Sat.Mar 07, 2015 - Fri.Mar 13, 2015

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3D Printing Redux: How Idealab's New Matter Wants To Bring 3D To The Masses

socalTECH

'3D printing is all the rage in the maker and do-it-yourself hobbyist market, but how do you truly take 3D printing to the mass market? Pasadena-based New Matter (www.newmatter.com) is developing a 3D printer, the MOD-t, which it says will help bridge the world of 3D printing experimentation with the consumer. We spoke with CEO Steve Schell on how Idealab believes its past experience with starting up a 3D printing company--and some new ideas on how to create a marketplace of 3D designs--are the

Idealab 196
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5 Simple Tactics To Make Freemium Users Pay

InfoChachkie

'A version of this article previously appeared in the Wall Street Journal. Freemium business models are popular because they allow startups to quickly drive user adoption. Unfortunately, many of these companies fail to properly monetize such non-paying users. Let''s face it. It''s frankly easier to accelerate your startup''s growth and show faux traction if you omit the pesky step of asking users to pull out their credit cards.Let''s face it.

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Fire yourself. Rehire a new you.

Berkonomics

'When a new CEO or manager is hired into a company, for a while lots of energy flows from the top and new ideas seem to be generated daily. It is one reason not to fear the unknown when upper level management long in place turns over, often leaving most everyone worried about the future of the company and for their own prospects. Even the best of us fall into a routine in our jobs.

Ideas 176
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Startups Need Great Execution More Than Great Ideas

Startup Professionals Musings

'A popular approach for aspiring entrepreneurs these days seems to be to corner anyone who will listen, with a pitch on their current “million dollar idea.” The initial monologue usually ends with the question “How much money do you think this is worth?” In my opinion, ideas are a commodity, and are really not worth much, outside the context of a visionary leader who can execute.

Ideas 115
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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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SlipChip Gets $26.5M For Microfluidics Technology

socalTECH

'Pasadena-based SlipChip , a Caltech spinoff developing microfluidics technology, has raised $26.5M as part of an ongoing, $30M funding raising effort, according to a filing from the company. Details on the Series B funding have not yet been announced by the company, whic his a spinout of technology developed by researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

CalTech 165
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Radiolab “Detours” Into Location-Aware Storytelling

Tech Zulu Event

'Raise your hand if you heart NPR. Raise your hand if you love science, mysteries and storytelling. Then chances are you might be a huge fan of the NPR/PRX radio show Radiolab. (Lord knows I am). For those of you that have been missing out, (in this case you should have actual FOMO ), Radiolab shares the same sort of tone of familiarity as another NPR show, This American Life , but tends to focus on questions and discoveries more scientific.

Guide 84

More Trending

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When Does An Entrepreneur Become A Business Owner?

Startup Professionals Musings

'According to most definitions, an entrepreneur is one who envisions a new and different business, meaning one that is not a copy of an existing business model. Many entrepreneurs have a passion and an idea, or even invent a new product, but are never able to execute to the point of creating a startup. Even fewer are able to grow the startup into a viable business.

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Snapchat Parts Ways With COO

socalTECH

'In what has been a constant, Snapchat -all-the-time news week, the Venice, California-based messaging company has apparently cut loose its COO , Emily White, as CEO and co-founder Evan Spiegel has decided to take a more hand-on role at the company. White had only joined Snapchat in 2013, having formerly been Instagram''s Director of Business Operations.

Snapchat 162
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How To Meerkat: A Visual Guide to Twitter Streaming

Tech Zulu Event

'Like every great startup, Meerkat exploded out of nowhere to catch the imagination of mobile video technofiles worldwide. Adoption is still rising as Miami concerts , Tech Talks and Blog Posts get Meerkatted. We took Meerkat for a spin to see what the hype is all about and if its ease-of-use twitter integration is really a live streaming game changer.

Guide 73
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GoCoin

Tech.Co

Ideally, when a customer asks if you accept a certain form of payment, the answer should always be yes. GoCoin is the first checkout solution designed to accommodate bitcoin and other popular altcoins like litecoin and dogecoin. Give your customers the convenience of choice, and in turn, you can choose to keep the coins or instantly exchange them to your preferred currency.

Design 70
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How To Be An Entrepreneur Who Can See Around Corners

Startup Professionals Musings

'Every entrepreneur realizes that change is now the norm, and they have to adapt their business quickly to survive and prosper. In fact, the best entrepreneurs seem to see breakthrough changes coming even before they really happen, and are able to turn them into huge new opportunities. In the trade, this rare capability is called the ability to see around corners.

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Ice Energy Wins Deal In Riverside

socalTECH

'Santa Barbara-based Ice Energy , a developer of energy storage technology, reports that it has scored a win with Riverside Public Utilities. According to Ice Energy, it has signed a five-year contract to provide 5 megawatts of thermal energy storage, using its systems. The company''s systems will be used to reduce peak energy usage for the City of Riverside.

