Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Upfront Ventures was created 20 years ago as one of the original VC funds in Los Angeles. Back then only 15% of our dollars were invested locally whereas today 50% of our dollars are invested in LA. 10 years ago we found ourselves trying to persuade LPs and VCs that it was worth spending more time getting to know the LA market and now the most common refrain that I hear from them is “there really is something going on in LA.

Dollar Shave Club 321

Dollar Shave Club Cornerstone OnDemand Riot Games Venture Capital 321

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

If you can't get enough of Hello Kitty , the iconic cartoon character owned by Sanrio, you can now add your own set of Hello Kitty holograms into Microsoft HoloLens--thanks to Playa Vista-based SPACES. SPACES said on Tuesday that it is bringing a new "Hello Kitty Actiongram" theme pack to HoloLens, the Microsoft virtual/augmented reality environment, adding 14 Hello Kitty holograms to the environment.

Content 176

Content Develop Development 176

L.A. Business Journal

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Fika Ventures has raised a $40 million seed fund to invest in business-to-business companies developing software products for finance, online marketplaces, and healthcare.

Seed Funding 164

Seed Funding Funding Invest Software 164

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Irvine-based Cosemi Technologies has sold off its photodetector chip business to Avago Technologies , and is refocusing its business on "active optical cables", the company said over the last few weeks. Financial terms of the sale were not announced. Avago is a unit of Broadcom Ltd. Cosemi said the deal also includes a supply agreement, where Avago will continue to supply it with photo detectors and other essential semiconductor components, such as lasers, for its products.

Activity 170

Activity Sales Technology Product 170

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

L.A. Business Journal

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Fika Ventures raises $40 million seed fund, Musk posts tweet opposing Muslim ban, then deletes it, Imax opens flagship virtual reality center on Fairfax, and more.

Seed Funding 113

Seed Funding Funding Report 113

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

If you're just out of school, at your first job--and you didn't get a credit card in school--you might just have a real difficult time of getting that first credit card. That's the experience that Max Klein , the CEO of Float (www.hellofloat.com) had, and is now looking to fix, with a new fintech startup which hopes to make it easier for Millennials to start to establish their credit record.

Startup 165

Startup Capital Mobile Commerce 165

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

San Diego-based Ingenu , which develops Internet-of-Things networking technology, said this morning that it has teamed up with Microsoft Corp., and will use Microsoft's Azure IoT Hub to facilitate deployment of networks based on its technology. The company said its device management platform will integrate with Azure's IoT Hub, which helps connect IoT data from Ingeu's networking technology with Azure services, including Stream Analytics, SQL Database, Event Hubs, App Service, and Power BI Embed

San Diego 124

San Diego Networking Platform Technology 124

SoCal Tech Calendar

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Wednesday, February 15, 2017 -- CASE STUDY: FuelRod -- Mobile Charging on the Go. MIT Enterprise Forum San Diego. One company is rethinking the world of mobile power through rechargeable batteries; in a way you might not expect. Chi Yau and Joe Yeagley are the developers behind FuelRod, a rechargeable mobile battery charger which is changing the travel experience.

Enterprise Forum 100

Enterprise Forum Mobile Case Study San Diego 100

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Anaheim-based Twilight Technology and New York-based partner Now Electronics announced on Tuesday that they have acquired Semiconductor Technology (STI), a developer of NPN and PNP high voltage transistors, MOSFETs, and other transistors. Financial details of the asset acquisition were not announced. The two said they have created a new company, Twilight Now, which will do business as STI.

Technology 124

Technology Acquisition Product Develop 124

Xconomy

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Early last year, I “fired” talk radio along with NPR’s morning and evening editions. That same day, I “hired” Amazon Audible as my commute companion. It wasn’t a difficult decision. Audible is far better than its predecessors at doing the job I need done as I travel to and from my office – provide on-demand access to an array of rich, custom content.

Demand 75

Demand Content Custom Customer 75

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Fika Ventures , a new startup venture fund led by venture capitalists Tx Zhuo, Eva Ho, and Arteen Arabshahi, has officially launched this morning, saying that it is investing in startups focused on data, related AI-enabled technologies, and automation. The new seed stage fund says it is looking to invest in "founders solving meaningful, systemic problems" in those areas.

Seed Funding 124

Seed Funding Funding Google Invest 124

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. Last week, LogMeIn completed its merger with the GoTo services previously owned by Citrix (GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar, […]. The post My Lousy Presentation Allowed LogMeIn To Eclipse GoToMeeting appeared first on John Greathouse.

Services 66

Services 66

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

San Diego-based Jecure Therapeutics , a new startup focused on treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and fibrosis of the liver, has raised $20M in a Series A funding round. The funding came from Versant Ventures, which launched the startup as its sole investor. Jecure's founders include CEO Jeffrey Stafford, PhD, and CSO James Veal, PhD, who previously were at Quanticel Pharmaceuticals (Acquried by Celgene in 2015).

San Diego 113

San Diego Funding Startup Capital 113

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Every new business owner looks forward to the day when their business becomes self-sustaining, and settles into a long-term growth curve that will assure financial success, as well as a lasting legacy. Unfortunately, in this age of vacillating customer trends and a wealth of new competitors scratching and clawing for a piece of the action, long-term growth requires constant focus.

Examples 67

Examples Customer Custom Resource 67

Xconomy

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Over the past 30 years or so, design theorists have promoted the idea of putting humans at the center of the process that innovators use to design everyday things. At the UC San Diego Design Lab , director Don Norman talks about the importance of studying and understanding how people are actually using something—whether it is a computerized interface or a door handle.

San Diego 64

San Diego Design Study Ideas 64

Xconomy

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Liver disease is challenging for doctors because it can develop without symptoms, making diagnosis difficult without removing cells for examination. For these reasons, fatty liver disease is often called a “silent disease,” says Ariel Feldstein, a gastroenterologist at the University of California San Diego. Feldstein has been studying the liver for nearly 20 years, and his research now forms the basis of a newly launched company called Jecure Therapeutics.

UCSD 64

UCSD Press San Diego Class 64

Xconomy

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

The final numbers on 2016 fintech funding deals are in from New York-based research firm and investment database CB Insights, and venture capitalists seem to be cooling on the industry. According to a report released today, financial technology companies around the world attracted $12.7 billion in venture capital across 836 investments last year. That is down 13 percent from a peak in 2015, when global fintech investment soared to $14.6 billion.

Venture Capital 59

Venture Capital Report Research Activity 59