socalTECH
AUGUST 7, 2015
If you've ever rented an apartment, you will be very familiar with the experience of moving into a new place, thinking it will be great--but then, it ends up being unbearable because you didn't notice the bar around the corner that always lets out at 2am. What if there was a way to figure out how noisy that place would be--before you even think about renting it?
InfoChachkie
AUGUST 3, 2015
A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. The Beatles’ Manager, Brian Epstein, was a 30-yr old, former furniture salesman when Beatlemania hit America in 1964. When he was approached by savvy Nicky Byrne to license the Beatles’ name and likeness for various novelty products and toys, he firmly stated that he would not accept a penny less than 10%.
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Eric Greenspan
AUGUST 5, 2015
I just got back from Sage Summit and met Ron Baker and Ed Kless. These two do NOT believe in time tracking and are paving the way for making it considered not only unethical, but even illegal, I think. So I ask, Is Time Tracking Unethical? I had a chat with my pal and co-worker Seth David today about this same topic. He too met with Ron and Ed and they shared the gospel.
Tech Coast Venture Network
AUGUST 7, 2015
Many people dread conflict and actively avoid situations that might be conflict prone. Unfortunately, this is nearly impossible if you want to be successful at work. Fortunately, there are some surprising benefits of conflict. Think of a time you got into an argument with a romantic partner. Remember how the conflict was horrible while you were in the middle of it.
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.
socalTECH
AUGUST 4, 2015
Santa Barbara-based Ice Energy (www.ice-energy.com) has quietly been working away at developing energy storage systems to help smooth out the demand for energy on the nation's power grid. The company recently landed a major contract from Southern California Edison (SCE) to deploy thousands of the company's "Ice Bear" equipment--enough to store 25.6 megawatts of energy.
TechCrunch LA
AUGUST 5, 2015
During the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles last week, a fifth grader named Ari stopped by a booth set up by Google. The booth had information about its “Impact Challenge” for disabilities. What Ari didn’t know is that her life would change before she left the games. Read More.
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Tech Coast Venture Network
AUGUST 7, 2015
Many people dread conflict and actively avoid situations that might be conflict prone. Unfortunately, this is nearly impossible if you want to be successful at work. Fortunately, there are some surprising benefits of conflict. Think of a time you got into an argument with a romantic partner. Remember how the conflict was horrible while you were in the middle of it.
socalTECH
AUGUST 4, 2015
Movie rental and streaming service Netflix said Tuesday afternoon that it will provide unlimited maternity and paternity leave to its employees, during the first year after a child's birth or adoption. Netflix--which has a significant employee presence in Los Angeles--said the move is part of its move to make sure it can compete for and keep the "most talented individuals in their field".
Startup Professionals Musings
AUGUST 2, 2015
Don’t bash the competition. Every investor knows how vulnerable a new startup is to competitors, so investors always ask about your sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. How an entrepreneur answers this question speaks volumes about their knowledge of business realities, customers, confidence, and their ability to handle investor funding.
Tech Zulu Event
AUGUST 3, 2015
Look alive! Its episode 5 of the TechZulu Tech W(rap). From Social Media stocks, Facebook drones to Obama pushing to have the fastest computer in the world. Produced by PodShare’s Elvina Beck and Kera Package for July 27- Aug 2nd, 2015. Referenced Stories / More Info : Social Media Stocks :: [link]. Yelp: [link]. Facebook Drone :: [link]. Drone Shooting :: [link].
Berkonomics
AUGUST 6, 2015
This piece of wisdom came from Jeff Bezos, founder & CEO of Amazon, during a board meeting for one of the companies where he sits as board member. Jeff asked the question “Is there anything big or small, which is working better than you expected? Is there anywhere we could double down?”. Bezos’ point was that we spend a lot of time focusing on what’s not working in Board meetings (especially during difficult times) and not enough time focusing on what is surpassing expectations and how we c
socalTECH
AUGUST 6, 2015
Forbes Magazine has released a list of the top technology billionaires in the world , with six Southern California technology moguls listed. Topping the list at #15 was Elon Musk , who splits his time between Los Angeles and Silicon Valley, with a net worth of $13.9 billion; David Sun and John Tu , the co-founders of Fountain Valley-based Kingston Technology, shared the spot at #41, with a net worth of $4.5 billion each.
Startup Professionals Musings
AUGUST 5, 2015
Most aspiring entrepreneurs are convinced that the strength of their initial idea somehow defines them as a leader, as well as the success potential of their derivative business. In my experience, it’s a lot more complicated than that. It takes leadership ability, as well as a good idea, to make a successful entrepreneur, and great leaders evolve from key leadership decisions along the way.
