Daily Business Report: February 23, 2024
New San Diego Business
Bringing a Bird’s-Eye View to You
By Katherine Connor | UC San Diego
From the campus that brought you GoPro (Nick Woodman ‘97) comes the latest in drone videography: Epic Drone Tours. The company, founded by two UC San Diego student-athlete alumni, uses GoPro cameras mounted to small, customized drones to capture immersive, first-person view tours of indoor spaces, from luxury hotels to commercial real estate buildings.
Epic Drone Tours also uses their tech to capture wide-scale outdoor events, including broadcasting the first ever live drone footage during a San Diego Padres baseball game.
Cofounders Jack Spitser (CEO, international businesses ‘20) and Zack Reuter (COO, mechanical engineering ‘22) met on the UC San Diego swim team, where they competed in the 400 meter individual medley and the mile.
A long-time avid photographer, Spitser was the chief photographer for Swim Swam magazine, even getting to serve as the outlet’s official photographer for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. When he graduated at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, jobs were scarce and he didn’t quite know what his next step would be. Through a confluence of connections, Spitser was able to parlay his photography experience into a burgeoning new field: drone videography for residential real estate.
Top Photo: Zach Reuter, third from left, and Jack Spitser, fourth from left, lead the Epic Drone Tours team bringing unique angles to everything from luxury hotel marketing, to industrial space and San Diego Padres games. Also pictured are the Epic Drone Tours pilots and editors.
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Waiting and sweltering: Why are California’s
indoor heat protections for workers five years late?
By Jeanne Kuang | CalMatters
After sorting and loading packages through a 100-plus-degree heat wave at an Inland Empire Amazon air freight hub last July, workers and their advocates called California’s workplace safety agency to complain of unsafe conditions.
Cal/OSHA inspectors came out, and in a citation issued in January and announced this week, agreed with the workers: The online retail giant hadn’t done enough to address the heat for those working outside on the tarmac and had committed “serious” safety violations.
But workers didn’t get all the accountability they wanted.
Cal/OSHA dismissed nearly half their complaints — the ones alleging hot working conditions inside the warehouses. One possible reason: While California requires employers to reduce the risks of heat illness for outdoor workers, a comparable rule still isn’t on the books for indoor workers. And though state lawmakers ordered one in 2016 and set a 2019 deadline, it won’t be until next month when the state is finally expected to adopt a rule, to go into effect by the summer.
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California ZEV sales skyrocketed
more that 1000 percent in last decade
The sales of new zero-emission vehicles have soared 1022 percent over the past 10 years, according to data from the California Energy Commission.
One in four new cars sold in California are zero-emission. More ZEVs were sold in California in 2023 than at any point in history, including in Q3 when sales hit their highest share ever at 26.7 percent. Sales soared by 46 percent year-over-year, continuing the upward trend led by the state every year.
California is on track to achieve its world-leading goal of 100 percent ZEV new-car sales by 2035.
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General Atomics expands international collaborations with Japan
General Atomics, a defense and diversified technologies company with affiliates operating on five continents, is expanding its collaborations and partnerships across Japan with new investments in the nuclear energy and rare earth elements sectors.
Numerous teaming arrangements are in the late stages of discussion and are set to be announced in early 2024. These partnerships will complement the company’s existing relationships as a long-term partner collaborating with Japanese industry and government agencies.
Currently, the Japanm Coast Guard and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force are testing and deploying the MQ-9B SeaGuardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI). SeaGuardian is a long-endurance maritime surveillance aircraft that can be used for a variety of missions, including search and rescue, disaster response, and maritime law enforcement.
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Salk scientists discover new target for
reversible, non-hormonal male birth control
Surveys show most men in the United States are interested in using male contraceptives, yet their options remain limited to unreliable condoms or invasive vasectomies. Recent attempts to develop drugs that block sperm production, maturation, or fertilization have had limited success, providing incomplete protection or severe side effects. New approaches to male contraception are needed, but because sperm development is so complex, researchers have struggled to identify parts of the process that can be safely and effectively tinkered with.
Now, scientists at the Salk Institute have found a new method of interrupting sperm production, which is both non-hormonal and reversible. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Feb. 20, 2024, implicates a new protein complex in regulating gene expression during sperm production. The researchers demonstrate that treating male mice with an existing class of drugs, called HDAC (histone deacetylase) inhibitors, can interrupt the function of this protein complex and block fertility without affecting libido.
