Sat.Apr 12, 2014 - Fri.Apr 18, 2014

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ZEFR Names New VPs

socalTECH

'Venice-based ZEFR said Thursday that it has named a new set of VPs. According to the company, it has named Rick Song as its new Global Head of Media Solutions Sales, and named Michael Saperstein as Head of Media Sales (East, Central, Canada). Song was previously Executive Vice President at Clear Channel Media + Entertainment, and Saperstein is a former Vice President from Machinima.

Venice 223
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Entertainment Deals Take Center Stage In LA’s Burgeoning VC Scene

TechCrunch LA

A string of big acquisitions, public offerings, and a pipeline of growing young startup companies has venture investors saying “I love L.A.” The recent acquisitions of Maker Studios and Oculus VR, as well as the planned public offering for TrueCar that’s finally going through, all point to a healthy investment ecosystem, but there’s still one industry that rules over… Read More.

Truecar 100
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How Stories Best Communicate Your Startup Value

Startup Professionals Musings

'The entrepreneur’s challenge is to effectively communicate their value proposition, not only to customers, but also to vendors, partners, investors, and their own team. Especially for technical founders, this is normally all about presenting impressive facts. But in reality facts only go so far. Stories often work better, because humans don’t always make rational decisions.

Startup 111
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It’s a Small World After All | Strengthen Communications With Mobile

Tech Zulu Event

'As a lifelong technologist I am amazed at how fast my industry is changing. When I first got into the business, the cloud didn’t exist. Nobody had ever conceived of the Bring Your Own Device (“BYOD”) idea, because devices didn’t really exist, either. Mobile first wasn’t even a theory; it was grounds for psychiatric evaluation. When we saw people on a car phone we thought they operated at the very top of the food chain.

Mobile 100
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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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USC, USA Today Partners On New Online Sports Site

socalTECH

'In an unusual method of launching a new, online publication, the USC Marshall School of Business and USA TODAY said this morning that the two have linked up to create a new, online publication covering the business of sports, called Fields of Green. According to USC Marshall''s Sports Business Institute, and USA TODAY Sports Media Group, the new online publication will provide daily content on breaking news, current events and ongoing topics in the sports industry, including media trends, emerg

USC 196
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This Philanthropist Is Winning Skirmishes With Poverty By Tapping Into An Inner City’s Entrepreneurial Spirit

InfoChachkie

'Much has been written about social entrepreneurship; ventures in which an explicit goal is the betterment of society. However, far less attention has been applied to entrepreneurial philanthropy, in which a startup mindset and accountability is applied to issuing non-profit grants. Intrigued by the concept, I was turned onto one of the leaders in this emerging field of philanthropy, A Better Chicago (ABC), by friend and ABC Board Member, Brent Rasmussen.

More Trending

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Security and The Internet of Things: What the Future of Home Automation Means for Your Privacy

Tech Zulu Event

'The Internet of Things (IoT) once existed as a nameless concept, yet today we have front row seats to its neigh inevitable rise from abstraction to ubiquity. As with any field of technologies that grows at such a pace, its large-scale application will be tested in every possible way. As the IoT advances upon us through waves of technological evolution, many industry leaders are preparing for the challenge of preventing the upcoming trials from including tests upon the limits of your privacy.

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Tikr Looks To Keep You Up On What's Next

socalTECH

'Do you feel like you''re always behind on what''s next--that next iPhone release, movie, or trending topic? A new startup, Tikr , has been offering up a mobile app to make sure you''re never behind on following what''s next. The startup--founded by Nick La Maina, Kurt Braget, and Kevin Donovan--says its tool is designed to bringing information on future releases and upcoming events to communities of people very soon.

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Crowdfunding: a roar from a young lion

Berkonomics

'With help from JJ Richa. Can you imagine having 300 shareholders? With recent legislation and new portals on the Web, it’s entirely possible, perhaps for the first time for small businesses. Simply stated crowd funding or crowdfunding is the raising of capital in small amounts, from a broad base of investors. Usually the investors are non-accredited, and only invest a small amount.

.Net 209
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‘Do-It-Yourself’ Startups Have Never Been Easier

Startup Professionals Musings

'Sponsored by VISA Business If you have a unique product or service, and you are not selling it around the world on the Internet, now is the time to start. The cost of entry has never been lower. Anyone can be an entrepreneur today, without a huge investment, bank loans, lawyers, venture capitalists, or Angels. In the early days (20 years ago), most new e-commerce sites, for example, cost a million dollars to set up.

Startup 100
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Cojoin | Data Integration

Tech Zulu Event

'Businesses deal with countless data points, leading to decisions affecting their companies in various ways. Collecting and analyzing the right data can easily find faults and successes lying within the company’s walls. Cojoin offers business intelligence software to collect and analyze data easily and quickly. Instead of having multiple departments to handle this function, Cojoin expects companies to easily get rid of communication problems with their business intelligence software.

