Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 24, 2014

'I become a venture capitalist in September 2007 – exactly 6.5 years ago. I spent my first year developing proprietary deal flow and learning the business and then the Sept 2008 / Lehman Bros collapse / financial meltdown happened. As a result I didn’t write my first venture capital check until March 2009 – exactly 5 years ago. That company was Invoca, which just announced a $20 million fund raise led by Accel.

Venture Capital 387

Venture Capital Downey Writing Press 387

socalTECH

MARCH 28, 2014

'If you''re a chef of a hot new restaurant in New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles, where do you go online to network? Sites like LinkedIn are far more business focused, and Facebook is more friends and family. A new, San Diego startup-- Chef''s Roll , thinks it has the answer--a social network specifically aimed at chefs. The site said it has created a place where chefs can promote their talents, their career achievements, and more, whether they are just started up or are a celebrity chef.

Startup 240

Startup Summary San Diego Social Network 240

Berkonomics

MARCH 27, 2014

'With help from JJ Richa. There are so many ways to finance a small business. Most of them rely upon some form of debt, often personally guaranteed by the founder(s). So we investigate the most simple of these methods of debt financing first, since most are simple to execute and non-dilutive – that is help you to retain your ownership intact. Here is a list of common loan types: Line of credit – short term working capital.

Resource 166

Resource Capital Help Customer 166

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2014

'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 107

Ideas Mentor Entrepreneur Resource 107

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

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2014

'We all intuitively know how important human connections are in business but for many people it’s like exercise or eating well – one of those things you keep meaning to get around to. It reminds me of a line my wife and I often jokingly say to each other after seeing the awesome film “ Notorious ” about the life of Biggie Smalls. “I know mothafuckas who know mothafuckas.” Please just take 8 seconds to listen to this clip on YouTube – it’s priceless

Networking 366

Networking Startup CTO Coach Email 366

socalTECH

MARCH 26, 2014

'Irvine-based virtual reality technology developer Oculus VR has been acquired by Facebook , in a deal worth approximately $2 billion. According to Facebook, the deal includes $400M in cash, plus 23.1 million shares of Facebook common stock valued at $1.6 billion. The deal also includes a potential of an additional $300M in earn out. Oculus VR will remain in Irvine, and continue developing its virtual reality product, Oculus Rift.

Acquisition 225

Acquisition Platform Capital Funding 225

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 23, 2014

'In reality, so-called “Founder’s” shares are simply common stock, issued at the time of startup incorporation, for a very low price, and normally allocated to the multiple initial players commensurate with their investment or role. But that’s only the beginning of the story. These shares are allocated and committed, but not really issued and owned (vested) until later.

Invest 102

Invest Pricing Class Startup 102

socalTECH

MARCH 27, 2014

'In a move which threatens the growing Silicon Beach technology industry, the Santa Monica City Council voted last night to downsize the Santa Monica Airport. The council has expressed the desire to close the airport , and is gearing up for legal battles with the FAA. The airport is a popular destination for private flights by Silicon Valley venture capitalists to visit and invest in Santa Monica''s growing technology industry, dramatically shortening the time required by those executives to vis

Santa Monica 210

Santa Monica Technical Review Burbank High Tech 210

socalTECH

MARCH 24, 2014

'Culver City-based YouTube network Maker Studios has been acquired by Burbank-based Walt Disney Company , in a deal worth $500M, plus up to $450M in performance earn out. According to The Walt Disney Company, the deal will provide it with "advanced technology and business intelligence" around consumers'' interaction with short form, online videos. Maker operates a network of YouTube content channels--over 55,000--which gets 5.5 billion views per month, according to Disney.

Culver City 210

Culver City Downey Burbank Hollywood 210

socalTECH

MARCH 28, 2014

'Los Angeles-based mobile advertising company Airpush has quietly grown to around $100M in annual revenues, according to a recent ranking from Forbes--a big surprise, as the company was completely bootstrapped by founder Asher Delug , who eschewed the usual use of venture capital and private equity to build a company to those revenue levels. To hear how he bootstrapped the company to that size, we caught up with Asher earlier this week for a quick interview.

