socalTECH

NOVEMBER 15, 2011

Santa Monica-based Unsubscribe.com , the startup headed by James Siminoff, which helped consumers unsubscribe from unwanted email, has been acquired by TrustedID. TrustedID, which provides credit and identity protection services, announced the acquisition on Tuesday afternoon, but did not disclose financial terms of the buy. Unsubscribe.com was venture backed by Charles River Ventures, First Round Capital, DFJ Frontier, and angel investors.

Santa Monica 239

Santa Monica Email Acquisition Capital 239

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Len Short is truly an online marketing pioneer, heading up marketing at Charles Schwab, AOL and then (PRODUCT)RED. He is now leading Chug , a car buying search engine, as its Founder and CEO. Before his career moved online, Len worked on major marketing campaigns for credit card companies and rolled out MCI’s highly successful “Friends and Family” marketing campaign.

Google 220

Google Technical Advisors Technical Review Equity 220

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 16, 2011

Tuesday, November 22, 2011 -- Pre-Thanksgiving Digital Media Happy Hour. Lifecrowd. Come meet Lifecrowd team members, and fellow individuals in the local area.chat and meet over a complimentary drink! See https://www.lifecrowd.com/activity/pre-thanksgiving-digital-media-happy-hour/570.

Media 100

Media Activity 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

Many budding entrepreneurs struggle mightily with that first step – out of their comfort zone and into the unknown. They keep asking people like me whether the time is right, and the truth is that there’s never an ideal time to start your own business. It’s like starting a personal relationship, if you wait for exactly the right time, you’ll never do it.

Startup 109

Startup Ideas Software Review Entrepreneur 109

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

NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Los Angeles-based Postcard on the Run , the startup headed by Josh Brooks, announced this morning that it has raised $750,000 in an angel round, which included actress Selena Gomez, Crosscut Ventures, Mike Jones, Yves Sisteron, Chris DeWolfe, Aber Whitcomb, Brian Fitzgerald, Ryan Steelberg, Colin Digario, Brian Lee, and Jarl Mohn. The firm--which develops iOS and Android apps which easily allow mobile users to take pictures and turn them into real, physical postcards mailed to their friends and

Mobile 226

Mobile Los Angeles Startup Angel 226

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 15, 2011

Article first published as Why Selling To The Government Can Downgrade Your Startup on Technorati. First Greece, now Spain and Italy. Across Europe, historically solvent sovereign governments are suffering from an acute case of systemic deficits. Now, more than ever, government agencies in the US and abroad are lousy startup customers. I am not a government contracting expert.

Startup 207

Startup Outsource Development Software Review Sales 207

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 16, 2011

So you have a startup idea, perhaps some level of execution or traction, but you or your co-founders are doing it blind; you trudge along with a little advice or knowledge you’ve picked up in torrented audio books after finally having made that decision to quit the 9-5. You continue to build your venture as lean as possible and hit a personal make it or break it point with a couple of unsuccessful investor meetings and very little guidance.

Incubator 107

Incubator Startup Mentor Entrepreneur 107

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 15, 2011

In an unprecedented surge in startup support activity in Los Angeles this morning, another venture startup accelerator, Start Engine , formally launched this morning, applying the accelerator model to startup in the Los Angeles area. Start Engine, started by Activision co-founder Howard Marks and investor Paul Kessler, said today that it is looking to provide mentorship, funding, and other resources to startups in the area, starting with a first class in January.

Startup 219

Startup Southern California Activision Mentor 219

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

If you have a unique creation or invention, 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, venture capitalists, or Angels. In the early days (20 years ago), most new e-commerce sites cost a million dollars to set up.

Commerce 99

Commerce Startup Sites Tool 99

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

Saturday, November 19, 2011 -- Startup Weekend Orange County. Startup Weekend is an intense 54 hour event which focuses on building a web or mobile application which could form the basis of a credible business over the course of a weekend. The weekend brings together people with different skillsets - primarily software developers, graphics designers and business people - to build applications and develop a commercial case around them.

Orange County 100

Orange County Startup Course Web 100

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Mike Jones may be known for his most recent role as CEO of MySpace , but this Internet entrepreneur is no stranger to the startup world. He’s had multiple exits and also advises private startups (his company Userplane sold to AOL for nearly $40 million and Tsavo Media drew a cool $75 million from Cyberplex ). Jones is an advocate for technology in Los Angeles, and believes if you build the right infrastructure to support early stage companies, the financing will come – from Silicon V

Hollywood 101

Hollywood Tsavo Userplane Santa Monica 101

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 15, 2011

(Editor's note: Los Angeles has always had strong ties to business in the UK, and the UK government has been very active in reaching out to Los Angeles technology firms in recent years. On the invitation of UK Trade and Investment, socalTECH Contributing Editor Travis Oberlander has traveled this week to London for us, to compare and contrast the efforts in the UK to establish their own technology center with our own efforts in Southern California.).

