socalTECH
OCTOBER 7, 2013
'Tired of handing out your business card at local networking events? A Los Angeles startup has just launched a new Kickstarter project, aimed to make your necktie double as a business card--using the ubiquitous QR code. QRtie launched its Kickstarter project on Monday, looking to raise $40,000 for its ties, which feature a QR code sewn into the back of the tie.
InfoChachkie
OCTOBER 7, 2013
'A version of this article previously appeared in The Wall Street Journal. The good news for entrepreneurs is that there have never been more office space options for early stage companies. The bad news is that it is often difficult to determine which of these alternatives is ideal, since the definition of "ideal" changes as your venture matures. If you haven''t already subscribed yet, subscribe now for free weekly JohnGreathouse.com articles!
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Berkonomics
OCTOBER 10, 2013
'Many CEOs have asked me if I felt an investment banker adds value if the buyer has already been identified. Investment bankers sometimes slow the process by requiring a “deal book” to be prepared containing considerable information about a company to help a buyer. Deal books are expensive to create. Other investment bankers insist that the company create competition for a deal, even if the buyer has already submitted a letter of interest to the seller.
Tech Coast Venture Network
OCTOBER 8, 2013
'BUSINESS PITCH COMPETITION. Friday, November 8, 2013 from 5:00 – 9:00 PM. Please join us for our annual fast-pitch competition offering entrepreneurs unprecedented opportunity to compete for funding, gain visibility and network with investors. The event will feature a catered dinner, top shelf cash bar, live music, prizes, complimentary parking and exclusive networking with prestigious Orange County entrepreneurs and business professionals.
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.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 8, 2013
'The United Talent Agency is ramping up its outreach to early stage, digital media companies, with a new hire from the Los Angeles technology industry. According to the United Talent Agency, it has hired Robyn Ward as part of its Digital Media practice, to work closely with its existing portfolio of early stage companies and help identify new investment, incubation and representation opportunities.
Startup Professionals Musings
OCTOBER 5, 2013
'Viral marketing and word-of-mouth are not enough these days to make your product and brand visible in the relentless onslaught of new promotional media out there today. Innovation in marketing is perhaps more important than product innovation. Yet in the business plans I see, the marketing content and budget are smaller than ever. More than just spending, you need to create an “experience” in this digital age which sets you apart from the banner ads, email blasts, and old-school websites out th
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Both Sides of the Table
OCTOBER 9, 2013
'Look, if you had, one shot. Or one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted. In one moment. Would you capture it, or just let it slip? [ Eminem, Lose Yourself ]. I’ve often said that to run a startup you almost have to abstract yourself from the daily stresses and grind just to exist. You almost have to have an out-of-body experience as though it’s not really your life but it’s just a game you’re playing in order to not be buried by the burdens of your decisions.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 8, 2013
'Wish you had a better way to view your favorite online videos on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV? A new, Los Angeles startup, Pheebo --started by two former Apple Store employees--said that it has launched a brand new app which looks to let users access their favorite videos from such sites as YouTube, Reddit, Vimeo, and other sites, all from a single place.
Startup Professionals Musings
OCTOBER 7, 2013
'Entrepreneurs need to listen to constructive criticism, but ignore negative vibes and complainers at all costs. If you are a complainer, and you are thinking of becoming an entrepreneur, think again. The world of an entrepreneur is tough, unpredictable, and fraught with risk. Most importantly, the buck stops with you, so there is no room for excuses and negativity.
