Sat.Sep 12, 2009 - Fri.Sep 18, 2009

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Most Startups Should be Deer Hunters

Both Sides of the Table

This post is part of my series “ Startup Lessons &#. Elephants, Deer and Rabbits – Some thoughts on start-up segmentation. Nearly all of the mistakes I made at my first company I fixed by the time of my second company. This is the only mistake I repeated twice and it is a mistake that I see many, many companies make. I know that this advice won’t apply to every possible startup – but I think it applies to many.

Startup 389
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Bank Robber or ATM Operator?

InfoChachkie

This is a reposting of a ‘classic’ popular post. A Fortune 500 CEO once told me that I was a Bank Robber. Initially, I was offended. However, once he explained what he meant, I was flattered. A Bank Robber is someone who craves the thrill of the chase. They love planning the heist and experiencing the adrenaline rush that goes along with taking down a bank.

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Interview with Billy Fried, Kijubi

socalTECH

This morning's interview is with Billy Fried , co-founder and CEO of Kijubi (www.kijubi.com), a new startup which is looking to help people find travel activities. The firm is launching itself today at TechCrunch50. We talked with Billy last week about the firm, and what it's trying to do: What's the whole idea behind Kijubi? Billy Fried: As an active person, with an active family and active friends, I've gone on vacation and searched around for things to do, or looked for things to do on a week

Activity 164
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Social Media Strategy

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, September 24, 2009 -- Social Media Strategy. Leveraging social media requires planning. For many of us using this new technology is unknown and somewhat daunting. Learn from an expert in the field what the benefits can be, and how to plan for success using social media. Like any other part of your business planning process, social media requires some strategic thinking.

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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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Don’t drink your own Kool-Aid (surviving TC50)

Both Sides of the Table

This is part of my ongoing series “Start-up Lessons”. Tonight I was reading a good blog post ( here ) from Sean Powers with Alistair Croll on preparing yourself for the TC50 “bump” – the rise in traffic that a company gets from presenting at TechCrunch 50. Worth a read on how to maximize the traffic that comes to you site since much of it will be fleeting.

Startup 310
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TCA's OC Arm Pumps Seed Program

socalTECH

The Orange County Chapter of the Tech Coast Angels is promoting a program to help jumpstart small companies, O.C. SeedTrack, building off of earlier efforts by the group's San Diego and other chapters. According to the O.C. Tech Coast Angels, the new program will provide seed funding, strategic planning, and execution of day-to-day functions of startups.

More Trending

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Aptera Center Of Automobile Debate

socalTECH

Vista-based Aptera , the electric vehicle effort being funded by Idealab, Google, and the Quercus Trust, is at the center of a lobbying effort in Washington, D.C., according to a report today in the Wall Street Journal. The WSJ says that Aptera's backers are lobbying to include the vehicle--currently excluded from Department of Energy programs for spurring electric car design--in a spending bill.

Idealab 153
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Broadcom Sues Emulex Over Patents

socalTECH

Irvine-based Broadcom said today that it is suing Emulex Corporation, over patents related to its networking and communications technology. Broadcom filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Monday, saying that Emulex infringed on ten Broadcom patents, covering high speed data and storage networking technology.

Patents 150
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ReachLocal Acquires Rest Of Australian Joint Venture

socalTECH

Woodland Hills-based ReachLocal , which operates an online marketing service targeted at local businesses, is announcing today that it has purchase the remaining interest in the firm's Australian joint venture partner, Netus Pty Ltd. No financial details of the acquisition were disclosed. ReachLocal said it now owns all of its international operations, which include Canada, the UK, and Australia.

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Six SoCal Firms Make Forbes List

socalTECH

Six Southern California firms have made Forbes.com's list of 20 of "America's Most Promising Companies 2009", which was released Wednesday. Among the technology focused firms on the list were San Clemente-based Kerosene and a Match , ranked at number 2, which is developing technology for searching for graphics, photos, and videos on the Internet; Irvine-based Private Access , a developer of software used for recruiting subjects for medical research, ranked at number 12; Yobra Linda-based Genea E

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Four SoCal Firms Head To Demo

socalTECH

The second major startup launch event this month, DEMOfall 09, kicks off next week in San Diego, with four Southern California firms among the list of 56 companies slated to present at the conference. According to VentureBeat, which is co-producing the event, Los Angele-based NativeTung , Laguna Niguel-based TotalTrainer , Irvine-base TravelTrac , and Alhambra-based Gorok Technology Corp. will all be presenting at the event next week sometime.

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SolSource Energy Acquired By SolarCity

socalTECH

Culver City-based SolSource Energy , a installer of solar power systems owned by Clean Fuel Connection, Inc., has been acquired by Bay Area solar installer SolarCity , SolarCity said Thursday afternoon. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Jim Cahill, who was co-owner of SolSource Energy, joins SolarCity as Regional Operating Director in Southern California.