Organization 209

Organization Startup Google Invest 209

Frank Addante

NOVEMBER 12, 2011

Make decisions. Wrong or right, making quick, informed decisions is far better than not making a decision at all. Not making decisions is what kills companies. I've learned to pick up on interesting patterns from the five companies I started prior to Rubicon Project. In general, when my companies are feeling stressed or headed in the wrong direction, it's usually because the decision-making.

Startup 66

Startup Company Companies 66

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

Friday, November 18, 2011 -- Startup Weekend Orange County. Startup Weekend is an intense 54 hour event which focuses on building a web or mobile application which could form the basis of a credible business over the course of a weekend. The weekend brings together people with different skillsets - primarily software developers, graphics designers and business people - to build applications and develop a commercial case around them.

Orange County 100

Orange County Startup Course Software Development 100

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 12, 2011

I have to admit when I first walked through the doors of the Los Angeles Convention Center to attend Blog World I asked myself why I was wasting my time. Yet “another networking event”. Haven’t I learned by now that it’s better to be disciplined, focused in my office, at the computer, than “on the go” in a daze at a conference. It almost felt like I was there merely out of habit having gone to numerous amounts of conferences over the years being a business owner.

Conference 88

Conference Networking Blogging SEO 88

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Los Angeles-based startup accelerator MuckerLab , which is headed by Erik Rannala, has tapped Brea-based Dreamhost , the web hosting company, as the "official" web hosting and application hosting provider for the accelerator, the firm is announcing today. According to Dreamhost, all of the startups accepted into MuckerLab's program throughout 2012 will receive one year of free web hosting services from Dreamhost, including fully managed servers.

Southern California 200

Southern California Web Mentor Los Angeles 200

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

I recently gave a talk about the Future of Television. I’m still planning to write some in depth pieces on the topic but I thought, “given that this is about how video will consume the Internet over the next 5 years, what better way to exemplify this than with a 10-minute video.” Here’s a link to watch it or click the image below.

GRP Partners 371

GRP Partners Content Technical Review Press 371

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

Tuesday, November 15, 2011 -- Driving Innovation with PLM. PDMA.

100

100

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

Getting “Leads” does not mean money in the bank. Having paying “Customers” is what makes the cash register roar. This article will cover two things; First, the top mistakes small business owners make that end with inquiries leading you to the exit door before making a sale. Second, how to get leads. An entrepreneur having low self worth is the number one deterrent for a potential customer not buying into what you are selling.

Customer 85

Customer Custom Marketing SEO 85

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 15, 2011

Are you an entrepreneur hoping to startup a company in the Los Angeles area? In what has been an unprecedented surge in interest in helping entrepreneurs, there have been more than a half dozen accelerators--most patterned after the successful YCombinator and TechStars programs elsewhere in the country--established in Southern California in the last month or so.

CTO Coach 194

CTO Coach Startup Mentor Activision 194

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 12, 2011

As I look back over more than fifty years as an entrepreneur, I can think of the financial focus of my three entrepreneurial businesses as a prime driver in my life during the early stage of each. And yet, as I recall the greatest thrills, the memorable events, the best of memories, almost none are about the money. The stories of people rising to the occasion, victories in the form of great sale successes, great continuing relationships, occasional awards from valued indus

Coach 216

Coach Organization Invest Sales 216

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

Tuesday, November 15, 2011 -- ExecTec - 3 and 3.

100

100

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

Among some tech press releases from this week include a few announcements from local LA-based venture, ImageCollect , a micro-stock celebrity photo library, high-res and all prelicensed. In just over three months, they’ve doubled their library to 3 million photos and are adding 40,000 images per day. The immediate goal is to reach 5M photos by early 2012, all accessible via their streamlined subscription-based service with real time celebrity photo coverage and older archives.

Press 69

Press Entertainment Pricing Blogging 69

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 16, 2011

Aliso Viejo-based Quest Software , which develope IT management software, has bolstered its lineup of products for the virtualization and cloud computing space, saying Wednesday afternoon that it has acquired VKernel. VKernel is a privately held developer of virtualizatoin mangaement products, based in Boston. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed.

Cloud Computing 193

Cloud Computing Software Product Develop 193

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

For today's interview, we spoke with Dat Do , the founder and CEO of Derivitas (www.derivatas.com), a new startup in Los Angeles looking to address some of the financial issues that CFOs of privately held firms have to deal with. Dat told us about the issues with valuation, how his experience in a Big 4 accounting firm led to starting the company, and where the company is going next.

