Sat.Nov 09, 2013 - Fri.Nov 15, 2013

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On Launching a Brand – Upfront Ventures Four Months In

Both Sides of the Table

'Nearly four months ago we rebranded at Upfront Ventures. You can watch the video above for a very brief overview of why we rebranded and where we see our place in the VC ecosystem along with what has changed in our industry. The link for the video is here and if you want a short firsthand view on our changes it’s a great resource. I often advise startup companies not to try and pin all of your brand equity into an announcement.

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Plans? Humbug! Show me what you’re made of.

Berkonomics

'By David Steakley. Our guest insight this week comes from David Steakley, a past President of the Houston Angel Network, and a reformed management consultant. He is an active angel investor, and he manages several angel funds in Texas. Hang on, David tells it like he sees it! – DB. Business plans are interesting. But, as a famous field marshal (1) said, no battle plan survives contact with the enemy.

Invest 228
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Backdoor's 14-year Old Founder Gets $200,000 For Social Messaging App

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based Backdoor , a startup founded by 14-year old Daniel Singer, announced this morning that it has raised $200,000 towards further development of its anonymous messaging app. The company said the funding came from ArpexCapital, and will help it launch into new markets. ArpexCapital is a Brazilian investment firm. Backdoor''s software currently runs on iOS, and revolves around anonymous chats with your friends, and trying to have them guess who is messaging them based on "clues" abo

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Brian Coryat, ValueClick Founder And Internet Pioneer: Startups Should Wing It

InfoChachkie

'A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. Brian Coryat, Founder and CEO of Local Market Launch and former Founder and CEO of ValueClick (NASDAQ: VCLK) recently winged his talk at UC Santa Barbara''s Distinguished Lecture Series. Despite winging it, his talk was both informative and delightful. He shared a number of witty entrepreneurial insights, including: "Startups are like high school.

Startup 223
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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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The Holstee Manifesto

Eric Greenspan

'Holstee Manifesto. This is your life. Do what you love, and do it often. If you don’t like something, change it. If you don’t like your job, quit. If you don’t have enough time, stop watching TV. If you are looking for the love of your life, stop; they will be waiting for you when you start doing things you love. Stop over-analyzing, life is simple.

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TONIGHT: “Internet of Things” Hackathon & Accelerator Series, sponsored by AT&T and Intel.

Technology Council

'We’d like to invite you to participate in the fourth hackathon of The “Internet of Things” Hackathon and Accelerator Series, sponsored by AT&T and Intel. This year’s series will focus on gaming and artificial intelligence. This free LA event will be held on November 15 – 16 at ROC Santa Monica (604 Arizona Ave, Santa […].

More Trending

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10 Reasons Not To Write A Business Plan First

Startup Professionals Musings

'If you are one of the new age of entrepreneurs who hates the thought of doing a business plan as a first step in starting your new venture you will love this message. More and more professionals agree that a better strategy is to explore and fine tune your assumptions before declaring a specific plan with financial projections based only on your dream and passion.

Writing 102
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Silicon Beach Fest Hollywood, LA Tech Summit, and Idea to Screen | Why You Need to Attend Any or All

Tech Zulu Event

'Hard to believe another Digital LA Silicon Beach Fest Hollywood is happening this week back-to-back with the new LA Tech Summit produced by Cornerstone. Time sure flies when you’re having fun, or building a startup. The theme for Silicon Beach Fest Hollywood is startups and Hollywood, featuring leaders from movie studios, music labels, agencies, and startups in entertainment – how Hollywood studios are investing and working with startups, and how Silicon Beach startups are making e

Hollywood 100
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TONIGHT: “Internet of Things” Hackathon & Accelerator Series, sponsored by AT&T and Intel.

Technology Council

We’d like to invite you to participate in the fourth hackathon of The “Internet of Things” Hackathon and Accelerator Series, sponsored by AT&T and Intel. This year’s series will focus on gaming and artificial intelligence. This free LA event will be held on November 15 – 16 at ROC Santa Monica (604 Arizona Ave, Santa […].

