Sat.Apr 25, 2015 - Fri.May 01, 2015

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Why We Invested in @FerrisApp – A New Kind of Video Sharing App

Both Sides of the Table

We recently released the video sharing app Ferris and announced that Upfront Ventures led the funding in the company in our seed round of $2 million and I personally joined the board. We hit the top spot recommended on Apple’s iOS App Store on the day of the launch, which is a testament to the team and all of their hard work. I wanted to spend the rest of the blog post telling you why we decided to fund the company, how we settled on the final product design and our unique way of launching

Invest 265
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Money motivates.

Berkonomics

What a title. Of course money motivates. But there is more to it then this. Salaries or hourly wages must be within reasonable limits set by the industry and matched by the competition, both regionally and for the same job classification. But more difficult is the sticky issue of employee incentive compensation. I find that this is an area much more often the subject of a CEO phone call, a roundtable discussion, or a board compensation committee meeting.

Design 208
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Tech Coast Angels Makes Eight Investments, Sees Two Exits In Q1

socalTECH

The Tech Coast Angels , one of the most active angel investment groups nationwide in addition to here in Southern California, said Friday that it invested in eight new and follow on deals in the first quarter of 2015, in addition to seeing two exits out of its portfolio. The TCA did not say how much it invested in the quarter, but sale the investments in the first quarter went to Groundmetrics, ImmunoGum, iPourIt, Pediatric Biosciences, Playlist Media, Schlep & Fetch, Spine Innovation and Tw

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Chapter 8.1: How I Made $9,000 Buying an Electric Car

Eric Greenspan

This past weekend I bought a new car for my gal to drive and as a family car. I was one week out from my discharge of a chapter 7 bankruptcy. That story is here. Today, a couple of days later I bought another car. Let me explain. Three years ago my company collapsed. I was left with nothing and a ton of debt as I secured the company’s loans of over $500,000.

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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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How Tony Hawk And The Bones Brigade Broke The Rules & Owned The Market

InfoChachkie

A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. In this second installment of my conversation with George Powell, Founder and President of Skate One , he describes how Tony Hawk and the other members of the Bones Brigade revolutionized skateboarding and made it cool again, after its near death in the late-1980’s. He also shares his frank thoughts regarding his long-standing relationship with Stacy Peralta.

Marketing 149
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Slightly Slighted, Apple’s Diehards Still Do The Launch Day Lineup

TechCrunch LA

While the atmosphere outside the store was generally similar to previous launches, a glaring difference was the fact that I wasn’t waiting outside of an Apple Store. I was sitting on the sidewalk outside of the upscale fashion boutique Maxfield, on trendy Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. Read More.

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Success In Any Business Is All About Accountability

Startup Professionals Musings

Most business managers preach that the key to success is holding employees accountable for actions, but I have found that successful entrepreneurs are all about holding themselves accountable. They skip the blame and complain game, and make things happen despite major obstacles. As a startup investor, I view any evidence of a victim mentality as the kiss of death.

Startup 116
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Listening to @joshdubinsky of #Adtent. Product placement made simple #CrayolaVentures [Flickr]

Tech Zulu Event

techzulu posted a photo: via Instagram bit.ly/1zigF6E.

Product 53
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Chapter 8: My 9 Lives, 6 Companies, 3 Wives, 7 dogs, 4 Homes, 4 Boats, 160 cars and 2 Kids Story

Eric Greenspan

I call this story Chapter 8, I’ll explain later. In 1987 I arrived in Santa Barbara with a bike, $3,000 and a chip on my shoulder, tons of passion and something to prove. I was unstoppable and I achieved much. I bought car 1, a 1974 Volkswagen bus which I later traded for car 2, a 3 cylinder Subaru. I put myself through college, landed a job with IBM, and learned about life.

Company 175
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Once High Flying Ouya On Block, Says Reports

socalTECH

Once highflying Santa Monica-based gaming console developer Ouya is on the block, after the company tripped a debt covenant from one of its investors, according to a report. The report , from Fortune, says that Mesa Global is managing the sale process for the venture backed company, which had received funding from Kleiner Perkins, Mayfield and Shasta Ventures.

Report 143
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6 Steps To Convert An Idea To A Sustainable Business

Startup Professionals Musings

It seems like everyone wants to be an entrepreneur and get rich these days. As a business mentor, I sometimes feel besieged by people begging for my view and support of their latest idea. In reality, I like most ideas, but I have to tell them that the real challenge is taking the inspiration from a dream to a business. All the evidence says that over 99% fail to make that leap.

Ideas 104
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Showing us the hustle here at #CrayolaVentures @pheebotv [Flickr]

Tech Zulu Event

techzulu posted a photo: via Instagram bit.ly/1dyM1fC.

