L.A. Business Journal
DECEMBER 5, 2016
Domain registry company XYZ Inc. has been granted permission by the Chinese government to sell its dot-xyz domain suffix in China, potentially opening up a huge market to the Santa Monica startup. XYZ has sold more than 6 million dot-xyz domains globally. About 2 million of those domains were registered in China with tentative permission from the Chinese government.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 9, 2016
Carpinteria-based cloud-based construction software developer Procore apparently has joined the ranks of the small number of Southern California's "unicorns"--those companies who are valued at more than $1 billion--with the funding the company announced on Thursday. According to the WSJ, the funding doubles the $500M valuation that the company had a year ago in its prior funding.
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SoCal Tech Calendar
DECEMBER 7, 2016
Tuesday, December 13, 2016 -- Rewind/Unwind: A Digital Video Soiree Hosted by LA Digital Video Group. Rewind and unwind at our digital video industry mixer! Our VIP panelists will share their hot takes on the year that was in online video and digital media in general. Join us for lively opinions, refreshments, and games. Special guest panelists include: Roarke Boes, Director of Content Management, Omnia Media; Brian Nickerson, CEO and Co-Founder, MagicLinks; Joe Babarsky, Director of Creative In
Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 4, 2016
At some point in their life, hopefully everyone strives to be the best in their chosen profession. Most people think that being the best requires more intelligence, more training, and more experience. In reality, in business or even in sports, the evidence is conclusive that it is as much about how you think, as what you do. I saw this illustrated a while back in the classic sports book, “ Training Camp: What the Best Do Better Than Everyone Else ”, by Jon Gordon.
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.
L.A. Business Journal
DECEMBER 8, 2016
Tinder Chief Executive Sean Rad will step down from his role as the company’s chief executive to lead Swipe Ventures, a Match Group accelerator and acquisition vehicle.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 9, 2016
Santa Monica-based videogame publisher Activision Blizzard said this week that it is expanding efforts to help veterans find high quality careers, by launching a new, in-game purchase in its popular Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare videogame. According to Activision Blizzard, its new Call of Duty Endowment (C.O.D.E.) Courage Personalization Pack --which provides personalized weapons and other items in the game--will go to support the Call of Duty Endowment, a program which it says has already plac
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Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 5, 2016
Too many entrepreneurs put their best creative thinking into the startup idea, and believe that the business implementation simply requires following tried and true business practices. In my experience as a startup advisor, nothing could be further from the truth. To win, you need to think outside the box to deliver a better customer experience, business model, and new positioning.
L.A. Business Journal
DECEMBER 9, 2016
Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, is aiming to launch another rocket early next month, which would be its first attempt since a Sep. 1 explosion prompted the Hawthorne aerospace company to halt its launch schedule as it investigated the cause of the incident.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 8, 2016
Carpinteria-based construction software developer Procore , which is led by Tooey Cortemanche, announced late Thursday that it has raised $50M in a new funding, led by ICONIQ Capital. According to Procore, the new funds will go towards expanding and extending its construction technology platform. The company's cloud-based construction software is used to manage construction projects.
Xconomy
DECEMBER 5, 2016
Software AG, a German software giant with 4,300 employees, has acquired San Diego-based Zementis, a specialist in machine learning and data science. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, according to a statement Friday, after the acquisition closed last week. Zementis CEO Michael Zeller co-founded the company in 2004 to help customers glean new insights from big data by using predictive analytics.
Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 7, 2016
Most entrepreneurs I know are individually very innovative, but a successful startup can’t be a one-man show (for long). That means they need to build an innovative team, which is not a skill that most people are born with. In fact, some very innovative individuals, known as ‘idea people’ or inventors, often end up creating the most dysfunctional teams.
L.A. Business Journal
DECEMBER 7, 2016
Emcore Corp. shares soared by more than 30 percent on Wednesday to close at $8.45 after posting stronger-than-expected revenue totals for the quarter ended Sept. 30.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 6, 2016
Santa Monica-based Heal , the startup which provides on-demand, doctor house calls to patients, has raised $14.8M in a Series B funding, and added former House Majority and Minority Leader and U.S. Presidential Candidate, Richard Gephardt, to its board of directors. The Series B funding came from Fidelity Management and Research Company. According to Heal, the new funding will help it expand its geographical footprint, broaden the range of medical services it offers and increase patient reach.
