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Startup gets $20 million to make tech gear in pricey San Francisco

Ina Fried, author of Login

Tempo is making printed circuit boards in San Francisco. Photo: Tempo Automation.

Manufacturing printed circuit boards in San Francisco sounds crazy given the high cost of labor and real estate, but Tempo Automation has raised $20 million to do just that.

The bottom line: Tempo isn't building production runs like one would get from Shenzhen. Instead, it is focused on getting quick prototypes to Bay Area tech firms looking to rapidly iterate on a design.

The latest: The new $20 million in funding is designed to help fund a 42,000-square-foot factory — Tempo's second — in San Francisco's SOMA neighborhood. It's already running at capacity at its current 8,000-square-foot facility. The money should allow the company to nearly double its current staff of around 60.

The round was led by P72 Ventures with participation from existing investors Lux Capital, Uncork Capital and AME, and new investors Dolby Ventures, Industry Ventures and Cendana.

What it's up to: CEO Jeff McAlvay says he can't give client names, but says his factory has cranked out parts for phones, robots and even rockets and autonomous cars.

“One of the things I enjoy is the range of products that we get to play a small part in bringing to market," McAlvay told Axios.

Go deeper

Rebecca Falconer
Updated 4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Supreme Court backs religious groups on New York coronavirus restrictions

Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled late Wednesday that restrictions previously imposed on New York places of worship by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) during the coronavirus pandemic violated the First Amendment.

Why it matters: The decision in a 5-4 vote heralds the first significant action by the new President Trump-appointed conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who cast the deciding vote in favor of the Catholic Church and Orthodox Jewish synagogues.

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Jonathan Swan, Alayna Treene
9 hours ago - Politics & Policy

USAID chief tests positive for coronavirus

An Air Force cargo jet delivers USAID supplies to Russia earlier this year. Photo: Mikhail Metzel/TASS via Getty Images

The acting administrator of the United States Agency for International Development informed senior staff Wednesday he has tested positive for coronavirus, two sources familiar with the call tell Axios.

Why it matters: John Barsa, who staffers say rarely wears a mask in their office, is the latest in a series of senior administration officials to contract the virus. His positive diagnosis comes amid broader turmoil at the agency following the election.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Bryan Walsh, author of Future
11 hours ago - Health

COVID-19 shows a bright future for vaccines

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

Promising results from COVID-19 vaccine trials offer hope not just that the pandemic could be ended sooner than expected, but that medicine itself may have a powerful new weapon.

Why it matters: Vaccines are, in the words of one expert, "the single most life-saving innovation ever," but progress had slowed in recent years. New gene-based technology that sped the arrival of the COVID vaccine will boost the overall field, and could even extend to mass killers like cancer.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow