Both Sides of the Table
SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
What Can You Do if a VC Pulls Their Term Sheet? I was asked to answer this exact question on Quora and I did so some time ago. The beauty of evergreen content is that it resurfaces all the time and it is as relevant today as it was years ago when I answered it. One of my favorite ways to resurface content is when I see people on Twitter put out a Tweet linking to an old post.
Berkonomics
OCTOBER 1, 2015
Sometimes the end game or sale of the company is not a happy event for the early investors, including the entrepreneur or the founders. Especially when outside investors, venture capitalists or angels have put in substantial money, and the sales price is not enough to give them a reasonable return for the time and money invested, these investors can be – in a word – greedy.
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socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 29, 2015
What is it to start up a company, and run it to the brink of shutdown�only to have it acquired and restarted immediately? That's the fascinating story behind Los Angeles-based Earbits (www.earbits.com), which offers up a mobile music streaming service focused on discovering both new and talent. We caught up with co-founder Joey Flores on the story behind the company's brush with death, and its recent acquisition by You42, which was announced last week.
InfoChachkie
SEPTEMBER 28, 2015
A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. Who would have thought academic videos recorded at a state university would generate nearly 23 million views? Certainly not I when I took over the program three years ago. The speaker series, which is part of the UC Santa Barbara’s Technology Management Program , has attracted an impressive cadre of venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and philanthropists, including: Peter Levine (Partner, Andreessen Horowitz), Dan Engel (sold one of his com
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.
Both Sides of the Table
SEPTEMBER 26, 2015
One of the least understood parts of the venture capital industry and venture capital firms is how investment decisions actually get made. The truth is that each firm is different and there isn’t one standard but over the years I’ve talked with enough of my peers to get sense of how many firms work. Often if it’s a bigger firm (say 4 partners or more) and it’s a super small investment for their fund size (let’s say $250-500k when they normally invest $5-7 million) t
Eric Greenspan
SEPTEMBER 28, 2015
I’m a hugger. Not just a slight kiss on the face, awkward arm wrap, limp hugger, but a real hug where the other person for a moment feels safe and appreciated. It’s my routine. Some like it. Some don’t know how to handle it. It’s what works for me. I can’t small talk or fake hug. Greetings can be so warm and welcoming and sometimes, just plain awkward.
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Startup Professionals Musings
OCTOBER 2, 2015
By definition, every startup is predictably unpredictable, since new solutions have no proven track record, startups are usually building a new market, and the world around them is changing faster than ever. Yet, as an advisor to startups, I see some common disasters, and recommend some anticipation and recovery moves that can save every entrepreneur some painful time and money.
Both Sides of the Table
OCTOBER 2, 2015
Like many of you I read the Is Web Summit a Scam article making the rounds this week. I have attended Web Summits three times – it is not a scam. Let me get that out of the way. It’s a big conference and all big conferences charge money, make money and serve a diverse set of needs. I even wrote about my experiences attending Web Summit , something I rarely ever write about.
Tech Zulu Event
SEPTEMBER 29, 2015
You’ve tinkered with a NEST, installed a couple of Philips Hue light bulbs, and now you’re hooked on home automation. What’s the next step? To truly make your home “smart,” you need a home automation hub (also known as a smart home hub). Here, we’ll detail the different options on the market and help you decide which hub will work best for your home.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 2, 2015
If you've ever used one of the more popular, mobile dating apps, you are probably used to the endless, back-and-forth texting that occurs when everyone is sizing each other up and deciding if they do, or do not, want to actually go on a date. That delay can be extremely frustrating to both men and women interested in truly connecting with each other, but who just don't know how.
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 26, 2015
Most entrepreneurs looking for an investor can tell you how much money they need, but few have given much thought to what they are willing to give up for it. Perhaps they're way off in their valuation (usually far too high), or paralyzed by fear at seeing the other terms, because they have no idea what's normal, and what's worth a fight to the death (their startup's).
Tech.Co
SEPTEMBER 28, 2015
Living under the sunny skies of Los Angeles comes with many perks, but fast Wi-Fi isn’t always one of them. You’d think in a town where heavy hitters like Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft have a base of operations, the Wi-Fi speeds would be better than ever. Unfortunately, L.A.’s large population makes the competition for Wi-Fi signals and channels fierce.
