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Meet the Hyper-Local Version of DoorDash and Instacart

Meet the Hyper-Local Version of DoorDash and Instacart

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The quick commerce competition is heading up and one UCLA student has found a niche way to stand out: targeting hungry college students. The UCLA-based startup Duffl recently raised $12 million in a Series A round and it has plans to keep growing. Read more >>

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Unlike DoorDash, Instacart, Shipt or UberEats, the UCLA-based startup Duffl stocks its own hyper-localized inventory at micro-fulfillment centers, also known as “dark stores.” What also differentiates Duffl from other major competitors is that it relies on e-scooters — rather than cars or e-bikes — and it targets college students. For now, it's offered at UCLA, USC, UC Santa Barbara and UC Berkeley.

Residents of Santa Monica will be able to have their food delivered by robotaxi next year. Boston-based advanced driverless company Motional announced Thursday it would collaborate with Uber Technologies on a program to deliver meal kits to customers using a fleet of modified autonomous-capable Hyundai cars.

If you’ve ever gotten a parking ticket in Las Vegas, you’ve probably heard of Papaya.The fintech company based in Los Angeles can be found on every parking ticket in Las Vegas to make it easier for people to pay their fine. On Wednesday, it announced it raised a $50 million Series B round.

Launched out of Bill Gross’ Pasadena-based IdeaLab accelerator in 2017, Elementary Robotics puts AI in charge of quality inspections now done by humans. It’s about to get bigger.

As climate change forces industries to radically shift their approach, FullCycle Climate Partners’ Kyle Adkins is eagerly investing in the tech that can address the crisis. On this episode of L.A. Venture, Adkins talks about the climate tech landscape and FullCycle’s innovative model, which focuses not only on investing in a given company, but also the projects it has in development -- including building large physical plants and infrastructure to support it.

Listen to L.A. Venture on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.