spending hours prepping for her classes, where she was not only expected to play the role of instructor, but also DJ, choreographer, exercise scientist and motivational speaker. Struct Club was born. </p><p>Built on the idea that music helps improve fitness class attendees' performance and enjoyment, Struct Club not only allows fitness choreographers — or "pack leaders" — to create unique classes, but ensures attendees are maximizing their workouts. </p><p>In this conversation, Kelly and Amira dive into how Struct Club pivoted its business model during the pandemic, the challenges of raising money as a female and minority founder, and what trends are impacting the fitness industry. </p><p>Watch the full interview here:</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="d1f2af2642df36a6236ae58425fd9643"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mbxOESquAyU?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...">dot.LA Dives In: Fitness App Founder & CEO Amira Polack</small>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbxOESquAyU" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a></small>
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<em>Kelly O'Grady runs video and serves as the chief host & correspondent for dot.LA. Find her on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kfogrady" target="_blank">@kfogrady</a> and email her at <a href="mailto:mailto:kelly@dot.LA">kelly@dot.LA</a>.</em></p>
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