In 2010, then-President Barack Obama instructed NASA to provide grants to private companies to let them develop spacecraft. This shift in space policy from government-controlled has created a massive opportunity for the private sector to fully get involved in space aviation for the first time. In 2020, SpaceX launched its first flight with humans on board, transporting two astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). Looking to capitalize on this new frontier is Epsilon3, a LA startup comprised of engineers and designers from SpaceX, Google, and Northrop. The company, founded during the pandemic, is building the operating system to power space launches. Most of the existing software used on space missions are legacy and derive from space exploration’s heyday in the 1960s and do not serve the sophisticated needs of today’s industry. Epsilon3 integrates workflows and data in real-time and provides a comprehensive operational management solution that results in fewer errors, increased efficiency by reducing engineering hours needed, and offers continuous improvement through analytics. LA TechWatch caught up with CEO and Cofounder Laura Crabtree to learn more about how her experience working on 100+ space launches led to her “AHA” moment to build Epsilon3, the company’s future plans, and recent round of funding, from investors that include MaC Venture Capital, Stage Venture Partners, and assorted strategic angels.
Transportation
Envoy Raises $11M to Make Electric Vehicle Sharing a Building Amenity
In 2010, there were 17,000 electric cars on the road. By the end of the decade there were over 7.2M. This increase has been largely attributable to improvements in affordability and accessibility. Culver City-based Envoy is bringing electric cars to residential buildings, offices, hotels with its electric vehicle sharing service. Largely focused on the residential housing market, the company partners with building owners to offer access to its fleet of electric cars as a basic building amenity like a pool or clubhouse. LA TechWatch caught up with Cofounder and CEO Aric Ohana to learn more about Envoy’s focus on make mobility an amenity, the company’s future plans, and recent round of funding from investors that include Shell Ventures, Building Ventures, DENSO, Goodyear Ventures, GroundBreak Ventures, and the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator Impact Fund.
Xos Trucks Raises $20M to Make Last-Mile Delivery Cleaner and Greener
California recently passed regulations requiring that over 50% of all commercial trucks sold in the state must be zero-emissions by 2035 and other states have signed a memorandum to phase out all diesel-burning medium- to heavy-duty truck and bus sales by 2050. These new laws signal promise and opportunity for companies like Xos Trucks, the LA company building state-of-the-art OEM electric trucks that forge together battery packs, chassis, and software. Xos Trucks’ flagship X-Platform 1 is fully electric and compatible with a variety of medium-duty bodies, wheelbases, and range requirements up to 200 miles. The X-Platform 1 is often customized into Class 6 medium-duty bodies that fulfill short-range deliveries, which have been used by UPS. Xos Trucks is also developing the ET-One, a Class 8 heavy-duty truck that can carry 80,000 pounds and can travel 150 miles per charge. 65% percent of trucks on the road travel less than 150 miles per day and Xos is addressing this market with its solutions to make last-mile delivery sustainable and efficient. COO and Cofounder Giordano Sordoni shares more about Xos Trucks is disrupting an $8T industry from the ground up with saavy engineering and software.
HopSkipDrive Raises $22M to Bring School Transportation into the Modern Era
Do you remember running to try and catch the school bus? Or if you’re a parent, especially a working parent, the morning chaos that comes with ensuring your child gets on the school bus on time and arranging carpools for afterschool activities? Well, all this angst and planning can be easily avoided by using HopSkipDrive, […]
EV Connect Raises Another $12M for its Centralized Infrastructure for EV Charging Stations
Electronic vehicles are increasing in popularity with the number of electronic vehicles expected to increase by 170 million by 2030. This impressive growth will be supported by EV Connect’s tech-agnostic and cloud-based platform for managing electronic vehicle (EV) charging stations. As the industry grows, having a centralized cloud infrastructure that can resolve issues in seconds instead […]
EV Connect Raises $8M to Shape The Future of Electronic Vehicles
According to CEO and cofounder of EV Connect Jordan Ramer, it is estimated that by 2030 there will be roughly 5M to 15M publicly accessible commercial charging ports for electric vehicles, and this is a global estimation. EV Connect has been on the forefront of the electronic vehicle (EV) industry since its inception. This cloud-based software platform […]