PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Micro devices developer Xidas Inc. of Irvine revealed its first product this month.
The VP3 is a National Science Foundation-funded device with a built-in battery, which harnesses vibration-based energy from industrial machinery and other equipment to replenish a charge as a battery loses its power.
The product “empowers wireless sensor companies” because it allows devices to be used in factories and agricultural settings for an extended period of time and reduces maintenance costs, according to Director of Business Development Sourabh Dhillon.
Most Internet of Things sensors are wireless and battery-powered, but most batteries only last a year or two. Not every device loses power at the same time, which requires constant maintenance and upkeep, Dhillon said.
The VP3 retails for $149 with a battery and about $30 without the battery.
Xidas nabbed a $6 million investment and moved into a 3,500 square foot office at 46 Waterworks Way in 2019.
The company—whose executives received a Business Journal Innovator of the Year Award in 2019—plans to launch a microwave micro-relay switch product next year.
Working Woman’s Food, an Irvine-based gourmet food and beverage company, announced a holiday dinner service this month.
With the ‘Chef to Table’ product, hosts work with a professional chef to plan a menu, which is cooked in their kitchen, and presented and served to parties of up to 20.
“With so many events cancelled this year, people are worried the holidays might be cancelled too. We’re providing an incredible meal that is well-served in the comfort and safety of the host’s home,” Patricia Gamboa, owner of Working Woman’s Food, told the Business Journal.
Professional staff are required to take a COVID-19 test, pass a temperature check and adhere to other safety measures such as mask-wearing and frequent hand-washing.
Working Woman’s Food also provides bar, floral and decor services upon request.
Gamboa previously ran an Irvine-based events firm called the Patrician Company and worked as a pastry chef at Morton’s in West Hollywood.
She launched Working Woman’s Food to help busy individuals make the most of their time in the kitchen; the company offers meal planning and dinner recipe diaries to subscribers.
Next year, Working Woman’s Food will launch a weekly gourmet grocery box subscription service.
Orange-based Storytime Collective Corp. recently unveiled its children’s book subscription service to help “make every story count.”
The rental service promotes social-emotional development in children by offering books that cover over 30 topics such as dealing with a disability or loss of a loved one.
Parents can order 4 books per month with a $20 a month light membership or swap out books anytime with a $39 a month unlimited membership.
“We realized it’s hard to influence behavior, but noticed highlighting stories and talking about their characters is a great way to break down walls and reflect on behaviors,” co-founder Brandi Sippel told the Business Journal.
“We’ve taken a proactive approach to social-emotional learning, which enables parents to go over topics before children are forced to confront these topics on their own.”
Brandi and her husband Jared launched Storytime after years of tutoring young students and volunteering for nonprofits. For every new subscriber, the company donates a dollar to foster youth support organization Kidsave.
LAUNCH
Newport Beach-based specialty brokerage Nardac Insurance Services kicked off operations this month.
The firm said it is focused on products and services for the renewable energy, conventional power, infrastructure and transport sectors.
Nardac aims to build a high-end advisory business that will make Newport Beach a beacon for the energy and infrastructure sectors, Managing Partner Jatin Sharma told the Business Journal.
Sharma started his career in insurance at Willis Towers Watson (Nasdaq: WLTW) before joining GCube Insurance Services Inc. as a business development leader in 2010. Tokio Marine HCC acquired GCube, which it called one of the largest underwriters of renewable energy, earlier this year.
Sharma is joined by founding partners Bill Kost and Brandon Statton, whom Sharma said are looking to relocate to Newport Beach in the near future.
Sharma, 35, lives in Newport Beach with his wife and two children and serves as a trustee for Santa Ana-based nonprofit Olive Crest.
Laguna Beach-based Reimagine Well introduced an EEG Xbox game to the Children’s Wisconsin-Milwaukee Hospital this month.
The game recreates Children’s Wisconsin pediatric EEG room and guides children through a scavenger hunt to find tools and perform a simulated procedure on a mannequin.
It aims to help children overcome their fear of an EEG—a type of test that detects electrical activity in the brain using small discs that are attached to the scalp.
The experience helps children acclimate to the procedure, so that when it comes time for their procedure, they are able to sit still without sedation, said co-founder Roger Holzberg, who previously spent 12 years as a vice president and creative director at Walt Disney Imagineering.
Holzberg and Leonard Sender, a pediatric oncologist at Children’s Hospital of Orange County, launched the company to help children with cancer overcome feelings of isolation and depression through immersive experiences in 2015.
One of the company’s first projects was recreating NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab for a pediatric patient who wanted to travel to space. The firm has largely been funded by Hyundai Hope on Wheels pediatric cancer support program and other hospital grants.
Reimagine Well has developed over 36 patient-directed immersive healing experiences and about 18 educational guides.
ACQUISITION
Tracker Ventures Corp. said it signed a letter of intent to acquire a majority stake in Lake Forest-based software maker Contakt LLC this month.
Tracker Ventures will acquire 80.5% of Contakt in exchange for about 15 million common shares and a $1 million upfront payment, according to a statement. Tracker is a Vancouver-based penny stock (Canada: TKR.CN) trading at 81 cents with a $2.1 million market cap. It lists no revenue for the past four years.
Contakt Chief Executive Justin Beck said in a statement that the investment will lead to “capital formation opportunities and M&A prospects.”
Contakt is the developer of ‘Contakt World,’ a digital contact tracing platform that includes a mobile application for individual users and a health professional portal with case management, communications and task list features, among others.
The platform protects user privacy with blockchain technology and syncs with testing labs to determine contact tracing needs for government agencies, enterprises and small businesses.
Tracker Ventures said it will integrate Contakt’s platform into its own risk management platform, which is expected to roll out before the end of the year.
