Here are the latest updates on news affecting Los Angeles' startup and tech communities. Sign up for our newsletter and follow dot.LA on Twitter for more.
Today:
- Rights Management Platform Brainbase Beefs Up C-Suite, Following $8M Raise
- Former QuickBook Executive to Lead Headspace's International Operations as Global Audience Grows
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Headspace Adds Former QuickBook Executive as Global Audience Grows
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjY3OTM3MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMTI4MjEwMX0.3lEVWrHJp9r5rJpYEhx7sQUk-RHdMhOhdnzevOukAME/img.jpg?width=980" id="3bd78" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6995569c302d1648ea6a013eb0bff407" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Headspace makes meditation app free for the nation's 23 million unemployedShutterstock<p>In the world of meditation, there is no time like the present. That's especially true for Santa Monica, Calif.-based Headspace.</p> <p>The mindfulness and meditation company, with more than 65 million users in 190 countries, has seen its consumer product's downloads double since March, which was the same month the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus a global pandemic.</p> <p>Headspace for Work, its corporate mental health offering, has also seen a 500% increase in interest, as companies like Tesco, Hewlett Packard Enterprises and Publicis signed on. Europe has become the fastest-growing region for such corporate partnerships worldwide.</p> <p>That global growth led Headspace to announce Tuesday plans to expand its executive staff, appointing Jolawn Victor to the newly-created role of chief international officer.</p> <p>"The need for mindfulness and meditation to mitigate stress and anxiety to care for our mental health, is more prevalent now than ever," said CeCe Morken, president and COO of Headspace, in a statement. "Whether we are reaching members through our work-place solutions, or the curated content in-language, we are more committed than ever to our goal of making mindfulness accessible to all, regardless of where they may be." </p> <p>Victor, who is London-based, previously worked at Intuit QuickBooks where she served as the head of emerging markets and global expansion and led operations across 150 countries. Victor has also worked at PepsiCo, Kraft and General Mills. She said in a statement that she is thrilled to "help increase the awareness of mental health and wellness in existing and emerging markets" especially today.</p> <p>The stats tell the tale of stress, anxiety and isolation that has brought users to Headspace.</p> <p>Since mid-March through the end of May, Headspace reports it saw live group meditation up by 70%, 10 times the numbers of users beginning the company's stressed meditation program and 12 times the users doing a "reframing anxiety at-home" workout. Headspace also found a 33% increase in sleep music usage. </p> <p>Earlier this year, the meditation company announced a <a href="https://dot.la/headspace-raises-93-million-2645125732.html" target="_self">Series C funding raise of $93 million</a> with an extension of $47.7 million that Headspace said it applied this June.</p><p>___</p><p><em>Do you have a story that needs to be told? My DMs are open on Twitter </em><a href="https://twitter.com/latams" target="_blank"><em>@latams</em></a><em>. You can also email me at tami(at)dot.la, or ask for my contact on Signal, for more secure and private communications.</em></p>Rights Management Platform Brainbase Beefs Up C-Suite, Following $8M Raise
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzYwMjAyMC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzkzMTUwMn0.artE9H5bfYWx7Ii1KBMuBQmyiPhuJxvFxyZB_IgvNLs/image.png?width=980" id="82152" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="eb5227da4aaa2e157fb12e579eb089ad" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Brainbase" /><p>Brainbase, an L.A.-based tech company aiming to simplify and streamline the management of intellectual property like copyrights and patents, announced two executive hires on Tuesday. The moves follow the company's $8 million Series A in May, led by Bessemer Venture Partners and Nosara Capital. </p><p>Gautam Godse, former vice president of product at Glendale-based LegalZoom, which offers technology to replace lawyers for some legal tasks, is now Brainbase's senior vice president of product. He is charged with expanding Brainbase's product suite to help brands further monetize their intellectual property. </p><p>"There is a tremendous opportunity to modernize the intellectual property space using advanced machine learning and AI techniques," Godse said in a statement. "I am excited to join the team and start building these new product experiences in the legal tech industry." </p><p>Henri Kroosmann, the former engineering manager at enterprise sales software provider Pipedrive joins Brainbase as vice president of engineering. He will focus on optimizing the product, recruiting engineers and positioning the company for long-term growth. </p><p>"I want to use my experience to take the company to the next level in terms of quality, scalability and performance," Kroosmann said.</p><p>Brainbase is <a href="https://dot.la/meet-the-24-year-old-trying-to-disrupt-the-intellectual-property-industry-2646319922.html" target="_self">helmed by mid-20s wunderkind Nate Cavanaugh</a>, who called this moment "an important inflection point for the company." It counts among its clients BuzzFeed, the Vincent Van Gogh Museum and Sanrio (of Hello Kitty and friends fame). </p>From Your Site Articles
- Brainbase CEO Nate Cavanaugh on Striking Out as a Young CEO ... ›
- Headspace makes meditation app free for the nation's 23 million ... ›
- Snap Partners with Headspace For Meditation Tools - dot.LA ›
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Snap Inc unveiled a flurry of new features and products at its partner summit on Thursday. The Santa Monica company held its event virtually this year due to the coronavirus.
