Both Tom Brady and Exploding Kittens had NFT-related news this week.
Getty Images (Jane Rubtsova)
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) were hot news this week in the Los Angeles tech scene, with both Tom Brady and Exploding Kittens leveraging the technology for their respective fans.
Meanwhile, some former SpaceX engineers launched their new project out of stealth with $50 million in new funding.
Here’s what Los Angeles-area tech companies got up to this week:
Funding
- Santa Monica-based Autograph, the Web3 brand co-founded by Tom Brady to create new digital collections and experiences, has closed its series B funding totaling $170 million in a round co-led by a16z and Kleiner Perkins.
Parallel Systems aims to create autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles to move shipping containers cleaner, faster, safer and more cost effectively than traditional trains and trucks.
Murray Shaw
- Founded by former SpaceX engineers, Parallel Systems has emerged from stealth with $50 million in Series A funds led by Anthos Capital to build autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles that move freight.
- Newport Beach-based FitLab Inc., which integrates fitness studios, connected at-home experiences and mass-participation events while partnering with athletes and brands, has closed its Series A financing, bringing total capital raised to more than $15 million.
- Los Angeles’s Mustard, a sensorless connected-coaching platform for skill sports, has raised a $3.75 million seed round led by the Lake Nona Sports & Health Tech Fund.
Expansions
- Sherman Oaks play-to-earn gaming company Mythical Games has acquired U.K.-based Polystream, whose interactive streaming platform transforms how real-time 3D content is streamed at scale.
Xeal provides electric vehicle charging solutions for apartments, condos and workplaces.
Xeal
- Xeal, the Los Angeles company that aims to make electric-vehicle (EV) charging more affordable and accessible for building developers, has hired Eric Roseman, former VP of Lincoln Property Company, to serve as chief revenue officer. The move comes as Xeal also unveiled official strategic partnerships with real estate giants Harrison Street, CA Ventures, Caruso and Lincoln Property Company, as well as an official endorsement from Mill Creek Residential.
Exploding Kittens will give away 10 NFTs in a free contest on its Facebook and Instagram pages.
Exploding Kittens
- Los Angeles-based tabletop game maker Exploding Kittens has teamed up with Seattle’s 3D laser printing company Glowforge to debut limited-edition printable non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The 10 NFTs can be used to print a unique, collectible, hardwood box for “Happy Salmon,” Exploding Kittens’ newest card game, on a Glowforge 3D laser printer, after which it can never be printed again.
Retractions
- Irvine-based Acorns Grow will not go public after all, pulling the plug on its $2.2 billion reverse merger with special purpose acquisition company Pioneer Merger Corp. that was announced in May.
