Keerthi Vedantam

1 week ago | labusinessjournal.com | Keerthi Vedantam

Impulse Space Inc., a spacecraft manufacturer based in Redondo Beach, announced in early June it raised $300 million in series C funding, led by Linse Capital. The new funding comes at a time when Los Angeles’ space sector, home to 5% of the world’s space companies, is in a lurch due to increasing geopolitical tensions, war and cybersecurity attacks. The Trump Administration’s 2026 budget request would slash the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s funding for science projects in half.

1 week ago | labusinessjournal.com | Keerthi Vedantam

In 2023, Nathan Mintz received a call from Porter Smith, a veteran of the United States military and investment partner at Andreessen Horowitz. Smith had visited Ukraine amid the Russian invasion of the Eastern European country, witnessing the nature of war technology changing from a physical battlefield to an electromagnetic one. Instead of fighting primarily via infantry, armored vehicle and aviation units, Ukraine and Russia used drones, sensors and the electromagnetic spectrum.

2 weeks ago | labusinessjournal.com | Keerthi Vedantam

When George Jacobs started his ghost kitchens startup, Accelerate, he didn’t expect to abandon the concept four years later. But that’s what happened. Jacobs built Accelerate on the success of virtual restaurants – the idea that one kitchen could operate under several restaurants on food delivery platforms and search engine optimize its way to more online sales. Accelerate raised a $14.4 million series A round led by venture giant Sequoia Capital before completely revamping the company in 2024.

1 month 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,...

1 month 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.