Tech Zulu Event
OCTOBER 1, 2015
Startups and SMBs have been able to take advantage of the cloud, and all of the speed and flexibility it offers, long before large enterprise companies due to strict security and privacy standards, as well as regulations for major industries like banking, healthcare, and financial services. The cloud has proven itself invaluable for businesses to be agile, yet finding a secure way to access applications while protecting the corporate firewall remained a major barrier to entry for many enterprise
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 28, 2015
San Diego-based Qualcomm is planning to invest $150M in startups in India, the company said this weekend in an event with India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. According to Qualcomm, the investment will be directed by Qualcomm Ventures. Qualcomm said the move is part of supporting Modi's vision "to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 27, 2015
These days, with the many Internet articles and new courses available, most new professionals 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.
Both Sides of the Table
SEPTEMBER 27, 2015
Something is rotten in tech startup land. Don’t call me a hater for saying so. It’s not that I’m anti innovation or a disbeliever in disruption or calling it a full-scale bubble or saying every darling startup is going to fail. None of those. Still. Somebody posted too many party fliers. The uninvited crowds have all turned up. The people here don’t respect your parents’ furniture, are throwing beer cans in your back yard and there’s a dude passed out face dow
Tech Zulu Event
OCTOBER 2, 2015
It’s the law of economics – as cities scale, they cost more to operate. More employees, more assets, and more vendors can all mean that running a city costs more than ever before. Add in the concepts of risk management, disaster planning, and continuity that used to be classed under the “general fund” and are now audible expenses, and there has been an exponential cost increase to operating a city in the past two decades.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 2, 2015
Los Angeles-based Vrse , a new virtual reality content company, said Thursday that it has raised a round of funding, and appointed Drew Larner as Chief Operating Officer. Vrse said it received the seed funding round earlier in the year, from Andreessen Horowitz, YouTube co-founder Steve Chen, Raine Ventures, WME, Live Nation, Vice Media, Marker LLC., Tribeca Enterprises, Annapurna Pictures, Legendary Pictures, and Elisabeth Murdoch's Freelands Ventures.
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
Once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur. Although many won’t admit it, true entrepreneurs can’t wait to exit their current startup, and build a new and better one with their next great idea. In addition, current investors want to see every startup go public or be acquired, as an exit event, so they can get their due return for that investment which has been tied up for the last few years.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 2, 2015
Encinitas-based The Language Express , which develops web-based, educational software, said Thursday that it has received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation. The SBIR Phase I award will go towards developing digital content, to help educate and prepare young adults for their future in the workforce and everyday life.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 1, 2015
General Assembly , the co-working and education startup which is extremely active in the Los Angeles area, has raised $70M in a new funding round. The funding came from Advance Publications and Wellington Capital Management, and also included the company's existing investors, IVP, Learn Capital, Maveron, Rethink Education, WTI, and others. General Assembly offers up a wide range of classes on coding, design, marketing, and more, as well as acts as a host to countless community groups, meetups, a
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 28, 2015
Irvine-based PhageTech , a developer of disease detection sensors, said late Monday morning that it has raised $2.4M in a funding round. The Series A funding came from Mark IV Capital and Black River Investments. According to PhageTech it is developing biosensor technology which enables early detection of cancer and other diseases, using a one minute blood and urine test.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 28, 2015
Irvine-based home automation products developer Insteon said this morning that it has connected its device with Amazon's voice-controlled, living room device, the Amazon Echo. Insteon said that Amazon Echo can now take voice commands and control its Insteon Hub, its connected home device, to turn lights on and off, control other home automation devices, and more.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 1, 2015
Los Angeles-based online electronics and technology retailer Newegg is targeting video game enthusiasts this month, with a number of deals and giveaways, the company said Thursday. Newegg said it is making all of October "Gametober", and will offer up a sweepstakes, deals on various gaming systems and titles, plus it will offer up six months of free membership to its Premier Customer program to people who purchase more than $300 during the month; the company also has rolled out special financing
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
