Daily Business Report: June 6, 2023
New Entrepreneurship lab launches
program to get startups off the ground
By Virginia Watson | UC San Diego
A new venture program housed at the University of California San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS) will soon be poised to help translate innovative ideas into high-value companies and nonprofits.
The Policy and Strategy Entrepreneurship Lab Venture Program, led by GPS associate professor of management Elizabeth Lyons, is tailored primarily for early-stage ideas that have promise but have not yet been brought to market.
“The objective of the program is to provide founders resources to support this early stage of their ideas and businesses, with guidance on how to put one foot in front of the other, where to focus their attention and, as a result, how to make progress in the face of what can seem like insurmountable uncertainty and workload,” Lyons said.
The program will provide concrete advice on the activity and direction on which the venture should be focused, provided by a full team of industry leaders in their respective fields.
The council of mentors providing this feedback were selected based on the members’ breadth of experience, ability to think critically and thoughtfully about novel questions and demonstrated commitment to the startup community.
Top Photo Credit: Adobe stock images
California’s digital privacy battle: It’s police
vs. civil libertarians, with an abortion twist
By Kristen Hwang | CalMatters
On March 1, 2019, 38-year-old Adbadalla Thabet arrived at a Bank of America in the Paramount neighborhood of Los Angeles to deposit cash from a string of gas stations he helped his family manage. As he parked, two other vehicles — one red, one gray — approached from behind. The driver of the gray vehicle shot and killed Thabet while the driver of the red vehicle took his backpack and sped away, court documents show.
Law enforcement suspected the two of following Thabet throughout the morning as he visited the family’s gas stations to collect money. A “reverse search warrant” allowed the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to demand that Google surrender identifying information of every device with a Google account at six locations Thabet visited during a five-hour window. The evidence collected from that warrant was used to prosecute Daniel Meza and Walter Meneses.
Meza pleaded guilty and Meneses pleaded no contest.
Law enforcement use of these warrants — also known as reverse keyword demands and geofence warrants — has become increasingly common but are controversial among civil liberties groups. They contend such warrants are unconstitutional and an invasion of digital privacy.
Navy awards Kratos $46.7 million contract
for submarine ballistic missile reentry systems
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions. Inc., a San Diego defense contractor, has been awarded a $46.7 million contract by the Navy for testing of submarine ballistic missile reentry systems at the Kratos SRE business unit in Birmingham, Ala. The effort will test materials supporting technical efforts for the U.S. and the U.K. with direct oversight from the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division Reentry Systems Office.
Pumping the brakes on autoimmune disease
Researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys, collaborating with scientists from Eli Lilly and Company, have revealed the structure and function of a drug called LY3361237, which can reduce the harmful activity of the immune system to help treat autoimmune diseases. Their work laid the foundation for a new treatment that’s currently in a Phase 2 critical trial for lupus, an autoimmune disease affecting multiple organs in the body. The study is published in Structure, a Cell Press journal.
The findings could also help scientists discover more drugs that target the immune system, a rapidly growing area of biomedical research.
“It’s miraculous that we can change the activity of the immune system with drugs, but we’re still at an incredibly early stage in terms of figuring out how this works,” says Professor Carl Ware. “The drug we describe in this study is an antibody that has shown promise in initial clinical trials, but understanding how it works on a molecular level will help scientists discover even more ways to modify the immune system to treat autoimmune diseases.”
Viasat completes acquisition of Inmarsat
Carlsbad satellite company Viasat Inc. reports that it has completed the acquisition of Inmarsat. The company’s assets, once fully integrated, are expected to increase the pace and scope of innovation in the global satellite connectivity sector, offering new and improved capabilities to customers that will address the ever-increasing speed, flexibility, reliability, coverage and security they demand.
The combined company will continue to be led by Mark Dankberg as chairman and CEO and Guru Gowrappan as president. Viasat also reconfirmed that its new global international business headquarters will be in London. Corporate headquarters will continue to be in Carlsbad. Further decisions regarding organizational structure and leadership will be determined as part of the ongoing integration process.
‘Connecting Paradise’ receives Silver Telly
Award for Non-Broadcast Documentary
“Connecting Paradise,” a documentary program exploring the challenges and opportunities of San Diego’s growth, has been honored with a national Silver Telly Award in the Non-Broacast-Documentary: Short Form (Under 40 Minutes) category.
Brian Mooney, senior vice president at Rick Engineering and immediate past president of Urban Land Institute (ULI) San Diego-Tijuana, conceived of, wrote and directed the documentary. It was produced by TW2 Marketing for ULI. The video was praised for its educational and inspirational content, resonating with audiences since its debut in November.
The documentary has been included in a San Diego History Center exhibit at Balboa Park.
The Telly Award is the documentary’s second award. Earlier this month, “Connecting Paradise” received an award from the San Diego Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA).
