• Irvine-based Arcules, a 1-year-old firm that provides surveillance, security and other data services using video cloud Internet of Things technology, has launched a new service platform.
The company unveiled the offerings at the Google Cloud conference in San Francisco last month.
The firm incorporates artificial intelligence and machine learning into video surveillance systems—helping cameras “get a ‘brain’ they can use to learn from and interact with foreign circumstances,” wrote Chief Executive Andreas Pettersson in a company blog post.
Arcules’ platform “aggregates and analyzes previously untapped video surveillance and IoT sensor data, identifies trends in the data, and applies predictive analytics to help businesses optimize operations and improve safety,” the company said in a statement.
Arcules, initially called Arcus Global Inc., was spun out of Canon Europe June last year. It remains a Canon group (NYSE: CAJ) company; Canon’s investment amount in the company is undisclosed. Pettersson was a former executive in the incubation and ventures division of Denmark’s Milestone Systems, a video management software firm that was acquired by Canon in 2014.
Arcules is based in Hines’ Intersect office campus near John Wayne Airport. It currently lists half a dozen job openings in Irvine, including multiple engineering positions, as well as an opening for a chief revenue officer.
— Mark Mueller
• Laguna Niguel-based Yonder has pilot launched its grass-fed, pasture-raised bone broth collagen bars.
Described by founder and Chief Executive Sheri Geoffreys as “delicious, clean and nutritious,” the bars are part of a thriving bone broth market projected to generate more than $2.8 billion in sales by 2024, according to a report by Global Market Insights Inc.
She said the bars are designed to allow a convenient and enjoyable method of bone broth, collagen and protein consumption for those on the go and athletes.
Geoffreys, who is a survivor of Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer, is an advocate of bone broth herself. She said incorporating bone broth collagen into her diet has been a big part of her lifestyle after cancer.
“My hair was looking better, my skin was looking better, and my digestion was improving,” she said.
Yonder, founded in 2017, raised money from friends and family.
The company is currently crowdfunding on Indiegogo and has raised more than $13,000 from over 100 backers. It is offering its pilot run bone broth collagen bars as perks for the campaign and is in discussions with investors for its official launch, Geoffreys told the Business Journal.
Geoffreys brought on Hanna Lane, who was previously with Perfect Bar LLC, as brand manager and business development director.
—Brian Alvarado
• Aerospace parts and services matchmaking platform MRO Finder has quietly rebranded itself a year after its soft launch, including a name change—it was formerly MROfinder.aero—and logo tweak.
The platform connects airplane components with buyers, as well as customers to repair and overhaul services via a simple search. Clients include commercial airlines, cargo and military aircraft operators, as well as aircraft parts after-market suppliers.
Co-founder Bryan Goldsmith said he realized the importance of marketability and branding after spending the majority of last year speaking with investors about his concept. He asked a family friend, Ryan Baca, a former graphic designer at DC Shoes, to help with the logo design. The name change was a no-brainer, he said.
“Customers are already calling us MRO Finder, and people could type MRO Finder on Google to find us easier” Goldsmith said.
It plans to fully launch next year.
He and co-founder Josh Hollingsworth founded the company in 2015, but Goldsmith said he started working on the concept as early as 2011.
The co-founders have bankrolled the company to date with $150,000. It is seeking $450,000 to help with software development, digital marketing and operations.
—Brian Alvarado
