Daily Business Report: Oct. 20, 2023
Wireless, battery-free electronic ‘stickers’
measure forces between touching objects
By Liezel Labios | UC San Diego
Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed electronic “stickers” that measure the force exerted by one object upon another. The force stickers are wireless, run without batteries and fit in tight spaces. That makes them versatile for a wide range of applications, from arming robots with a sense of touch to elevating the immersive experience of VR and AR, making biomedical devices smarter, monitoring the safety of industrial equipment, and improving the accuracy and efficiency of inventory management in warehouses.
They could be used, for example, in knee implants to measure the forces that implants exert on the joint. Having the ability to sense changes in these forces can be useful for monitoring an implant’s fit, as well as wear and tear. Force stickers could also be placed on the bottom of warehouse packages to measure the weight of their contents, acting as miniature scales for checking inventory.
Photo: This so-called ‘force sticker’ is a thin, flexible electronic device that measures forces between objects in contact. (Photo by David Baillot/UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering)
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California’s broadband plan deprioritized underserved regions
CalMatters
In November 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the first 18 projects in the state’s plan to build a public broadband infrastructure system that would help bridge the digital divide between those who have access to high-speed internet and those who don’t.
The plan is part of a “once-in-a-lifetime,” $6 billion state and federal investment, which includes $3.8 billion to build a backbone network of high-capacity fiber lines throughout the state, officials said.
This summer, some community leaders and advocates noticed that portions of the initially proposed broadband network would no longer be built with available funds. Instead, some of the neediest communities were pushed to an unfunded “phase 2” portion of the plan.
“It feels like we’re getting sent to the back of the line again,” said Isabel Aguayo, mayor of the Southeast L.A. city of Paramount.
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Lead Deputy City Attorney Danna Nicholas
appointed to San Diego Superior Court bench
Gov. Gavin Nesom has appointed Danna Nicholas, of San Diego County, to serve as a judge in the San Diego County Superior Court. Nicholas has served as lead deputy city attorney in the General Litigation Section of the San Diego City Attorney’s Office since 2017 and has served as a deputy city attorney there since 2004.
Nicholas served as an assistant public defender at the Alaska Public Defender Agency from 2000 to 2002.
She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the California Western School of Law.
Nicholas fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Julia K. Kelety to the Court of Appeal. She is a Democrat.
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Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies offering full scholarships
The Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies at the University of San Diego has launched a new fellowship program that will offer fully-funded scholarships to students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) who are committed to creating more peaceful and just societies.
The school will select two students from a pool of applicants for its Master of Arts in Social Innovation (MASI) program, and will cover the full costs of tuition and on-campus housing – a value of $60,000 per student. The first Kroc School HBCU Changemaker Fellows will start the year-long master’s program in the Fall of 2024.
Applications for the Kroc School HBCU Changemaker Fellowship are open through January 19, 2024. The University of San Diego is holding an informational webinar on the program Nov. 14. You can find more information about the fellowship here.
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Centennial Celebration: Remembering Naval Training Center in Point Loma
By Karen Scanlon | sdnews.com
One hundred years have passed since a dusty landscape and submerged marshland evolved into an active naval training complex along Rosecrans Street. During its 74 years of active service, some 1.7 million recruits packed their bags, loosened mothers’ heartstrings, and arrived at the Main Gate of Naval Training Center in Point Loma.
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Local Girl Scout wins Alex Morgan Foundation award
Cadet Girl Scout Nina Asnani, an eighth-grader from North Park, has won this year’s Alex Morgan Foundation Homebreak Leader of the Year Award.
At every home game for San Diego Wave FC, a pink banner that reads “Alex’s Homebreak” is proudly displayed in the stands, marking the section where youth girls’ soccer teams attend games together. Each year, the Foundation asks coaches for submissions for a Leader of the Year Award from the teams that have sat in the Homebreak. Nina was chosen because she represents all the traits of an amazing leader, both on her soccer team and in her community. She is currently working on her Girl Scout Silver Award, where she aims to empower upcoming generations of female athletes.
Goal Solutions launches Fund Administration services
Goal Solutions, a recognized leader in innovative financial services, announced the expansion of its service portfolio to include Fund Administration, marking a significant milestone in the company’s growth and commitment to meeting the comprehensive needs of its clients. Drawing upon its extensive expertise, Goal has now extended its specialized services to cater to funds involved in direct lending, consumer loans, and structured finance.
