socaltech.com TechNews - Friday, December 7, 2012 Edited by Benjamin F. Kuo ISSN: 1524-6736 http://www.socaltech.com/News ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sponsored by:
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Helping entrepreneurs succeed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ --How CallFire Is Enabling Business Text and Phone, with Dinesh Ravishankar --At AngelHack Santa Monica, Teams Battle Sleep Deprivation, Nerves --TrueCar Powers AAA Carolinas --Brand Affinity Technologies Wins CBS Interactive --GenieDB Launches Database Technology, Backed By Frost Ventures --Edison Jr.'s Latest Gadget Idea: The DoorBot --SocialVibe Sharpens Online Ad Targeting --Video: ExpertCircle's Small Business Advice Service --PaeDae Debuts White-Label, Mobile Game Prize SDK --Frequency Debuts Video Search Tools On iPhone MARKETPLACE --Get the latest PwC SoCal MoneyTree Report --Ventura Ventures Technology Center (V2TC) - Business Incubator --Safire Partners Executive Search --Fetch Recruiting, Inc. RECENT JOB POSTINGS --Sales Manager-Direct Sales, Santa Barbara, Local Market Launch --Graphic Designer, Santa Barbara, Local Market Launch --UI/UX Developer, Santa Barbara, Local Market Launch --Director of Business Development-Franchise Sales, Santa Barbara, Local Market Launch --Director of Sales, Santa Barbara, Local Market Launch --PHP Developer, Santa Barbara, Local Market Launch RECENT FUNDING EVENTS --------------------------------------------------------------------------- How CallFire Is Enabling Business Text and Phone, with Dinesh Ravishankar ---- If you're a business, what's the best way to send out phone calls and text, and communicate with your customers via phone? One way is to automate the process, which is what Los Angeles-based CallFire has been helping its business customers with. We thought it would be interesting to hear from Dinesh Ravishankar, CEO of CallFire, to learn more about where the company fits into the world of telephony APIs and services. What is CallFire? Dinesh Ravishankar: CallFire is a platform that allows businesses to automate their conversations with their customers. The two primary forms of (More...) http://bit.ly/UrCXd7 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- At AngelHack Santa Monica, Teams Battle Sleep Deprivation, Nerves ---- AngelHack, the self-proclaimed leader in hackathon competitions, completed its Fall 2012 season this past weekend with contests held simultaneously in five cities: Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, Toronto and Paris. In Santa Monica, Hackathon first-timers and veterans all gathered at CrossCampus to hack almost (More...) http://bit.ly/SJ9U6i --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TrueCar Powers AAA Carolinas ---- TrueCar, the online auto pricing and operator of auto buying programs said Thursday that AAA Carolinas has partnered with the company, and will use TrueCar to power its online auto buying program. Financial impact of the win was not disclosed. AAA Carolinas serves over 1.8 million members in North and SOuth Carolina. TrueCar said AAA Carolinas is the 18th AAA organization which is powering their auto buying program with TrueCar. TrueCar is based in Santa Monica. Brand Affinity Technologies Wins CBS Interactive ---- Irvine-based Brand Affinity Technologies, the startup led by Ryan and Chad Steelberg focused on the fan and celebrity market, said Thursday that its Printroom fan photography division has been selected by CBS Interactive. BAT said that Printroom has been selected to operate the official, online photo stores for the majority of CBS Intearctive's 95 college sports teams. Financial impact of the deal was not disclosed. BAT recently acquired Printroom. BAT said that Printroom will manage the online photo store for the schools, including designing the storefront, handling e-commerce, marketing, advertising, and more. GenieDB Launches Database Technology, Backed By Frost Ventures ---- GenieDB, a developer of technology for distributing database data across the cloud, said this week that it has launched its first product, GenieDB v 1.0. The firm--which is backed by big data investor and incubator Frost Venture Partners--said its MySQL storage engine plug-in helps to simplify and accelerate the distribution of enterprise applications across multiple datacenters and clouds. The company said its solution is an alternative to switching to such technologies as NoSQL. The startup is headed by Cary Breese, and its advisors include Stuart Frost, Dave Salch (DATallego), Sham Chotai (HP), Vic Mahadevan (NetApp), Rikin Shah (Hortonworks), and others. Edison Jr.'s Latest Gadget Idea: The DoorBot ---- Edison Jr., the gadget startup headed by Jamie Siminoff, has a new pitch for you: the DoorBot, a wireless, video-enabled doorbell that connects directly to your smartphone or tablet, wherever you are. Edison Jr. said it has