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Predixion Software Snags Series D

socalTECH

Aliso Viejo-based Predixion Software announced this morning that it has raised a Series D funding round. Size of the round was not announced. The developer of cloud-based, predictive analytics software said the round was led by Software AG, and also included GE Software Ventures and the company's other financial and strategic investors. Predixion Software is led by Simon Arkell, and has previously also raised capital from Accenture, Frost Venture Partners, DFJ Frontier, EMC, Miramar Venture Part

Software 142
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Two Bit Circus Targets San Francisco With STEAM Carnival in November

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Two Bit Circus , the startup led by Brent Bushnell helping to inspire kids around science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM), said this week that it is planning to bring its STEAM Carnival to San Francisco. Two Bit Circus said its new San Francisco STEAM Carnival will be held November 6-8th, and is being sponsored by Cartoon Network.

High Tech 139
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Ferris Finds $2M In Funding

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based video sharing startup Ferris has raised $2M in a seed financing round, led by Upfront Ventures, and also included Allen DeBevoise of Machinima. As part of the the funding, Mark Suster of Upfront Ventures joins the company's board. Ferris develops a mobile, iPhone app which lets users save and share videos they create ont heir phones, and links those videos together into "stories".

Funding 139
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Freedom Innovations Plans Hiring, Expansion In Irvine

socalTECH

Irvine-based Freedom Innovations , a developer of prosthetic devices for lower limb amputees, said Thursday that it is planning a bit hiring boost in Irvine, after addition of a new, 3,500 square foot manufacturing facility. The company said it plans to add 39 new employees this year at the location. The company already said it has hired 20 new staff during the first quarter.

Develop 138
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SpaceX Delivers Satellite Into Orbit

socalTECH

Hawthorne-based SpaceX saw yet another successful launch on Monday evening, carrying the TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSat satellite into geo transfer orbit at 7:03pm ET. SpaceX delivered the payload into space for customer Thales Alenia Space, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral. The new satellite, once it is fully operational, will offer up visibility into Europe, Central Asia, and virtually all of Africa, according to SpaceX, and will used by the Turkmenistan Ministry of Communications.

SpaceX 135
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Boingo Links With Sprint On Airport Access

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Wi-Fi and small cell network operator Boingo Wireless and Sprint > said this mronign that they have inked a new, multi-year Wi-Fi agreement, will which give Sprint's customers access to Boingo's Wi-Fi network at 35 major U.S. airports. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. The deal helps Sprint offload traffic onto Boingo's Wi-Fi connnections.

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Local Corporation Looks For Buyer

socalTECH

Irvine-based Local Corporation , the publicly traded search and advertising technology company, said this morning that it is looking to explore "strategic alternatives", and hired Siemer & Associates as a financial advisor. The company said the move is aimed at "enhancing shareholder value" and to maximize the value of its business. Local said it did not have a specific timeline for the strategic review process.

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Hulu Inks Deal For Seinfeld

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based streaming television service Hulu said this morning that it has scored the streaming rights to Seinfeld , to all episodes of the sitcom. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Hulu disclosed the deal at its annual Hulu Upfront presentation in New York, where Jerry Seinfeld announced the deal with Hulu onstage. In addition to the Seinfeld streaming deal, Hulu also said it has inked a new, multi-year agreement with AMC, which gives the site access to future programing

Hulu 131
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Nestigator Raises $3M For Online Real Estate Marketplace

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based startup Nestigator , a new online real estate marketplace led by serial entrepreneur Jerry Slavonia, said today that it has raised $3M in a Series A funding. The funding was led by Velocity Street Ventures, and also included un-name angels. Nestigator's site helps members search for apartments and homes, via a mobile-first, map-centric interface.

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DTS Connects Play-Fi With Spotify

socalTECH

Calabasas-based DTS said this morning that it has connected its whole-home, wireless music system, DTS Play-Fi, with the popular Spotify streaming music service. DTS said the connection allows Spotify Premium subscribers to stream their music over their Wi-Fi network, to their favorite connected speaker brands. DTS supplies its Play-Fi technology to a number of audio manufacturers, including Definitive Technology, Phorus, Polk Audio and Wren.

Calabasas 131
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Microsemi Completes Acquisition of Vitesse

socalTECH

Aliso Viejo-based a href="[link] said this morning that it has completed its tender offer for Camarillo-based Vitesse , and now expects its acquisition to complete later today. Microsemi had been offering $5.28 per share in cash for all of the outstanding stock of the semiconductor manufacturer, in a deal worth approximately $389M. Microsemi offers up a wide range of analog and mixed signal semiconductors; Vitesse was a manufacturer of many networking semiconductors and high speed components.