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Moves Hires Execs

socalTECH

Westlake Village-based Move announced today that it has appointed David Story as the firm's new Chief Technology Officer, and Scott Boecker as its Chief Product Officer. The operator of online real estate sites said that both Story and Boecker will be located in Northern California, at the firm's Campbell, California offices. Story was most recently at Adobe Systems, and also served at Intuit.

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Veoh Claims Win Over Universal Music

socalTECH

Los Angeles- and San Diego-based video sharing site Veoh is claiming a major win today over Universal Music group, saying that a federal judge has thrown out a copyright infringement lawsuit against the firm. Veoh said that a federal court awarded a summary judgement in the copyright lawsuit, finding that Veoh's copyright process is compliant with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Veoh 140
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Total Immersion Adds French Distributor

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Total Immersion. a developer of "augmented reality" software, said today that it is in a distribution partnership with French firm int13. The firm said that int13 specializes in next-gen smartphone applications. The two firms said they will integrate their technology on Symbian, Windows Mobile, iPhone, and Android telepones. Total Immersion's technology provides real-time mapping of digital data and graphics onto live video.

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NVCA: Venture Capital Spurs Jobs, GDP

socalTECH

The National Venture Capital Association today released a new report detailing the impact of venture capital on the U.S. Economy. The report , compiled for the NVCA by IHS Global Insight, found that venture backed companies accounted for 11 percent of private company employment in 2008, or 12.1 million jobs out of 115 million jobs in the private sector.

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Autobytel Gets NASDAQ Warning On Share Price

socalTECH

Irvine-based Autobytel , a provider of automotive marketing services and lead generation services to auto dealers, reported this morning that it has received a warning letter from the NASDAQ about the firm's closing bid price. According to Autobytel, the notification from the NASDAQ said that, in the preceding 30 consecutive business days, the closing bid price of Autobytel's common stock has been below the $1.00 minimum bid price per share required for listing on the NASDAQ Global Market.

Pricing 133
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CrownPeak Adds URL Shortening To CMS

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based CrownPeak , a developer of software-as-a-service for web content management, is jumping into the URL shortening craze, with its own URL shortener. URL shorteners, such as Bit.ly, take very long URLs and translate them into very short URLs, making it easier to send those links to other people. According to CrownPeak, its URL shortener -- at Cpeak.us is designed specifically for digital agencies and online marketers using its CMS tools.

SaaS 133
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Insights and Opinions: Social media: You at the Helm of Your Own New Starship

socalTECH

For today's Insights and Opinions article, we have a piece from Tracy Olmstead Williams, of Olmstead Williams Communications, talking about the bold new world of social media: Social Media, like Global Warming, has now left doubters behind. According to the brand-ranking database Engagement DB, companies embracing social media grew revenues by 18 percent in the past 12 months.

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Solera Holdings Buys German Firm

socalTECH

San Diego-based Solera Holdings , which develops software and services for the automobile insurance claims processing industry, said this morning that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire AUTOonline GmbH Informationssyteme. Solera said it will buy 85% of AUTOonline's outstanding share capital for approximately $85M, with rights to purchase the remaining stake in AUTOonline at ten times AUTOonline's consolidated EBITDA, after December 31st.

San Diego 133
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CitySourced Takes Third At TechCrunch50

socalTECH

CitySourced , a mobile app which allows residents to report problems like potholes to their local government--has taken third place at TechCrunch50, as a runner up to the top prize at the widely watched event. The application, is an effort of Los Angeles-based FreedomSpeaks , the startup which is headed by Jason Kiesel and Kurt Daradics. FreedomSpeaks backed by angel funding.

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Memeo Rolls New Backup Service

socalTECH

Aliso Viejo-based Memeo , which operates software for consumers to manage their digital media, has rolled out a new backup service. The firm said its new Memeo Instant Backup provides local file backup for users, and is targeted at everyday computer users. Memeo claims the software is aimed at "even the most non-technical users," and is simple enough that "even a grandparent can use it.

Services 133
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Interview with Marco DeMiroz, Soliant Energy

socalTECH

Recently, Pasadena-based Pasadena-based Soliant Energy , one of the solar energy firms in Southern California, opened up a new pilot production line. We spoke several years ago with Soliant about their technology--which is focused on concentrating solar photovoltaic panels--and we thought we'd get an update from the firm in terms of its technology and commercial deployment.

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Peregrine Semi Ships 500M Chips

socalTECH

San Diego-based Peregrine Semiconductor , a supplier of RF CMOS and mixed signal ICs, announced Tuesday that the firm has shipped the 500 millionth of its UltraCMOS RFIC chips. The chips are used in RF and wireless systems. Peregrine develops chips based on silicon-on-insulator technology, which the firm says replaces Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) chips usually used for those applications.

