socalTECH
JANUARY 16, 2015
'Venture capitalists invested more than $1.3 billion in Southern California startup, according to the latest MoneyTree Report issued by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association last night, based on data from Thomson Reuters. The report tallied $1.09 billion in investments in Los Angeles, near $125M in Orange County, and $106.6M in investments in San Diego.
Berkonomics
JANUARY 15, 2015
'New hires can shore up the weak areas of a business in ways existing employees cannot, if hiring is done to fill true needs. Some employees lose their drive, or remain behind as the company grows, failing to gain the experience or knowledge needed to manage expanded processes or numbers of subordinates. Sometimes, there is just too much work for one person, and a second is needed to continue growth.
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InfoChachkie
JANUARY 12, 2015
'A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. One of my top former students, Fredi Fernandez , recently sent me a compelling email. After studying at UC Santa Barbara''s entrepreneurial program , he returned to Spain, excited to start a venture and make a positive impact on his homeland. He founded Alpha Origins in 2011. Although he has helped a number of startups gain traction, he is now questioning if he should flee Spain, given the recent passage of the unprecedented Exit Tax, whi
Startup Professionals Musings
JANUARY 10, 2015
'Every entrepreneur I know can’t find enough hours in a day to do the good things they want, and yet they often find themselves saying yes to new requests. Perhaps because they are optimists by nature, or they just hate to disappoint others, they end up hurting their health, credibility, and effectiveness by not being able to deliver on everything they promise.
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
JANUARY 12, 2015
'In our interviews, we normally talk to entrepreneurs, investors, and others involved in the technology startup industry. However, for today''s interview, we''ve decided to venture a bit farther afield--talking to Samit Varma , founder of Los Angeles-based pizza franchise Pizza Studio (www.pizzastudio.com). Varma is actually a former technology investor at Santa Monica-based venture capital firm Anthem Ventures, and we thought it would be great contrasting his experience starting and running a r
Tech Zulu Event
JANUARY 12, 2015
'TechZulu is excited to invite you to the 2015 Startup and Entrepreneur Forecast taking place Thursday, January 29 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Dethrone Base Camp in Santa Monica. We will have amazing panelists from March Capital, Greycroft, Machinima, Silicon Valley Bank and Amplify who will share their insights and forecast for start-ups in 2015.
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
socalTECH
JANUARY 14, 2015
'Los Angeles has long been known as a foodie sort of town--however, LA''s newest startup in town is, surprisingly, on quite the opposite side of the scale, hoping to help its customers completely bypass having to eat meals. Soylent , which recently moved from San Francisco to downtown Los Angeles, said today that it has raised $20M in a Series A funding round to scale up production of the company''s powdered replacement for eating--intended to eliminate the hassle of having to eat a meal, and in
socalTECH
JANUARY 12, 2015
'Carlsbad-based ViaSat , which develops high speed communications satellites, said this morning that it has selected Hawthorne-based SpaceX to launch its next high capacity, broadband satellite, ViaSat-2. Financial details of the deal were not announced. ViaSat said that SpaceX will launnch its payload aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy in late summer of 2016.
socalTECH
JANUARY 12, 2015
'Hawthorne-based SpaceX has successfully docked its Dragon spacecraft with the International Space Station again this morning, attaching to the ISS Harmony module at 8:54 a.m. EST. The Dragon is scheduled to be opened Tuesday, to offload supplies and payload to the ISS, as well as collect experiments and trash from the ISS for return to earth. This is SpaceX''s fifth mission--out of twelve scheduled by NASA--to provide resupply to the International Space Station.
socalTECH
JANUARY 16, 2015
'Hawthorne-based SpaceX has just released a video via Vine of its failed landing attempt of the first launch stage of its rocket booster in Florida. SpaceX had been attempting to land the booster on a floating platform, as part of its efforts to develop a reusable rocket booster. The video shows the booster failing to land on the platform, and scattering fire across the platform as it glances off into the water.
socalTECH
JANUARY 15, 2015
'Technology mogul and visionary Elon Musk has publicly stated that he doesn''t like the idea of runaway artificial intelligence --and has just donated $10M of his own money to a group aimed at fending off unfriendly AI. According to reserach group the Future of Life Institute , Musk''s donation will go to run a global research program aimed at keeping AI beneficial to humanity.
