Keerthi Vedantam

3 weeks ago | labusinessjournal.com | Keerthi Vedantam

At Two Bit Circus in Santa Monica, blending in with the Ms. Pac Man and other freestanding arcade games, far away from the crowded bartender counters sticky with fruit juice, is a beer-dispensing machine known as the ‘Beertender.’ The high-tech keg machine – imagine a soda fountain dispenser but with craft beer and other alcoholic beverages – is the newest product from downtown-based Rotender.The venture capital-backed drinks machine startup has found a home at stadiums, concert halls,...

3 weeks ago | labusinessjournal.com | Keerthi Vedantam

Griffin Gaming Partners, a Santa Monica-based venture firm focused on investing in the gaming industry, announced on Wednesday it led a $7 million raise in Fuse Games, an independent game development studio that was founded in 2023. NFX Capital, Actera and Lakestar participated in the round. Istanbul-based Fuse Games is a mobile gaming studio that currently has one game out, known as “Playground Legends,” which is a multiplayer first-person shooter battle game.

1 month ago | labusinessjournal.com | Keerthi Vedantam

Parallel Systems, a downtown Los Angeles-based company, bills itself as the world’s first autonomous battery-electric rail system. Its battery-powered autonomous freight system works with existing freight devices, like train cars that carry shipping containers through the vast network of the U.S. railway – once a symbol of American industrialism that fell out of favor as paved highways made trucking the choice mode of on-land, short-distance logistics.

1 month ago | labusinessjournal.com | Keerthi Vedantam

Titan Content Inc., a U.S. based music agency focused on K-pop, sold roughly $12.9 million in equity in mid-April, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings. According to a Notice of Exempt Offering of Securities filed on April 14, Titan Content offered $20 million in equity, sold roughly $12.9 million and has around $7.1 million remaining. Thirteen undisclosed investors have participated in the offering.

1 month ago | labusinessjournal.com | Keerthi Vedantam

Coco Robotics Inc. is getting bigger. The delivery robot company based in Santa Monica announced a partnership with food delivery platform DoorDash Inc. in early April, eight months after announcing a similar partnership with Uber’s delivery platform Uber Eats. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Portions of Los Angeles are littered with these insulated tubs on wheels, some of which have digital screens showing blinking eyes, others sporting a tall flag to warn any unsuspecting pedestrians.