Sat.Mar 01, 2014 - Fri.Mar 07, 2014

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Santa Monica To Get Silicon Valley Coffee Chain Philz Coffee

socalTECH

'In another sign that Southern California--and particularly, Santa Monica--is gaining further credibility as a recognized technology center: Philz Coffee , a coffee chain which is synonymous with being at the tech epicenters of Silicon Valley and San Francisco, is getting set to open up a new location in Santa Monica. According to representatives of the venture-backed coffee chain--which has set up a temporary outpost at the Oasis Conference at the Fairmont Miramar this week--it is planning its

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How many innovations are carefully planned?

Berkonomics

'Most innovations come from responding to a customer’s needs, or finding a niche where products need improvement or extension. It is rare to innovate using a blank sheet of paper in a room with bare walls and no other contributors. Imagine the room in which several graduate business school student groups have gathered, tasked with coming up with an idea for a business plan competition.

Startup 176
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From Call Center Agent To C-Suite Executive: How This Amazing Woman Did It

InfoChachkie

'A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. Ms. August Scott began her Zappos career in their customer support call center. Her positive attitude and willingness to take chances rapidly propelled her to the coveted and influential position of Coach. I met Augusta when I toured Zappos'' headquarters as part of the Downtown Project''s Catalyst Creative Speaker series (you can view my talk here).

Coach 182
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7 ‘Words of Wisdom’ Messages For Every Entrepreneur

Startup Professionals Musings

'When you have been on the startup firing line, you quickly learn that any insight from experts and entrepreneurs who have been there before you can make the difference between failure and success. Yet, many new entrepreneurs brazenly assume they are bulletproof, and march blindly into the fray. The result is that half or more of startups fail in the first two years.

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Can You Ask for Office Rent Relief? How to Manage Your Lease During COVID-19

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.

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Bitcoin Inventor Found Living In LA, Says Report

socalTECH

'The inventor of the technology behind Bitcoin -- Satoshi Nakamoto -- has been found living near Los Angeles, near San Bernadino, according to a report in the new Newsweek. Nakamoto has apparently been trying to keep a low profile, denies any connection with Bitcoin, and has apparently left an estimated $400M in Bitcoin he owns untouched. According to the report, Nakamoto -- who actually is named Satoshi Nakamoto, despite widespread reports that the name was a pseudonym of an anonymous Japanese

Report 238
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REACH Connected Future | Cleantech Recap

Tech Zulu Event

'It’s almost been a work week since Techzulu and Gadget Review’s REACH | The Connected Future and we’re still reeling with excitement. First, we’d like to thank our exhibitors, sponsors, and venue (Dave and Buster’s Westchester) for supporting the all-encompasing day of industry insights and networking. And of course, we’d like to thank our amazing panels of speakers for pouring their knowledge into the mental chalices of our present and virtual attendees.

UCLA 99

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Adopting Good Work Habits Beats Dropping Bad Ones

Startup Professionals Musings

'Most of the entrepreneurs I know realize they have some bad habits, like maybe procrastination or not listening well, so they focus on dropping these. New studies indicate that a more productive approach would be adopting new good habits and behaviors that clearly move your business forward, like good time management and implementing customer recommendations.

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Making The Enterprise Cloud Real: Unitas Global's Cloud Vision

socalTECH

'For all of the consumer adoption of the cloud, enterprise users are still not as bought into the vision of cloud computing as one might think they would be. So, how do you help ease enterprise customers into the cloud--or at least, help them use cloud technology to help them with their business goals? Los Angeles-based Unitas Global (www.unitasglobal.com) recently raised a round of funding from MK Capital and Azure Capital for its vision of helping enterprises make that transition to cloud tech

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TechZulu at SXSW 2014 Live From Indiegogo Tech Cafe & Join Us for Happiness Hour!

Tech Zulu Event

'It’s that time of year again TechZulu readers, the time when people from all corners of the world travel their way by planes, trains, and automobiles to Austin, Texas for SXSW. The TechZulu team is no different as we’re making our way down to the main event. We’ll be streaming live everyday from the Indiegogo Tech Cafe to bring you exclusive interviews from the best and brightest at this year’s SXSW.

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Auction.com Raises $50M From Google At $1.2 Billion Valuation

socalTECH

'Irvine-based online real estate marketplace Auction.com announced this morning that it has raised $50M in a funding round from Google Capital. According to Auction.com, Google Capital will also add a representative to the company''s board of directors, and also gain an observer seat. Auction.com said the investment values the company at $1.2 billion.

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General Assembly Raises $35M In Funding Round

socalTECH

'General Assembly , which conducts classes on web development, Photoshop, Javascript, digital marketing, and all kinds of other topics through its location in Los Angeles, has just scored a $35M funding round, a Series C for the company. The company--which is based in New York--operates a series of schools across the nation to teach digital skills. The new funding was led by Institutional Venture Partners, and also included GSV Capital, Rethink Education, Maveron, and Western Technology Investme

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AnyMeeting Targets Business Customers With New iPhone App

socalTECH

'Orange County-based web and video conferencing tools developer AnyMeeting said Wednesday that it has launched a new, iPhone application, which is targeted at business users. According to AnyMeeting, the new iPhone app follows similar apps the company recently released for the iPad and Android. Those apps all allow users to participate in conference calls and video conferences, including using the iPhone''s front or back facing cameras, document sharing, push-to-talk, and other featuers.

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Metacloud Gets Win At Ooyala

socalTECH

'Pasadena-based managed cloud provider Metacloud has scored a high visibility win, over at digital video provider Ooyala. According to the companies, Ooyala is using Metacloud''s services as part of a private cloud implementation. Financial impact of the win was not disclosed. Metacloud is venture backed by Canaan Partners, Storm Ventures, and AME Cloud and was co-founded by Sean Lynch and Steve Curry.

Pasadena 174
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Central Desktop Gets $5.0M In Credit Line

socalTECH

'Pasadena-based Central Desktop , which develops cloud-based collaboration software, has scored a $5.0M line of credit from SaaS Capital, SaaS Capital said Thursday morning. According to the company, Central Desktop wlil use the financing to accelerate time to market for its products, and also to invest in further growth. Saas Capital provides alternative financing to SaaS businesses.

SaaS 174
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Disney Accelerator In Major Outreach

socalTECH

'Disney''s new startup accelerator--the Disney Accelerator --is in a major promotional and outreach push, saying that it will be launching a tour of Austin, Boston, New York, Palo Alto, London, and San Francisco to raise visibility for the program. Disney is inviting a select number of founders and entrepreneurs, who have interests in the media and entertainment space, to visit with its team at those locations.

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Beats Music Buys Topspin Music

socalTECH

'In a move that might not surprise many in Southern California''s music and technology world, Santa Monica-based Beats Music said this morning that it has acquired Topspin Music , the music marketing startup which was--until recently--run by Beats Music'' CEO Ian Rogers. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. Beats said that the acquisition will help it bring on a team of to help it bolster its service.

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Infinitely Virtual Targets Education Market With New Virtual Desktop Plans

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based cloud server and virtual desktop provider Infintely VIrtual said today that it is targeting students and educational institutions with a new hosting plan. According to the company, it is launching a new academic market offering which starts at $6.65 per user/month, to offer up virtual terminals. Infinitely Virtual offers up Windows 2012 Server, Windows 8, and other applications via the cloud, allowing users to access applications without having to install and maintain local ha

Education 164
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Beats Music Courts Developers With New API

socalTECH

'Santa Monica-based streaming music service Beats Music said Friday that it has opened up its service to software developers, releasing a new application programming interface (API) which lets developers search the Beats Music Catalog, play tracks, create and update playlists, and more. The company--which also opened up a developer site --said the public interfaces it is providing are based on the actual APIs the company has been using itself in developing its service, and that it hopes to tap i

Develop 164
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Alleged Bitcoin Inventor Chased By Press Through San Gabriel Valley

socalTECH

'Los Angeles is not a stranger to paparazzi, slow speed car chases, or even big technology new--but in a somewhat bizarre scene, all three were combined today when the technology press converged on the Temple City home of alleged Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto , resulting in a horde of reporters chasing him through the streets of the San Gabriel Valley , and eventually to the AP offices in downtown Los Angeles.

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Machinima Lays Off 42

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based online content developer Machinima said Thursday that it has laid off 42 people at the company, all from its sales force, as the company continues to struggle with low ad rates and the large chunk of revenues that are claimed by Google from multi-channel networks. The deal apparently comes ahead of a $18M funding round expected from Warner Bros.

Layoffs 159
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Fullscreen Appoints Chief Revenue Officer

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based YouTube network Fullscreen said this morning that it has named Michael Wann as the company''s new Chief Revenue Officer. Wann was most recently CRO at SpinMedia, and also had been EVP of Business Development at Demand Media. The company said that Wann will be responsible for developing new and existing revenue opportunities for Fullscreen, including business development, marketing, and advertising operations.

Demand 157
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Newest Billion Dollar SoCal Startup: Auction.com

socalTECH

'Add another, Southern California company to the exclusive list of billion-dollar plus startups here. Auction.com said this morning that it has raised $50M in a funding from Google Capital, at a $1.2 billion startup--which puts it in the ranks of only three other startups here known publicly to have passed the $1 billion mark in terms of valuation. Auction.com joins SpaceX, Snapchat, and Beats Electronics in the short list of $1 billion plus valuation, venture backed startups here.

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Emotient Gets $6M For Facial Expression Recognition

socalTECH

'San Diego-based Emotient has raised $6M in a funding round, to go towards the company''s technology for facial expression recognition, the company said Thursday. The funding was led by new venture capital fund Handbag, which is led by Seth Neiman, and also included Intel Capital. Emotient, whic his led by Ken Denman, develops software which measures the emotions of human faces, which it makes available via an application programming interface (API).

