STARTUPS & INNOVATIONS

PRODUCTS

Costa Mesa-based staffing and recruiting company Evrlink has released its online job platform and a mobile app.

Evrlink is helmed by co-founder and Chief Executive Sean Morrison and co-founder Joseph Ruiz, who also lead Leapros Workforce Solutions in Costa Mesa, which offers customized recruiting and interim staffing services.

Evrlink aims to incentivize members to leverage their network to provide highly qualified prospective employees, and advance careers and businesses.

The app promises the ability for recruiters to find talent at a fraction the cost of typical recruiting means.

Evrlink has been self-funded, and the company currently has three full-time employees.

The app, which is compatible with Android and Apple, will launch out of beta in a few weeks.

Members on the platform have two options: apply for a job, or broadcast the opportunity to their personal network.

If an employer makes a hire based on a referral, the Evrlink member will receive cash for the recommendation.

LunarCrush has unveiled its AI and machine learning-driven platform, which provides real-time trading insights on bitcoin and other crypto markets. 

The company compiles and analyzes social trends, search behaviors and internet chatter related to cryptocurrency. Aggregated data appears in clean, concise feeds on the platform, giving users a one-stop shop for a large assortment of cryptocurrencies. 

“When you first get into [cryptocurrencies], you quickly realize that there are not a lot of [well-researched] resources out there. Unlike traditional stock markets, cryptocurrency was born out of a social era, so you need to pay attention to the community around it,” said Joe Vezzani, co-founder and chief executive.

“There are a lot less scams than in 2017 thanks to light regulation, but we want to help investors identify good projects.”

Since its inception earlier this year, the startup has been accepted into Los Angeles-based Techstars accelerator, which provided the company with a cash infusion of $20,000. Upon completion of the program, LunarCrush plans to find office space in Orange County, where the founders reside.

LunarCrush officials said they have several enterprise customers and plan to sell its API directly to businesses and hedge funds.

The company is currently seeking funds from angel investors and venture capital firms.

NEW HIRE

San Clemente-based Ubix, an artificial-intelligence-as-a-service platform that allows users to develop and deploy open-source data architecture and data science, recently brought on Cleve Adams to lead the team as chief executive.

Prior to joining Ubix, Adams served as CEO at Site 1001 Inc., a data analysis platform for builders, and security application developer AirPatrol Corp., which was acquired by Sysorex Global Holdings Corp. (Nasdaq:SYRX) for an estimated $30 million. 

“I’m excited to lead UBIX team in addressing the most urgent challenges of enterprise AI adoption, innovation, and impact. UBIX is unique in delivery of a cognitive, AI-as-a-service offering that will overcome talent scarcity, fragmented processes, and gaps in big data and data science tools,” Adams said in a statement.

Adams has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the tech industry, and was the first executive at Forcepoint, previously known as Websense.

PARTNERSHIPS

Anaheim-based medical device company Guidance Dental has launched partnerships with Blue Sky Bio LLC in Libertyville, Ill., and Ohio State University Dental School. 

The company uses a micro CT scanner to digitize the dental implant process, which traditionally involves less precise plaster models.

The company’s technology reduces turnaround time to about a week, so patients can receive a perfect fitting abutment and crown much faster than other methods.

“Dental implant restorations have to be exact,” explained co-founder Hando Kim. “If it’s not aligned properly, the patient has to return for multiple fittings, which makes for a lengthy process.” 

Guidance Dental is experiencing steady growth since its partnership with Blue Sky Bio, adding several customers every month, according to Kim. 

Kim created the company with co-founder and Chief Executive Dr. Seung Baek in 2014, and began commercializing the technology two years ago.

It has been privately funded so far, but is now in talks with venture capital firms. It has five employees, and is currently hiring.

Rancho Santa Margarita-based Actual Cost Engineering Construction Software, which has developed a cloud-based construction management software tool, is partnering with the startup accelerator KiwiTech in Vienna, Va.

A.C.E. features include scheduling and in-field time reporting, automated material ordering and real-time job costing, which allow management to evaluate and eliminate costs. The software helps subcontractors increase net profitability by up to 10%, according to company officials.

With KiwiTech’s development resources, A.C.E. will add accounting, inventory and offline time reporting features. The partnership includes access to a team of developers in India and the U.S., as well as a partial equity agreement.

“A.C.E. was developed with a firm understanding of how difficult it is to organize the many small—but potentially costly—details involved in construction,” said founder and President Brandon Wilson. “We couldn’t be more excited about our recently forged alliance with KiwiTech, which will allow us to access top-notch development resources and solve our production and scalability challenges.”

Wilson, a second-generation subcontractor, started the company in 2016. After extensive testing, the product went to market early this year.

FINANCING

Newport Beach-based Amnion Life, a developer of incubation technology for premature babies, has raised $280,000 on Wefunder.

The company is developing an AmnioBed, a fluid-filled neonatal incubator system that mimics conditions in the womb. The device helps infants retain heat and stay hydrated, which consequently decreases complications associated with premature birth and improves overall health outcomes.

Premature birth is the primary cause of death for infants, and the current model of care neglects the support that many premature infants need, according to the company. Amnion Life was created to change the standard of care, company officials told the Business Journal last week.

Amnion Life was founded by Chief Executive Amir Fassihi, a practicing radiologist with expertise in medical imaging and ultrasound. The company has a number of consultants, and several full-time members at its research facility in Serbia.

The company just began another round of financing through RedCrow, a platform devoted to medical device companies. The round is open to accredited investors with a $5,000 minimum.

Previously, Aminion Life raised a seed round of $1.2 million.