Xconomy
DECEMBER 5, 2016
Dallas —Partners with a deep well of subject matter expertise and capital are on the top of any entrepreneur’s wish list. Now an accelerator tailored to sports technology startups might be giving those founders a connection to the ultimate in sports and marketing royalty: the Dallas Cowboys. The new Blue Star Accelerator, aimed at nurturing young tech companies in sports and entertainment, is expected to open up shop after the start of the new year.
Berkonomics
DECEMBER 8, 2016
Dave’s note: This week we invite long-time CEO of Quicksilver Software to respond to our question: “How have you remained relevant in the gaming software business over so many years?” He and his company have worked in the video game business since the very earliest generation of games in the early 1980’s. His company is one of the oldest independent studios in the business.
L.A. Business Journal
DECEMBER 6, 2016
J2 Global acquires Everyday Health for $465 million, Aerovironment charger is official accessory to Chevy Bolt EV, and Heal Adds Dick Gephardt to board.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 6, 2016
Monrovia, California-based AeroVironment , which develops both unmanned aerial vehicles and electric vehicle charging stations, has scored a win with General Motors. The company said on Tuesday afternoon that its EVSE-RS charging station has been selected as the official home charging station for GM's new 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The company says its charger charges the EV up to 5 times faster than a standard cordset for the vehicle.
Xconomy
DECEMBER 9, 2016
When Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY ) reported the day before Thanksgiving, that its Alzheimer’s treatment solanezumab failed to significantly improve the condition of people with a mild form of the disease , some observers immediately called it a final blow for the drug. After all, it had also failed to improve a broader range of patients with mild to moderate disease in two trials that reported results in 2012.
Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 9, 2016
“If we build it, they will come.” I heard it again yesterday from a technical entrepreneur who should know better than to believe the old “ Field of Dreams ” sports fantasy movie theme in today’s Internet information overload environment. These days, building a new business is all about visibility and marketing, no matter how great or innovative a solution you bring to the table.
L.A. Business Journal
DECEMBER 9, 2016
Mattel & Upfront participate in interactive puzzle startup’s $24 million round, Tinder launches branded podcast on dating, and advertiser interest in Live Stories slackens.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 6, 2016
Los Angeles-based Napkin Finance , the startup which is distilling a lot of difficult-to-understand, but important, financial topics onto simple, "napkin"-like, one page graphical explanations, has made an expansion to its site to cover life events. The startup has started organizing its napkins into those most relevant for big life events, such as buying a house, getting married, having a baby, etc.
Xconomy
DECEMBER 7, 2016
Cambridge, MA-based Gurnet Point Capital has invested $92 million in Crossover Health, a six-year-old company that provides membership-based healthcare services to employers that are self-insured. The funding is intended to increase the capital available for Crossover Health’s expansion and to buy out a portion of the company’s existing shareholders, the company said.
Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 3, 2016
By Ernst Gemassmer, Chairman, Startup Professionals Most of us view weekly staff meetings today with a degree of trepidation and frustration. Many have suggested that it is time re-engineer this process, or eliminate the meetings entirely. In an old survey on staff meeting obstacles conducted by GroupSystems , I found the following not-so-surprising statistics for the average 50 minute staff meeting: Much time wasted on inefficient process – over 30% of the total time No meeting minutes or decis
L.A. Business Journal
DECEMBER 7, 2016
Emcore Corp. shares rise more than 30 percent, SpaceX delays Falcon 9 launch until early January, Barstool Sports signs deal with Sirius for daily satellite radio show, and more.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 7, 2016
San Luis Obispo- and Seattle-based AxonVR announced today that it has raised $5.8M in a seed funding round, for its development of realistic touch (haptic) technology for use in virtual and augmented reality. The company said the round was led by Chinese company NetEase, and also included Dawn Patrol Ventures and former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, along with The Virtual Reality Company, Jon Snoddy (Walt Disney Imagineering), Keeler Investment Group, and Paul Matthaeus (Digital Kitchen).