Software Review 193

Software Review Startup Venture Capital Software 193

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

La Jolla-based biomedical research nonprofit Scripps Research Institute and IBM said this morning that they are looking for the public's help, in volunteering to donate their computer time to help a new effort to cure malaria, funded by IBM Watson's $1M prize from Jeopardy! According to the two, they are encouraging anyone with a personal computer to join the World Community Grid , which will crunch numbers and perform simulations to help fight malaria.

IBM 190

IBM IBM Research Help 190

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Despite the proximity to Hollywood and the entertainment world, in the world of Southern California startups, actually combining the two world is quite difficult. NowLive is trying to do just that, leveraging both technology and the entertainment world to build its business. We spoke with Sara Bordo , the firm's founder and CEO, about the company. Bordo has previously served at Paramount and MGM, in addition to a stint at SocialVibe.com.

Paramount 187

Paramount Entertainment Hollywood Content 187

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

Los Angeles-based Paperlinks , the QR code startup headed by Hamilton Chan, said this week that it has launched a new product, which uses QR codes to enable customers to order from takeout menus. The firm said that its new Order Takeout functionality allows restaurants to QR-enable takeout menus, allowing users to order their food by simply tapping on their phones.

Email 186

Email Mobile Web Los Angeles 186

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 15, 2011

ImageCollect , the micro-stock photography site owned by Los Angeles-based AudioMicro, said today that it now has over three million photos in its library. ImageCollect is a micro-stock photography site featuring celebrity photos, which provides royalty free access to photos from entertainment photographers. ImageCollect also said it has moved to a subscription-based pricing model, switching away form a credit-based system it was using previously.

Sites 186

Sites Entertainment Los Angeles Design 186

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 15, 2011

Los Angeles-based TelePacific Communications is the latest Southern California company with big hiring plans, saying Monday that it plans to add nearly 200 positions to the firm to support its growth. TelePacific, which provides IP, voice, data, and Internet services to its customers, said the hires come due to growth in its customer based in California, Nevada, and Texas.

Southern California 183

Southern California IP Los Angeles Customer 183

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

A group of Southern California businesses are attending the Entrepreneurs Festival taking place in Tech City UK , looking to potentially set up shop and foster business partnerships in London. Today marks the start the festival, an effort to establish a center of technology entrepreneurship in England. Touted as both the first and largest of its kind in Europe, the more than 300 attendees will go through a weeklong boot camp where they will network with other entrepreneurs and pitch to more than

Southern California 180

Southern California Entrepreneur Mentor Mobile 180

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Los Angeles-based Boingo Wireless continues to build out its network internationally, saying Thursday afternoon that it has inked a deal to add around 600 hotspots in South Africa, via a deal with Skyrove. Boingo said the deal brings its total hotspots in South Africa to more than 2,000. Boingo said Skyrove's network includes popular hotels, restaurants and coffee shops in the region.

Networking 174

Networking Los Angeles Angel 174

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Los Angeles-based RealD , the developer of 3D movie projection technology, reported today that it has scored a win with a museum. RealD said that the Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History , in Hastings, Nebraska, has selected the firm's technology for its giant screen theater. Financial details of the win were not disclosed. As part of the deal, RealD said that movie attendees at the museum's theater will have the opportunity to purchase Hastings Museum-branded, RealD 3D glasses, which

Screening 174

Screening Los Angeles Report Technology 174

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

Dressed in suits with questions and passports in hand, a delegation of over 15 US entrepreneurs and investors--including a number from Southern California--entered the seat of the British government at 10 Downing Street Thursday. 10 Downing Street is the equivalent of the White House here in the United States. Expectations were high, as the business leaders were looking forward to meeting and speaking to the British Prime Minister, David Cameron.

Entrepreneur 170

Entrepreneur Southern California Beverly Hills Patents 170

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

Anaheim-based Fisker Automotive reported this week that it has completed extended range testing and certification, finding that the firm's Karma is achieving 112 mpg combined fuel economy. Fisker said the independent testing was by Technischer Ueberwachungs Verein (TUV), Europe's recognized automotive certification agency. Fisker also said the group validated the Karma's all electric range at 51.6 miles.

Report 164

Report 164

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 16, 2011

> Science, Inc. , a new, Santa Monica based company headed by former Myspace CEO Mike Jones , announced this morning that it has scored capital and funding, and is building a "technology studio" to develop new businesses, provide them with advice, and provide them with funding. The new firm said it is backed by Rustic Canyon, White Star Capital, The Social+Capital Partnership, Tomorrow Ventures, Siemer Ventures, Philippe Camus, Jean-Marie Messier, Jonathan Miller and Dennis Phelps.

Rustic Canyon 160

Rustic Canyon Santa Monica Startup Design 160