Startup 196

Startup Mobile Advertising Organization 196

socalTECH

MARCH 26, 2014

'San Diego-based Global Analytics Holdings , which develops financial analytics products aimed at the underbanked, said Tuesday that it has acquired workpays.me , an online marketplace which lets employees pay for purchases on installment via payroll deductions. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. workpays.me lets employees buy products from a marketplace of such items as computers, electronics, furniture, and more and pay for those items over time by deducting money directly

San Diego 187

San Diego Acquisition Product Develop 187

socalTECH

MARCH 26, 2014

'Santa Monica-based TrueCar , which operates a technology driven, car buying service, has inked a big deal with the AARP , the group which serves people age 50 and over. According to TrueCar, it is powering the new AARP Auto Buying Program, which will provide upfront pricing information, special incentives, and other related services to AARP''s members.

Truecar 185

Truecar Santa Monica Pricing Report 185

socalTECH

MARCH 27, 2014

'A number of Southern California angel investors, and one of its venture firms, have scored an exit over at social media influence measurement startup Klout , as the San Francsco company said Thursday that it is being acquired by Lithium Technologies. The deal is reportedly worth $200M. Klout''s investors include Silicon Beach angel investor Paige Craig; San Diego angel investor Howard Lindzon; Tom McInerney, a regular investor in Silicon Beach startups; and Greycroft Partners, which has a big p

Southern California 182

Southern California Acquisition SoCal Social Media 182

socalTECH

MARCH 24, 2014

'Irvine-based Local Corporation , which provides online, local advertising technology, said today that it has upgraded its local shopping app, Havvit. According to Local, the new app supports iOS 7 enabled devices, and helps provide local shopping search to users, including real time inventory availability an mapping. Local''s app helps consumers find products and compare prices of products nearby at retail stores.

Advertising 176

Advertising Pricing Help Product 176

socalTECH

MARCH 26, 2014

'TubeMogul , the developer of software for helping companies manage their digital video advertising which has operations in Los Angeles, has filed for an IPO. TubeMogul said in its S-1 Wednesday that it is looking to raise up to $75.0M on the New York Stock Exchange as TUBE. The company''s IPO is being underwritten by BofA Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, RBC Capital Markets, BMO Capital Markets, and Oppenheimer & Co.

Advertising 173

Advertising Acquisition Los Angeles Software 173

socalTECH

MARCH 28, 2014

'Beverly Hills-based Realty Mogul , a startup which operates an online marketplace for pooling together investor funds to buy investment property, has raised $9M in a Series A funding, the company said this week. The funding was led by Canaan Partners. Realty Mogul is led by Jilliene Helman. Realty Mogul helps connect investors with real estate firms, accrediting investors and helping them to browse different investment opportunities.

Beverly Hills 171

Beverly Hills Venture Capital Invest Funding 171

socalTECH

MARCH 25, 2014

'San Diego-based TakeLessons , the online private lessons marketplace startup led by Steven Cox, said this morning that it has raised $7M in a venture funding round. The funding was led by Lightbank, and also included Crosslink Capital, SoftTech VC, Triangle Peak Partners, and Moore Venture Partners. TakeLessons operates an online marketplace where students can find privat teachers, in such areas as music, hobbies and crafts, sports and fitness, and more.

San Diego 170

San Diego Education Venture Capital Tool 170

socalTECH

MARCH 28, 2014

'2U , an online education company which has significant operations in Los Angeles, has had a successful IPO on the NASDAQ Global Market, debuting Friday morning as TWOU. The company--which runs online degree programs for the University of Southern California (USC) and many other schools--had been backed by Redpoint Ventures, which funded the company out of its Los Angeles office.

