Sat.Aug 30, 2014 - Fri.Sep 05, 2014

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Here is How to Make Sense of Conflicting Startup Advice

Both Sides of the Table

'Everybody has a blog these days and there is much advice to be had. Many startups now go through accelerators and have mentors passing through each day with advice – usually it’s conflicting. WTF? There are bootcamps, startup classes, video interviews – the sources are now endless. What is a founder to do? There are some smart if not somewhat cerebral bloggers I read who say that you shouldn’t take any startup advice at all because it’s too generalized to be useful

Startup 407
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CheapAir.com Starts Accepting Litecoin, Dogecoin For Travel

socalTECH

'Are you an alternative currency mogul, wishing you could directly spend your Litecoin or Dogecoin cryptocurrency for an airline ticket? Calabasas-based travel booking site CheapAir.com says that it has begun accepting those two cyber-currencies -- which are similar to Bitcoin -- for booking airline flights, hotels, and train seats. CheapAir.com--which has been accepting Bitcoin since November of 2013--says it has seen sales of more than $1.5M for Bitcoin sofar, and is hoping the expansion of pa

Calabasas 207
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Only those in the fight can win.

Berkonomics

'By Dave Berkus. Entrepreneurism is all about risk. Sometimes, you can reduce your personal risk by taking in other people’s money, starting with a contract from a customer, purchasing a going business, or spinning off an existing revenue-generating portion of an existing business. Even then, the risks of having enough cash to fund daily operations or growth can be daunting.

Resource 184
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How Do You Select A Revenue Model For Your Startup?

Startup Professionals Musings

'One of the toughest decisions for a startup is how to price their product or service. The alternatives range from giving it away for free, to pricing based on costs, to charging what the market will bear (premium pricing). The implications of the decision you make are huge, defining your brand image, your funding requirements, and your long-term business viability.

Startup 114
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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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Bring Gaming to the Physical World | Doozy

Tech Zulu Event

'The University of Southern California (USC), is famous for its games program. Widely known for outputting amazing video game talent, USC is considered one of the top schools for learning to make games in the nation. And video games have become a HOT topic. All the conversation and buzz is always around the big video game hits that are coming out. Halo.

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Google Taps UCSB Team For Quantum Processors

socalTECH

'Internet giant Google said late Tuesday that it has tapped a research team from UC Santa Barbara , to help build new, new quantum information processors based on superconducting electronics. those processors are being applied to design of artificial intelligence at Google. Google said that John Martinis and his team at UC Santa Barbara is helping in the hardware initiative with the company.

Google 182

More Trending

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Entrepreneurs Need To Bridge The Knowing-Doing Gap

Startup Professionals Musings

'These days, with the many Internet articles and new courses available, most new entrepreneurs readily cross the gap from lack of business knowledge to knowing, but many never make it over the knowing versus doing gap. Investors I know highlight this problem with the mantra that they fund founders and teams who can execute, rather than ones who just talk about their great ideas.

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Tongal | Community Inspired Ads

Tech Zulu Event

'We live in a world full of creative minds. Some creative ideas come up at random times – say in the shower or while getting a cup of coffee – and other ideas inspired at the office. Companies are constantly looking for the next way to get their brand out there, whether it may be through viral marketing campaign or through simple advertisements, but a marketing agency can only do so much.

Ideas 80
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Mapp Biopharmaceutical Gets Up To $42.3M For Ebola Drug Research

socalTECH

'San Diego-based Mapp Biopharmaceuticals is slated to receive up to $42.3M in a bid to accelerate the company''s development of a treatment for Ebola, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday. According to the federal agency, it will provide $24.9M in an 18-month contract with Mapp Biopharmaceutical, with a possible extension of the contract to up to $42.3M.

Research 174
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Tech Coast Venture Network

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Will A Business Incubator Help Hatch Your Startup?

Startup Professionals Musings

'One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. According to the National Business Incubator Association ( NBIA ), there are over 7,000 of these locations worldwide, and even new online versions like Pitchswag springing up here and there. Most of these are non-profits, set up by a university to commercialize new technologies, or a municipality to foster business development for the loc

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Startup Advisors: The Good, The Bad And The Commandos

InfoChachkie

'A version of this article previously appeared in The Wall Street Journal. During the early part of the 20 th century, New York City’s Tin Pan Alley was the epicenter of American popular music. During its heyday, Tin Pan Alley musicians devised an inexpensive yet effective method to obtain free, expert advice – they played their songs to elderly doormen.

Startup 208
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Aligned TeleHealth Gets Angel Funding

socalTECH

'Agoura Hills-based Aligned TeleHealth , a provider of telemedicine services and technology, said today that it has raised a round of private financing from two individuals. Size of the funding was not announced. The company said the funding came from Deepak Chopra, the CEO and founder of OSI Systems, and Hector Sulaiman, CEO of Controles Graficos. Both join the company''s board of advisors.