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Southern California Companies Have Healthy Showing In Deloitte Fast 500

socalTECH

'Southern California had a healthy showing in the latest ranking of the fastest growing companies from Deloitte''s Technology Fast 500 , which was announced last night. Of those 500, there were at least 60 Southern California companies in the rankings. Among the highest ranked in the annual program was OpenX Software , based in Pasadena, which had a 44,075% five year growth rate, which was ranked at number 5 in the nation, based on its fiscal revenue growth rate from 2008 to 2012.

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10 Common Startup Flaws Leading To An Early Demise

Startup Professionals Musings

'Based on my experience as a mentor and an entrepreneur, if you fail on your first startup, you are about average. That’s not bad, but who wants to be average? Every young entrepreneur knows implicitly that startup success is a long hard road. Statistics show that the failure rate for new startups within the first 5 years is higher than 50 percent. How can you improve your odds?

Startup 100
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Return on Productivity (ROP) – How Do You Measure the Success of Your Company Culture?

Frank Addante

'How do you prioritize and budget for culture? The answer is simple. Measure it and set goals that clearly demonstrate value. At Rubicon Project, we manage culture just like a product. As we continue to expand globally (currently operating in 6 countries), scaling our culture will be challenging. Today, we are working on a prototype of a new measurement metric that we call ROP (Return on Productivity).

Product 99
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Pausing To Reflect: Veteran’s Day | Interview with Veteran and Tech Enthusiast Dustan Batton

Tech Zulu Event

'Monday is Veterans Day. It’s a day of rest for some, a day of work for others, and a day of reflection for many. I recently had the pleasure to discuss this meaningful day with Dustan Batton , a veteran and a member of the CALinnovates team. I hope you enjoy learning more about Dustan and saluting him for all he has done for America. Mike Montgomery: I know Veterans Day is extremely important to you.

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Big Data Demonstrated: Factual Picks Apart New York vs. Chicago Style Pizza

socalTECH

'New York Style or Chicago? In a practical example of why companies are rushing to apply many of the principles of "big data" to their businesses, Los Angeles-based Factual published a quick analysis of its gigantic database in the sky, to analyze where New York style pizza and Chicago style pizza are most popular. Factual--which has been compiling an immense data store of all of the physical locations, hours, menus, and details on all kinds of stores across the country and world--said it was ab

Examples 198
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7 Keys To Business Success Learned From The Street

Startup Professionals Musings

'As a mentor and advisor to entrepreneurs, I find it’s easy to recognize “street smarts” when I see them, but it’s hard to explain the specifics to someone on the other end of the spectrum, even if they are willing to learn. Some people argue that street smarts are only a natural born skill, but I disagree. I believe they are disciplines that can be taught and learned.

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Cornerstone OnDemand Opens Up Incubator, Investment Fund

socalTECH

'Santa Monica-based Cornerstone OnDemand , the developer of talent management and human resources management software, is boosting its efforts to support the Los Angeles technology ecosystem, through the launch of its own incubator and investment fund. According to the company, it has launched the Cornerstone Innovation Fund , which will invest $250,000 to $1M in cloud-based startups, and will also offer up young companies space within its Santa Monica headquarters.

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DTS Powers PlayStation 4 Audio

socalTECH

'Calabasas-based DTS , the developer of surround sound and other audio processing technology, reported this morning that Sony''s new PlayStation 4 incorporates its DTS-HD Master Audio|7.1 decoder. The technology is being used to decode surround sound from Blu-ray disks. Financial impact of the deal were not announced. DTS said that Sony''s PlayStation 4 is the first product shipping with the decoder.

Calabasas 174
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Goodbye, paidContent

socalTECH

'paidContent , the online news site started in Los Angeles by Rafat Ali, is officially disappearing, according to current owner and publisher GigaOm. In a post to readers , paidContent said it will be closing down the paidContent website, and moving all of its content over to GigaOm. The move comes two years after GigaOm acquired paidContent from former owner Guardian Media, which had purchased paidContent from Ali in 2008.