socalTECH
JANUARY 13, 2015
'iPourIt , which develops computer-controlled, self-serve, beer- and wine-dispensing systems, has raised $2M more in a Series A-1 funding, according to the company. The startup, which is based in Orange County, said that the funding round came from the Tech Coast Angels, Pasadena Angels and Harvard Business School Alumni Angels. iPourIt''s system is used for dispensing wine and beer at bars, restaurants, stadiums, and arenas. iPourIt''s system lets users pour their own beer and wine, and tracks
socalTECH
JANUARY 12, 2015
'Santa Monica-based Activision and Chinese game maker Tencent said today that the two are launching the popular Activision title Call of Duty into China, releasing the game as a free-to-play -- and also adapting the game to Chinese customs. Activision said it is looking to expand its series into the world''s largest gaming market by specifically tailoring the experience for the Chinese market.
socalTECH
JANUARY 15, 2015
'San Diego-based Ciphrex announced this morning that it has raised $500,000 in a Series A round, for the company''s Bitcoin wallet software. Ciphrex--which was founded by Enrique and Eric Lombrozo, says it is developing a multisignature, Bitcoin wallet application aimed at both individuals and for application development in the enterprise. The company said the funds will go towards advancing, promoting, and expanding its line of products.
socalTECH
JANUARY 16, 2015
'In the quest for ever smaller sizes an faster speeds, the semiconductor industry has increasingly been looking for new materials which work better, are cheaper, and faster than traditional silicon. One of the companies working on that effort is Marina Del Rey-based Carbonics (www.carbonicsinc.com), which recently raised $5.5M in a venture funding round, to transform carbon nanomaterials research from UCLA and USC and bring it to market.
socalTECH
JANUARY 15, 2015
'Santa Monica-based secure messaging software developer TigerText announced a win this morning, with a hospice operator in Arizona. TigerText said that Casa de la Luz Hospice has selected the company as its secure messaging provider. Financial impact of the deal were not disclosed. TigerText said Cas de la Luz sends nearly 32,000 TigerText messages per month, with more than 150 physicians and nurses using the app.
socalTECH
JANUARY 13, 2015
'Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX has opened up a new office in Seattle, where it plans to hire "thousands", according to CEO Elon Musk today. Musk, speaking on Bloomberg, said the new office will help SpaceX develop satellites , part of his plan to eventually deliver reach Mars. Musk--who successfully launched another mission to the ISS on Saturday--has said he wants to establish a city on Mars.
socalTECH
JANUARY 16, 2015
'Venice-based Gem and Santa Monica-based Expresscoin said this week that they are in a partnership, which will offer up GEM''s secure wallet API to Gem''s customers. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Gem develops APIs which allow developers to create and integrate Bitcoin applications in an easy way; Expresscoin allos users to purchase Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Blackcoin, and Darkcoin.
socalTECH
JANUARY 14, 2015
'San Diego-based TVC Capital , the software-focused, growth equity investment firm founded by Jeb Spencer and Steve Hamerslag has raised a big, $115M software fund, the company said Wednesday. The fund said that TVC Capital III was oversubscribed, and closed in only 90 days. TVC said that the investors included fund of funds managers and a university endowment.
socalTECH
JANUARY 14, 2015
'Irvine-based Kurion has scored another win at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan, saying today that it has been awarded a contract to develop an advanced, robotic arm, to help repair the damaged reactor. Kurion said its robotic arm system is targeted for deployment in mid-2016, within the Unit 2 Reactor at Fukushima. Kurion--which has been providing water cleanup technology at the site--said the development of the arm follows an earlier win during the summer, when it dev
socalTECH
JANUARY 12, 2015
'Irvine-based Allergan and Actavis plc said this morning that the two have received an early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust act. The two agreed in November to a $66 billion takeover bid by Actavis. The two companies said that it still needs shareholder and other regulatory approval on the deal. Actavis plc is based in Dublin, Ireland.
socalTECH
JANUARY 16, 2015
'Santa Monica-based The Mobile Majority --which recently zoomed past $50M in revenues--has acquired a Brazilian web development company called Elastic , according to the company. The Mobile Majority said the deal is valued between $3 million to $7 million. Elastic specializes in high frequency, low latency algorithms used for interpreting data from mobile advertising campaigns, according to the companies.
socalTECH
JANUARY 15, 2015
'Sherman Oaks-based home services marketplace SERVIZ , the startup led by former ReachLocal founder Zorik Gordon, said Thursday that it has expanded its services to San Diego. SERVIZ helps homeowners book home services on-demand, including finding plumbers, handymen, and other home service providers. The app provides upfront, all-inclusive prices, charging between $45 and $60 an hour for home services.
socalTECH
JANUARY 14, 2015
'Latisys , a colocation and infrastructure provider which operates a big data center in Irvine, has been acquired by another colocation and bandwidth provider, Zayo Group. Zayo said it would pay $675M for Latisys. Latisys has five data centers nationwide, with a big data center complex in Irvine on Van Karman with two separate data centers, totaling 138,000 square feet.