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DoubleBeam Takes On Mobile Rebates

socalTECH

'Pasadena-based DoubleBeam , the provider of mobile payment and related technology led by Ted Tekippe, said last week that it has launched a new mobile rebate product for retailers. The company said its technology is white labeled, and typically is embedded into a brand''s mobile or web experience. Pricing and other details on the new mobile rebate product was not announced.

Mobile 157
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ecoATM Hits Three Million Devices Collected

socalTECH

'San Diego-based ecoATM , which operates a network of automated, electronic recycling kiosks, reports today that it has now collected a total of three million devices. The company said the total include all of the phones, tablets, and MP3 players it has collected since being founded in 2008. ecoATM said that more than a third of those--one million devices--were collected since January of this year.

San Diego 153
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Wallaby Launches Android Wear App

socalTECH

'Pasadena-based Wallaby Financial , the developer of apps to help consumers optimize the use of their credit cards to earn the most points and benefits, is rolling out a new app today for Android Wear. Android Wear is the Android related wearable effort which includes software to help anticipate a user''s next move and helps provide information automatically about things like upcoming appointments, and more.

Pasadena 153
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Tillster Gets Win With Pizza Hut Thailand

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based digital rodering systems developer Tillster , which is led by Perse Faily, reported a win in Thailand with Pizza Hut Thailand. According to Tillster, it has developed a localized, online ordering platform for the pizza chain in Thailand, the second international win with Pizza Hut. Financial impact of the deal was not disclosed. Tillster had previously launched a online ordering site for Pizza Hut Canada.

Mobile 153
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GumGum Names CRO

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based advertising technolog provider GumGum said this week that it has appointed a new, Chief Revenue Officer, as the company continues to build out its management team. The company--which provides technology which embeds advertising within images--said Mike Rosner, former VP of Sales North America at MediaMind, has been appointed to the Chief Revenue Officer position.

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Internet Brands Buys High Gear Media

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based Internet Brands said this morning that it has acquired automotive publisher High Gear Media. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. High Gear Media''s automotive publications include The Car Connection , Motor Authority , and Green Car Reports. High Gear Media had been founded in 2007. Internet Brands was acquired itself earlier this year, by private equity firm KKR.

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Sonos Connects Directly To Wi-Fi

socalTECH

'Santa Barbara-based whole home audio systems and wireless speaker manufacturer Sonos said today that it is now supporting direct connections to its customers'' Wi-Fi network, so that a wired connection to a user''s router or use of a special SONOS BRIDGE device is no longer use. Sonos said its products, such as the PLAY:1, can now directly connect to a Wi-Fi router, with the company''s Sonos 5.1 software update.

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Kofax Buys Softpro GmbH

socalTECH

'Irvine-based Kofax announced this morning that it has acquired Softpro GmbH , a developer of signature verification, fraud prevention, and electronic signature software. Kofax said it has paid $34.7M in cash for SoftPro. Kofax said that Softpro has approximately 80 employees, and had 2013 revenues of $13.3M. Kofax was advised by B. Riley & Co., LLC in the deal, according to the company.

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Cynvenio Launches New Tumor Genomics Product

socalTECH

'Westlake Villlage-based ,a href="[link] Biosystems said yesterday that it has launched a new program, aimed at sequencing patient tumors from whole blood. The new program is aimed at cancer research centers, and allows those centers to analyze the genome profile of cancer tumors, based on whole blood samples. Cyvenio said the new service is already being used by The Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Rochester, Minnesota and the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the Keck School of Medicine

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Nasty Gal In Major Layoffs

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based Nasty Gal , the online women''s wear retailer led by Sophia Amoruso, has reportedly laid off 10 percent of its staff, or over 20 employees, according to fashion industry reports. Nasty Gal said in a statement that the moves are part of a move to "strategically re-organize" its business. READ MORE>>.

Layoffs 138
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Two Local Teams Compete For $2M Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based XPRIZE , which runs a number of prize-based competitions for developing technology, has named eighteen teams for its $2 million, Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE , including two local teams. The organization said that Thousand Oaks-based Angel Sharks , a team of students, educators and entrepreneurs with expertise in artificial intelligence research and development; and San Diego-based Boardformula , a team from an engineering consultancy for research and development in the s

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Opoli: 250 LA Drivers Now On Ride App

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based smartphone ride service Opoli says it now has over 250 drivers on its app in Los Angeles, since it launched last month, as it looks to attract professional, commercially licensed drivers to its smartphone app. The app aims to provide Uber-like service, without the uncertainty and controversy that swirls around Uber. Opoli--which is led by Rattan Joea--says it offers a "safer and better alternative" to other services, due to only using commercially insured drivers of town cars,

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HireRight Names New CEO

socalTECH

'Irvine-based HireRight , the provider of online employment background checks, drug and health screening, said today that it has named a new CEO. According to the firm, it has named John Fennelly--formerly head of the wealth management division of Thomson Reuters--as CEO. Fennelly will be based in Irvine. READ MORE>>.