Riverside 157
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5 Fabulously Fun IoT Gadgets

Tech Zulu Event

'There is little doubt that the combination of sensors, smarts and systems that is the Internet of Things is on course to change every element of our daily lives. From fixing everyday problems to solving global issues, the Internet of Things has enormous potential. But the ability to add sensors to everyday products, connect unusual items to the Internet and lend a little something extra to the ordinary can also be, well, fun.

Mobile 66
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Droplabs

Tech.Co

Droplabs is a coworking space, computer lab, classroom and makerspace in Los Angeles, California, and they collaborate with other spaces and organizations around LA County. They’re the leading low-cost coworking space and business incubator in the Greater Los Angeles Area and have services, programs and workspaces that are uniquely designed for entrepreneurs, freelancers, lifelong learners and remote workers.

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8 Questions To Help Set Expectations With Investors

Startup Professionals Musings

'One of the big questions that every entrepreneur struggles with is how much funding they should request from investors in the first round. They know from forums such as Shark Tank on TV that asking for either too much or too little will derail credibility in the eyes of the investor, and leave the entrepreneur with no money and a struggling startup.

Help 104
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onLoop Takes On Mobile Chat, Texting

socalTECH

'Santa Monica-based onLoop , a new startup developing a n app for messaging others, said Thursday that it is launching at SXSW. The company offers up iOS and Android apps which are aimed at letting users find others with common interests, with users engaging with others over posts about different topics and subjects. The startup is led by AK Sands and was co-founded by Jacob Heinz.

Mobile 145
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Law of the Land: The Importance and Challenges of Privacy Protection in the Cloud

Tech Zulu Event

'Security breaches have become all too common in recent years. Whether it’s the breach at Target that revealed the information of millions of customers or the Sony hack that caused so much controversy, security breaches can cause a lot of damage, often taking years to recover. Beyond cyber attacks, many people and businesses around the world are still trying to come to grips with the recent revelations of government surveillance from Edward Snowden.

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Amplify

Tech.Co

Amplify is a hands-on startup accelerator and multi-faceted entrepreneurial campus in Los Angeles. All companies are not created equal, nor do they travel similar paths. A flexible approach to accelerating startups is at the core of the Amplify program. The experience is tailored to each company — no mandatory schedule or recycled calendar of activities.

Venice 70
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5 Keys To Raising Ethical Standards In Your Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

'Many people seem to have the sense that ethics are spiraling downward in business, and unfortunately most startup professionals and entrepreneurs I know don’t believe they can make a difference. They don’t realize that if they don’t take an active role in the solution, they really become part of the problem. I do believe that most business people want to do the right thing, but many just don’t have the skills to develop an unemotional ethical position, or confidence to act on their ethical beli

Startup 96
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Blizzard Entertainment, ESPN Partner On Gaming Competition

socalTECH

'Irvine-based online, massively multiplayer online game maker Blizzard Entertainment said last week that it is launching a new, video game competition which will award more than $450,000 in tuition and other prizes to college students--not to mention coverage on ESPN. Blizzard Entertainment said its Heroes of the Dorm tournament will pit college student teams against each other on its Heroes of the Storm title, which will give free tuition for students for the rest of their college career.

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IT Department and Web Teams | Who Does What Now?

Tech Zulu Event

'Since we live in a technical age and since businesses are essentially fueled by technology, it is vital to know who to call on when you need one thing or another. There are various tech savvy groups of people that can assist businesses in their development, implementation and use of technology. Some people think that all of these people go by the same title, but this is not true.

Web 55
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Tiger Text

Tech.Co

Securely text your co-workers.TigerText was conceived in 2010 in Los Angeles, with one simple goal in mind: empowering organizations and individuals to securely communicate with their mobile phones. In a world where every email, every SMS and every data bit we ever created lives on forever in some computer server, owned by some unknown company, in some unknown location we believe impermanence should be an inalienable right.

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What Do You Need to Do to Improve Sales? Here’s a Start …

Both Sides of the Table

'I write about sales often both because it’s the lifeblood of any organization and because in my experience it is the area in which more startups are least experienced or inclined. I also write and talk about it frequently because raising capital is a part of sales and this is important for entrepreneurs to understand. To make it simple and easy to remember – there are three basic rules of sales: 1.

Sales 269
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Zadara Expands In Europe

socalTECH

'Irvine-based storage-as-a-service provider Zadara Storage , which is led by storage veteran Nelson Nahum, said yesterday that it expanded in Europe, with TelecityGroup''s Cloud-IX service. Zadara said its enterprise, storage-as-a-service is now available in Telecity''s 39 European data center facilities. Zadara''s storage-as-a-service is aimed at the enterprise, and allows those companies to back up and store data to the cloud, combining a combination of local, pay-as-you-go onsite storage, whi

SaaS 139
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Lyft Lands $530M To Battle Uber

socalTECH

'There''s been a major, market battle in Los Angeles over the last few years, between on-demand ride services such as Lyft and Uber , not to mention local taxi and transportation companies. One of the players in the battle--Lyft--has just raised $530M more, from Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten. Rakuten said it agreed to purchase and 11.9 percent stake in Lyft, investing $300M in the company as part of a larger, $530M Series E funding for Lyft.

