The Boring Company makes plans for Dugout Loop
Hey Dodger’s fans: you might soon be able to say goodbye to the frustrations of LA traffic. Transportation tech company The Boring Company announced a new proposal to build a zero-emission, high-speed, underground public transportation system called Dugout Loop. The project is an attempt to reduce traffic in LA and, if all goes according to plan, will run from Los Feliz, East Hollywood, or Rampart Village directly to Dodger Stadium. The Dugout Loop will serve as an alternative to existing public transportation and would not interfere with the Metro. [The Boring Company]
AuditBoard nabs $40M to fuel product development
AuditBoard, an LA-based fintech startup, announced on Wednesday that it has raised $40 million in a Series B round of funding. The company plans to use the fresh capital for product development and to build new business partnerships. Investment firm Battery Ventures led the round, and Battery General Partner Michael Brown will join AuditBoard’s board of directors. [Built In LA]
Wpromote’s had a great couple of months
Digital marketing agency Wpromote announced major company growth, including the hiring of Tom Hammel as vice president of paid media. Before joining Wpromote, Hammel worked at Google and Quora. The company said it has tripled its workforce in the last five years, reporting more than 350 current employees at time of publication. In addition, Wpromote has partnered with Google and Facebook to launch their inaugural Challenger Summit, a marketing conference that will feature SnackNation co-founder Andy Mackensen and Zappos engineer Tyler Williams, among others. [Press release]
Former VR Playhouse CEO introduces her new startup, Metastage
Former VR Playhouse CEO Christina Heller unveiled that she has been working on Metastage, a company that works with immersive VR creators on technical solutions. The company officially emerged from a six-month stealth mode on Tuesday. Metastage is the first U.S. partner for Microsoft’s volumetric capture system, Mixed Reality Capture Studios. “Our goal is to curate MR solutions and make them accessible, reliably, so that creators from any field can place incredibly realistic people and objects into their immersive experiences with captures that feel authentic to the real thing,” said Heller in a statement announcing the company’s launch. [LinkedIn]
Oblong Industries adds entrepreneur Jim Marggraff to its board of directors
Oblong Industries, a company that creates user interfaces to control multi-display apps, announced on Wednesday that Jim Marggraff has joined the company’s board of directors. Marggraff currently advises Rival Theory and Foresight AI and is known for his work at children’s educational company Leapfrog. “We’re honored to have such an accomplished visionary join our board. He shares with us a deep interest in expanding human capability and collective cognition through advanced human-machine interface, as well as an unshakeable dedication to user-focused product excellence. We look forward to working with Jim to expand our impact globally,” said Oblong Industries founder and CEO John Underkoffler in a statement announcing the move. [Press release]
Blockchain startup Lucidity reels in $5 million
Lucidity, a digital advertising blockchain protocol for advertisers and publishers, announced that it has raised $5 million in funding. The fresh funds will be used for the company’s growth, including new hires and the development of its Layer 2 product. That's according to a statement released earlier this week. 3Rodeo, CoinUs, Cypher Group, YouBi Capital and blockchain VC Pithia all contributed to the round. [Built In LA]
