socalTECH

JANUARY 20, 2016

Santa Monica-based TaskUs , the outsourcing firm founded by Jaspar Weir and Bryce Maddock, said today that it has just passed up 5,000 employees. The company--which had just over 1,000 employees in 2014, and started with a mere 5 employees in 2011--says it now has five outsourcing centers in the Philippines. TaskUs has seen rapid growth due to its focus on back end office functions for many, "unicorn" startups, and such customers as Tinder, Savings.com, Wikipedia, Gilt Groupe, and many, many oth

Outsource 160

Outsource Santa Monica Startup Equity 160

TechCrunch LA

JANUARY 20, 2016

Los Angeles Uber riders, rejoice. UberX is finally coming to LAX. The company announced that as of 8 a.m. tomorrow, riders will be able to request and get picked up by UberX cars. This comes exactly one month after Lyft launched at LAX, which was originally announced by LA’s Mayor Eric Garcetti. Uber and Lyft had battled for months with the airport and the LA city council to reach… Read More.

Los Angeles 100

Los Angeles Angel Company Companies 100

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 18, 2016

Wearable IoT World (WIoTW), based in San Francisco and heralded as the world’s first accelerator dedicated to the Internet of Things (IoT), wearables and emerging technologies, today has officially launched the U.S.-Pan Asia IoT Superhighway accelerator in Hong Kong. Closing a round of USD 4.5 million led by Radiant Venture Capital , the accelerator will focus on driving IoT innovation and entrepreneurship in Hong Kong and Asia while pushing forward IoT development globally.

Funding 63

Funding Venture Capital Chief Technology Officer Class 63

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2016

In the new business world, many entrepreneurs are so excited with large initial orders that they don’t anticipate the cash flow challenges that can quickly kill their startup. According to the D&B Small Business website, 90% of small business failures are caused by poor cash flow. Cash is king when it comes to the financial management of a growing company, so diligence is required.

Startup 64

Startup Sales Layoffs Slides 64

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

socalTECH

JANUARY 21, 2016

Are you one of the unfortunate folks who have had to clear out of Porter Ranch due to the giant natural gas leak? Los Angeles-based on-demand, self storage service Clutter said Thursday that it will offer up three months of storage to residents have have been asked to evacuate during the methane leak disaster. The company said the offer comes after it heard the local, Public Storage in Porter Ranch has been completely booked by residents leaving the area.

Demand 155

Demand Los Angeles Capital Services 155

Tech.Co

JANUARY 19, 2016

CapLinked , a secure enterprise sharing and storage provider, today has announced a new round of funding totaling $3.5 million. The round is led by Subtraction Capital, and includes investments from PayPal co­founder Peter Thiel , Indicator Ventures, and venture debt lender Western Technology Investment (WTI). The California-based team plans to use the new round to grow their team, marketing efforts, and further grow the company.

Doc 122

Doc Invest Screening Capital 122

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 22, 2016

Entrepreneurs and startups are big believers in innovation, but sometimes they forget that innovation must be continual to assure long-term success, rather than the one big-bang idea that initiated their journey. By default, innovation in every business decreases over time, and continuous innovation requires ongoing initiatives and measures of customer perceived value.

Startup 58

Startup Organization Demand Custom 58

socalTECH

JANUARY 20, 2016

Redlands-based GIS and mapping software developer Esri has launched a new product, which takes aim at enterprise users of Google Earth. According to Esri, its new ArcGIS Earth software is a free, desktop based interactive globe which allows users to visualize, explore, and understand spatial data, letting users work with 3D and 2D map data. Esri said the new offering is part of an effort to help support current Google customers and partners, who were using Google Earth Enterprise (Google Earth E

Google 138

Google Software Development Software Customer 138

Berkonomics

JANUARY 21, 2016

Using old email lists for the first time is like eating really stale doughnuts. The taste is pretty bad, and the side effects could be disastrous. Email companies like Constant Contact, Mail Chimp and many others all have strict rules they follow to avoid being caught in spam hell, with their servers blacklisted and worse. Each has automated software watching over your uploads of new lists.