News 166
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Ninja Metrics: Apply Predictive Analytics To Makes Games More Profitable

socalTECH

'In the world of online, mobile, and social games, there are now petabytes of data being collected by companies on what users are doing in those games--and trying to make sense of all that information. In a move to convert that huge pile of data into something much more meaningful, Los Angeles-based Ninja Metrics (www.ninjametrics.com) launched a new predictive analytics product for the industry.

Metrics 166
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The Honest Company Raises $25M More

socalTECH

'The Honest Company , the Los Angeles-based e-commerce company founded by Brian Lee and celebrity Jessica Alba, has raised $25M more in a funding round, the firm said this morning. Thew new funding came from Institutional Venture Partners, and also included Iconiq Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and General Catalyst Partners. The Honest Company offers up a variety of eco-friendly baby- and kids- products via subscription.

Company 159
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textPlus Offers Up Free Calls to The Philippines

socalTECH

'Marina Del Rey-based mobile texting and messaging app textPlus said Thursday that it is doing its part to help out its customers with friends and families in the Philippines. According to the mobile app developer, it will let users of its app dial any mobile or landline number in the Philippines for free to check in on family and friends. textPlus said it started offering free calls to the area earlier this week, after the massive destruction caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the country. textPlus al

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Xencor Sets IPO Pricing

socalTECH

'Monrovia, California-based Xencor has set the initial offering price for its IPO, saying in a filing Thursday morning that it will offer up 10,700,000 shares of its common stock at $7.00 per share. The company plans to trade on the NASDAQ Global Market as XNCR. The IPO price is below its initial estimated offering price, which had been between $14.00 and $16.00 per share.

Pricing 157
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Phone Halo: Never Lose Your Glasses Again

socalTECH

'Santa Barbara-based Phone Halo , the developer of devices which help people track such things as their wallet, remote control, or more using their smartphone, said it is developing a product which will help people keep track of their eyeglasses. The company said Friday that it has launched an Indiegogo campaign for its latest device, a sensor which attaches to a user''s eyeglasses and lets then find those glasses with their smartphone.

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Tandem Diabetes Care Prices IPO

socalTECH

'San Diego-based medical device manufacturer Tandem Diabetes Care priced its IPO last night, saying it will offer up 8,000,000 shares of its common stock at $15.00 per share. The company--which develops an insulin pump--will start trading today on the NASDAQ Global Market as TNDM. Tandem Diabetes Care is venture backed by Delphi Ventures, Domain Associates, TPG Biotechnology, HLM Venture Partners, Kearny Venture Partners, and others.

Pricing 153
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LivnGiv.com Combines Dining Out, Charity In Venice Beach

socalTECH

'A new, Venice-based startup, LivnGiv.com said Wednesday afternoon that it has launched a brand new service, which donates money to charity when you eat out at local restaurants. According to the startup, it allows users to purchase dining certificates on the site, and donates 20 percent of those certificates to a user''s favorite cause. The new startup was co-founded by Kenneth Hepburn and Lee Hanson.

Venice 153
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CapLinked In Partnership With Business Brokerage Franchise Sunbelt

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based deal document management service CapLinked announced this morning that it has inked a partnership with business brokerage company Sunbelt Business Brokers. According to the two, CapLinked has been selected at the preferred online deal management provider for Sunbelt. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. CapLinked offers up an online, deal management service, which lets businesses store documents and due diligence, manage workflow, and other items around business dea

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Circle Street Acquired By Valassis

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based Circle Street , the developer of a mobile advertising service to help retailers drive local store traffic, has been acquired by media and advertising firm Valassis , according to the company''s venture backer, Crosscut Ventures. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. Circle Street was founded by Alex Nocifera, and operated a subscription service to help retail brands drive local, store-level traffic via mobile advertising.