Xconomy
DECEMBER 6, 2016
Juno Therapeutics is still mulling next steps for its lead product, an experimental cancer immunotherapy now stuck in limbo because five of 68 adult leukemia patients in its current study, a clinical trial called “Rocket,” have died from severe brain swelling caused by the treatment. In an after-dinner review at the American Society for Hematology conference in San Diego, however, company executives spent most of their time touting other products in their pipeline for other cancers, in what soun
socalTECH
DECEMBER 9, 2016
Los Angeles-based Triton Digital , the audio advertising technology developer, and San Diego-based streaming radio service Slacker said this week that the two have expanded an existing relationship. The two said that Slacker has selected Triton's programmatic audio advertising exchange, a2x, to monetize its digital audio advertising inventory across the US and Canada.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 8, 2016
Calabasas-based audio technology developer DTS --which is now owned by Tessera Holding Corporation--said this morning that it has acquired All In Media , a developer of smartphone apps and broadcast systems for the radio industry. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced. All In Media has offices in London and Sydney, and was founded in 2007; the companies said its customers include Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Bauer Media Group, Nova Entertainment, NRK, Primedia, Radiopla
socalTECH
DECEMBER 7, 2016
Wireless phone service operator Sprint and Pokemon Go developer Niantic announced this morning in a press conference, that the two have inked a deal where every Sprint store--as well as RadioShack and BOOST stores run by Sprint will become a PokeStop and Gym. Financial details of the deal were not announced. The two said that more than 10,500 stores will be included in the deal.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 6, 2016
GE Ventures , the venture capital arm of GE , says it has spun out a new startup in Irvine called Menlo Micro. The spinout of GE's Global Research Center is focused on electronic switching technology. As part of the spinout, Menlo Micro has raised $18.7M in a funding round, which came from Microsemi, Corning, Paladin Capital Group, and GE Ventures. Menlo Micro will be led by CEO Russ Garcia.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 5, 2016
San Diego-based MabVax Therapeutics , which develops oncology drugs, said it is expanding a Phase I clinical trial for patients with pancreatic cancer. The company said it has started including patients at HonorHealth Research Insitute, in Scottsdale, Arizona in its studies, joining Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center site in New York, and the Sarah Cannon Research Institute sites in Nashville, Tennessee and, Sarasota, Florida.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 8, 2016
Los Angeles-based Honest Company , the online provider of eco-friendly baby, personal care, and other household goods led by Brian Lee and co-founded by Jessica Alba, has quietly let go of 80 employees --or nearly 14% of the company--in what the company has billed as a "growth positioning". The report was first detailed by WWD. The report said cuts include its CFO and COO, David Parker, and co-founder Sean Kane, as well as a significant number of call center positions in Texas.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 5, 2016
Santa Barbara-based IT infrastructure monitoring software developer LogicMonitor said on Monday that it has signed up Quora and Ted Baker as customers. Financial impact of the customer wins were not announced. LogicMonitor develops IT infrastructure monitoring products, whether they are located at an enterprise site, in the cloud, or in a hybrid cloud environment.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 8, 2016
Waggle , a new media company which publishes pet and animal content on its own website, Facebook, and other channels, said Wednesday thatit has raised $2.3M in a seed funding--which included a number of Los Angeles investors, including Lowercase Capital, the United Talent Agency, and Allen Debevoise. Raine Ventures, which led the round, also has a presence in Los Angeles.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 8, 2016
Los Angeles-based Honest Company is one of 44 companies who are backing an effort this week by the current White House, to bolster equal pay efforts in the United States. The Honest Company joined such companies as Adobe, AT&T, Autodesk, eBay, Edison International, Estee Lauder, InterContinental Hotels Group, New Belgium Brewing, and many others in signing the pledge.
socalTECH
DECEMBER 6, 2016
Irvine-based Ingram Micro and Chinese company HNA Group said this morning that the $6 billion acquisition of Ingram Micro by HNA Group's subsidiary, Tianjian Tianhai Investment Company, Ltd., has completed. Tianjin paid $38.90 per share in cash for Ingram Micro. The deal had been announced earlier. Ingram Micro will stop trading on the New York Stock Exchange before the market opens today.
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