Wednesday, September 6, 2017


SpaceX Eyes Launch From Florida Tomorrow, Despite Approaching Hurricane
Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX is slated to launch a secretive U.S. Air Force space plane into orbit on Thursday, if all goes well--despite Hurricane Irma bearing down on the state. According to the U.S. Air Force, the launch window for launching the military's X-37B space plane atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 opens on Thursday at 9:50 a.m., with an alternative launch window opening up on Friday morning. The U.S. military has not said much about it's robotic X-37B "Orbital Test Vehicle", however, the (More info...)
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Sir Richard Branson Survives Irma, Says Son
Sir Richard Branson, the business mogul who said he'd be riding out Hurricane Irma on his private island, Necker Island, in the British Virgin Islands, appears to have survived the hurricane intact--according to his son, Sam. Sam Branson said in a post on Instagram that "all humans on Necker are okay", although "a lot of buildings destroyed" (sic). Sir Richard Branson--who had been actively posting on Twitter up until the evening, had said that the group of people staying at Necker Island would (More info...)
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HTT Inks Deal To Bring Hyperloop To India
Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) the Hyperloop technology developer led by Dirk Ahlborn, said on Wednesday that it has signed an agreement which will bring the first Hyperloop transportation system to the country of India. HTT said it signed a deal with the Government of the Indian State of Andhra Pradesh to connect the city centers of Amaravati and Vijaywada. HTT said the route would help turn what is now a trip of over one hour to just a six minute ride, and is the first agreement (More info...)
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AnyMeeting Acquired By Intermedia
Irvine-based web- and video-conferencing provider AnyMeeting has been acquired by Mountain View-based Intermedia, the two companies said on Wednesday, to help Intermedia bolsters its unified communications (UC) tools. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. According to Intermedia, the it acquired "substantially all" of the asets of AnyMeeting in the acquisition. AnyMeeting's CEO and founder is Costin Tuculescu. Details on the acquisition had been leaked in August.
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Kohl's To Sell Amazon Devices In Some LA Stores
Department store operator Kohl's announced this morning that it will begin selling Amazon.com devices, including Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Amazon Fire TV, and Fire tablets, and more, at dedicated spaces within its stores. Kohl's said it will dedicate sections of its stores--manned by Amazon.com employees--to sell the high tech gadgets, starting at 10 "select" Los Angeles and Chicago stores. Kohl's said it will have 1,000-square-foot "Amazon" zones in those stores, which will provide interactive and (More info...)
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ViaSat Gets Win With EL AL Israel Airlines
Carlsbad-based in-flight broadband and satellite connectivity provider ViaSat and EL AL Israel Airlines said today that EL AL has selected ViaSat to power on-board Wi-Fi on its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Financial impact of the win was not announced. EL AL Israel Airlines recently announced a deal to purchase 16 new Boeing 787 Dreamliners for its fleet. ViaSat's equipent is expected to be installed at Boeing's factory, in early 2018.
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MabVax Therapeutics Hires Greenhill & Co. As It Seeks Sale
San Diego-based oncology drug developer MabVax Therapeutics announced today that it has hired Greenhill & Co. as its investment banking advisor, as it explores "strategic alternatives", including a full company sale, licensing agreements or asset sale coupled with a reverse merger for the company. MabVax--which had announced it was seeking a sale in August--had earlier said it had hired a banker, but had not announced who would be helping it with its efforts. MabVax said that Greenhill will be a (More info...)
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Axonics Names Chief Medical Officer
Irvine-based Axonics Modulation Technologies, which is developing medical devices for treatment of urinary and bowel dysfunction, said today that it has named Karen L. Noblett, M.D., M.A.S., as its Chief Medical Officer. Noblett was the ounding Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of California, Riverside, School of Medicine, and has been the Chief Medical Officer at the University of California, Irvine for the past 20 years.
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Chrome River Wins Indiana University
Los Angeles-based expense and invoice management software developer Chrome River has scored a win with Indiana University, saying that the school will use its software to streamline expense management for more than 20,000 faculty and staff. Financial details of the win were not announced. Chrome River said Indiana University is usings its cloud-based, expense management solution, EXPENSE, which will integrate with the University's existing travel booking and procurement cards. Chrome River is l (More info...)
posted on Wednesday, September 6, 2017(Full story)