Incubator 153
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Illumina Names New President

socalTECH

'Life sciences equipment manufacturer Illumina said Monday that it has named Francis deSouza as President fo the company, reporting to CEO Jay Flatley. deSouza was previously President of Products & Services at Symantec Corporation. He also has served at IMlogic, Flash Communications, and Microsoft. San Diego-based Illumina said that deSouza will be responsible for envisioning, developing and producing the company''s products, including heading up company strategy, planning and operations.

Symantec 149
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Tillster Names Betfair, Shopzilla Vet As Chief Technology Officer

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based Tillster , the provider of restaurant and casual dining ordering systems which is the combination of EMN8 and Snapfinger, said today that it has named Phil Dixon as its new Chief Technology Officer. Dixon was most recently the Chief Technology Officer of European Internet company Betfair, and had previously been Vice President of Engineering at Shopzilla.com.

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Slacker In Portal Deal With Time Warner Cable

socalTECH

'San Diego-based streaming music service Slacker said Friday morning that it has inked a deal with Time Warner Cable , which will provide free access to Slacker''s service via Time Warner Cable''s new web portal. Financial details of the deal were not announced. Slacker said the deal gives it access to more than 11 million Time Warner Cable residential Internet subscribers.

San Diego 147
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KidZui Launches Mobile Browser For iOS

socalTECH

'Zui , the kids'' content site which is now owned by Saban Brands, said today that it has launched a new, mobile browser which provides kid-safe Internet browsing to iOS. According to Saban Brands, KidZui is a downloadable browser which provides kid-safe Internet access to websites, videos. pictures, and games, all of whic have been screened by the company.

Mobile 147
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FlightCar Expands To LAX

socalTECH

'In the latest peer-to-peer marketplace startup to launch into Los Angeles, car rental startup FlightCar said Wednesday that it has launched its peer-to-peer, smartphone driven car rental service at Los Angeles International (LAX). The startup--which is backed by Ryan Seacrest, Andreessen Horowitz and General Catalyst Partners--said that LAX is the third location for the company, which lets people rent out their cars in exchange for free parking, complimentary luxury town car service, and a smal

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Sorrento Therapeutics Buys Concortis Biosystems

socalTECH

'San Diego-based Sorrento Therapeutics announced this morning that it is acquiring fellow, San Diego biotech Concortis Biosystems , to bolster its library of antibodies. According to Sorrento Therapeutics, it will issue 1,331,978 shares of its common stock for Concortis. The deal is worth approximately $11.6M, based on the recent pricing of Sorrento''s stock.

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Ezoic Gets $5.6M For Automated Website Layout Software

socalTECH

'San Diego-based Ezoic announced this morning that it has raised $5.6M in a funding round, for the company''s software for automatically improving site layout and advertising revenue. The Series A funding was led by Balderton Capital, and also included New Amsterdam Capital, Silicon Valley Bank and angels. Ezoic''s software automatically changes the layout of a site, based on how users are interacting with that site, plus what kind of device they''re using to browse a site, using multivariate te

Software 147
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Hulu Plus Hits PlayStation 4

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based television streaming site Hulu announced today that its premium service, Hulu Plus, will be available on the upcoming Sony PlayStation 4, starting on Friday. According to Hulu, Hulu Plus for PS4 will include larger and more vivid artwork, a "tray style" format for navigating through titles and shows, better search, and more. Hulu also said it will be featuring a promotion tied to the Sony PlayStation 4 launch, around a free download of the first episode of the company''s origi

Hulu 147
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Quest Software Founder's Toba Capital Re-Ups On Quorum

socalTECH

'Irvine-based Toba Capital , the investment firm of Quest Software CEO and founder Vinny Smith, has re-upped on Quorum , a developer of appliances for disaster recovery and backup--and also taken charge of the company. According to Quorum, it raised $10M in a Series C funding, and appointed Toba Capital venture partner Walter Angerer as the company''s new, interim CEO.

Capital 147