San Diego 133
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Insights and Opinions: An Open Letter To Congress

socalTECH

For our Insights and Opinions section this morning, we're republishing an open letter to Congress composed by venture capitalist Marc Averitt , of Okapi Venture Capital : I am writing to you today as a concerned citizen with a truly global perspective who also happens to be a co-founder and managing director of a small (~$30M) venture capital fund that invests in promising seed and early-stage technology and life science companies in Southern California.

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Mota Motors Launches Services

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Mota Motors , which provides services to help consumers buy and sell used automobiles, is one of the Southern California startups which is making a push at TechCrunch50 this week. Mota launched a new site at the conference Monday. Mota is venture backed by Prism VentureWorks, and received $4.5M in funding back in April of 2008. The company is headed by Reza Bundy.

Services 133
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Rubicon Project Buys Others Online

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Rubicon Project , a venture backed provider of online advertising optimization services, said today that it has acquired Others Online , a provider of a behavioral targeting service for the online advertising industry. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Rubicon said the buy will help it build out its platform. Jordan Mitchell, CEO and Founder of Others Online, becomes Vice President of Data Intelligence for Rubicon Project.

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RightScale Links With WaveMaker

socalTECH

Santa Barbara-based RightScale disclosed today that the firm has linked with WaveMaker Software, a developer of a framework for deploying web applications. WaveMaker and RightScale said that the two will integrate their products, allowing users who develop apps on WaveMaker to deploy them through RightScale's Cloud Management Platform. RightScale, which is venture backed by Index Ventures and Benchmark Capital, develops cloud computing software used to manage and deploy servers.

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3Tera Wins Customer

socalTECH

Aliso Viejo-based 3Tera , a provider of a cloud computing service, announced today that the firm has signed on Japanese telecom firm KDDI as a customer. According to 3Tera, KDDI is using its AppLogic cloud computing platform as part of a "KDDI Cloud Server Service" offering. Financial impact of the win was not disclosed. 3Tera provides an online service focused on virtual applications and infrastructure.

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Smith Micro Buys Mobility Software Firm

socalTECH

Aliso Viejo-based Smith Micro Software has acquired a developer of wireless handset software, Core Mobility , the firm said Monday afternoon. Smith Micro said the deal is worth $10M in cash plus 700,000 shares of its common stock, or approximately $18.6M. Core Mobility is a developer of mobile synchronization and backup software. Smith Micro said that Core Mobility will become a wholly owned subsidiary of the firm.

Mobile 133
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Symark Acquires BeyondTrust

socalTECH

Agoura Hills-based Symark International , a provider of IT management software, announced today that it has acquired BeyondTrust, a provider of privilege management solutions for Windows. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. In addition to the acquisition, Symark said it would rename the combined organization as BeyondTrust. The firm claimed that the acquisition would more than double its addressable market.

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AirHop Nabs $1M

socalTECH

San Diego-based AirHop Communications announced this morning that the firm has raised $1M in a financing round, from unnamed-wireless industry executives. The firm said it is developing systems software that enables the deployment of 4G wireless networks, including the LTE SON Market. As part of the funding, the firm said it named Garrett Choi as its Chief Operating Officer, Jerry Hall as its Vice President of Marketing, and Anand Parikh as Vice President of Business Development.

San Diego 133
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DivX Signs Motorola

socalTECH

San Diego-based DivX disclosed today that it has entered into a licensing deal with Motorola for its technology, for use in a Motorola IPTV set-top box. Financial details of the license were not disclosed. DivX said that Motorola will use its codec technology for playing backing high-quality, standard definition video in the DivX format. READ MORE>>.

San Diego 127
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NC4 Buys TranSecur

socalTECH

El Segundo-based NC4 , a provider of incident monitoring, crisis management, and other communications tools for emergency management, Federal agencies, financial services, law enforcement and companies, said Friday afternoon that it has acquired TransSecur , a provider of travel risk management services. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

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Activision Blizzard Names Public Policy Head, Legal Chief

socalTECH

Santa Monica-based game maker Activision Blizzard reported Wednesday afternoon that the firm has appointed George L. Rose as Executive Vice President and Chief Public Policy Officer, and has also named Christopher B. Walther as its Chief Legal Officer. Rose was most recently Chief Legal officer for the firm, and has been at the company for more than 14 years.

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Clicker Raises $8M, Launches Video Search Engine

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Clicker.com , a startup looking to index and search online television content, launched Tuesday at the TechCrunch50 conference, saying it has raised $8M in venture funding from Benchmark Capital and Redpoint Ventures. The firm is headed by Jim Lanzone, former CEO of Ask.com. READ MORE>>. Tags: clicker video index search venture capital techcrunch50.

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