Tech Zulu Event
OCTOBER 11, 2013
'Freelancing is a tough gig for many writers. Pitching stories and getting your name out to various companies and editors requires a lot of work. It is also a problem for editors who are looking for the right writer. This is where Assignmint comes in. Assignmint is a web-based platform to list freelancing work for employers and help writers find the right freelance job for them and standardizes the paperwork between the two parties.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 8, 2013
'Who are the top 100 up-and-coming individuals in Southern California''s technology industry? We''re looking to identify the individuals here in the technology industry, across all sectors, who are most likely to create the next big thing, produce the next big exit or to influence the industry in a significant way. If you''d like to nominate an individual (not company) for this award, we''ve just started collecting your nominations online.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 8, 2013
'SlimSurveys , the new startup headed by former TweetPhoto founder Sean Callahan, has launched a new product, aimed at collecting data from website visitors. According to the company, its new Customer Insights product lets website owners add a widget to their website, to help collect real-time, customer insights. The new product lets marketers and website owners run surveys in-line with their websites, without requiring developers to constantly interact with the website.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 10, 2013
'San Diego-based Sotera Wireless reports today that it has received FDA clearance for its continuous, patient blood pressure monitoring system. The venture backed startup said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared its ViSi Mobile wireless patient monitoring system, which lets clinicians continuously monitor patient vital signs without the use of a catheter or blood pressure cuff.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 11, 2013
'San Diego-based TakeLessons , which has been operating an online marketplace to connect students with music instructors, has made a major expansion this week, saying that it will now make its tools available to any private instructor, in any field. The site now offers up connections to tutors, ballet teachers, and instructors in many other fields. TakeLessons said its tools now let anyone who manages a roster of students to handle scheduling, billing, and lesson management.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 11, 2013
'Internet giant Google has made another alternative energy investment in Southern California, investing $103M in a utility-scale, solar photovoltaic generating plant in Imperial County. According to Google, the investment in the Silver Ridge Power, 265.7 MW Mount Signal Solar project is the thirteenth energy investment by Google. The plant is expected to be fully operational in 2014, and will supply power to San Diego Gas & Electric.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 11, 2013
'Monrovia, California-based biopharmaceuticals developer Xencor has filed for an IPO, saying in a filing this morning that it looking to raise up to $69.0M in its initial public offering. Xencor said it is has applied to trade as XNCR on the NASDAQ Stock Market. Xencor''s IPO is being underwritten by Credit Suisse, Leerink Swann, and Wedbush PacGrow Life Sciences.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 11, 2013
'GameSalad , a developer of mobile game development tools, said this week that it has teamed up with Amazon.com, and will be providing development options specifically for Amazon''sa GameSalad , a developer of mobile game development tools, said this week that it has teamed up with Amazon.com, and will be providing development options specifically for Amazon''s Kindle Fire platform.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 8, 2013
'Los Angeles-based comparison shopping site Shopzilla is expanding into the world of online coupon codes, with the launch of a new site called Tada , the company said Tuesday. Shopzilla said the new coupon site consolidates a number of coupon offerings into a single brand. According to the company, it offers over 50,000 coupons from more than 6,400 stores, and includes features to make sure that the codes listed on the site work, by tapping into a network of verified buyers who have successfully
socalTECH
OCTOBER 10, 2013
'DogVacay , the online peer-to-peer marketplace for pet sitting services headed by Aaron Hirschhorn, has scored $15M in a Series B funding round, the company said this morning. The Los Angeles company said that the new round was led by Foundation Capital, and also included Benchmark and First Round Capital, along with new investors DAG Ventures and Sherpa Ventures.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 7, 2013
'Los Angeles-based Beats Electronics , fresh off of a big investment from The Carlyle Group , is getting set to launch its new music streaming service, according to a report Monday. TNW, citing Beats Electronics'' President and COO Luke Wood, said Beats Music is set to launch within the next month, and will offer up streaming on the Web, iOS, and Android.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 9, 2013
'Los Angeles-based NationBuilder , which develops software-as-a-service to help groups organize their supporters, has opened up a new set of APIs for third party developers. The company--which offers up its platform to political campaigns, nonprofits, activists, and many others--said it has officially released its API, allowing developers to access its services.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 10, 2013
'San Diego-based Qualcomm is backing mobile security software maker Lookout , as part of a big, $55M funding round for Lookout which was announced Thursday. Lookout said it raised $55M in a funding from Deutsche Telekom, Qualcomm, Greylock Ventures and Mithril Capital Management, along with Accel Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Index Ventures, and Khosla Ventures.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 10, 2013
