InfoChachkie
AUGUST 25, 2014
'A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. Amazon''s Founder, Jeff Bezos has had an incredible entrepreneurial career. He has gone from simply selling books online to offering consumers tens of thousands of products. Not satisfied with conquering the online retail world, Amazon then productized access to its infrastructure, ushering in the era of the public cloud.
socalTECH
AUGUST 27, 2014
'In the Los Angeles startup world, there are lots of high profile, buzzy companies which have lots of attention and funding--but which haven''t earned a dime of revenue. However, this town is also full of very profitable, growing, and revenue generating companies-- which have for the most part been below the radar. We spoke with one of those companies-- El Segundo-based ConsumerTrack (www.consumertrack.com)--which is a $30M, bootstrapped an online marketing company which is driving millions of c
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Berkonomics
AUGUST 28, 2014
'Ninety percent of all traffic on the Internet is in video form. Yes, most of that is from NetFlix and YouTube and others delivering entertainment content. But an increasing amount is now coming from web sites and YouTube videos created by companies looking for an edge in their marketing efforts. The average time spent on a static website, one without videos linked to the home page, is under a minute.
Startup Professionals Musings
AUGUST 27, 2014
'There is an old saying that good lawyers run away from risk, while good businessmen run towards risk. Entrepreneurs see “no risk” as meaning “no reward.” In reality, all risks are not the same. Many risks can be managed or calculated to improve growth or provide a competitive edge, while others, like skipping quality checks to save money, are recipes for failure.
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Tech Zulu Event
AUGUST 27, 2014
'You need help managing your small business finances. You need a professional partner who understands small businesses and can offer you strategic financial advice, help you to manage growth, ensure you’re in compliance, uncover potential business issues, and keep you on track. You need a strategic financial partner who is in close contact, asking questions and ensuring that they understand your business intimately.
socalTECH
AUGUST 27, 2014
'The surge of technology, advertising, and media companies flocking to Silicon Beach has meant a huge win for real estate investors, particularly in Playa Vista, according to a report today. Early investors in transforming Playa Vist--which is now home to operations of YouTube, Google, 72AndSunny, Microsoft, and many others--into a center for the technology, advertising and media industry, have apparently been rewarded handsomely, according to the WSJ.
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
socalTECH
AUGUST 26, 2014
'Los Angeles-based The Honest Company , the online, family products retailer led by serial entrepreneur Brian Lee, and which was co-founded by Jessica Alba, has raised $70M in a funding round, according to the company Tuesday. The funding was led by Wellingtom Management Company, and also included un-named, public market institutional investors, along with prior investors Lightspeed Venture Partners, Institutional Venture Partners, General Catalyst Partners and ICONIQ Capital.
socalTECH
AUGUST 29, 2014
'In the latest, smartphone-driven, on-demand service to hit the Los Angeles area, Zeel says it has launched into the Los Angeles area, and has begun offering up same day, in-home massages from licensed therapists in the area. The New York City company--which started offering its service in April of last year--said the expansion to the greater Los Angeles area also comes with a similar expansion into Miami and San Francisco.
socalTECH
AUGUST 27, 2014
'Venice-based Snapchat is in the midst of raising a new round of funding, led by storied venture capital investor Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, which valued the company at close to $10 billion, according to a report. Citing "people with knowledge of the matter", the WSJ said that the deal comes despite Snapchat having no revenues, but makes it among one of the most valuable startups on the market.
socalTECH
AUGUST 27, 2014
'Redondo Beach-based Ozobot , a developer of minature, educational robots, said this morning that it has begun pre-orders of its product. Ozobot is an interactive robotic device, which follows the paths of mazes, interacts with a user on paper, and connects with an Android phone. Ozobot said its robot is aimed at teaching kids about robots, and also teaches them basic and advanced programming skills, coding, robotic behavior, and deductive reasoning.
socalTECH
AUGUST 29, 2014
'In the latest, big-valuation funding round for Southern California, Los Angeles-based JustFab has raised $85M in a funding round that values the company at $1 billion. The company--which has been working on the round since May --comes as the company also has increasingly been rumored to be seeking an IPO. The funding was led by Passport Special Opportunity Fund, and also included Shining Capital, Matrix Partners, and Technology Crossover Ventures.
socalTECH
AUGUST 26, 2014
'The National Science Foundation is planning to create a new, innovation center in Los Angeles, in conjunction with the University of Southern California , the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) , and the University of California Los Angeles , the NSF said this morning. According to the NSF, the new center is looking to support the translation of scientific and engineering research into technology for the marketplace, and will be supported by a multi-million dollar grant.