Demand 139
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Amgen Cuts 300 In San Francisco

socalTECH

'Thousand Oaks-based biotech Amgen is cutting 300 jobs in San Francisco, as part of a shutdown of the South San Francisco operations of subsidiary Onyx Pharmaceuticals , according to a memo leaked from the company on Tuesday. Amgen plans to transfer workers in San Francisco back to its Thousand Oaks headquarters. Amgen acquired Onyx Pharmaceuticals in 2013, in a $10.4 billion deal.

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RadPad Links Into Apple Pay, Lets Renters Pay Rent Using Their iPhone

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based rental marketplace RadPad said late Monday that it has started supporting Apple Pay, letting renters pay their rent using the new Apple payment method. RadPad said the company''s rent splitting and payment system supports the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and the new Apple Watch. RadPad is led by Jonathan Eppers, and only recently launched its app to help renters to pay their rent using a credit or debit card, rather than cash or check.

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DogVacay Lets The Inner Cat Out

socalTECH

'It looks like the dog lovers over at Los Angeles-based DogVacay are also now letting cats into their life. DogVacay announced today that it will begin offering up links to cat sitters, as it expands its service beyond dogs. According to DogVacay, it has launched CatVacay , a new service which connects people with cat sitters, who will drop in to check on your at, or even stay overnight in your home to watch your feline.

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Upfront Ventures Names Pando's Carney As Associate

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based venture capital investor Upfront Ventures has hired technology journalist Michael Carney as an Associate, Pando said Wednesday. Carney had covered technology on the West Coast for Pando. Upfront has been bolstering its reach in the LA market recently, most recently adding Chamillionaire as an EIR for the firm. Carney, in his coverage of LA, hasn''t hesitated to skewer local technology industry organizations and bash local companies , so it will be interesting to see his transi

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SOA Software Becomes Akana

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based SOA Software said this morning that it has renamed the company to Akana , as it has broadened its software base. According the company, which is led by Paul Gigg, the name change comes as the company has expanded beyond its roots in Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Web Services, and now addresses API management, cloud integration, DevOps, and other enterprise software areas.

Software 135
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White House Targets Tech Training, Jobs In LA With TechHire

socalTECH

'The White House has named Los Angeles as one of 21 communities around the nation which are part of a new technology job and training effort called TechHire , the administration announced Monday. According to President Obama, the new initiative will help to provide a "pathway to the middle class" for workers, by helping to train them to meet the needs for well paying technology jobs.

Training 135
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Kareo Buys DoctorBase

socalTECH

'Irvine-based Kareo , the developer of cloud-based, medical office management software which is led by Dan Rodrigues, announced today that it has acquired DoctorBase , a developer of medical practice marketing and patient communications software. Financial terms of the buy were not dissclosed. Kareo said it will use the buy to add adds marketing and patient communications functionality to its products.

SaaS 135
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Kofax Debuts New Mobile Identification Product

socalTECH

'Irvine-based document capture and handling software developer Kofax launched a new product this morning, saying it has launched a mobile app to help its customer capture proof of identity documents such as driver''s licenses and passports. The company''s new Kofax Mobile ID product is aimed at account opening and other similar processes, to help capture identification information.

Mobile 135
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Snapchat Aims At Live Sports Broadcasting

socalTECH

'Think Snapchat is only for swapping disappearing messages? The startup--which already has been trying to stake a claim in the news discovery business --now is also apparently trying to get into the live sports broadcasting area. According to a report , which cites multiple, media executives, says that Snapchat is working on media rights deals with NCAA, Turner, and others to feature live sports in its streams.

Snapchat 132
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March Capital Partners Backs E8 Security

socalTECH

'Santa Monica-based March Capital Partners , the venture capital investment firm led by Jim Armstrong, Sumant Mandal, Gregory Milkin, and Jamie Montgomery, is the lead investor in a new cyber security startup, E8 Security. E8 Security said Tuesday that it had raised $9.8M in a Series A funding, for its cyber security analytics software, used to help detect cyber attacks.

Capital 132
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Nexus eWater Gets NSF/ANSI Cert

socalTECH

'San Diego- and Lancaster-based Nexus eWater , which makes a device which recycles grey water from residences, turning formerly wasted water into energy and water usable for irrigation and other non-potable uses, said it has received NSF/ANSI certification for its systems. The company says its systems can recycle two out of every three gallons used in a home.

Lancaster 131