Chief Executive Evan Spiegel kicked things off with brief remarks, including an announcement that Snap is partnering with Headspace, also based in Santa Monica.
"Soon, directly in Snapchat, Headspace will offer meditations and tools that help Snapchatters check in with their friends and family, and stay healthy," Spiegel said.
<p>
Yesterday, Headspace closed a <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1805085/000180508520000002/xslFormDX01/primary_doc.xml" target="_blank">$47.7 million raise</a>, part of their <a href="https://dot.la/headspace-raises-93-million-2645125732.html" target="_self">Series C</a> that was $53 million in equity and $40 million in debt.
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Snap Inc. Chief Executive Evan Spiegel kicked off this year's partner summit, which was held virtually due to coronavirus fears.</small>
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Spiegel also noted that the Snap app will soon feature a new toolbar with tabs for chat, maps, camera, friends and its Discover platform.<br/>
</p><p>
Much of the presentation centered around AR, which the company has been building on for eight years. That work shows up on Snap's app in the form of "lenses," which overlay digital features onto a camera's subject. Lenses are developed by Snap and also by independent users.
</p><p>Snap claims about 1 million lenses are available in total and that over 170 million users engage with them on a daily basis, nearly 30 times each day.
</p><p>
A procession of Snap executives followed Spiegel in rapid succession, introducing new features and partnerships related to their divisions. Here are a few of the highlights:
</p><h2>Snap's AR Lenses Get Supercharged
</h2><p>
Snap's Lens Studio, a desktop app for third-party developers and artists to develop their own lenses, will now allow developers to upload their code into the studio platform and use their own machine learning models to create lens designs.
</p><p>New "local lenses", meanwhile, will use 360 image capture, user snaps, and other data in conjunction with 3D-reconstruction, machine learning and distributed cloud computing technology to "build a representation of the physical world...and map whole city blocks", allowing a new level of AR mapping onto users' surroundings.<br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-proxy-image">
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Snap's local lenses will allow users to transform cities with AR</small></p><p>
Snap's scanning feature will soon enable users to point their cameras at plants, dogs, nutritional labels and brands to get more information, such as the type of plant, dog breed, health information and company histories. Scan will also begin accommodating voice activation. Users will be able to ask Snapchat to add on AR features like a new hot-pink hairdo or a cuddly bearhug.<br/>
</p><p>
"Today Scan helps you learn more about what you're seeing in front of you," a Snap executive said. "Tomorrow, it will give you results based on what you're saying."
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<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/lPCKYXFE7SHLjON_DieZv4I5dbw3gz6yUPJ-uKJI1XGNvCSPheZJKey5sjJjgHvOE_0PYY36AkMhKSAm5Jb7v_JjK7VYOKPLekWUav0Ll-QQPmUXVOopaQtnb4beGci6wonmRAWJ" target="_blank"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vbWVkaWEucmJsLm1zL2ltYWdlP3U9JTJGbFBDS1lYRkU3U0hMak9OX0RpZVp2NEk1ZGJ3M2d6NnlVUEotdUtKSTFYR052Q1NQaGVaSktleTVzakpqZ0h2T0VfMFBZWTM2QWtNaEtTQW01SmI3dl9Kaks3VllPS1BMZWtXVWF2MExsLVFRUG1VWFZPb3BhUXRuYjRiZUdjaTZ3b25tUkFXSiZobz1odHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRmxoNS5nb29nbGV1c2VyY29udGVudC5jb20mcz0zMTYmaD0yZGE4MDU1MDk1MjQ3NDQwMTFlZDRiZjhiY2NiZWYwYjU0Mzc3OGRkZjc3ZmUyODc4OTQ0ODA0ZDhjNDdmNGJiJnNpemU9OTgweCZjPTM3MDMxMTU5MjEiLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjE5NzMzNDgyfQ.gXwXAA0dyohFB4tvwBIDLrS_RRNZ_392NmnjqntTQcg/img.jpg" id="4d716" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ddedbe0f3e0c26190b71c04cc900645e" /></a>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Snap's scanning technology got an upgrade </small></p><h2>
Snap's Discover Platform Inks New Partnerships with Disney, ESPN and Sports Leagues <br/>
</h2><p>Snap announced expanded partnerships with Disney, ESPN, NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS, the NBA and the NFL for its Discover platform. These multi-year deals will reportedly include shows repurposed for mobile viewing, original content, and highlights. </p><p>
The company also introduced Happening Now, "aimed to be the fastest way for Snapchatters to consume breaking news." Updates from partners including the Washington Post, Reuters and Bloomberg will appear in mobile-friendly format.