socalTECH
AUGUST 25, 2014
'Lastline , a developer of cybersecurity software for malware defense, which has its research and development headquarters in Goleta, has raised $10M more in funding. According to Lastline, the funding came from Dell Ventures and Presidio Ventures, as well as existing investors Redpoint Ventures and e.ventures. Lastline was founded by Engin Kirda, Christopher Kruegel, and Giovanni Vigna, three U.C.
socalTECH
AUGUST 27, 2014
'Santa Monica-based online matchmaking site eHarmony said Tuesday that it now has more than 600,000 marriages to its credit, with approximately one in seven people in America having subscribed to the service at one point or another. eHarmony also said it will be releasing its job matching service, Elevated Careers, in Q4. The company--which detailed its track record on its fourteenth anniversary--says in the last two years since Dr.
socalTECH
AUGUST 26, 2014
'Goleta-based Transphorm , which develops highly efficient, power conversion technology, said today that it is in a partnership with Tata Power Solar , a solar power products manufacturer in India. According to Transphorm, they will introduce India''s most efficient solar inverter, using its technology. Financial impact of the deal were not disclosed.
socalTECH
AUGUST 28, 2014
'Los Angeles-based fantasy sports game developer Rivalry Games has tied with former NFL player Warren Sapp to create a new, fantasy sports game app called Rivalry Fantasy Sports. According to the company, the app includes all major sports, including both NFL and college fantasy football, and will allow players to earn prizes, including real money. The new app is free, and runs on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
socalTECH
AUGUST 28, 2014
'San Diego-based professional networking site Connequity says it has raised $550,000 in an angel round, and has opened up a new Series A funding, after renaming the company from its former name, GROWconnections. The startup--which is still in private beta of its service--said the angel funding came in June. The company did not say how much it is looking to raise in its Series A.
socalTECH
AUGUST 29, 2014
'Who are the top 50 up-and-coming individuals in Southern California''s technology industry? We''re looking to identify the individuals here in the technology industry, across all sectors, who are most likely to create the next big thing, produce the next big exit or to influence the industry in a significant way. If you''d like to nominate an individual (not company) for this award, we''ve just started collecting your nominations online.
socalTECH
AUGUST 28, 2014
'Orange, California-based Chapman University has tied up with HID Global , a developer of secure identification and access control systems, to create a new technology incubator around the "Internet of Things". According to the two, they will work with Chapman Unviersity''s MBA students, to give them access to HID''s technology, challenging students to identify key market opportunities for HID Global.
socalTECH
AUGUST 27, 2014
'Santa Barbara-based property management software developer Yardi said yesterday that it has linked up with The Home Depot , giving its clients access to products from the popular home improvement chain directly from its online platform. Yardi said thatclients can access those products via a button in its online procurement system in Yardi Procure to Pay, the company''s procurement and invoice processing platform.
socalTECH
AUGUST 25, 2014
'Real estate and facilities management software developer Accruent , which has operations in Santa Monica, said today that it has acquired two software companies, Four Rivers Software Systems , and SiteFM , both developers of healthcare facilities management software. Financial terms fo the buy were not disclosed. Accruent--which is led by Mark Friedman--said the buy will help the company enter the healthcare industry.
socalTECH
AUGUST 25, 2014
'Chatsworth-based MRV Communications , the developer of optical networking hardware, said today that it has named Mark J. Bonney as the company''s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Bonney has been a director of the company since April of 2013, and replaces current CFO Stephen Garcia. Bonney has previously been at ON Board Advisors, Direct Brands Inc., American Bank Note Holographics Inc., Axsys Technologies, and Zygo Corporation, among other companies.
socalTECH
AUGUST 25, 2014
'Calabasas-based network testing equipment maker Ixia reported late Friday that it has received another warning from the NASDAQ Stock Market, notifying the company that it does not comply with Nasdaq Listings Rules. The firm--which was expecting the warning--has been working through late filing of its quarterly report. The company said the Nasdaq warning says its delay in filing its 2014 Second Quarter Form 10-Q is an additoinal basis for potential deslisting of the company''s common stock.
socalTECH
AUGUST 29, 2014
'Los Angeles-based online backup provider IDrive , in an attempt to sign up students returning to school, said this week that it has launched a 50 percent discount plan, good for students for the lifetime of their account. IDrive said it will use a student''s valid, education-based email address for the discount offer, letting students back up their school work and other data to the cloud.