Tech Zulu Event
AUGUST 4, 2015
Valuation is one of those ubiquitous words: at least when it comes to discussions around startups — and, of course, stock market multiples. But it can be confusing because there is not just one type. In fact, there are several types of valuations and they come into play at different times in a company’s lifecycle. For example, there are the private company valuation figures that get bandied about: think the numbers people reference for Uber and AirBnB for example.
socalTECH
AUGUST 3, 2015
Luxe , the on-demand, luxury valet service, said today that it is expanding its service in Los Angeles with a new "Drive Home" service aimed at drinkers in LA. If you've had a little bit to drink while out on the town in Los Angeles to drive home safely, Luxe said it will begin offering service on Thursday through Saturday from 5pm to 2am in Hollywood, and 5pm to 1am in Downtown, which will drive users home safely in their own cars.
socalTECH
AUGUST 7, 2015
Carlsbad-based cloud software developer MaintenanceNet is now officially part of Cisco, Cisco said this week, after it completed its acquisition deal for the company. Cisco had announced its acquisition of MaintenanceNet on July 8th, saying it would pay $139M for the startup. MaintenanceNet develops cloud-based software being used by companies to better manage the renewal of recurring customer contracts.
socalTECH
AUGUST 6, 2015
Los Angeles-based Clutter , the on-demand storage startup which is aiming to make it almost effortless to store your extra stuff, has raised $1.3M in a funding round. Source of the new funding was not disclosed. Clutter also said it has expanded its services into the Bay Area. Clutter has previously raised funding from Resolute Ventures, AmplifyLA, plus angels such as Matt Coffin, David Sacks, and Joanne Wilson.
socalTECH
AUGUST 4, 2015
Los Angeles-based Local ID has named two new executives, the company said today, as it uses its recent seed funding to boost its executive ranks. Local ID said it has named Mahesh Angadi as Chief Product Officer and Franklyn Farace as its Chief Revenue Officer. Angadi was previously at Omniture, and also served at PubMatic. Farace was previously Vice President, Retail Solutions at Coupons Inc., also also has been at Valassis.
socalTECH
AUGUST 3, 2015
Walnut, California-based WizRocket , a developer of mobile ad technology which helps companies better profile and target customers, has raised $8M in a funding round. The funding came from Sequoia Capital and Accel Partners. The funding comes on top of an earlier, unannounced $1.6M seed funding from Accel. WizRocket said Sequoia's Mohit Bhatnagar led the investment.
socalTECH
AUGUST 6, 2015
It's been a bad week for drivers for ride service provider Uber this week, as they were not only shut out of LAX by pressure on the LA City Council from the taxi industry--but also because one of their drivers was shot in Venice, in gang crossfire. In the Venice shooting incident, an Uber driver was shot and wounded, after suspected gang members took a shot at the driver's passengers--who themselves were arrested, after police found they were armed and also suspected of being gang members.
socalTECH
AUGUST 3, 2015
Los Angeles-based Soylent , the startup which is looking to replace food and eating with an all-inclusive drink that contains 100 percent of the nutrients a human needs without the need for actually eating food, has rolled out a new version of its product it is calling "Soylent 2.0". The unfortunately named startup--not to be confused with the depressing, dystopian Charlton Heston movie of the identical name--says its new product is entirely vegan, and uses--wait for it--"farm-free, algae source
socalTECH
AUGUST 5, 2015
Silicon Valley-bsaed wireless charging electronics developer ,a href="[link] has opened up a new office in Costa Mesa, the company announced today. The company said the new location in Orange County will help it tap into the talent residing in southern Los Angeles, Orange County and northern San Diego Counties. The company said the location specifically helps it recruit top level engineering talent to the company.
socalTECH
AUGUST 3, 2015
Los Angeles-based online real estate marketplace AssetAvenue announced this morning that it has named Peter Coleman as the company's new Chief Financial Officer. Coleman most recently has was CFO for Fuhu, and prior to that LOYAL3 HOLDINGS. He also serv d at Merriman Holdings, ThinkEquity Parttners,Charles Schwab, and Bank of America. AssetAvenue operates an online real estate marketplace which connects private investors and real estate developers.
socalTECH
AUGUST 4, 2015
Santa Monica-based Heal , the on-demand, in-home doctor's appointment service, said Tuesday that it has expanded its list of services to back to school physicals, and also will be offering up sutures as part of its menu of services. The startup--led by Dr. Renee Dua--is targeting families with the service, which currently is available in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Francisco.
