Daily Business Report-April 22, 2021
Women business owners group launches training
academies for San Diego women entrepreneurs
The San Diego chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) has launched its first nine-week program for nine local women entrepreneurs. Called the Bank of America Launch Academy, participants are guided through 17 foundational steps of launching a business taught in a “Steps to Startup” e-course taught by Felena Hanson, president of NAWBO San Diego and founder of co-working space Hera Hub.
In the fall, a second nine-week program, the Bank of America Grow Academy, will be offered to nine local women business owners who have already achieved over $250,000 in annual revenue and are seeking to grow their businesses.
In addition to the formal instruction, the time will be used to brainstorm ideas, receive feedback, learn from guest subject-matter experts, and build a community among the participants. Participants will also be paired with a “business buddy” whose goals are closely aligned with their own to create further support and connection throughout the program. Businesses selected for the Launch phase of the program range from a time-management product to an educational platform for women who speak Farsi.
“We are thrilled to support aspiring entrepreneurs by providing an educational program with a collaborative environment to help set their businesses up for success,” said Hansen. “Our long-time partnership with Bank of America helps us provide this opportunity to a promising group of women.”
Thirty-six percent of small businesses in San Diego are women-owned, as of January 2019.
Feature Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com
Top smartphone brands, by global sales
Visual Capitalist
The Briefing
• In 2020, Samsung remained the top smartphone vendor based on units sold.
Of the top five brands, Apple and Xiaomi were the only ones that saw sales increase in 2020.
• China is expected to see the most sales in 2021, but the highest growth areas are projected to be in Western Europe, Latin America, and in more mature markets in the Asia-Pacific.
Many industries took a hit last year, and the smartphone market was no exception—in 2020, smartphone sales worldwide dropped by 12 percent.
Yet, despite an overall decrease, two of the top five global brands—Apple and Xiaomi—experienced an uptick in sales from the year prior.
Forecast for 2021
The future looks promising for global smartphone sales, and this year is no exception. In fact, Gartner expects 11.4 percent growth in comparison to last year.
According to Gartner, growth is on the horizon for two main reasons—delayed device replacement, which was reflected in last year’s sales slump, and increased availability of new, more affordable products.
City Council accepts state grant for cannabis equity program
The San Diego City Council has agreed to accept a $75,000 grant from the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development to “advance economic justice for populations and communities disproportionately affected by cannabis prohibition.”
The state grant provides funding in cities and local governments with legal cannabis markets to evaluate the historical impacts of cannabis criminalization locally, assess potential funding and program opportunities, as well as identify constraints to entry in the current regulatory framework.
“This grant will provide essential funding to help develop a cannabis equity program specific to San Diego, supporting those most disadvantaged by cannabis criminalization in our city through inclusive business ownership and employment strategies in our regulated cannabis industry,” said PJ FitzGerald, deputy director of the city’s Cannabis Business Division.
Yembo secures $8.5 million Series A financing round
Yembo, an artificial intelligence- enabled visual survey company, announced it has completed a $8.5 million Series A round of financing led by Imagen Capital Partners. The company will utilize the proceeds to further advance its efforts toward the moving and relocation sector, while also developing and leveraging current technology to support the insurance industry with specific focus towards interior claims processing and underwriting applications.
Imagen Capital Partners General Partners Chris Barrow and John Polchin (both former EagleView Technology executives) will join Yembo’s board of directors, serving alongside continuing director Steven R. Altman, former president and vice chairman of Qualcomm.
Founded in 2016, Yembo was started by Siddharth (Sid) Mohan and Zach Rattner after spending over a decade at Qualcomm developing algorithms and software technologies that power 4G wireless and artificial intelligence on over a billion smartphones today.
Gossamer Bio announces executive management transition
and promotion of Laura Carter to chief scientific officer
Gossamer Bio Inc., a San Diego clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced the upcoming resignation of Chief Scientific Officer Luisa Salter-Cid, and the promotion of Laura Carter, the firm’s senior vice president for research and translational biology, to that position. The transition takes place on April 30.
Salter-Cid has served as chief scientific officer since joining Gossamer in September 2018 following a career at Bristol Myers Squibb.
“I would like to thank Luisa for her many contributions to Gossamer Bio,” said Faheem Hasnain, chairman, president and CEO of Gossamer Bio. “Luisa has assembled a world-class research team that has made significant progress in developing our pre-clinical pipeline, and we wish her the best of luck as she moves on to new endeavors.”