The County of Riverside has turned on the first stage of a massive, 12MW solar power conversion project, which its installer says is the largest, countywide conversion to solar in the U.S. The massive installation of solar power is expected to help save the county around $200 million over the next 30 years in energy costs. The first stage of the project was installation of solar panels to power the Perris Sheriff Station; as an added benefit, those panels were installed as a solar carport, which
socalTECH
OCTOBER 1, 2015
Santa Monica-based Super League Gaming , the startup which it turning playing Minecraft and other videogames into social events at local theaters, has tied with Pasadena nonprofit STEAM:CODERS , to offer up an after-school, Minecraft League to its members and local schools. According to the two, the deal will help bring excited kids into Super League Gaming theater arenas.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 29, 2015
Los Angeles-based GumGum and Ventura-based Trade Desk announced this morning that the two companies have partnered, to integrated GumGum's in-image advertising technology into The Trade Desk's platform. The Trade Desk offers up a Demand Side Platform (DSP) for the advertising market. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. The companies said the move makes GumGum's in-image advertising inventory available programatically within The Trade Desk.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 29, 2015
Santa Barbara-based whole-home, music system developer Sonos rolled out two new products today, including both a new software product which allows users to "tune" their Sonos speakers to match their install location, as well as a new speaker, the SONOS PLAY:5. The new Sonos software, Trueplay , lets Sonos owners "tune" their speakers after installation, to better match the acoustics of a room.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 28, 2015
Venice, California-based ZEFR , which develops technology for helping movie studios, music labels, and others identify, claim, and manage content on YouTube, said today that it has launched a new product. ZEFR said its new BrandID Suite is aimed at brands, to help them better understand and harness the power of YouTube. ZEFR said the new product provides a "visualization" of YouTube, to allow brands to better target their digital advertising campaign.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 1, 2015
San Diego-based Elcelyx Therapeutics , which is developing treatents for type 2 diabetes, said this morning that it has raised $40M in a Series E funding round. The funding came from new investor Sailing Capital, Clough Capital Partners, as well as existing investors Morgenthaler Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Technology Partners, and GSM Fund LLC.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 1, 2015
In what might be the most unusual product to come out of Venice-based Snapchat , the company appears to have issued its own line of playing cards to inspire people to post Snaps of themselves on the service. Snapchat's official Twitter account tweeted out a link to the Official Snapchat Playing Cards , sold by Snapchat Inc., a standard deck of cards with an attached list of instructions for the game "SnapKings".
socalTECH
OCTOBER 1, 2015
San Diego-based Wyldfire , which develops online dating apps, said today that it plans on launching a new, video-focused dating app it says avoids the "hook-up" culture of current dating apps. The company said its new app, Heartbeat , will launch in November, but will be different from current apps in that a "team of girls" must pre-approve guys who join the app, and that only the females on the app can initiate video chats with others.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
Los Angeles-based Evolve Media said today that it is relaunching its flagship site, CraveOnline.com , with a complete design overhaul and a "significant shift" in editorial direction. Evolve Media said its relaunched site is aimed at 25-34 year old males, and now includes specific content channels for culture, art, design, and style. Evolve Media said the site is now being anged by Executive Editor Andrew Pogany, who was previously Editor-in-Chief of Flaunt Magazine.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
Los Angeles-based Surf Air , which operates a membership-based, all-you-can-fly air service between Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, and a number of other regional destinations popular with technology and venture capital executives, is telling its prospective customers that it is set to receive its twelfth Pilatus PC-12 aircraft in the next day or so. Surf Air had said in April that it expects to have a total of 13 aircraft in its fleet by the end of the year.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 28, 2015
Los Angeles-based Hulu said Monday afternoon that it has named Ben Smith as the company's new Senior Vice President, Head of Experience. According to Hulu, Smith heads up the company's product, user experience, customer support, and digital video production efforts, and reports to CEO Mike Hopkins. Smith was previously head of product management at Sonos, and also served at Microsoft, working on the company's Xbox 360 and Xbox One efforts.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 2, 2015
Los Angeles-based on-demand, self storage startup Clutter , which has been running in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Orange County, has expanded to the East Coast, saying this week that it has begun offering up its services in New York. The startup, which is led by Brian Thomas, offers up a smartphone driven way to store your excess "stuff", letting users request storage of items, which are cataloged, packed, and taken away to storage, and can be requested at any time.
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