Startup 85
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Surf Air Plans Expansion To Lake Tahoe

socalTECH

'Santa Monica-based all-you-can-fly, startup airline Surf Air told its members Thursday afternoon that it will be expanding its coverage, adding service to Truckee / Lake Tahoe on May 2nd. The new expansion follows the company''s last route extension, which was to Las Vegas back in February. Surf Air offers up all-you-can fly service between Southern California and Silicon Valley, as well as a number of other locations.

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Qualcomm Backs Wireless Software Firm M87

socalTECH

'San Diego-based Qualcomm has invested in wireless network software developer M87 , M87 announced this week, as part of a $3M, Series A funding round. M87 is a developer of wireless network infrastructure software aimed specifically at improving the coverage and capacity of current wireless networks. The company said the round also included Chinese hosting provide 21Vianet and angels.

Software 173
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Broadcom Gets Design Win With Robotic Sprinkler

socalTECH

'In what looks to be a more unusual design win for Irvine-based Broadcom , the company reported a design win today for its low power applications processor: as part of a "robotic sprinkler system" from company Droplet. Broadcom said its low power, BCM2835 chip is being used as part of the Droplet Robotic Sprinkler, which uses weather stations, soil samples, and plant information to make decisions on how much and where to water.

Design 173
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textPlus: Turn Your Amazon Kindle Fire Into A Phone, Today

socalTECH

'Tired of waiting for Amazon.com to actually release a phone version of the Amazon Kindle Fire? Marina Del Rey-based mobile app developer textPlus said Tuesday that its software can turn existing, Kindle Fire into a phone, using textPlus over WiFi today. textPlus--which is venture backed by Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, Matrix Partners, Upfront Ventures and The Raine Group--offers up a mobile app which lets users send unlimited text messages for free, and also provides low cost, phone call

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Maker Studios Disney Deal Approved

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based Maker Studios said Monday that its deal to be acquired by Disney has been approved by Maker''s board of directors and majority of shareholders, and is expected to close next week. The announcement came on reports that Beverly Hills-based Relativity Media was seeking to buy Maker Studios for nearly $1.1 billion, split between $525M in cash and stock, plus up to $500M in performance bonuses and another $75M in retention.

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Zya Sees Big Bump In Downloads

socalTECH

'Mobile music game Zya , which was developed by Calabasas-based Music Mastermind, has now been downloaded more than 350,000 times, according to the app developer, up dramatically from the 250,000 downloads the company had reported right before SxSW. According to the company''s spokesperson, the numbers are an indication of the company''s momentum. Zya was developed by former Virgin Records CEO Matt Sertelic, and is venture backed by Intel Capital and Liberty Global.

Calabasas 157
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Peregrine Semiconductor Names VP

socalTECH

'San Diego-based Peregrine Semiconductor said Wednesday that it has named Duncan Pilgrim as its new Vice President of Marketing. According to the company, Pilgrim will head up product marketing and marketing communication initiatives for the company. Peregrine has been at the company since 2010, and previously served at Sequoia Communications, RFMD, GEC Plessey Semiconductor, and Marconi.

San Diego 147
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Broadcom Gets Design Win In India

socalTECH

'Irvine-based chipmaker Broadcom reported a design win in India this morning, saying that its quad-core HSPA+ platform wil be used by Indian mobile device provider Lava International Limited. Financial impact of the win was not disclosed. Broadcom said that Lava will use its quad-core HSPA+ turnkey platform for a new tablet, which incorporates Broadcom''s 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, RF transceiver, power management IC, connectivity combo chip and multi-constellation GNSS location chip.

Design 147
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The Young Turks Scores $4M In Funding

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based The Young Turks , the online MCN led by Cenk Uygur, said today that it has raised $4M in new funding, from private equity firm Roemer, Robinson, Melville & Co., LLC. TYT offers up politics and news commentary both online as well as through cable television shows. TYT was founded by Uygur after a stint hosting his own show on Sirius Satellite Radio, and later on Current TV.

Funding 147
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Storefront Expands Popup Marketplace To LA

socalTECH

'Storefront , which operates an online marketplace for pop-up storefronts--those ubiquitous, limited time retail stores--has opened up its service in Los Angeles, after raising $7.3M in funding. The San Francisco a startup said Los Angeles is the third market for the company, which allows property owners to offer up their retail space to people who want to put up a "popup" retail location, and also helps to smooth out things with liability insurance, marketing and promotion, education, and more

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Ixia Aims At Heartbleed Protection

socalTECH

'Calabasas-based network testing equipment maker Ixia is targeting users in need of testing of the Heartbleed OpenSSL security issue, saying Monday that it has released an update to its software to help customers test for OpenSSL vulnerability. Ixia said its Application and Threat Intelligence (ATI) team is now able to simulate exploitation of the OpenSSL vulnerability with an update to its program, helping companies to address the security issue.

Calabasas 140
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Ixia Plans Restatement Of Two Quarters

socalTECH

'Calabasas-based Ixia said late Thursday that its audit committee has determined that its 10-Q quarterly reports for the first and second quarters of 2013 should no longer be relied upon, and that it will restate those two quarters. Ixia--which has been in the midst of combing through its financials due to the sudden departure of its CEO back in October due to the discover that he had fabricated his resume.

