Sat.Aug 02, 2014 - Fri.Aug 08, 2014

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Know When Conceding on a Point is Better Than Being Right

Both Sides of the Table

'Last Wednesday I had coffee with an old friend and former colleague. We haven’t worked together in a while and were reminiscing about the old days. I miss the old days when we used to be locked in battle together on the issues affecting our company. Seeing him again also reminded me of one of my first big lessons as a VC – knowing when giving in is more important than being right.

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How TaskUs Is Powering LA's Technology Startup Boom

socalTECH

'Los Angeles has been in the midst of a technology boom over the last few years, with many of high profile startups growing in the area. However, one of the biggest beneficiaries of that boom-- TaskUs (www.taskus.com) has been far lower profile--but has grown from only five employees three years ago, to over a thousand employees today who are helping behind the scenes to power those startups.

Startup 231
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Want To Trip Out? This Entrepreneur Can Hook You Up

InfoChachkie

'A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. Kurt Kutay, Founder and CEO of Wildland Adventures , believes that "luxury adventure travel" does not have to be an oxymoron. In fact, for the past 27-years, he has specialized in bringing exotic travel destinations to those of us who are healthy and active but whose competitive sporting days are long behind us.

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The LALA School of marketing

Berkonomics

'Let’s focus not upon the process of marketing and positioning, but on you. How should you become the best marketer you can be, even if you are a first time entrepreneur or a seasoned CEO? There’s an answer for that. The title of this insight helps us find a formula: LALA. Berkonomics books available at www.berkus.com. Listen! The first rule of marketing and positioning is to listen to the marketplace.

Marketing 176
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Can You Ask for Office Rent Relief? How to Manage Your Lease During COVID-19

Office leases are one of companies’ largest expenses, and if your whole team is working from home with no clear end in sight, you may be wondering what to do about your lease.

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Silicon Beach Fest: Two Things Every Entrepreneur Should Know

Frank Addante

'A month ago I spoke at the Silicon Beach Fest in Santa Monica in front of LA’s community of emerging entrepreneurs, innovators and disrupters. In speaking with Michael Carney, the West Coast editor of PandoDaily, who hosted my fireside chat, two things emerged—a strategy for how to build a company: the ‘find out’ and the ‘roll out’. THE ‘FIND OUT’ When you’re looking to disrupt any industry—advertising, yogurt, VoIP technology, or whatever—begin with learning everything you can.

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Fresh Nation Expands Farmers Market Delivery To LA

socalTECH

'In the latest, venture-backed startup to expand its services to Los Angeles, Fresh Nation , a startup offering up delivery services from local farmers markets, has opened up shop here. According to the startup--which is venture backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Lerer Ventures--it will begin delivering food from local farmers markets six days a week in the Los Angeles area.

Marketing 221

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10 Finance Tips for Very Early-Stage Startups

Tech Zulu Event

'So your company’s in its very early stages. We’re talking a skeleton crew of staff, minimal sales, and even less cash. While your focus is understandably on immediate survival and how you can hit your first big hurdles, what else should you be thinking of, especially where your finances are concerned? 1. Establish a simple accounting system. You don’t need many “bells and whistles” at this stage in the game, but you do want to set up a system that is easy-to-use and that is built to grow with y

Tips 101
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Eggs in Many Baskets, Great for ADHD and Me

Eric Greenspan

'Over the years, I’ve built several larger companies. Each has had its share of success. After my last company hit its peak and inevitably came to an end, I’ve decided to no longer put all my eggs in a single basket. As a result, I now am involved in several ventures. At first, I formed 7DFour Marketing. We help companies find customers and revenue.

Resource 103
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Eat Club Brings Startup Food Delivery Craze To LA

socalTECH

'One of the hottest segments in Silicon Valley over the last few months has been restaurant delivery services, which are delivering gourmet and other meals to local startups, companies, and homes all over the Bay Area. Now, one of those Bay Area startups-- Eat Club --is taking that concept to Los Angeles, with the launch of its meal delivery service to Silicon Beach companies.

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Are You Properly Managing Your Core Competency?

Startup Professionals Musings

'If you have a software development background like mine, Im sure you often get questions about when to outsource, versus building the solution in-house. The same applies to manufacturing and almost any process these days. Outsourcing is defined as contracting the work to another company, usually located in a developing country, like India, China, or Eastern Europe.

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Two Tap | The Universal Shopping Cart

Tech Zulu Event

'Purchasing multiple products from multiple retailers can be an annoyance. Unless you only shop on Amazon or some other major online store, you probably have multiple usernames, passwords, and information which need to be inputted every time you buy something. Two Tap thought this would be a hassle, especially for the mobile user, and created a shopping cart that works on multiple platforms through multiple retailers.

Google 85
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Eggs in Many Baskets, Great for ADHD and Me

Eric Greenspan

'Over the years, I’ve built several larger companies. Each has had its share of success. After my last company hit its peak and inevitably came to an end, I’ve decided to no longer put all my eggs in a single basket. As a result, I now am involved in several ventures. At first, I formed 7DFour Marketing. We help companies find customers and revenue.

