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LA TechWatch

The Pulse of LA Tech

Real Estate

Dogdrop Raises $2.9M for its On-Demand and Flexible Dog Day Care Service

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The pandemic has brought flexibility to the forefront whether it be for work or living. This is no different for our dogs that have also had to adjust to our at-home and remote living lifestyles. Dogdrop is a flexible provider of dog care services that’s expanding nationwide to cater to the needs of dog owners. Rather than traditional dog daycare services, where you drop off Buster, for the traditional 9-5 workday, Dogdrop offers on-demand care with clients able to drop off without an appointment and for shorter periods, giving dog parents flexibility when juggling everything on their schedule and providing often much-needed socialization for the dogs. The company opened its first location in Downtown LA just before the pandemic hit our shores and is now poised to scale with a plan to franchise the model to new cities like Charlotte, Austin, Denver, and Salt Lake City as well as expand to new locations across LA. There is a range of pricing options spanning from pay-as-you-go ($10/hr,$40/day) to an unlimited option ($600); Dogdrop also monetizes with its own line of dog care products – wipes and poop bags. LA TechWatch caught up with Dogdrop CEO and Cofounder Shaina Denny to learn more about how her personal experience led to the company’s founding, strategic expansion plans, latest round of funding from investors that include Fuel Capital, Muse Capital, Animal Capital, Gaingels, The Helm, Mars PetCare and Garrett Smallwood.

Curri Raises $6M for its Last-Minute Delivery Service for Construction Materials

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Any construction project has various moving parts that need to be carefully coordinated so that projects are completed on time and on budget. More often than not, there are delays resulting from one facet of the project that ripples into the entire timeline. Curri tackles the availability of building materials with its on-demand delivery service that empowers building materials suppliers to meet the demanding needs of their customers. The company’s platform lets suppliers and distributors select from Curri’s fleet of cars, trucks, flatbeds, or vans operated by gig workers, paying for the appropriate last-mile delivery vehicle based on actual usage similar to ride-sharing. This relieves the supplier of having to maintain an in-house fleet, leading to optimized shipping costs as the last-mile delivery portion is the single most expensive part of the supply chain for building materials. LA TechWatch caught up with Growth Marketing Manager Alice Warnier to learn more about bringing tech-powered logistics to the construction industry, the company strategic plans, and latest funding from investors that include Brick & Mortar Ventures, Initialized Capital, and Rainfall Ventures.

Metropolis Raises $41M to Modernize the Experience of Parking in Cities with Technology

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So much attention has been paid to improving urban mobility, starting with ride-sharing, shared scooters, bicycle lines but not much has been paid to improving the accessibility and availability of parking. Metropolis is on a mission to change that. It’s a sophisticated parking management system, powered by computer vision, that leverages technology to improve the experience of parking for both consumers and parking garage operators. With a single app, consumers can find convenient parking options and pay without having to worry about availability, payments, tips, and the like. For operators, in addition to cost savings, they are finally able to gain valuable data on capacity, utilization, and customer behavior while having their locations staffed by dedicated teams from Metropolis. LA TechWatch caught up with CEO, Cofounder, and repeat founder Alex Israel (ParkMe acquire by Inrix) to learn more about the state of the parking industry, the company’s expansion plans, latest round of funding from investors that include Starwood Capital, 01 Advisors (Dick Costolo and Adam Bain), Dragoneer, Slow Ventures, Zigg Capital, DivcoWest, RXR (Scott Rechler), Dan Doctoroff, Baron Davis, Halogen Ventures (Jesse Draper), and Gideon Hixon.

Envoy Raises $11M to Make Electric Vehicle Sharing a Building Amenity

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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.

FanFlex Strengthens the Relationship Between Venues and Musicians Through its Booking Platform

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For independent musicians, finding and securing a venue for your next performance is difficult and time-consuming, and there is no guarantee that you’ll leave at the end of the night with a pocket of cash. FanFlex is the do-it-yourself booking platform that allows venues to list their space and availability dates, allowing musicians to easily book venues and sell tickets directly to fans through the FanFlex platform. The two-sided marketplace lets venues shift their focus from selling tickets to maximizing food and beverage revenue, while the musician controls the ticket sales. LA TechWatch caught up with Cofounder Erik Nelson to learn more about FanFlex and how his background in the entertainment industry served as the genesis for the platform.

Outer Raises $4.3M to Bring Style and Sustainability to Outdoor Furniture

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With COVID-19 spreading rapidly throughout the nation, summer travel plans have been halted and people are planning to spend more time at home and in their backyards.  The demand for outdoor furniture, grills, and patio heaters is surging. Outer is an innovative direct-to-consumer outdoor furniture brand that’s meeting this demand. CEO and Cofounder Jiake Liu walks us through how the brand is adapting to the pandemic, the company’s plan to expand its line, and latest funding round from prominent LA investors and operators that include Mucker Capital, Wavemaker, George Ruan, Eddy Lu, Nick Green, Ariel Kaye, and Mark Geller.

GreatBuildz Reduces the Stress of Renovations by Matching People with The Best Contractors

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Renovations are stressful, but when the process is combined with a bad contractor, a renovation can quickly turn into a horror story. GreatBuildz wants people to have great renovation experiences and avoid unreasonable extra charges, poor craftsmanship, and project delays. The company has built a screening service to match vetted contractors to projects. GreatBuildz ensures […]

AvantStay Raises $20M to Create the Ultimate Travel Experience for Groups

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AvantStay is a technology and experience-first hospitality brand that is redefining the way in which people travel by offering short-term rentals tailored for groups.

SERVIZ Acquired by Porch

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Sherman Oaks-based SERVIZ, the discovery platform for finding service providers for homes, has been acquired by Seattle-based Porch, another similar platform for finding home professionals. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 2014 by Michael Kline and Zorik Gordon, SERVIZ had raised $20M in funding over two reported round with its last round […]