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Zya Dangles Record Deal, Cash To Users

socalTECH

'Do you have what it takes to score a major label record deal? Zya , the mobile music game developed by Music Mastermind, said Friday that it will offer players of the game an opportunity to win a recording contract and $10,000 in cash. According to Music Mastermind--which is based in Calabasas--its new contest will provide $10,000 in cash, tour performances on DigitTour 2015, and a record contract with Emblem Records for players who submit their songs--based on the originality of their songs, p

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Report: Airpush Said To Be Near Acquisition Deal Worth $170M

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based mobile advertising network Airpush , which is led by Asher Delug, is in the midst of being acquired by Israeli company Perion , according to a report Monday evening. According to the report, from TechCrunch, the deal is worth around $170M. Perion owns Incredimail, Smilebox, and other Internet properties. Neither Perion or Airpush have announced any details on the deal.

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FreedomPop Launches New Secure Phone

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based free wireless broadband service provider FreedomPop has launched a new product, which it hopes will attract users looking for a bit of privacy and security in their wireless service. According to FreedomPop, it has launched the FreedomPop Privacy Phone, a Samsung Galaxy S2 which includes encrypted communications, the ability to change phone numbers at will, and the ability to pay for the phone in Bitcoins.

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Disney Interactive Chops 700

socalTECH

'Burbank-based Walt Disney is laying off around 700 employees at Disney Interactive--a quarter of the interactive division--as the company struggles to adapt to the shift to mobile games. The company also is planning on closing a number of its online properties, and scale back in-house game development. Disney Interactive has apparently been a perpetual money loser for Disney.

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OUYA, Mad Catz Bring Game Environment To New Android Controller

socalTECH

'Santa Monica-based OUYA , the Android-based game console and technology developer, and San Diego-based Mad Catz Interactive said today that the two are in a deal to bring OUYA''s games to Mad Catz''s M.O.J.O. Micro-Console for Android. Mad Catz'' M.O.J.O. is an Android device and game controller combo specifically designed to run Android games. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

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SpaceX Courts Congress As Tensions Rise With Russia

socalTECH

'The conflict and rising tensions over Russia''s activities in the Ukraine are having a direct impact on the plans of Hawthorne-based SpaceX. SpaceX founder and technology billionaire Elon Musk testified at an open meeting of the United States Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense yesterday, saying that Congress should put priority on using SpaceX''s Falcon rocket--as well as the competing United Launch Alliance''s Delta rockets--exclusively in its launches, and eliminate the Russian-lin

SpaceX 147
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Hulu: Roughly Half Of Hulu Plus Users Streaming To Devices

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based streaming television service Hulu says that roughly half of all of its Hulu Plus subscribers are now streaming exclusively to devices, with the other half from the living room, the company said this week. The company said it has around 5 million subscribers to Hulu Plus, its paid television streaming service. Hulu announced the numbers as part of the appointment of new Head of Distribution Tim Connolly, who was previously at Disney.

Hulu 147
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Cardium Gets Strategic Funding From China

socalTECH

'San Diego-based Cardium Therapeutics said Monday that it has scored a strategic funding from Shanxi Taxus Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. , to help support development of its regenerative medicine therapeutics products. According to Cardium, the deal is worth up to $5.0M to support commercialization of its products. The publicly traded company said it will change its name to Taxus Cardium Pharmaceuticals Group in connection with the deal.

Funding 147
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Walt Disney, DISH In Streaming Media Deal

socalTECH

'Burbank-based The Walt Disney Company and satellite operator DISH Network said this morning that they are in a multi-year deal, which will allow DISH to stream Disney, ABC, and ESPN to televisions, computers, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other connected devices. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. According to the two, the deal gives both video-on-demand and linear rights as part of an Internet streaming video service.

Media 147
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ActiveReplay Gets $2.1M For Action Sports Tracker

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based ActiveReplay , the startup founded by Anatole and David Lokshin developing devices which can track all kinds of alpine sports, has raised $2.1M in a seed funding round, according to a regulatory filing by the firm Monday. Details on the funding have not yet been announced. According to the filing, part of the funding came from Allegro Venture Partners, and also included a number of other investors.

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SmartDrive Wins Carrier In Wisconsin

socalTECH

'San Diego-based driver safety systems developer SmartDrive Systems said Monday that it has signed up a new customer in Wisconsin. The company said Millis Transfer will deploy its video and data capture systems across its entire fleet of vehicles. Size of the win, and number of vehicles in the fleet were not announced. READ MORE>>.

San Diego 147
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Hulu Taps Disney Vet As Distribution Head

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based Hulu said Monday morning that it has named a new Head of Distribution. Hulu said it has named Tim Connolly--formerly VP of Digital Video Distribution and New Product Development for Walt Disney--to the position. The company said Connolly''s prior role involved managing digital product distribution at Disney''s ESPN, ABC Family, ABC, and Dsiney Channel properties.

Hulu 147
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D-Link Ships 802.11ac Wireless Hotspot

socalTECH

'Foundtain Valley-based electronics manufacturer D-Link announced this morning that it has shipped a new, portable 802.11ac Wi-Fi router, aimed at travelers. According to D-Link, its new Wi-Fi AC750 Portable Router and Charger allows mobile users to create their own, Wi_Fi hotspot from any existing Internet connection--either a 3G/4G connection, Ehternet, or another Wi-Fi connection, and is combined with a 4,000mAh rechargeable battery.

Mobile 147