Email 160

Email Marketing Yahoo Class 160

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 19, 2016

If you’ve never heard of MU-MIMO in wireless routing and don’t know what it is, you’re not alone. In fact, brands are thus far staying away from the term, fearing that it would be confusing to buyers, and instead may just mention “new technology” or something similar. The truth is that MU-MIMO is a big deal, and we’re finally seeing the benefits in wireless routing.

Technical Review 53

Technical Review Mobile Pricing Networking 53

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2016

Most entrepreneurs work long and hard to get a handshake agreement from an investor, and then tend to relax and wait for the check to clear. What they don’t realize is that about half the investment deals fail to close at this stage, including mergers and acquisitions , during the due-diligence process. The same is true of Dragon’s Den and Shark Tank investments you see on TV.

Technical Review 55

Technical Review Help Innocal Startup 55

socalTECH

JANUARY 20, 2016

Venice, California-based social messaging service Snapchat is opening up an office in Seattle, and plans to hire at least 50 staffers in the Rain City. According to a report , Snapchat has leased 8,000 square feet in the city, part of a quest to find more technical talent for the company. Seattle is a favored location for recruiting technical talent, particularly by Silicon Valley companies, drawing from the University of Washington (UW), and big, existing employers like Microsoft, Facebook, and

Snapchat 126

Snapchat Venice Report Services 126

socalTECH

JANUARY 20, 2016

Los Angeles-based Univision said Tuesday that it has acquired satirical news site The Onion. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The Onion is based in Chicago, but was started in Wisconsin in 1988 by two college students, Tim Keck and Christopher Johnson. The Onion's satirical articles have often been mistaken for real news , despite the publication's longtime reputation for fake stories.

News 126

News Acquisition Los Angeles Sites 126

socalTECH

JANUARY 19, 2016

Los Angeles-based online advertising technology provider OpenX said late Monday evening that the company has reached $140M in revenues, which it says is a record. The privately held company--which has not previously reported its revenue number publicly--said it doubled its revenue and tripled its profits in the last two years. OpenX, which is led by Tim Cadogan, said that it saw 40% organic, year-over-year growth and added over 250 publishers during the year.

OpenX 126

OpenX .Net Advertising Equity 126

socalTECH

JANUARY 20, 2016

Los Angeles-based Telesign , the developer of a service that is heavily used by Internet services providers, financial services, e-commerce, and others userse to verify and authenticate their users, has added behavioral analysis to its toolkit, the company said today. The company said it has tapped into technology from BehavioSec, a provider of behavioral biometric solutions, to add additional capability to its products for securing end-user accounts.

Commerce 122

Commerce Los Angeles Mobile Help 122

socalTECH

JANUARY 20, 2016

Virtual reality hardware and software developer Jaunt --which is backed by The Walt Disney Company, Evolution Media Partners, China Media Capital, Highland Capital Partners, Google Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, Axel Springer, ProSiebenSat.1 SE, The Madison Square Garden Company, Peter Gotcher, Blake Krikorian, and Sky--says it has partnered with the USC Cinema School on a new virtual reality lab.

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USC Redpoint Southern California Incubator 122

socalTECH

JANUARY 19, 2016

LeisureLink which provides booking and distribution software for the vacation rental industry, announced today that it has raised $17M in a funding round. The funding came from Clearstone Ventures, Kinderhook Industries, and Escalate Capital Partners. The company--which has offices in Pasadena, but has its headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah--said the funding will go towards scaling company operations.

Clearstone 122

Clearstone Pasadena Funding Capital 122

socalTECH

JANUARY 19, 2016

Desperate to find a babysitter for the night? Los Angeles-based Helpr , the developer of a mobile, on-demand app to help users find a babysitter, has launched in Los Angeles, Orange County, and Santa Barbara, according to the company. The startup, founded by Kasey Edwards and Becka Klauber Richter, said that its new, on-demand childcare apps helps connect parents with rigorously vetted babysitters in as little as three hours.

