socalTECH

JANUARY 2, 2015

'Venice, California-based Snapchat has raised an enormous, $485.6M funding round, according to a regulatory filing from the company on New Year''s Eve. Details on the funding have not yet been announced by the company. According to the filing, the funding came from 23 investors, and the first sale in the round was in April. The funding appears to be linked to an earlier reported funding effort by the company this year, led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, which reportedly values Snapchat

Snapchat 207

Snapchat Funding Venice Venture Capital 207

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 31, 2014

'The title of this insight happens to be the name of a CEO roundtable organization I belong to, and have been a member since 1989 (Adaptive Business Leader Organization – or ABL). The organization, like Vistage, manages roundtables of CEOs meeting monthly in small groups, where they discuss their mutual challenges and help solve each other’s complex problems, acting as an informal board of advisors.

Organization 176

Organization Email Startup Training 176

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 28, 2014

'As the economy recovers from some tough economic times, more and more people seem to be turning to entrepreneurship as an alternative to traditional employment. I applaud this trend, but caution all of you thinking this direction to approach entrepreneurship with your eyes wide open. It is not for everyone, as the entrepreneur’s path is fraught with challenges.

Startup 117

Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Resource 117

Steve Reich

DECEMBER 31, 2014

'2014 Pasadena Angels Performance. • 4 Exits, including Bluebeam for $100mm. • $4.7mm in new funding for portfolio companies. • 17 Deals closed, 10 new and 7 follow-on rounds. • 20 New Angels joined. I have never seen such energy at the Pasadena Angels in my decade+ as a member. Deals are getting done, and the PA are more involved in the tech community than ever before.

Pasadena Angels 45

Pasadena Angels Pasadena Angel IP 45

Advertiser: Aggregage

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.

Company

socalTECH

DECEMBER 31, 2014

'Santa Barbara-based Yardi reported a customer win this week, with multifamily property development company Pennrose Management. Financial impact of the win was not disclosed. Yardi said Pennrose is using its software to handle HUD compliance, online leasing, and check scanning, among other functions. Pennrose develops and operates housing communities in the eastern half of the United States.

Develop 178

Develop Development Santa Barbara Company 178

socalTECH

DECEMBER 30, 2014

'Los Angeles-based electronic payment technology provider CheckAlt is powering e-check payments for secondary gift card marketplace CardCash.com , the two said Monday. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. The two said that the deal will enable customers to purchase gift cards on CardCash.com using CheckAlt''s e-check technology. The companies said the use of e-checks saves a significant amount of money in transaction fees; as a result, CardCash.com is offering up a 2 percent discoun

Los Angeles 164

Los Angeles Entrepreneur Custom Customer 164

socalTECH

JANUARY 2, 2015

'Over the last couple of weeks, we''ve been featuring the reflections on the last year from folks in Southern California''s technology industry. Here, David Cremin , a venture capitalist at DFJ Frontier , shares his thoughts on 2014. What was the most significant event for you or your company this year? Several companies in the Frontier portfolio earned liquidity in 2014, providing significant profits to our partners.

Oracle 135

Oracle Southern California Venture Capital Media 135

socalTECH

DECEMBER 31, 2014

'We''re continuing to feature reflections on the last year from movers and shakers in the local high tech community, and today have thoughts from Gerhard Apfelthaler , who is Dean of California Lutheran University''s School of Management , which has been very active in Ventura County helping to promote startup and entrepreneurial activity. What was the most significant event for you or your company this year?

Westlake Village 147

Westlake Village Thousand Oaks Startup Ventura 147

socalTECH

DECEMBER 30, 2014

'Are you the ultimate gadget geek, wondering how you are going to haul that giant pile of electronics you got for the holidays around? A San Clemente-based startup, AMPL Labs , has the gear for you--a smartphone-connected, mobile charging backpack which lets you plug in all of your electronic devices directly into an on-board charger. The backpack includes seven (7) USB connections, and lets you know what your state of charge is through a mobile app, monitors the temperature of the backpack, and

Startup 147

Startup Mobile Company Companies 147

socalTECH

JANUARY 2, 2015

'We''ve been featuring a few reflections on the last year from a number of movers and shakers in Southern California''s technology industry over the last couple of weeks, during the holidays. Today, we have some thoughts from Jeb Spencer of TVC Capital , a private equity investment company in San Diego. What was the most significant event for you or your company this year?

Capital 125

Capital Cloud Computing Southern California Equity 125

socalTECH

DECEMBER 31, 2014

'Calabasas-based audio encoding and decoding technology developer DTS says that it now has manufacturers representing 90 percent of the home AV receiver and surround processor market adopting its new, DTS:X codec technology. DTS--which is planning to officially launch its new surround sound technology in March--said those manufacturers include Anthem, Denon, Integra, Krell, Marantz, McIntosh, Onkyo, Outlaw Audio, Pioneer, Steinway Lyngdorf, Theta Digital, Trinnov Audio, and Yamaha, including oth

Technology 138

Technology Anthem Calabasas Marketing 138

socalTECH

DECEMBER 29, 2014

'Sony Pictures said Sunday that "The Interview" earned more than $15M in online sales as of Saturday, after its release via Google Play, YouTube, Microsoft''s Xbox Video, as well as through its own website, with over 2 million rentals or purchases of the Seth Rogen film. Apple also jumped on the video streaming bandwagon over the weekend, releasing the film on iTunes.

Sales 138

Sales Hollywood Google Content 138

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2015

'If you define your self-worth as an entrepreneur by how busy you are, it’s time to find another lifestyle. We all know people who are extraordinarily busy, but never seem to accomplish anything. For survival, entrepreneurs need to be all about accomplishing results that matter for themselves, their team, and their customers. That’s productivity. Why is this so hard?

Product 111

Product Entrepreneur Framework Social Media 111

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 29, 2014

'Most businesses spend big money testing their brand logo, catchy marketing phrases, and demographics, but spend little time training and validating that their employees can and do deliver memorable experiences to their customers. The result, according to a recent Gallup survey , with 70 percent of workers not fully engaged, is unhappy workers and poor customer experiences.

Custom 106

Custom Customer Training Satisfaction 106

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2014

'Venture capitalists (VCs) have long been seen as the top of the pyramid for startup funding sources, but in fact angel investors now fund over 60 times as many companies, according the Center for Venture Research. A major chunk of this activity is provided by the new class of Super Angels, who may look more like micro-VCs, except that they are investing their own money.

Angel 104

Angel Funding Startup Venture Capital 104

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 31, 2014

'Even though it has been a long haul since the recession, it’s nice to see more optimism as we close out this year and head into a new one. A November 2014 report by Kiplinger asserts that economic momentum is back on track. Growth is projected to continue at a 3 percent rate, consumer confidence is gaining strongly, hiring is on the rise, and job openings are at a near record level.

Study 102

Study Entrepreneur .Net Guide 102

socalTECH

DECEMBER 29, 2014

'Carlsbad-based MaxLinear said this morning that it has begun volume production shipments of a family of devices for the satellite market. MaxLinear said it has started shipping volume on its MxL86x Full-Spectrum Capture systems-on-a-chip (SoC), which are used by satellite outdoor unit (ODUs). Those devices are used to send multiple, satellite television signals over a single coax cable to a home or apartment.

Marketing 138

Marketing Product 138