socalTECH
AUGUST 6, 2015
Los Angeles-based MediaPlatform , a startup developing enterprise video and webcasting software aimed at corporate customers, has raised $12M in a growth equity funding. The funding was led by TVC Capital, and also included Barshop Ventures and the company's CEO. MediaPlatform said that Jeb Spencer and Mykel Sprinkles of TVC Capital will join the company's board of directors.
socalTECH
AUGUST 6, 2015
Fountain Valley-based D-Link is making a further move into the home automation space, saying this morning that it has launched a new, Wi-Fi enabled water sensor product. D-Link says its sensor plugs into any open power outlet, and alerts users with a siren--and push notifications--if the sensor comes into contact with water. The new device is designed to detect water leaks from washing machines, water heaters, sinks, dishwashers, or other locations.
socalTECH
AUGUST 7, 2015
For our Insights and Opinions section today, we have an article from Bernard Luthi , President of Monoprice (www.monoprice.com), who talks about how his company has figured out how to compete against the big guys in the room--Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook and eBay. We live in an unprecedented digital era today, with a powerful flow of cutting-edge commercial opportunities that can be transformed into many potential revenue streams.
socalTECH
AUGUST 6, 2015
San Diego-based GovX , which operates an online, e-commerce site specifically serving active, reserve and veteran U.S. Military, law enforcement, fire, emergency rescue, and government employees, has raised $11.5M in combined Series A and B funding. The funding was led by Alestra Ltd. annd Arbor Group, along with Star Avenue Capital, Seth Hamot (SPY Optic and Roark, Rearden & Hamot Capital Management), and Philip McConkey.
socalTECH
AUGUST 5, 2015
Looking forward to when you will be able to call Uber or Lyft for a ride from Los Angeles International? Not so fast. Just two weeks after the city airport commission approved pickups by Uber and Lyft at LAX , the Los Angeles City Council has voted to delay implementation of the commission's permit plan. The move comes due to concerns raised by local taxi industry representatives, showing that four Uber drivers recently ticketed at LAX would not meet Los Angeles taxi background requirements, due
socalTECH
AUGUST 5, 2015
Los Angeles-based AdtoApp , a developer of programmatic ad tools for publishers, has raised $6M in a funding round, according to the company. The funding came from Run Capital. The company says its tools help publishers double their effective CPM (eCPM), by predicting who is going to bid on their ads and selecting the highest paying advertisement, rather than ad network, for an ad placement.
socalTECH
AUGUST 5, 2015
Rancho Santa Margarita-based Virtium , a developer of embedded and industrial solid state drives (SSDs), said today that it has scored a round of growth investment. Size of the funding was not announced. The funding came from L Squared Capital Partners. Virtium, which is led by Phu Hoang, said it will use the funding to grow its application engineering and SSD firmware development team.
socalTECH
AUGUST 7, 2015
Scott Painter , the CEO of Los Angeles-based auto purchasing service TrueCar , said Thursday that he will be stepping down as CEO of the company by the end of the year. Painter will remain as Chairman of the board, and will continue as CEO as the company searches for a new chief executive. Painter has been CEO of the company since he founded TrueCar in 2005.
socalTECH
AUGUST 7, 2015
Santa Ana-based Universal Electronics said Thursday that it has acquired Ecolink Intelligent Technology , a developer of wireless security and home automation sensors. Universal Electronics said it paid approximately $12.4M in cash, plus earnout over the next five years. Ecolink was based in Carlsbad, California. UEI said it will continue to operate Ecolink as a wholly-owned subsidiary, under the Ecolink brand and trademark.
socalTECH
AUGUST 7, 2015
Irvine-based JenaValve Technology , which is developing transcatheter aortic valve repair (TAVR) systems for the treatment of aortic valve disease, said this morning that it has raised $26.5M in a Series C funding round. The funding was led by RMM (Rudi Marien) and Valiance, and also included Atlas Venture, Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners, Gimv, Legend Capital, NeoMed Management and VI Partners.
socalTECH
AUGUST 6, 2015
Los Angeles-based Pluto TV , the Internet television service startup backed by USVP, Sky, United Talent Agency, Terry Semel, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Chicago Ventures, Luminari Capital, said Wednesday that it has named Ken Parks as Executive Chairman. Parks was the Chief Content Officer at Spotify. According to Pluto TV, Parks will also take on full time duties leading its content, distribution and monetization efforts.
socalTECH
AUGUST 6, 2015
San Diego-based Qualcomm announced this morning that it is buying xDSL networking technology provider Ikanos , in a deal worth approximately $47.0M. Qualcomm said it would pay $2.75 per share in cash for Ikanos, which trades on the NASDAQ as IKAN. Ikanos had closed yesterday at $1.75 per share. Qualcomm made the acquisition via its subsidiary, Qualcomm Atheros.
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