San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy
selected as Nonprofit of the Year
SAN DIEGO — The San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy has been selected as Senate District 38’s Nonprofit of the Year. Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, made the announcement. The SDRVC has worked for more than 30 years to preserve, protect and enhance the San Dieguito River Valley, which is considered the most intact watershed remaining in San Diego County. The watershed runs 55 miles from Volcan Mountain north of Julian through conifer and oak woodlands, grasslands and chaparral to the San Dieguito Lagoon between Del Mar and Solana Beach.
Visgenx appoints William Pedranti
as chief executive officer
SAN DIEGO — Visgenx Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing gene therapies for degenerative retinal diseases, announced the appointment of William Pedranti as chief executive officer. Pedranti will also join the company’s board of directors. Martin Emanuele, co-founder of Visgenx, will continue as chief science officer. Pedranti has twenty years of executive leadership experience in the biotech industry including seven years in the ophthalmology space.
Cardiff Oncology to present
at the Jefferies Healthcare Conference
SAN DIEGO — Cardiff Oncology Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company leveraging PLK1 inhibition, an oncology drug target, to develop novel therapies across a range of cancers, announced that company management will participate in a company presentation and 1×1 investor meetings at the Jefferies Healthcare Conference, which is taking place at the Marriott Marquis in New York from June 7-9, 2023.
Avalon Assisted Living partners
with San Diego’s Quake Global
SAN DIEGO — The Avalon, A Bridgeway Assisted Living Residence at Hillsborough, a leading provider of senior care services located in Hillsborough Township, N.J., announced a partnership with San Diego-based Quake Global, a renowned innovator in health care solutions. Bridgeway Assisted Living at Hillsborough has selected Quake’s Global BLE CareCenter, E-call and RTLS (Real-Time Location System) solution to elevate the standard of care provided to The Avalon residents.
Element Biosciences enters European genomics market
SAN DIEGO — Element Biosciences Inc., the developer of the Element AVITI System, an innovative DNA sequencing platform disrupting genomics, announced that the AVITI is now available in Europe, in addition to Asia and the Middle East. VIB, Flanders’ leading life science research institute in Belgium; Lexogen, a global leader in RNA sequencing; and IGA Technology Services, the leading Italian provider of genomic research services, are among the first customers who have chosen Element Biosciences’ AVITI sequencing platform to support their labs.
Marketing teams improve efficiency
with new features in Wrike
SAN DIEGO — Wrike, a powerful work management platform, announced new and updated features designed to enable marketing teams to improve efficiency and move at the speed of digital. Ten new marketing templates have been released to increase productivity and reduce campaign time-to-market for teams hamstrung by application overload and resource constraints. From campaign management to content calendars, Wrike’s customized pre-built templates standardize and streamline processes and help marketing teams launch campaigns in minutes.
Airgain announces asset tracking
alliance with Sensing & Control
SAN DIEGO — Airgain Inc., a leading provider of wireless connectivity solutions, announced at SIL Barcelona 2023 a new alliance with Sensing & Control, an IoT service provider based in Barcelona. Airgain’s advanced innovation, design and manufacturing expertise along with a reputation for delivering the most reliable trackers for the logistics, distribution, construction, manufacturing, and industrial industries will combine with S&C’s years of experience in creating end-to-end Internet of Things (IoT) for the Spanish market.
San Diego Wooden Boat Festival
set for June 17-18 in Shelter Island
On Father’s Day weekend June 17-18, Koehler Kraft Boatyard in Shelter Island will host the annual San Diego Wooden Boat Festival at its historic facility featuring 50-plus classic crafts, local vendors, and kids activities. Displayed boats at Koehler Kraft Co. at 2302 Shelter Island Drive will range from home-built dinghies to historic thoroughbred racing yachts. The family-friendly event is open to the public. Visitors are invited to board and tour the boats displayed. Featured boats will include a small fleet of elegant yachts that are available for private charter cruising on the bay.
Steve Eckerson selected general
manager of Pechanga Arena
SAN DIEGO — ASM Global, a producer of live entertainment experiences, has selected general manager Steve Eckerson to continue the unprecedented streak of Pechanga Arena’s attendance records as the venue nears its 60th anniversary. Following a record-setting 2022, the arena is on track for greater growth in 2023, having already hosted legendary classic rock band The Eagles in March and looking forward to two nights of Blink-182, international artist Luis Miguel, and the return of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band to San Diego after 42 years.
Fleet Week San Diego announces
schedule of events for 2023
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Fleet Week Foundation has scheduled 15 events during the 22nd Annual Fleet Week San Diego Celebration that honors and thanks the men and women of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. The series of events will kick off on Tuesday, Sept. 12, with the Enlisted and Junior Officer Golf Tournament sponsored by the Knauss School of Business at USD, at Singing Hills Golf Course at Sycuan. For a list of events, visit https://fleetweeksandiego.org