socalTECH
JANUARY 13, 2015
'Famed director Woody Allen has signed a deal with the streaming television arm of Amazon.com, Amazon Studios , to create a new television series for Amazon''s Prime Instant Video, Amazon said today. Details on the deal to bring the first TV show created by Allen to the online world were not announced. The new series will show on Prime Instant Video in the US, UK, and Germany.
socalTECH
JANUARY 16, 2015
'ValueMyStuff , a startup which offers up online valuation of fine art, antiques, and other collectibles, has recently set up an office in Los Angeles to tap into the U.S. market. The London-based startup helps consumers get an expert appraisal on such items as paintings, by simply taking pictures of their item and uploading them to the site. The site''s founders are from Sotheby''s, Christie''s, Phillips, and Bonhams.
socalTECH
JANUARY 15, 2015
'Los Angeles-based Luxury Link said today that it is in a partnership with Gilt.com , the online luxury shopping site, to feature luxury travel. Financial details of the partnership were not disclosed. The two companies said that Gilt has added a new "Travel" tab on its site, which will give Gilt members access to Luxury Link''s collection of travel experiences.
socalTECH
JANUARY 14, 2015
'Carpinteria-based lynda.com , which is led by Eric Robison, has raised a huge, $186M funding round, led by TPG. According to lynda.com, the round also included investments by existing investors Accel Partners, Spectrum Equity, and Meritech. The company said it will use the new funding for accelerating acquisitions, growth, and new content intiatives.
socalTECH
JANUARY 16, 2015
'San Diego-based ESET , the developer of Internet security software, said Thursday that it has named Gerald C. Choung as its new Vice President of Sales. Choung is the former Senior Director of Channel Strategy and Sales for Qualcomm (now Omnitracs). He also has served at Oracle and Microsoft. ESET has more than 200 people in San Diego, and more than 1,000 worldwide developing its Internet security software products.
socalTECH
JANUARY 16, 2015
'Van Nuys-based Sentry Control Systems , which distributes the ubiquitous electronic parking control systems you find in parking garages, has been acquired by parking technology developer SKIDATA. Financial details of the buy were not disclosed. The two companies said they have been working together since 2000. SKIDATA is based in Austria. The two ssaid that Sentry represented 40 percent of SKIDATA''s business in the U.S.
socalTECH
JANUARY 15, 2015
'Los Angeles-based healthcare IT company NantHealth said today that it has named Robert (Bob) E. Watson as its new President. Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong continues as CEO of the company. According to NantHealth, Watson was most recently President, CEO, an Director of Streamline Health Solutions; he also served at DocuSys, Concuity/Trintech, and IQHealth, in addition to serving on the baords of Streamline, Satori Labs, and Interpoint Partners.
socalTECH
JANUARY 15, 2015
'Camarillo-based Semtech said this morning that it has acquired the assets of EnVerv , a developer of power line communication and smart grid products. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. Semtech said that EnVerv''s team of employees has joined the company with the acquisition. EnVerve develops low- and medium-voltage, power line communications technology, which has been used in smart metering and telecom applications.
socalTECH
JANUARY 15, 2015
'Maker Studios will be producing content for distribution exclusively on Vimeo , the two said this morning, as part of a new, on-demand deal between Walt Disney a IAC. Maker Studios is owned by Disney, and Vimeo is owned by IAC. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The deal will be through Vimeo On Demand, Vimeo''s pay-per-view service, and apparently is aimed at allowing creators at Maker Studios to boost their revenues through direct sales.
socalTECH
JANUARY 14, 2015
'Los Angeles-based native advertising automation software developer Nativo reported Wednesday that it has been selected by five different publishers to power native advertising programs for their sites. Nativo said that Bonnier, Fodor''s Travel, OnCampus, MetroUS, and TechnologyGuide (a division of TechTarget) have all selected its software. Financial impact of the sales were not disclosed.
socalTECH
JANUARY 14, 2015
'San Diego-based TruMed Systems , a developer of automated, vaccine dispensing systems for physician''s offices, has raised $5.5M in a Series B funding, according to the EvoNexus incubator. Other details on the funding were not announced. TruMed develops temperature controlled, vaccine storage and delivery systems which also keep tracks of stock, ordering, and real time inventory.
socalTECH
JANUARY 14, 2015
'San Clemente-based Sensory NeuroStimulation , which makes a device for treating Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), said it has established a $1.5M credit facility with Silicon Valley Bank. Terms of that new credit facility were not announced. Sensory NeuroStimulation said it will use the credit facility to support its ongoing operations. The company develops Relaxis, a device used to improve the quality of sleep in patients with Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)--or more accurately, Willis-Ekbom Disease
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