</p><p>
Snap announced several new shows as well, including unscripted, scripted and docuseries formats. It also renewed four original series.
</p><h2>Snap Ramps Up Integration With Brands and Companies
</h2><p>
Snap Minis, designed by third-party developers, are new utility features that integrate into Snap users' chat windows. As The Information <a href="https://www.theinformation.com/articles/snap-plans-expanded-developer-platform-that-echoes-wechat" target="_blank">reported</a> last month, this functionality resembles Chinese chat platform WeChat, which takes a cut of in-app purchases. In <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/11/21286537/snap-minis-snapchat-partner-summit-2020-announcements" target="_blank">an interview with The Verge</a>, Spiegel explained that Minis represent Snap's expansion into e-commerce.
</p><p>
The initial slate of Minis includes partnerships with L.A.-based Atom Tickets, which will make it easier for Snap users to plan a group movie theater outing, and L.A.-based Mammoth Media, which will allow users to share predictions with their friends. Quick meditations from Headspace, flashcards for studying from Saturn Technologies, and coordination planning for Coachella are also among the new Mini features.
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<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="24c0443afd6b2cf19c2cdee8e7ece210"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qye-qIdwV8M?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...">The Next Small Thing from Snapchat...Minis! | Snap Partner Summit 2020</small>
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Minis will begin to roll out next month, the company said.<br/>
</p><p>Separately, Snap will also allow other applications to incorporate its AR tech.
</p><p>
"We built one of the world's most powerful AR cameras so you don't have to," an executive said.
</p><p>
Apps that will integrate Snap's AR functionality include Triller, which allows users to create their own music videos; MLB's Ballpark app, wherein teams will offer customized lenses for fans; and a new app from Nike that challenges users to reach their fitness and wellness goals.
</p><p>
And through "dynamic lenses," Snapchat will import lenses from other apps, including Houseparty and Yahoo! Fantasy Sports.
</p><h2>Snap's Maps Functionality Allows Friends to Find Each Other and Local Businesses </h2><p>
"In an effort to help out local businesses," Spiegel said, "we're rolling out Places on the Snap Map, highlighting places that are popular with our community and easily allowing the places we love to let people know they're open for business."
</p><h2>Snap Unveils A New Slate of Games </h2><p>
Finally, Snap announced several third-party games that will now allow users to bring in their Bitmoji digital avatars, including Scrabble Go, developed by Culver City-based Scopely Inc.
</p><p>
Snap also introduced 10 new games that will be available on its platform. Bitmoji Paint, for example, designed by Snap's internal studio, "is a global canvas where millions of players in the Snapchat community come together to contribute to one massive collage," an executive described.