Carter has over 20 years of industry experience spanning target identification and validation activities through Phase 2 clinical trials in multiple therapeutic areas. Prior to joining Gossamer in 2019, she was senior vice president, biology at Lycera Corporation, where she led the development of several immunology and immuno-oncology clinical product candidates. Before joining Lycera, she was a scientific director in the respiratory, inflammation and autoimmunity group at MedImmune, where she was responsible for overseeing research and development of treatments for autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
Buffini & Company in partnership with BombBomb
to offer video messaging to all membership levels
Carlsbad-based Buffini & Company has joined with BombBomb, a leading software company for video sharing, to integrate video messaging technology into its Referral Maker CRM. Video Messaging, powered by BombBomb, allows Buffini & Company members to strengthen their relationships with clients by easily sending personalized video messages via email, text and social media.
“We are very excited to partner with BombBomb and bring their state-of-the-art video messaging technology to Referral Maker CRM,” said Dermot Buffini, CEO of Buffini & Company. “Video Messaging makes it easy for our members to personalize client interactions for more effective, powerful communication that ultimately builds stronger relationships.”
With the new BombBomb integration, Referral Maker CRM users will be able to send more personalized messages. This integration provides real estate agents with a powerful communication tool to stand out, build trust, and better serve clients in a highly relational way, according to Buffini’s announcement.
SDSU Imperial Valley and Global Campus
partner for new degree programs
San Diego State University Imperial Valley and SDSU Global Campus are partnering to develop two new degree completion programs available beginning in fall 2021.
Imperial Valley residents interested in completing a bachelor’s degree in business administration or child development will be able to do so through a unique, flexible program. The program is primarily delivered online and taught by SDSU faculty. SDSU Global Campus advisers will also provide on-site student services at SDSU Imperial Valley.
“We are excited about this partnership and the way it allows us to provide more college degree opportunities for the Valley,” said SDSU Imperial Valley Associate Dean for Academics Mark Wheeler. “We know there is a lot of interest in both degree programs. Now busy working professionals will have access to degree completion programs thanks to the flexibility of the program.”
The deadline to apply for admission to both degree completion programs is May 15.
Viasat, 19Labs collaborate on remote patient monitoring
Viasat Inc. and 19Labs, a leader in remote telemedicine platforms, announced a collaboration to deliver a real-time, enhanced telemedicine and remote patient monitoring (RPM) solution aimed at providing affordable, comprehensive clinic experiences, where patients, clinicians and healthcare providers can securely connect and share health care information—even in the hardest-to-reach communities.
Beyond just videocalls, enhanced telemedicine replicates the clinical experience, integrating smart diagnostic devices to deliver vital real-time data during the consult, enabling medical staff to make better, more accurate assessments.
19Labs point-of-care e-clinics are being installed throughout Latin America in unserved and underserved communities. In the U.S., 19Labs recently deployed eClinic kits to schools in Utah and with physician practices in Missouri to extend health care access funded by the original 2020 FCC CARES Act grant. Currently, 19labs is assisting health care and education groups prepare applications under the recently expanded 2021 FCC telemedicine grant program.
How brain tumors turn immune cells into cancer-growing hostages
Researchers discover that brain cancer tumors reprogram immune cells to help them grow, rather than suppress them.
COVID-19: Scientists identify human genes that fight infection
Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys have identified a set of human genes that fight SARS-CoV-2 infection, the virus that causes COVID-19. Knowing which genes help control viral infection can greatly assist researchers’ understanding of factors that affect disease severity and also suggest possible therapeutic options. The genes in question are related to interferons, the body’s frontline virus fighters.
The study was published in the journal Molecular Cell.
Combining nanomaterials in 3D to build
next-generation imaging devices
UC San Diego nanoengineering professor Oscar Vazquez-Mena is taking nanomaterials to the next dimension. By integrating different nanoscale materials together in 3D, he is creating a new generation of devices for environmental monitoring, energy harvesting and biomedical applications. Vazquez-Mena recently received a CAREER Award through the NSF to develop devices that can “see” wavelengths of light that are invisible to the human eye, such as IR and UV light. He also received a DARPA Director’s Fellowship to develop a material that can let ultrasound through the skull and do non-invasive imaging and stimulation of the human brain.
Cubic expands automated fare collection to
Vancouver’s HandyDART system
Cubic Corporation announced its Cubic Transportation Systems business division is expanding the current Compass automated fare collection system to Metro Vancouver’s 347 vehicle paratransit system, HandyDART.
As of March 2021, three buses have received installations. HandyDART is a shared ride service for passengers with physical or cognitive disabilities who are unable to use conventional public transit without assistance. Cubic will provide equipment to extend existing forms of payment enjoyed by travelers on the conventional system to HandyDART customers. The expansion will enable electronic validation of Compass card product and include ‘Tap to Pay’ options such as contactless credit cards and mobile phone payments.