Redpoint 166

Redpoint USC Southern California Education 166

socalTECH

MARCH 26, 2014

'One of the biggest areas where the cloud is transforming business is in small and medium sized businesses--where suddenly, companies are able to leverage software which wouldn''t be available, or are too costly for them to implement individually, but where the cloud access suddenly makes it affordable and easy. Irvine-based Kareo (www.kareo.com) is in one of those areas, serving small medical practices, and has turned that into a multi million dollar business with 325 employees.

Startup 160

Startup El Segundo CTO Hire Outsource Development 160

socalTECH

MARCH 26, 2014

'Los Angeles-based MediaAlpha , a developer of performance-based, real-time bidding advertising technology specifically aimed at insurance ads, has raised a round of funding and launch of its product. MediaAlpha said that it has received a majority investment from a wholly-owned subsidiary of White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd., which will go towards its advertising technology platform.

Advertising 159

Advertising Technology Funding Los Angeles 159

socalTECH

MARCH 26, 2014

'The latest annual ranking of venture capitalists by Forbes has given a cold shoulder to Southern California venture capitalists. The Forbes Midas List , which was published Wednesday, did not name a single, Southern California investor. The list has been short on local investors for the last few years , even as many Southern California companies have helped place other, Silicon Valley venture capitalists high up on the investor ranking.

Southern California 159

Southern California Cornerstone OnDemand SoCal San Diego 159

socalTECH

MARCH 27, 2014

'Santa Monica-based GoCoin , the Bitcoin payments startup led by Steve Beauregard, has scored $1.5M in a Series A financing, the company said today. The funding was led by the Bitcoin Shop, Inc., as well as Owen Van Natta, the former COO of Facebook. The funding also included angels Andrew Frame (Ooma), David Neumann (Current TV), and others. GoCoin said the new round will go towards engineering resources and to ramp up its global sales force.

Santa Monica 157

Santa Monica Commerce Resource Platform 157

socalTECH

MARCH 28, 2014

'San Diego-based ON-Ramp Wireless said this week that it has bolstered its board, adding former Verizon Chairman and CEO Ivan Seidenberg as a member of its board of directors, and former Verizon EVP and Chief Technology Officer Richard "Dick" Lynch as a member of its advisory board. On Ramp Wireless--which develops wireless products for the machine-to-machine (M2M) market--said the additions would help bring it a "wealth" of wireless industry and management expertise.

Chief Technology Officer 153

Chief Technology Officer San Diego Help Marketing 153

socalTECH

MARCH 27, 2014

'Woodland Hills-based online local online marketing provider ReachLocal is bragging today that it has signed up 1,000 clients for its new ReachEdge marketing automation product. ReachEdge helps small and medium sized businesses with their online marketing efforts, including managing their website, advertising, SEO, lead management, and tracking of customer acquisition efforts.

ReachLocal 153

ReachLocal Woodland Hills Customer Custom 153

socalTECH

MARCH 25, 2014

'Santa Monica-based ParkMe , the developer of real-time, parking information apps led by Sam Friedman, said this morning that it has named a new Chief Financial Officer for the company. According to the company, it has appointed Daniel Yukelson as its new CFO, to oversee its financial operations. Yukelson was most recently at Premiere Radio Networks, where he had been for nearly 15 years; he also had served at Ernst and Young.

Santa Monica 153

Santa Monica Networking Develop Development 153

socalTECH

MARCH 24, 2014

'Santa Monica-based eHarmony is extending out its mobile support today, saying it has launched a Windows Phone app for its matchmaking service. The company already offers up apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android. eHarmony says that 45 percent of users are now registering for eHarmony via mobile devices. The new app handles sign up, creating profiles, communications, photos, acitivity feed, among other features.

eHarmony 153

eHarmony Santa Monica Mobile Marketing 153

socalTECH

MARCH 28, 2014

'Glendale-based Everbridge , which provides emergency communications and notification services, said it has partnered with NC4 , a provider of safety and security software aimed at global threat assessment and alerts. The two said they have created a new Interactive Visibility: Threat View threat assessment solution, which ties the company''s respective products together.