Demand 122

Demand Orange County Santa Barbara SoCal 122

socalTECH

JANUARY 22, 2016

Los Angeles-based Akana , the developer of API management software, said Thursday that it has named Mark Tapling as its new Chief Executive Officer. Tapling was most recently CEO of PacketVideo, and also had been CEO of SDL plc Language Technologies (Language Weaver). Akana, until recently, was known as SOA Software. Akana did not provide any details on the departure of longtime CEO Paul Gigg, who had been CEO since 2004.

Los Angeles 116

Los Angeles Software Technology Angel 116

socalTECH

JANUARY 21, 2016

Uber said today that its uberX service is launching today at 8am at the Los Angeles International Airport, allowing users of its app to request a ride from the airport. Uber said that riders will be picked up either at the lower arrivals or upper departures level, due to LAX regulations, and that users will be subject to both pickup and drop off surcharges, which are $4 each. uberX is the low-end ridesharing version of Uber, which matches up independent drivers driving their personal vehicles wi

Los Angeles 116

Los Angeles Services Customer Custom 116

socalTECH

JANUARY 20, 2016

Los Angeles-based free mobile wireless service FreedomPop has raised $50M more for its service, the company said today. Source of the new funding was not disclosed. FreedomPop says it has now raised over $109M in funding. The funding will go towards growth in international markets. The company says it plans to expand to over 40 countries by the end of the year, including in Asia and Latin America.

Los Angeles 116

Los Angeles Mobile Funding Services 116

socalTECH

JANUARY 19, 2016

Think there is a technology investment slowdown? That's definitely not the case in Southern California, which saw a massive, $1.3 billion invested in venture capital in Q4 of 2015, according to the latest numbers released over the weekend by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association. The $1.3 billion invested in Q4 matched the $1.3 billion invested in the region in Q4 of 2014, and was only slightly less than the $1.46 billion invested in Q3, which typically has been the

Southern California 116

Southern California Invest Orange County San Diego 116

socalTECH

JANUARY 18, 2016

San Diego-based Qualcomm and the People's Government of Guizhou Province are in a joint venture, focused on the design and sales of server chipsets in China, the two said on Sunday. According to the two, the joint venture is worth approximately $280M, and will be 55 percent owned by the Guizhou provincial government, and 45 percent owned by a subsidiary of Qualcomm.

San Diego 116

San Diego Design Sales Invest 116

socalTECH

JANUARY 22, 2016

Los Angeles-based dating and hookup app developer Tinder has added a new Health and Safety section on its website, after relentless pressure by a local AIDs health organization, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF). The AHF is the group behind the billboards that had been putting Tinder--along with fellow, Los Angeles dating app developer Grindr--up with sexually transmitted diseases like Chlamydia and Gonorrhea.

FAQ 109

FAQ Los Angeles Organization Angel 109

socalTECH

JANUARY 22, 2016

Online and mobile food ordering service GrubHub is expanding its food delivery service to Los Angeles, the company said on Thursday, allowing restaurants in Los Angeles to offer delivery to customers, even if they did not already offer up delivery services. GrubHub said it will handle all of the details of delivering food for those restaurants. Other details on the expansion were not announced.

Los Angeles 109

Los Angeles Angel Demand Mobile 109

socalTECH

JANUARY 22, 2016

Taoglas , a developer of communications antennas, said it is expanding in San Diego, and has quadrupled its space in the city to 16,000 square feet. The company said it has set up an antenna and RF design center in San Diego, specifically to help address antenna needs for the M2M and Internet of Things industries. Taoglas said it plans to increase its staff by 50% this year, and expects to double that in the next three years.

San Diego 109

San Diego Design Help Develop 109

socalTECH

JANUARY 22, 2016

Los Angeles is one of ten cities where residents can start ordering restaurant and food delivery via Uber , the company said this week, as it expands into the restaurant and food delivery area. Uber revealed plans to start offering up restaurant ordering and deliveries via a new app, UberEats , across the country earlier this week, delivering to Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and elsewhere.