Resource 100
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Shiphawk: Shipping Everything, Including Your Army Tank

socalTECH

'If you want to ship something large--say, an old vintage military tank--where do you go? Santa Barbara-based ShipHawk (www.shiphawk.com) is looking to solve the problem of pretty much shipping anything large (like cars and furniture) or unique, with its online shipping service--think "Kayak" for shipping. We spoke with co-founder Aaron Freeman to learn more about ShipHawk''s services and what it does--and how the company actually has been helping people ship military tanks via its service.

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How Smart Entrepreneurs Select VC / Angel Investors

Startup Professionals Musings

'Too many entrepreneurs tell me they are looking for an investor, and can’t differentiate between venture capital (VC) investors versus accredited Angel investors. They argue that the color of the money is the same from either source. They fail to realize that the considerations are quite different for each, which can make or break their investment efforts, and ultimately their startup.

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FreeWavz | The Wire-Free Health Monitoring Earphones

Tech Zulu Event

'No matter where my earphones are, they magically seemed to be tangled up in a knot. It’s one of life’s longest mysteries; no matter if you lay them flat or wrapped around a phone, wires will always end up tangled. More Bluetooth-enabled devices are showing up on the market and less wires have to be dealt with. FreeWavz offers regular headphone wearers – especially the active groups – a Bluetooth headphone which can not only deliver calls and music to your ears, but doubles as a health monito

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Report: Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura Among Top Spots For CEOs

socalTECH

'The Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura metro area has made a list of the top areas where CEOs live , published in this week''s Wall Street Journal. The report--ranking the percentage of residents identified as CEOs--said 1.21% of residents in the metro workforce were CEOs. The area ranked among other areas like Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut (1.82%); Boulder, Colorado (1.45%); Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida (1.27%); and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (1.10%).

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SpaceX Plants Long Term Roots In LA

socalTECH

'It looks like Hawthorne-based SpaceX is confident it will keep its headquarters in Hawthorne for quite a long time--despite setting up a commercial launch facility in Texas this week--based on details on the recent sale of the company''s leased headquarters at 1 Rocket Road in Hawthorne--to a commercial real estate investment trust. According to the company Chambers Street Properties, it just purchased the SpaceX property, which includes roughly 510,000 square feet right next to the Hawthorne M

SpaceX 170
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San Diego's Mapp Bio Behind Experimental Ebola Drug

socalTECH

'A San Diego-based biopharmaceuticals startup, Mapp Biopharmaceuticals , is the source of the experimental Ebola treatment that has been given to the two Americans who are being treated for the dreaded disease, according to CNN. Mapp Pharmaceuticals, which is developing monoclonal antibodies to treat Ebola, uses antibodies manufactured in Nicotiana plants for its ZMapp compound, which is aimed at preventing the entry of the Ebola virus into cells.

San Diego 166
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Qualcomm, Timex Team On New Smartphone Watch

socalTECH

'Tired of clunky, half-functional smart watches? San Diego-based Qualcomm and watch company Timex have just rolled out a new, smart-watch which features direct connectivity to wireless networks--without requiring another smartphone. According to Timex, its new TIMEX IRONMAN ONE GPS+ smartwatch was co-developed with Qualcomm and AT&T, and offers up stand alone wireless connection without the need for another phone; supports email; lets users share their location with friends and family; and e

San Diego 164
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SecureAuth Gets $10M More

socalTECH

'Irvine-based SecureAuth , which develops multi-factor authentication and security software, has raised $10M more in a funding, according to the company. The funding came from Toba Capital, and occurred in July. SecureAuth said that the funding will help the company accelerate growth through expansion of sales and marketing. Toba Capital also led an earlier, September 2012 funding round of $4.5M for the company.

Capital 164
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SpaceX Selects Texas For Launch Facility

socalTECH

'Hawthorne-based commercial rocket development firm SpaceX --which is led by tech mogul Elon Musk--is setting up a commercial spaceport in Texas, after a number of incentives offered by the state to attract the firm. SpaceX has been looking at Texas for a commercial launch facility since 2012 , when it told the FAA it would seek private site in that state.

SpaceX 164
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Retention Science Snags $7M

socalTECH

'Santa Monica-based Retention Science , the marketing software technology maker led by Jerry Jao, has snagged $7M in a Series A funding, according to the company. The new funding was led by Upfront Ventures, and also included. Baroda Ventures, Forerunner Ventures and Mohr Davidow Ventures. Angels Brian Lee (Honest Company, LegalZoom), Michael Dubin (Dollar Shave Club), Tamim Mourad (PriceGrabber.com) and Andy Dunn (Bonobos) also participated in the funding.

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Toggle Finds Funding From Warner Bros.

socalTECH

'Toggle , a new startup creating HDMI-based dongles to allow consumers to purchase movies and other videos using UltraViolet, has raised a seed round of funding from Warner Bros. , the company announced last night. The company--led by Adam Johnson--is looking to promote the use of Warner''s Ultraviolet movie storage service in retail channels. UltraViolet is Warner''s take on digital film distribution, and lets users access films whether via their television, mobile, tablet, or PC.