Glendale 147

Glendale Software Product Services 147

socalTECH

MARCH 27, 2014

'Los Angeles-based entertainment news provider HitFix has launched a new video channel, which will feature both content, news, and advertising, the company said this morning. HitFix said its new HitFix Video channel delivers both original content and highly targeted advertisements, delivering 90 million monthly video streams. HitFix said the channel reaches a total of 300 million monthly viewers through a number of in-home and out-of-home partners, including Naitonal CineMedia, Hulu, IZ ON Media

News 147

News Hulu Entertainment Hollywood 147

socalTECH

MARCH 27, 2014

'Los Angeles-based Collective Digital Studio , a YouTube multichannel network operator (MCN), has raised a round of investment from German media company ProSiebenSat.1, the company said today. The size of the funding was not announced, however, Collective Digital Studio said it received a "significant" investment for a minority share of the company from ProSiebenSat.1.

Invest 147

Invest Hollywood Content Los Angeles 147

socalTECH

MARCH 27, 2014

'Los Angeles-based middle market investor Levine Leichtman Capital Partners announced Thursday that it has closed on $1.65 billion in capital commitments for its latest fund, Levine Leichtman Capital Partners Fund V, L.P. The firm said the fund exceeded a target of $1.5 billion, and came from public and private pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations, insurance companies, fund of funds and family offices.

Invest 147

Invest Capital Funding Venture Capital 147

socalTECH

MARCH 26, 2014

'Irvine-based Local Corporation , the local advertising technology developer, said it has launched a new product aimed at the mobile ad market. Local said its new nFuse product provides hyperlocal, data-driven mobile ads, letting national and regional brands to provide location-based, rich media ads that incorporate information from nearby, local stores.

Mobile 147

Mobile Product Advertising Pricing 147

socalTECH

MARCH 25, 2014

'Los Angeles-based RealD said late Monday that it has scored yet another win in China, this time with movie theater chain Wanda Cinema Line Corporation. According to RealD, the deal calls for the installation of an additional, 780 of its 3D movie projection systems at Wanda''s locations, over the next three years. Wanda already has 800 RealD screens installed today.

Screening 147

Screening Hollywood Los Angeles Angel 147

socalTECH

MARCH 25, 2014

'Irvine-based Axonics Modulation Technologies has raised $32.6M in a Series A funding, the company announced this morning. Axonics--which is developing implantable neuromodulation technology used for treating chronic pain and overactive bladder--said the lead investor was Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners (EdRIP), and also included NeoMed Management, Legend Capital, as well as angels.

Technology 147

Technology Research Organization Capital 147

socalTECH

MARCH 24, 2014

'Laguna Hills-based Sonendo , a developer of a cleaning system aimed at improving root canals, said today that it has raised $10M in venture debt. The company said the funding came from Oxford Finance LLC. Terms of the debt were not announced. Sonendo said the funding will be used--along with an earlier, $27M raised in an equity funding last summer--to help commercialize its Multisonic Ultracleaning System.

Funding 147

Funding Equity Invest Capital 147

socalTECH

MARCH 24, 2014

'Chatsworth-based MRV Communications , which develops optical communications and packet communications hardware, announced this morning that it has named Scott St. John as its new Senior Vice President of Sales for its Optical Communications System division. St. John joins the company from OVerture Networks, and also had served at Saisei, Larscom, VINA Technologies, Lucent Technologies and AT&T.

Sales 147

Sales Chatsworth Networking Technology 147

socalTECH

MARCH 24, 2014

'Woodland Hills-based ReachLocal , which helps run local, online marketing efforts for small and medium sized businesses, said today that it has acquired a divisio of a New Zealand company, the SME division of SureFire Search Limied. Financial terms of the acquisition deal were not announced. ReachLocal says it has been working with SureFire since 2011, when SureFire launched ReachLocal''s online marketing product to the local market.

ReachLocal 147

ReachLocal Woodland Hills Company Companies 147