Los Angeles-based advertising tech firm SRAX announced it will be expanding its blockchain-enabled BIGToken software to the EU. The company’s platform gathers consumer demographic data and other information when they log in, and then anonymizes it through blockchain and sells it to companies. Consumers can see which companies are purchasing their data thanks to blockchain’s reporting ability. The expansion into the EU was made possible from a $5.5 million funding round in August. [LA Business Journal]
UCLA announced Wednesday that it will be using a grant to launch a medical technology and digital health hub. UCLA received $750,000 from the Regional Innovation Strategies i6 Challenge and matched that for a total of $1.5 million in funding for the hub over three years. The initiative will work to advance entrepreneurship and create jobs in the life sciences industry. [Becker’s Hospital Review]
Fire up the grill and get those end-of-summer playlists ready, because Sonos has just launched its first outdoor, battery-powered speaker. The Santa Barbara-based company has battle-tested its speaker for all sorts of weather and mishaps, like falls, rain and moisture. It was rated to be able to withstand limited dust and strong water jets. The speaker will be released globally Sept. 24 and will cost $399. [SoCal Tech]
BlackLine, a Woodland Hills-based accounting software company, announced its platform will now integrate with Workiva’s financial compliance platform. This will allow customers to transfer data between the two platforms and improve accuracy in recording and reporting financial information. [Press Release]
Fans of Jam City’s “Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery” are now able to live out their Quidditch Dreams. The Los Angeles-based mobile game developer added the fictional sport that involves flying around on a broomstick to its most recent app update last week. Let the hunt for the Quidditch Snitch begin. [SoCal Tech]