Calabasas 138
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T+ink Adds New Board Members

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based T-ink , the developer of conductive ink products led by Gary Winnick, said Thursday that it has added two new board members. The company said it has added John C. Cushman II, the co-chairman of Cushman & Wakefield, to its board, along with Richard Ressler, co-founder of CIM Group L.P. and Orachard First Source Asset Management.

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Novatel Wireless Gets Certifications In North America, EMEA

socalTECH

'San Diego-based wireless hotspot and M2M module developer Novatel Wireless reported yesterday that it has certified its new SA 2100 MiFi M2M device on both Verizon Wireless as well as the Conformite European (CE), Global Certification Forum (GCF) and PTCRB standards in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The company said the certification expands its offering both in the US and abroad.

San Diego 138
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CitizenGlobal Powers Crowdsourced Video Platform For Law Enforcement

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based crowdsourced video startup CitizenGlobal has launched a new platform for law enforcement, allowing users to submit photos and videos to different police departments. According to the firm, it has been working with LA''s Sheriff''s Department to allow citizens to submit photos and videos of crimes. The new site, LEEDIR , is aimed at collecting eyewitness photos to help solve crimes and for disaster response, and was first imagined by the Los Angeles Sheriff''s Department.

Platform 138
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TigerText Expands Board

socalTECH

'Santa Monica-based secure messaging service provider TigerText said Tuesday that it has named three new board members at the company. The company said it has added Shasta Ventures'' Sean Flynn, Orbimed''s Steve Yecies, and New Leaf Ventures'' Vijay Lathi to its board of directors. TigerText, which is led by Brad Brooks, said the new board members will bring a wealth of startup experience to the company.

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Pixels.com Launches Image Licensing Marketplace

socalTECH

'Santa Monica-based Pixels.com said Tuesday that it has launched a new, imaging licensing marketplace aimed at helping photographers set their own pricing for their images. The startup--founded by serial entrepreneur Sean Broihier--said that it is looking to give better options to photographers for selling their images. The company is looking to take advantage of the discontent that some photographers have expressed with the recent move by Getty Images to let online websites embed their photos,

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MaxLinear Scores Win In China

socalTECH

'Carlsbad-based radio frequency chip developer MaxLinear said this morning that it has scored a design win in China, with Shenzhen Skyworth Digital Technology Co. Ltd. MaxLinear said its digital cable front-end receivers are being used for a new DOCSIS 3.0 consumer premise equipment (CPE) product from Shenzhen. Expected shipping volumes were not announced.

Design 138
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Vitesse Gets Federal Security Cert

socalTECH

'Camarillo-based chipmaker Vitesse said today that its 1 Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet PHY chips have receveived the federal FIPS security cirtification, allowing its chips to be used as part of secure IT products. Vitesse said its chips now meet Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 197 256-bit AES encryption certification requirements, which specifies approved cryptographic algorithms to protect data, required by the U.S.

Marketing 138
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Boingo Wins Utah Jazz Venue

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based wireless provider Boingo Wireless reported a win today with EnergySolutions Arena , the home of the Utah Jazz , saying it will provide its wireless and distributed antenna system (DAS) services at the location. Financial impact of the win was not disclosed. Boingo said it will upgrade and manage a neutral host network at the 20,000 seat location, which hosts more than 100 sports and entertainment events each year.

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Outspoken Ties With Apple Passbook

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based mobile messaging and marketing firm Outspoken , which is led by James Citron, said this morning that it is now supporting Apple''s Passbook application with its mobile marketing platform. According to Outspoken, the support means its clients can directly send passes, coupons, gift cards, boarding passes, and more via MMS or SMS text messages.

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Factual Extends Hotel Information

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based Factual said Tuesday that it has extended outs its information about hotels, expanding its dataset from 98,000 hotels to a total of 145,000 hotels. According to Factual, the move also is "perfectly synchronized" with the company''s US Places data, the company''s giant database of geolocation and business information. READ MORE>>.

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Expose Takes Aim At Cool Planet's Mike Cheiky

socalTECH

'A new expose from The Verge--published Monday--has taken aim at Mike Chieky, the founder of three of the Southern California clean technologies companies to gain the most venture capital in this region in recent years: Cool Planet , ZPower , and Transonic Combustion --and called him "too good to be true". According to the article, Chieky is an "egotistical genius" who convinced venture capitalists to invest in his "shoddy science".

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Stocktwits Partners With DraftKings

socalTECH

'San Diego-based Stocktwits , the stock-focused micro messaging service led by Howard Lindzon, said Wednesday that it has linked with fantasy sports site DraftKings.com. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. According to the companies, they will partner through the summer with games, including one focused on fantasy golf. READ MORE>>.

San Diego 124
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My Damn Channel Becomes Omnivision Entertainment

socalTECH

'Web video content provider My Damn Channel --led by Rob Barnett and Warren Chao--has relaunched the company, and changed its name to Omnivision Entertainment , the company recently announced. The company--which has operations in both New York and Long Beach--said the move comes as it is expanding its branded entertainment and talent development efforts.