Funding 157
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BuildFire Launches Platform For Instant Mobile App Creation

socalTECH

'Newport Beach-based BuildFire said yesterday that it has released a new platform, aimed at helping businesses and nonprofits to easily create native smartphone, tablet, and web apps. The company said its app creation platform--which is free--is aimed at businesses and nonprofits who want to go mobile but lack the resources to invest in design and app creation.

Platform 149
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Ringadoc Acquired By Practice Fusion

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based Ringadoc , a developer of automated, cloud-based telephone answering services for doctors, has been acquired by Practice Fusion , according to the companies. FInancial terms of the buy were not disclosed. Practice Fusion said the move would give it access to the telemedicine market. Ringadoc was venture backed by FF Angel, Wavemaker Partners (Siemer Ventures), and Telegraph Hill Capital.

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Rapt Media Sets Up Shop In LA, After $3.1M Round

socalTECH

'Rapt Media , a startup developing technology to help create interactive videos, said today that it is setting up an office in Los Angeles, in order to be closer to where brands, agencies, and production companies thrive. The startup said it raised $3.1M in a venture funding specifically for the move, which also calls for the company to open up an office in New York.

Media 147
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FreedomPop Launches Tablets

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based free phone and data service provider FreedomPop is expanding out its service, saying this week that it has started offering up iPad Mini and Samsun Tab 3 tablets on the service. According to FreedomPop, the service will also let users with existing LTE support move their tablets to the service, which will provide 500MB of LTE data, 200 voice minutes, and 500 texts a month for free.

Startup 147
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FlikMedia Goes Public Via Reverse Merger

socalTECH

'Santa Monica-based mobile dating app developer Flikdate has gone public, via a reverse merger into a shell company called CrossBox, according to the firms today. According to FlikMedia , the company has acquired Flikdate through a merger transaction, and has changed its OTCBB trading symbol from CBXX to FLKM. The new company is led by Nick Bicanic.

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Otonomy Sets Estimated IPO Pricing Range

socalTECH

'San Diego-based Otonomy , which is developing treatments for diseases of the inner and middle ear, set its estimated IPO pricing range Friday. The company indicated in a filing that it now expects its IPO at between $14.00 and $16.00 per share. Otonomy has applied to list on the NASDAQ Global Market as OTIC. The company is venture backed by Avalon Ventures, OrbiMed, Novo AS, TPG Biotech, Domain Associates, Rivervest Venture Partners, as well as others.

Pricing 147
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KidZui Acquired By LeadFrog

socalTECH

'KidZui , the developer of kid-friendly Internet browsers has been acquired by children''s entertainment technology developer LeapFrog , LeapFrog said this morning, to help bolster the company''s popular line of LeapPad educational tablets. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. KidZui had most recently been owned by Saban Brands, which acquired KidZui in 2012.

Education 147
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Demand Media Spins Off Rightside

socalTECH

'Santa Monica-based Demand Media has completed its spinoff of Rightside Group , its domain name registration business, as a tax-free distribution this morning. According to Demand Media, the two companies now will trade as separate, publicly traded companies--with Demand Media on the NYSE as DMD, and Rightside trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market as NAME.

Demand 147
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Perfect Market Acquired By Taboola

socalTECH

'Pasadena-based Perfect Market , the Idealab-backed developer of programmatic advertising technology, has been acquired by New York-based Taboola. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. Perfect Market--which was headed by Julie Schoenfeld--helped online publishers better monetize their library of content, helping then find long tail content and articles in their library of content and matching those to advertising.

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Zadara Rolls Out On-Premise, Cloud Storage

socalTECH

'In an interesting twist to the cloud storage market, Irvine-based Zadara Storage has rolled out a new product which gives companies cloud storage--but on their own premises. Zadara said it has rolled out a new product called VPSA On-Premise as a Service, which lets users deploy and pay for private cloud storage, hosted on their own property. The cloud storage provider said the new private cloud storage service provides a fully managed, enterprise SAN and NAS, all paid for using consumption-base

Pricing 138
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Ice Energy Names President

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based energy storage technology developer Ice Energy has named a new president, saying that it has appointed Mike Hopkins to the role. The company--which develops a product which uses the creation of ice to cut power consumption and usage during peak electricity usage times--said Hopkins has been at Ice Energy since 2009. He previously spent eighteen years at Canadian law firm Bennett Jones LLP.

Demand 138
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Strike Social Bolsters Board, Advisors

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based advertising technology developer Strike Social is bolstering its board and advisory team, saying that it has named Lawrence Chu to its board of directors, and signed up Dr. Arif Ansari, a big data systems researcher at the University of Southern California, as an advisor. Chu is an investor, and also an attorney at Goodwin Procter.

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Demand Media Sees Steep Drop In Content Revenues

socalTECH

'Santa Monica-based Demand Media reported a steep drop in revenues for the last quarter, saying that it had $89.8M in revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2014, down from the $101.1M in revenues for the similar quarter in 2013. According to Demand Media, the drops were the result of a 24 percent decline in content and media revenue, which came despite a slight increase in traffic.

Demand 138