LAUNCH
Alpa Patel is combining her Irvine-based interior design studio Spaceez with new technology company 9th House by next January.
The 9th House will transform economy hotels and motels into upscale, tech-enabled boutique concepts, according to Patel.
Spaceez, launched in 2018, renovates, designs, brands and manages hospitality spaces at “disruptive price points.”
“Most of my clients double their rates once we’re done,” Patel told the Business Journal.
Its client portfolio includes Best Western, SureStay and Clarion Pointe.
Earlier this year, Spaceez received a grant from Hospital Bridge, a venture accelerator studio that supports women-of-color-owned businesses.
Less than 2% of all venture funding goes to women—and far less goes to women of color, the studio said.
Patel and her team have directed the funding into building out 9th House’s platform into an automated “Amazon-like experience” for guests.
“That’s how we’ll become a unicorn brand,” Patel said, adding that 9th House’s website will be complete by the year’s end.
9th House plans to focus on leisure markets—particularly hotels near national parks, coastal destinations and wine country—to target the “digital nomad” who takes their work on the road.
“The workcation trend born from the pandemic is here to stay,” Patel said. “It’s the new form of business travel.”
PRODUCT RELEASES
Santa Ana’s Intellivision Entertainment LLC announced Amico—a reboot of the classic 1980s video game console—will be available at GameStop stores, Best Buy Canada and Walmart online by the end of this year.
Amico, which is Italian for friend, comes with two easy-to-use touchscreen controllers and gameplay for any skill level.
Its original launch was expected last October, but the pandemic imposed production challenges, Intellivision Entertainment Chief Executive Tommy Tallarico said.
Intellivision, the video game brand founded by Mattel in 1979, was relaunched by Tallarico in 2018 as Intellivision Entertainment, aiming to “bring human connection back to the living room” with a simple, affordable, family-friendly system.
“Whether it’s online or mobile gaming, the gaming industry is focused on isolated group play,” Nick Richards, COO and CFO at Intellivision Entertainment, told the Business Journal. “What’s missing is human interaction: families getting together and playing fun games together.”
Intellivision Entertainment plans to partner with several family-oriented companies in the future, Richards said.
One such company is Crayola. Its flagship location in Easton, Penn., hosted an Amico demo last month.
The company will host more experiential events throughout the country during the rollout, including Irvine’s Boomers in a few weeks.
“You just have to get it in people’s hands, and get people together, in order to capture the experience,” Richards said.
Amico can be preordered for $250.
BioPhotas Inc., the Anaheim-based maker of Celluma light therapy devices, this week started shipping orders of its new Restore device.
The product is the first LED device the FDA has cleared for over-the-counter use to treat three common concerns of the mature individual: hair loss, aging skin and general pain, the company says.
“Having just celebrated the 10th anniversary of BioPhotas, it is only appropriate that we receive our 10th indication-for-use clearance from the FDA,” Chief Executive and President of BioPhotas Patrick Johnson said.
The company reports its Celluma series now has more regulatory credentials than any other LED device in the world and is legally registered for sale in 78 countries.
Its low-level light therapy revives normal cellular function that has been compromised due to some environmental insult, whether it’s disease, injury, bad behavior habits or just the normal aging process, Johnson told the Business Journal.
“We’ve received really good responses about the device so far,” he said. “People think hair restoration is a men’s product, but women also suffer greatly from hair loss.”
Restore should be available in the E.U. and U.K. by the fourth quarter.
EXPANSIONS
Brevvie, a rental service for everyday items, announced Aug. 30 it will
be expanding within the next week to three additional Albertsons locations, one in Irvine and two in San Diego.
“We’ll have 12 locations once they launch,” Kristine Everly, Brevvie’s co-founder and chief marketing officer, told the Business Journal.
Brevvie, which stands for Briefly Rent Everything, was created in University of California, Irvine’s Wayfinder incubator program in 2017 in an effort to reduce individual consumption and promote sustainability.
“It’s bigger than just renting stuff,” Everly said. “It’s an entire sustainability movement.”
With a mobile app, users rent and return everyday items normally stored in a garage or closet—like vacuums, kitchen appliances and power tools—from fully automated smart lockers.
To keep waste out of landfills, Brevvie’s staff repairs products that can be fixed and recycles those that have expired.
Earlier this month, the company celebrated two new locations: one off the Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach and another in UC Irvine’s Albertsons.
Future lockers will resemble “giant vending machines,” replete with a glass front, shelves and hangers, and mini-bar technology, according to Everly.
While Brevvie will be launching in Seattle, Portland, and the East Coast within the next few months, officials say it aims to expand its network of locker systems throughout the world.
Irvine-based micro-investing app Acorns announced Aug. 31 it is enabling the Smart Deposit feature for Acorns Early, an investing account for children.
Acorns Early was launched in June 2020 to help parents build savings for their children from birth and close the wealth gap for the next generation, the company said.
“The financial divide is growing,” Acorns CEO Noah Kerner said. “But if we give every parent the ability to easily invest in their kids at birth, we can make strides towards leveling the playing field.”
With Smart Deposit, parents can automatically invest a piece of their paycheck into Early accounts, starting at 1%.
Over 30% of Acorns’ customers that were surveyed reported a household income under $50,000, and 40% were not saving for their kids before launch of Acorns Early, the company said. Since its launch, Acorns customers have invested $100 million into Early accounts.
“I personally have three young children and have Early accounts for each of them,” Acorns Chief Content and Education Officer Kennedy Reynolds told the Business Journal. “It’s amazing to see how doing things in the background of your children’s lives—adds up.”
“Parents shouldn’t have to choose between living expenses and investing in their kids,” Reynolds said. “At the heart of Acorns Early is ease, access, and education, so those looking after children don’t have to make that choice.”
Another feature added to the app is Acorns Early Gift, which permits customers to submit monetary gifts into other child’s Early account at no extra cost.