'In what is a fairly unusual move, last week, Tradesparq (www.tradesparq.com), a Chinese startup in the area of B2B trade information, said it was planning on setting up its operations here in Southern California, as part of an expansion and scaling of the company. We caught up with co-founder Michael Kleist , to learn more about the startup, its roots in China and international trade, as well as learn more about the startup experience in China--and why having a presence in Southern California i
socalTECH
OCTOBER 8, 2013
'San Diego-based Tandem Diabetes Care , a medical device manufacturer which makes touchscreen-enabled insulin pumps, has filed for an IPO. Tandem said it is looking to raise up to $100.0M in an IPO on the NASDAQ Global Market, trading as TNDM. The firm''s IPO is being underwritten by BofA Merrill Lynch, Piper Jaffray, Deutsche Bank Securities, and Stifel.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 8, 2013
'Los Angeles-based social advertising technology developer Adly announced today that it has added a new investor, with ties to professional athletes and celebrities. According to Adly, it has partnered with Legacy Growth Partners as its first celebrity investor, and will be working with the firm to reach out to professional athletes and celebrities.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 7, 2013
'Los Angeles-based BOOM Studios , the venture backed comic book publisher, has inked what is being called one of the most lucrative underlying rights deals ever made , in a deal with 20th Twentieth Century Fox. The startup--backed by DFJ Frontier--apparently has inked a deal to get first-dollar gross on movies made form its properties, with earnings split 50-50 between Boom Studios and its comic creators.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 7, 2013
'Los Angeles looks to be the hub of car-related, smartphone-driven car services. The latest, next generation company to launch into the city looks to be Silvercar , a startup which offers up premium car rental services all driven by smartphone. According to Silvercar, which is based in Texas, it is launching into LAX on November 4th, to bring its rental car service to the.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 8, 2013
'San Diego-based biopharmaceuticals developer PharmAkea Therapeutics has raised $45M in funding for development of its small molecule drugs, aimed at trating cancer and fibrotic diseases. The funding included $35M from Celgene Corporation in a strategic alliance deal, plus $10M in a Series A funding from Bay City Capital. As part of the deal, Celgene said it has retained an exclusive option to acquire the company.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 8, 2013
'Santa Monica-based Nimble is claiming it has seen record growth this quarter, for the company''s customer relationship management tools. According to Nimble, it saw a 2.5-times, year-over-year growth in revenues between Q3 2012 and Q3 2012, a 5x increase in users, and signups from over 150 countries. Actual financials were not released by the startup.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 7, 2013
'Los Angeles-based Earbits , the music listening and discovery service led by Joey Flores, has just announced a new, free, iPhone music streaming app, which it says lets users listen to music with no commercials and no usage or skip restrictions. According to Earbits, the new mobile app runs on the iPhone and iPad, and gives access to songs from over 12,000 independent artists.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 7, 2013
'For today''s Insights and Opinions section, we''re sharing an article on how to make technology transfer and IP commercialization work , from Siemer and Associates and Siemer Ventures'' Ivan Nikkhoo. Over the years, universities, government agencies, hospitals and alike have developed massive amounts of IP aimed research, defense, medicine, among other areas, without specifically targeting commercial purposes.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 11, 2013
'San Diego-based Sorrento Therapeutics said Thursday that it has acquired Sherrington Pharmaceuticals , a company developing chronic pain treatments for end-stage cancer patients and other severe pain indications. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. Sorrento Therapeutics said that Sherrington''s lead candidate is a non-opiate, ultra potent and selective agonist of the TRPV-1 receptor.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 9, 2013
'Google''s display advertising network, Google Display Network, doesn''t perform as promised, according to Santa Barbara-based PureClick. The startup said this morning that its advertisers have been finding that the majority of placement in Google''s display network are "irrelevant to their products and services"--as it announced its own product to help advertisers narrow down the most relevant AdSense publishers for their marketing efforts.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 8, 2013
'Los Angeles-based online content publisher Break Media and Alloy Digital said Tuesday that the two are merging to form a new, Internet video company called Defy Media. Financial terms of the merger were not announced. Variety said that the combined company will have more than $100M in revenues. Break Media founder and CEO Keith Richman will become President of the new company, with Alloy CEO Matt Diamond becoming CEO, according to reports.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 7, 2013
'San Diego-based Qualcomm announced this morning that it has elected the former Ambassador to the People''s Republic of China to its board of directors. According to Qualcomm, former Ambassador Clark Randt is currently president of Randt & Company, and also serves on the boards of Valmont Industries and United Parcel Service. Randt had been ambassador to China from 2001 to 2009.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 10, 2013
'Culver City-based online video and movie streaming provider M-GO has expanded into original content for its site, saying late Wednesday evening that it is launching a new, original series on the site called Dinner & A Download. The new, celebrity chef series a promotion to encourage movie purchases on M-GO''s website, which offers movie purchases and rentals.
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