socalTECH
AUGUST 29, 2014
'Los Angeles-based online event invitation site Evite has named a new CEO, saying yesterday that it has named Victor Cho to the position. Cho was most recently President and CEO of Kodak Gallery, and also had headed up marketing and commerce at Intuit. Evite--which is owned by Liberty Interactive--said that Cho also has served at iVillage and Microsoft.
socalTECH
AUGUST 28, 2014
'Calabasas-based network testing software and hardware provider Ixia is applying its technology into a new area--cyber attack detection and incident response--via a partnership with Plixer International , the company said yesterday. According to Ixia and Plixer, they have integrated their systems as part of a cyber threat incident response solution.
socalTECH
AUGUST 28, 2014
'San Diego-based OneRoof Energy , the provider of solar power installation and lease financing services, said Wednesday that it has raised $58M in a residential solar financing fund, which it says will go towards installing more than 2,000 residential solar power purchase agreements (PPAs). Name of the source of the funds was not announced. According to OneRoof Energy, the fund will go towards installing solar power in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and New York.
socalTECH
AUGUST 27, 2014
'Los Angeles-based NeuroSigma , a developer of medical devices aimed at treating epilepsy and depression, has filed for an IPO, saying that it is looking to raise up to $50M on the public markets. The company said it has applied to list on the NASDAQ Global Market as NSIG. The life sciences company said its IPO is being underwritten by Jeffries, BTIG, and Craig-Hallum Capital Group.
socalTECH
AUGUST 27, 2014
'Stephen Stokols, the CEO of Los Angeles-based Freedompop , as well as Winklevoss Capital , which has recently had a presence in LA, have both invested in a maker of "smart outlets" which turn on using Bluetooth. Zuli , which is based in San Francisco, said it has raised $1.65M in a seed round, which included Menlo Ventures, Winklevoss Capital, Logitech, DeNA, XG Ventures, FreedomPop CEO Stephen Stokols, and Hossein Eslambolchi, former CTO of AT&T.
socalTECH
AUGUST 27, 2014
'Santa Monica-based TigerText , the secure messaging service provider for the enterprise market, reports that it has seen a spike of 750 percent in its message volume in the first half of the year. The company said the growth comes due to record sales and customer growth at the company. TigerText said five of the top ten, for-profit U.S. health systems are now using its products, which has resulted in over 300 million messages per month being sent via its platform.
socalTECH
AUGUST 27, 2014
'Camarillo-based Vitesse Semiconductor , the developer of semiconductors for the networking market, said late Tuesday that it has added a new member to its board of directors. The company said it has appointed William C. Martin, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of Raging Capital Management, to its board. Vitesse said that Raging Capital is the company''s largest stockholder, owning over 21 percent of its shares.
socalTECH
AUGUST 26, 2014
'Los Angeles-based Factual , which maintains a giant data store of location data, businesses, and other information, is extending its data coverage overseas. The company said Tuesday that it is adding more data to its restaurant information in France, Germany, and Australia, to include everything from kid friendliness, cuisine types, to parking. That data has previously only been available in the United States and the United Kingdom.
socalTECH
AUGUST 26, 2014
'Irvine-based disk drive giant Western Digital has named a new CFO, saying that its current CFO, Tim Leyden, has retired after 24 years at the company. WD said that Olivier Leonetti, who previously was VP Finance at Amgen, and also spent 14 years in finance positions at Dell, will become CFO of the company. Leyden will continue at the company through January to help in the transition.
socalTECH
AUGUST 25, 2014
'City of Industry-based online retailer Newegg said Monday that it has begun testing same-day delivery in Los Angeles, allowing consumers to order electronics and other items from the company by 11 a.m., for delivery before 6 p.m. NewEgg said that it will start delivery in "select communities" in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. According to NewEgg, if the same day delivery goes well, it plans to expand the service into new delivery areas.
socalTECH
AUGUST 26, 2014
'Los Angeles-based SOA Software , which develops software used for managing internal corporate APIs and software interfaces, reported a win today in Australia. SOA Software said Healthdirect Australia is using its API management products to bridge REST APIs and existing SOAP services. Financial details of the deal were not announced. SOA Software''s software allows developers to access a range of information from Healthdirect Australia, using the common REST API, rather than the more difficult t
socalTECH
AUGUST 26, 2014
'Los Angeles-based Evolve Media , the parent company of CraveOnline and TotallyHer, said late last night that it is in a partnership with Moat , where Moat will help to audit the viewability of all of its properties. Moat will provide Evolve Media with information on brand metrics for display and video ads, as well as information on viewability, to Evolve.
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