Iowa casino to use San Diego company’s AGI53 platform
Iowa-based Meskwaki Bingo Casino & Hotel and San Diego-based Quick Custom Intelligence jointly announced that the casino in Tama, Iowa, will begin installing the QCI AGI53 Platform. The QCI platform will be deployed throughout the property and the marketing, player development, and casino operations teams will begin training soon. Ralph Thomas is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Quick Custom Intelligence.
Nuvve Holding Corp. announces pricing of $1 million public offering
Nuvve Holding Corp., a global technology leader accelerating the electrification of transportation through its proprietary vehicle-to-grid (V2G) platform, announced the pricing of an underwritten public offering with gross proceeds to the company expected to be approximately $1,000,000. The offering consists of 7,142,857 shares of common stock at a price to the public of $0.14 per share. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from this offering for working capital and other general corporate purposes.
ProciseDx purchases two U.S. therapeutic drug monitoring patents
ProciseDx Inc. announced that it has purchased two U.S. patents in therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of biologic drugs to supplement its existing global patent portfolio. The two patents, US Patent No. 11,119,096 “Universal assay for determining the quantity of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies and their corresponding anti-drug antibodies in samples,” and U.S. Patent No. 11,085,931 “Universal assay for determining the quantity of TNF alpha inhibitory drugs and their corresponding anti -drug antibodies,” were purchased from W.Health LP.
Blue Buffalo donates 70,000 pounds of free pet food
October officially marks the kick-off of the 25th Annual Home for the Holidays campaign, sponsored by Blue Buffalo. For the sixth year in a row, the pet food company philanthropic title sponsor is providing a very special holiday gift to animal rescue organizations and shelters on both coasts of the country by donating 70,000 pounds of free pet food in San Diego and New York City. Since 2018, Blue Buffalo has donated a total of 574,925 pounds of food.
dbt Labs announces major enhancements to dbt Cloud
dbt Labs, the pioneer in analytics engineering, announced several new product capabilities to its dbt Cloud platform at its annual customer conference, Coalesce 2023. New dbt Cloud capabilities enable customers to adopt dbt at scale and include dbt Explorer, Cloud CLI, new partner adapters, and the next generation of the dbt Semantic Layer. dbt Labs also announced the new dbt Mesh paradigm, which equips teams to collaborate across projects to support a data mesh architecture, enabled by the new capabilities.
TSIA’s Research Journeys to crack the code on implementing AI
the Technology & Services Industry Association, a leading research and advisory firm for technology and service organizations, announced that its latest round of Research Journeys will tackle the hottest topic in tech: The rise and implementation of Artificial Intelligence. Implemented over a period of six months, each TSIA Research Journey combines in-depth research methodologies with modern business frameworks and the expertise of TSIA researchers and analysts to educate and empower companies with cutting-edge solutions.
Netradyne launches Driver•i One to streamline fleet management
Netradyne Inc., an industry-leading SaaS provider of artificial intelligence (AI) and edge computing solutions focused on safety and driver coaching for commercial fleets, announced the launch of its Driver•i One solution, making the company a full telematics solution and ELD provider. Netradyne’s Driver•i One fleet safety solution is a robust, professional grade video telematics device that can deliver data to power many of the solutions that fleets need.
Manscaped launches The Lawn Mower 5.0 Ultra
Manscaped, a global men’s grooming company, announced the launch of The Lawn Mower 5.0 Ultra. This next-generation electric groin and body hair trimmer is a male grooming marvel, packed with premium upgrades and elevated features that deliver an unrivaled personal care experience. The product comes equipped with an interchangeable dual-head system designed to provide a flawlessly precise and effortlessly smooth skin-close shave.
Seismic to publish new book on enablement
Seismic, the global leader in enablement, announced its plans to publish a new book titled “Tomorrow’s Enablement for Today’s Leaders: The Strategic Guide to Demonstrating Value and Driving Outcomes.” Written by enablement industry veterans Irina Soriano and Meganne Brezina, “Tomorrow’s Enablement for Today’s Leaders” provides guidance, inspiration, and strategies that any leader needs to excel in today’s dynamic enablement landscape. The book will be available on the Amazon Kindle Store on Oct. 23.