Los Angeles 109

Los Angeles Angel Startup Demand 109

socalTECH

JANUARY 21, 2016

Los Angeles-based StartEngine , which recently pivoted into equity crowdfunding, said Thursday that it has added a second company to its platform with SEC qualification. StartEngine said that XTI Aircraft , which is developing new aircraft, has received qualification through the SEC to begin collecting capital in exchange for equity through StartEngine's platform.

Platform 109

Platform Company Companies Equity 109

socalTECH

JANUARY 21, 2016

Los Angeles-based online invitations service Evite has named Paul Pucino as the company's new Chief Financial Officer, the firm said today. Pucino is a longtime veteran of Southern California's technology industry, having served as CFO of such companies as THQ, Digital Insight, and Tekelec. Evite said Pucino will be responsible for all accounting, finance, financial reporting, and financial systems at the company.

Evite 109

Evite THQ Southern California Los Angeles 109

socalTECH

JANUARY 21, 2016

Los Angeles-based venture capital investor Upfront Ventures is putting its money behind a startup, Waldo Photos , which is looking to make it a lot easier for you to find photos of yourself taken by other people. According to Waldo Photos, Upfront Ventures led its $5M, seed funding round, with Upfront's Kara Nortman taking the lead role in the investment.

Funding 109

Funding Seed Funding Venture Capital Los Angeles 109

socalTECH

JANUARY 21, 2016

Santa Barbara-based real estate software maker Yardi reported another win this morning, with a Texas-based residential real estate property owner. According to Yardi, residential property owner and manager Old El Paso Real Estate adopted the company's Yardi Genesis software, for its property management and accounting software earlier in 2015. Old El Paso said the software has made its company more efficient, profitable, and financially accountable, although neither Old El Paso or Yardi disclosed

Santa Barbara 109

Santa Barbara Custom Customer Software 109

socalTECH

JANUARY 21, 2016

Los Angeles-based private equity investor The Gores Group said Wednesday that it has sold Unify , the German joint venture it owned along with Siemens AG, to French IT services company Atos SE. Financial terms of the sale were not announced. Unify--formerly Siemens Enterprise Communications--had been 51 percent owned by The Gores Group, and 49 percent owned by Siemens AG, and develops communications software and services.

Equity 109

Equity Los Angeles Sales Services 109

socalTECH

JANUARY 21, 2016

San Diego-based bioTheranostics announced this morning that it has raised $32M in a funding round, and a spinout from parent company bioMerieux. The molecular diagnostics company said the funding was led by MVM Life Science Partners, and also included the Canepa Advanced Healthcare Fund and HealthQuest Capital. The company, led by President and CEO Nicolas Barthelemy, said the funding will go towards growing its commercial presence and expanding its clinical development programs. bioTheranostics

San Diego 109

San Diego Funding Capital Develop 109

socalTECH

JANUARY 20, 2016

Los Angeles-based Tongal , the online crowdsourcing site which helps brands and studios create content by tapping into a pool of creators, said Tuesday that it will be represented by the United Talent Agency (UTA). The two said that the UTA will help Tongal develop deeper relationships with studios, networks, digital publishers, advertising agencies and brand marketers, and also provide Tongal access to additional talent.

Advertising 109

Advertising Content Los Angeles Sites 109

socalTECH

JANUARY 20, 2016

Los Angeles-based CapLinked , the developer of a cloud-based platform for secure, enterprise document sharing for financing and other deal management, has raised $3.5M more in a funding round, according to the company. The funding was led by Subtraction Capital, and also included Peter Thiel and Indicator Ventures. CapLinked also said it has received venture debt funding from Western Technology Investment (WTI) as part of the round.

Los Angeles 109

Los Angeles Platform Sales Funding 109

socalTECH

JANUARY 19, 2016

San Diego-based life sciences maker Illumina has participated in another investment round for San Francisco-based DNA synthesis startup Twist Bioscience , in a new Series D funding for that company. Twist announced a $61M Series D financing and a $20M debt funding round today, which was led by ARCH Overage Fund, Merieux Developpement, Cormorant Asset Management LLC, Fidelity Management and Research Company and Foresite Capital Management LLC, and also included ARCH Venture Partners, WuXi Corpora

Invest 109

Invest San Diego Research Capital 109