Dr. Valerie Flores joins Ivy Fertility team
Ivy Fertility, a collaborative network of globally-renowned fertility clinics, has welcomed Valerie Flores, MD, to its team of physicians at San Diego Fertility Center (SDFC). Flores is a board certified reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist. She will practice in SDFC’s Del Mar and Mission Valley locations, and will start seeing new patients in late February. Flores received her Bachelor of Science in Gerontology from University of Southern California.
The Retirement Planning Group acquires established RIA
Cetera Holdings, the holding company of Cetera Financial Group, the premier financial advisor Wealth Hub, announced that The Retirement Planning Group (TRPG) has acquired Dightman Capital Group Inc., an RIA based in Overland Park, Kansas. TRPG has acquired 100 percent of the assets of Dightman Capital Group, which is owned and operated by Brian Dightman. Dightman is now a W-2 advisor at TRPG.
Blacksmith Medicines announces $3.3 million in funding from NIAID
Blacksmith Medicines Inc. announced the release of $3.3 million from its contract with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, to conduct studies of its novel non-hydroxamate LpxC inhibitor, for the treatment of urinary tract infections.
Drata achieves strong growth into 2024 fiscal year
Drata, a leading continuous security and compliance automation platform, extended strong momentum into the 2024 fiscal year, completed in January. On the heels of the company’s three-year anniversary, Drata’s milestones include supporting 10 new frameworks and 100 percent revenue growth. Drata’s remarkable global expansion surpassed 4,000+ customers across 50+ countries. The company also cemented its leadership status in G2’s Cloud Compliance category.
Contractors legal disputes seen continuing in 2024
Contractors and subcontractors are facing a surge in litigation, with disputes reaching unprecedented values, according to a recent report by Arcadis. This trend – where the average value of disputes in North America increased by 42 percent from 2021 to 2022 – is expected to continue in 2024. As a result, legal experts say many commercial contractors in the construction industry are turning to management software as an inexpensive hedge against lawsuits.
Aethlon Medical enters transfer agreement with Santersus AG
Aethlon Medical Inc., a medical therapeutic company focused on developing products to treat cancer and life-threatening infectious diseases, announced that it entered into a Materials Transfer Agreement (MTA) with Santersus AG, a Zurich-London based, privately held therapeutic medical device company, for Santersus’ NucleoCapture and HemoNucleoCapture devices.
Chosen Foods launches Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
Chosen Foods announced the launch of its Chocolate Hazelnut Spread, a version of the classic, indulgent spread, which is made with 100 percent pure avocado oil and simple, clean ingredients, and has 40 percent less sugar than the leading brand, and features hazelnuts as he No. 1 ingredient. Chosen Foods Chocolate Hazelnut Spread joins the brand’s lineup of additional avocado oil-based products.
Jason Ohta elected partner at Latham & Watkins
Jason Ohta has been elected a partner at Latham & Watkins’ San Diego office. Ohta is a member of the White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice and Litigation & Trust Department. A trial attorney with over two decades of experience, his practice focuses on civil and criminal health care fraud investigations and False Claims Act litigation. He received his JD from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2000.
San Diego Wave FC to appear in preseason match on Saturday
AEG, the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company, announced that the Women’s Sports Network will be the exclusive live broadcast partner for the NWSL match between San Diego Wave FC and Portland Thorns FC at the 2024 Coachella Valley Invitational at Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif. The match is scheduled for 11 a.m. PT on Saturday, Feb. 24.
South 8 demonstrates lithium nickel manganese oxided battery electrolyte
South 8 Technologies, the developer of LiGas, liquefied gas electrolyte for advanced lithium-ion batteries, has demonstrated high performance on cobalt-free, low nickel, and high-energy battery cells designed for next generation electric vehicles (EV). This work is supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) through the EVs for American Low-carbon Living program. An automotive OEM is South 8’s partner in this project.
DecisionLogic surpasses 100 million consumers mark
DecisionLogic, a trailblazing FinTech company specializing in advanced bank account and identify verification solutions, announced it has surpassed the 100 million consumers serviced mark. This achievement spotlights San Diego-based DecisionLogic’s success at revolutionizing the financial services industry with its state-of-the-art Software-as-a-Service platform, which enables lenders to instantly qualify borrowers using their real-time banking histories rather than relying on the traditional credit score.