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<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/ao0_jttyGxutXvbjt7iGiX7APxlqGHN6_0klGCDLBaM-lzqP_zZ6NqGPDlJIo9m6pGnJ3sJKDfGQ6kM5BRN0iRL_rc6rPOanEK_Hxpupn7edhPBIOEnot1kxPIsnLMyFdePF92Kr" target="_blank"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vbWVkaWEucmJsLm1zL2ltYWdlP3U9JTJGYW8wX2p0dHlHeHV0WHZianQ3aUdpWDdBUHhscUdITjZfMGtsR0NETEJhTS1senFQX3paNk5xR1BEbEpJbzltNnBHbkozc0pLRGZHUTZrTTVCUk4waVJMX3JjNnJQT2FuRUtfSHhwdXBuN2VkaFBCSU9Fbm90MWt4UElzbkxNeUZkZVBGOTJLciZobz1odHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRmxoNS5nb29nbGV1c2VyY29udGVudC5jb20mcz04NzImaD1kZjk2YmQ3N2RkZTM0NzI3NzU0NjMyYTAwMGI4NGY0ZTgxNzMxMjM5YWJlZDc3ZjM1ZDM5MGNiNTk2YmNhNTliJnNpemU9OTgweCZjPTI5NjYxMzUxNDYiLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjQwODYzNzU5fQ.hTGPfUuha55Nt1T7919wvkut2mVsjePpVvj8juLZYrY/img.jpg" id="1b95f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f110ec2ebe9582dc56e22d1615379fb9" /></a>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Snap's slate of games continues to grow</small></p><p>
Spiegel returned to the stage to close out the keynote section of the summit before it dispersed into several virtual rooms to elaborate on specific announcements.<br/>
</p><p>
"We believe that the Snapchat generation will help create a world built on real friendship, shared success, positivity and possibility – putting people, the environment and our values first," he said in his closing remarks. "We are all kind, smart and creative and we will build a brighter future together."
</p><p>
The summit comes as Snap has found itself at the center of a fraught back-and-forth with the president. Earlier this month, the self-described camera company made headlines by deciding to <a href="https://dot.la/trump-snapchat-2646151172.html" target="_blank">stop promoting President Donald Trump's account</a> on its Discover platform, where users watch Snap-curated content. The company did not directly address the issue on Thursday.
</p><p>
In response to Snap's announcements, Credit Suisse wrote that it is "feeling incrementally more optimistic about the company's ability to maintain or even gain time spent with its user base."
</p><p>
Snap's stock fell over 7% on the day at the market close, on a day when the S&P 500 index dropped nearly 6%.
</p>
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Here are the latest headlines regarding how the novel coronavirus is impacting the Los Angeles startup and tech communities. Sign up for our newsletter and follow dot.LA on Twitter for the latest updates.
- Newsom: Employment fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has exceeded the Great Recession
- Headspace makes meditation app free for the nation's 23 million unemployed
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Newsom: Employment fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has exceeded the Great Recession
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzI4MTAyMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MTI2Mjg0OX0.py817xQovvxJseqeu3QhbbAQ3U3f5GqzY2zSlYMwRrA/image.jpg?width=980" id="6209c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6c312e7a6d9589c141d1e8ef0d84de0e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /> <p>Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that the employment fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has exceeded the economic crisis that brought on the Great Recession. Some 4.6 million Californians have filed jobless claims, and has forced the stater to borrow billions of dollars from the federal government to cover claims. "These unemployment numbers are jaw dropping," Newsom said <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-05-14/california-unemployment-federal-loans-gavin-newsom-budget-deficit" target="_blank">at a press conference</a>. "We are at a time that is simply unprecedented."</p><p>Newsom said the state will need $43.8 billion to cover unemployment claims in the new year, a 650% increase over what was originally predicted. The federal government controls a trust that helps states cover jobless benefits during a recession. The governor said the state's unemployment rate is expected to peak at more than 24.5% this year. But, the rate for the whole year will hover at about 18% -- still significantly higher than the 12.3% peak during the height of the economic crisis. </p>Headspace makes meditation app free for the nation's 23 million unemployed
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjY3OTM3MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMTI4MjEwMX0.3lEVWrHJp9r5rJpYEhx7sQUk-RHdMhOhdnzevOukAME/img.jpg?width=980" id="3bd78" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="faed0b0d4c170632b8034d61d843abac" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Shutterstock<p>Headspace, the Santa Monica-based meditation and wellness app, is giving the nation's unemployed workers a free year to help them during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Labor Department reported that jobless claims were up by another 2.98 million last week, bringing the total unemployment claims number to a massive 22.83 million people.</p><p>"The current state of unemployment in America has become an alarming crisis," the company <a href="https://www.headspace.com/unemployed" target="_blank">said in its pitch to get people to sign up</a>. "To help those affected, we're offering a full year of Headspace Plus for free. Discover meditation and mindfulness tools to help you feel less stressed, more resilient, and kinder to yourself." The company was previously working with the City of Los Angeles in offering residents a free trial. Headspace requires that people list their last employer and date of separation, but it was not known how the company would verify that information. There are more than 1,200 hours of meditation content on the app. </p>From Your Site Articles
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