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Activision Sets Call of Duty: Black Ops III Release

socalTECH

Santa Monica-based game publisher Activision said this morning that it will be rolling out another Call of Duty sequel, Call of Duty: Black Ops III , on November 6th. Activision said that the new title will debut on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC platforms simultaneously. The new title is being developed by Treyarch. In conjunction with the announcement, Activision said it has started accepting pre-orders for the game, as well as started offering up early beta access to those who pre-order the

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Teledyne Wins $67.4M Army Contract

socalTECH

Thousand Oaks-based Teledyne Technologies is reporting a $67.4M Army contract win this morning, via its subsidiary, Teledyne Brown Engineering. Teledyne said that Teledyne Brown won a $67.4M U.S. Army Task Order, from the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command (USASMDC/ARSTRAT). The contract covers testing, validation, analyses, flight and ground test data collection, live fire test and evaluation, and other efforts for missile defense weapon systems.

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Factual Ties With Goodway Group

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Factual , the data startup which has a giant cloud based database of location-based information about businesses, said Thursday that it has partnered with Goodway Group. According to the two, Goodway is working with Factual to provide a personalized ad delivery experience for mobile users worldwide. Financial details of the deal were not announced.

Mobile 125
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Demand Media Names Two Execs

socalTECH

Santa Monica-based Demand Media announced late Thursday that it has named two new executives. Demand said it has named Rachel Glaser as its new CFO, and Tawn Albright as its EVP of Corporate Development. Glaser was most recently CFO of Move, Inc., and also served as COO and CFO of MyLife.com, in addition to serving at Yahoo and The Walt Disney Company.

Demand 125
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Rubicon Project Expands In Italy

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based ad automation software developer Rubicon Project said this morning that it has expanded in Europe, with its first office in Italy. Rubicon said the location, in Milan, is the 10th international location for the company. Rubicon Project said its Italian efforts will be led by Mariano De Luca. READ MORE>>.

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Teledyne Buys Remainder Of Optech

socalTECH

Thousand Oaks-based Teledyne Technologies said this morning that its subsidiary, Teledyne DALSA has acquired the remaining minority interest of Optech Incorporated , a developer of laser-based survey and digital imaging instruments. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Optech is based in Vaughan, Ontario. Teledyne had purchased a stake in Optech back in 2011, and increased its share to a majority ownership in April of 2012.

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Newegg Ramps Out Outreach To Video Gamers

socalTECH

City of Industry-based technology retailer Newegg said Wednesday that it has made a major update to its GameCrate website, which provides content and information to video game enthusiasts. The site offers up news and reviews of games, hardware, and other video game products; coverage of video gaming events; video content and trailers, and more. Newegg said the latest update revamp its video section, streamline its front page, and includes a new calendar of upcoming events.

NewEgg 125
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Oblong Finds $15M More

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Oblong , which is developing user interface technology aimed at business collaboration -- and whose technology was the inspiration for the UI in Minority Report-- has raised $15.0M more in funding. Details on that funding have not been announced by the company, but were disclosed earlier this month in a regulatory filing. Oblong is led by John Underkoffler.

Report 125
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Tillster Links With PayPal

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Tillster , the digital ordering and marketing system and software developer led by Perse Faily, said Wednesday that it is in a deal with PayPal. Tillster said it will add PayPal's payment options in its branded mobile applications, as well across its branded and owned assets. The deal means that Tillster's restaurant clients--who include Boston Market, Burger King, California Pizza Kitchen, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Domino's, Jack in the Box, KFC, and many others--can off

Mobile 125
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Enviance Buys Remedy Interactive

socalTECH

Carlsbad-based Enviance >, the dveloper of cloud-based software aimed at the environmental, health, and safety market, has acquired Remedy Interactive , a developer of loud-based ergonomic and safety management software. Remedy Interactive is based in Sausalito, California. Financial detailsof the acquisition were not announced. Enviance--which was acquired by Battery Ventures in February--said the buy will help bolster its product portfolio.

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eHarmony In Second Phase of Major IT Refresh

socalTECH

Santa Monica-based eHarmony the online matchmaking site, said Tuesday that it has completed the second phase of a major, IT refresh at the company. eHarmony said that its service is now built on top of Hadoop 2.0, allowing the company to scale out its services with Big Data analytics, new data models, and more matches for users. eHarmony has been in a major refresh of its servie since 2013, when founder Dr.

eHarmony 125
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Progenity Buys Carmenta Bioscience

socalTECH

San Diego-based Progenity , which provides complex molecular and specialized diagnostic testing services, announced this morning that it has acquired Carmenta Bioscience , a developer of diagnostics for preeclampsia. Financial terms of the deal were not announced by the companies. Progenity said that Carmenta's CEO, Matthew Cooper, Ph.D., has been named as its Chief Scientific Officer.

San Diego 125
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Seven Lakes Technologies Raises $20M

socalTECH

Westlake Village-based Seven Lakes Technologies , a developer of enterprise software for the oil and gas industry, raised $20M in a Series A funding round earlier this year. The funding came from Carrick Capital Partners. Seven Lakes Technologies developers enterprise workflow and analytics software for the oil and gas exploration and production industries.