Screening 138
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Yardi Sells Point2's Listing Syndication Arm

socalTECH

'Santa Barbara-based property management software provider Yardi has sold off a part of its Point2 real estate marketing operation, saying that it has sold its listing syndication service to Move, Inc. Financial details of the buy were not disclosed. Point2 was owned by Yardi Canadat Ltd. Move is making that service part of its ListHub real estate syndication service.

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Japan's KVH Connects Network To LA

socalTECH

'Tokyo, Japan-based network provider KVH Co. Ltd. said yesterday that it has connected its network to Los Angeles, as well as New York, to help expand its network in the United States. The company--which interconnects data centers with ultra-low-latency networks and dedicated Ethernet--said the new route makes Los Angeles its new transit hub between Asia and the U.S., and will help it serve customers on the West Coast of the United States.

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Teledyne Buys Bolt Technology

socalTECH

'Thousand Oaks-based Teledyne Technologies said Wednesday afternoon that it has acquired Bolt Technology Corporation , a supplier of equipment for the offshore energy exploration market. According to Teledyne, it will pay approximately $171M for Bolt, or $22.00 per share cash for the publicly held company. Bolt, which was founded in 1965, develops replacement parts for offshore energy exploration, high-reliability underwater cables and connectors, electronic controllers, monitoring systems, and

Offshore 138
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Transphorm Gets Patents

socalTECH

'Goleta-based Transphorm , the developer of Gallium Nitride (GaN) power conversion technology, reports that it has scored two patents covering its technology. The company said the two patents are number 8,816,751 titled "Inductive Load Power Switching Circuits", and patent application 13/887,204 titled "Bridge Circuits and Their Components", which it describes as "landmark patents" for its technology.

Patents 138
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XPrize Foundation Names Finalists For Qualcomm Tricorder Prize

socalTECH

'Culver City-based nonprofit XPRIZE announced the ten finalists for the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE today, picking teams from across the world to compete for $10M for developing a handheld device to monitor patient vital signs--ala the Star Trek "tricorder". According to the foundation, the ten teams came from Maryland, Canada, India, Massachusetts, Taiwan, Slovenia, California, and the United Kingdom.

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Viking Therapeutics Sets IPO Range

socalTECH

'San Diego-based biopharmaceuticals developer Viking Therapeutics has set the estimated pricing for its IPO, saying in a filing Tuesday that it expects to price its IPO at between $10.00 and $12.00 per share. The company has applied to list as VKTX on the NASDAQ Global market. The company is hoping to raise up to $69.0M in its offering. The IPO is being underwritten by Oppenheimer & Co., Roth Capital Partners, Craig-Hallum Capital Group, MLV & Co., and Summer Street Research Partners.

San Diego 138
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BeyondTrust Acquired By Veritas Capital

socalTECH

'San Diego-based BeyondTrust , a developer of security software used for privilege and vulnerability management, has been acquired by private equity firm Veritas Capital , the companies said this morning. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced. Veritas Capital said it acquired BeyondTrust from private equity firm Insight Venture Partners.

Capital 138
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Local Corporation Wins Patent Suit

socalTECH

'Irvine-based local search provider Local Corporation said today that it has scored a win in a patent infringement suit it has against Fry''s Electronics. Financial details of the settlement were not announced. Local Corporation said the win came out of a June, 2012 lawsuit it filed against Fry''s for infringing on its U.S. Patent, No. 7,062,453. The company appears to be ramping up its patent lawsuit strategy; the company''s CEO said it believes it could generate over $100M in future licensing

Patents 138
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Simulations Plus Closes Cognigen Buy

socalTECH

'Lancaster-based Simulations Plus , which provides simulation and modeling software for the pharmaceuticals industry, said Tuesday that it has completed its acquisition of Cognigen Corporation. The deal was worth $7.0M, including $2.8M in cash and $4.2M in stock. Simulations Plus said the deal adds 30 new employees to the company, and also is expected to add approximately $5.0M in revenues in the coming fiscal year.

Lancaster 138
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Foundry Medical Innovations Opens Startup Incubator In San Diego County

socalTECH

'Carlsbad-based Foundry Medical Innovations said today that it has launched a new, medical and diagnostic device incubator in San Diego County, which it says provides a shared workspace, access to technical engineering talent, business and marketing plan support, and connections to the venture capital community. Foundry Medical Innovations said it was founded by John Zeis and Paul DiPerna.

San Diego 138