started raising $250,000 to bring its product to life, via a crowdfunding effort. The idea (More...) http://bit.ly/SJqnYh SocialVibe Sharpens Online Ad Targeting ---- SocialVibe, the online advertising firm backed by Norwest Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, Jafco Ventures and Pinnacle Ventures, said today that it has launched a new, rich media targeting product called TrueTargeting. The firm said the new product pull in third party data from BlueKai, information from its network partners, and data from users to allow marketers to better target users. SocialVibe said its targeting solution is derived from user-provided data and survey responses, which it argues removes the ambiguity typically associated with "inferred" results from information brokers, which use things like surfing habits to try to determine user attributes. SocialVibe says its clients include McDonald's, Microsoft, and Coca-Cola. Video: ExpertCircle's Small Business Advice Service ---- What's the idea behind ExpertCircle, the latest business service out of Santa Monica's DocStoc? The firm recently released a handy animated video, showing just how a small business owner might find the service useful. The service is currently in beta (and free), and offers business advice via phone. http://bit.ly/VpFtiy PaeDae Debuts White-Label, Mobile Game Prize SDK ---- A new, Santa Monica-based startup, PaeDae launched today, saying yesterday it has created a white-label, software prize network which helps developers offer up real world prizes for their online and mobile games. PaeDae said it has launched a software development kit (SDK) which allows developers to easily offer up prizes in their titles. Those prizes are supplied by advertisers and brands, including Omaha Steaks, StyleMint, SoleSociety, P&G, and others. PaeDae is headed by Rob Emrich, who co-founded the company with Sam Goldberg and Sam Kim. Frequency Debuts Video Search Tools On iPhone ---- Frequency, the developer of online video search services headed by former iFilm CEO Blair Harrison, has released new app for the iPhone, the company said Thursday morning. The app lets users personalize and watch video channels, gathered from thousands of websites, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. Frequency said its app builds on an existing app that it released earlier for the iPad. Frequency has been offering up its video discovery and search tools since January, and is looking to help users better find all sorts of videos on the topics they are interested in. Frequency said the app takes advantage of all the features of iOS 6 and the iPhone 5. Frequency is based in Los Angeles. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- MARKETPLACE Reach 10000+ readers for 5 days for $250 Post your marketplace ad at: http://www.socaltech.com/postad.html ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- Get the latest PwC SoCal MoneyTree Report Are you interested in understanding the latest trends in venture capital investments in Southern California? PwC has just posted last quarter's Southern California, Shaking The MoneyTree Q3 2012 presentation and update from HJ Paik, Director, Emerging Company Services Download it today for free! http://www.socaltech.com/pwc http://www.socaltech.com/pwc/PwC%20Shaking%20the%20MoneyTree%20Q3%202012.pdf ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- Ventura Ventures Technology Center (V2TC) - Business Incubator The Ventura Ventures Technology Center (V2TC) is a high-tech business incubator located in downtown Ventura, CA. V2TC offers a creative environment where high-tech start-ups and entrepreneurs can network, brainstorm, and grow their business. Work-spaces are affordable, flexible and scalable in order to allow companies the ability to manage their growth effectively and efficiently. Learn more at http://www.v2tc.com ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- Safire Partners Executive Search Safire Partners has completed 150+ retained executive searches since 2006 working with emerging businesses in digital media, Internet, eCommerce, software and clean technology across Southern California. Please visit our website to see an updated list of our clients and searches completed at http://www.safirepartners.com/. We are always interested in meeting new candidates and potential clients, so feel free to email our Managing Partner, Todd Gitlin at [email protected]. We can also always be a friendly source for investor introductions and general market / compensation intelligence. ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- Fetch Recruiting, Inc. Fetch Recruiting, Inc. (http://www.fetchrecruiting.com) Technical Recruiting for LA based Startups and High-Growth Companies ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RECENT JOB POSTINGS More jobs at http://www.socaltech.com/Jobs Members post jobs for free Sales Manager-Direct Sales, Santa Barbara, Local Market Launch http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5459 Graphic Designer, Santa Barbara, Local Market Launch http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5461 UI/UX Developer, Santa Barbara, Local Market Launch http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5460 Director of Business Development-Franchise Sales, Santa Barbara, Local Market Launch http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5458 Director of Sales, Santa Barbara, Local Market Launch http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5457 PHP Developer, Santa Barbara, Local Market Launch http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5456 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RECENT FUNDING SUMMARY 12/06/12 Biomatrica $5.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=47059 12/06/12 Avelas Biosciences $7.7M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=47060 11/29/12 TranscribeMe $0.9M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46916 11/29/12 CapLinked $1.6M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46913 11/29/12 ArmaGen Technologies Inc $17.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46984 11/29/12 CARDIAQ VALVE TECHNOLOGIES INC $37.3M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46449 11/27/12 At The Pool $0.8M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46906 11/27/12 Fresh Dish $0.5M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46902 11/20/12 Cap That $2.3M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46813 11/20/12 Mabvax Therapeutics $5.3M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46811 11/15/12 Chromatik $1.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46569 11/14/12 HelloInsights.com $0.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46558 11/13/12 Consumer Brands $0.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46549 11/13/12 DogVacay $6.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46548 11/13/12 Epic Sciences $13.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46547 11/13/12 Minitime $1.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46554 11/13/12 Biosynthetic Technologies $7.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46557 11/12/12 Evature $0.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46543 11/09/12 The Chernin Group $100.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46542 11/08/12 Auspex Pharmaceuticals $25.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46533 11/08/12 Arynga, Inc. $0.3M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46535 11/08/12 Fatskunk $0.3M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46534 11/08/12 Breadcrumbs $0.1M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46536 11/08/12 Genoa Pharmaceuticals $1.2M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46537 11/08/12 NuORDER, Inc. $3.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46538 11/08/12 Transonic Combustion $32.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=46539 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Events This Month http://www.socaltech.com/Calendar socaltech.com Calendar of Southern California High Tech Events Submit your events at least two weeks in advance to: http://www.socaltech.com/submitevent.html December 8, Costa Mesa -- PMI-OC December 2012 Advanced Topics Seminar. Marty Wartenberg, chief inventor for ZBglobal, a training and software company, and former project management and systems engineering teacher with the UC Irvine extension program, will lead a workshop Dec. 8, 2012, on how to achieve project success as part of the Project Management Institute Orange County Chapter’s Advanced Topics Seminars. Attendees will learn about success factors, barriers to success, and how to plan a successful project, as well as participate in practical exercises.. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/23013 December 8, Pasadena -- MEDICAL IMAGING INNOVATIONS: SMALL DEVICES - BIG OPPORTUNITIES. Caltech/MIT Enterprise Forum. What do entrepreneurs, mathematicians, software engineers, physicists, physicians, biologists, anatomists, angels, venture capitalists and bankers have in common? Entrepreneurs dream and bring the dreams to reality. Physicists invent the technology. Electrical engineers design and make the hardware. Mathematicians create the algorithms. Software engineers write the programs for computers to process the data. Physicians, biologists and anatomists interpret the images, diagnose patients and prescribe cures. Angels start the entrepreneurs on their way. Venture capitalists fund the entrepreneurs to commercial success. The bankers take care of the piles of money the entrepreneurs, angels and venture capitalists make on bringing the technology to the health care marketplace. On December 8, 2012, the Caltech Entrepreneurs Forum presents a stimulating and revealing program on the latest in technology and entrepreneurial opportunities in medical imaging. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/23031 December 8, Santa Monica -- Assembled Capital: A Founder's Guide to Fundraising. Join us for a full day of talks, panels, and networking at General Assembly, bringing together founders and investors for an intelligent dialogue about fundraising strategies for early-stage startups, common misconceptions and best practices in fundraising, the future of crowdfunding, honest stories from entrepreneurs on successful (and less than successful) capital raises, negotiating a term sheet, and more. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/22981 December 10, Westlake Village -- BioScience Alliance Workforce Development Interest Group. WDIG seeks to work closely with the 101 Corridor life science industry to identify its short and long term technical and management needs; convey those critical needs to the region's educational institutions, who can then develop courses and programs to develop the skills to meet the needs of the 101 Corridor life science industry in the coming years. Email [email protected] . See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/23032 December 11, Los Angeles -- Introducing Advanced BioCatalytics Corporation. The December PortTech Forum will introduce and feature a presentation from Advanced BioCatalytics Corporation (ABC), an industrial biotechnology company focusing its "green chemistry solution" for cleaners, oil spill cleanup, wastewater treatment, environmental remediation and other applications. SEe http://www.porttechla.org/events/calendar.asp. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/23011 December 12, Santa Monica -- Digital Family Reunion. For the fifth year running, we'll celebrate the connectedness of our vibrant digital media industry in Southern California at the Digital Family Reunion. Whether you were there at the beginning, lived through the dot-com era, emerged after the crash or started your career in digital yesterday, you are a part of the Digital Family. And you are invited to participate in the industry's holiday event of the season, where the most dynamic and well-connected media, entertainment, technology and finance professionals in Southern California gather each year in celebration of our industry and each other. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/22954 December 12, Los Angeles -- Social Curation Summit. Leverage the Effects of Curated Commerce & Consumption Discover how brands and retailers across a wide range of business verticals can use curated stories, pictures, and videos to highlight creativity and innovation. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/23000 December 13, Los Angeles -- The Power of Collaborative Philanthropy. Broads Circle. Panelists: JACQUELINE JACOBS CASTER, Founder, Everychild Foundation; JUDY PATRICK, President and CEO, Women's Foundation of California; GAEL SYLVIA PULLEN, CEO, Sylvia Global and Member of Women Moving Millions. Keynote Speaker: JOCELYN TETEL, Vice President of Advancement, Skirball Cultural Center; Moderator: CHERYL CALHOUN, Managing Director, Tax & Business Management, CBIZ MHM, LLC. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/22959 December 13, Westlake Village -- ACG 101 Holiday Party. After all the challenges and turmoil of 2012, let’s relax and socialize with friends and colleagues at the ACG 101 Holiday Party the evening of Thursday, December 13, at the Westlake Village Inn. It will be a time for all of us to unwind with great food, drink and conversation, and to network with old friends and meet new ones. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/22969 December 13, Santa Monica -- An Evening with Brad Feld. An evening with venture capitalist Brad Feld to discuss his new book Startup Communities. You'd be hard pressed to find an individual who has made as big a contribution to startup culture and thought leadership as Venture Capitalist and blogger, Brad Feld. Join us at Cross Campus for a discussion with Brad as he takes us through his new book, Startup Communities. "Startup communities" are popping up everywhere, from cities like Boulder to Boston and even in countries such as Iceland. These types of entrepreneurial ecosystems are driving innovation and small business energy. Startup Communities documents the buzz, strategy, long-term perspective, and dynamics of building communities of entrepreneurs who can feed off of each other's talent, creativity, and support. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/22998 December 13, Santa Barbara -- StartupSB Holiday Happy Hour. Holiday happy hour for StartupSB, Santa Barbara's largest Startup focused group. Come have a drink, socialize with the community, and hear from Startup Weekend Santa Barbara 1 & 2 teams. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/23021 December 13, Los Angeles -- Digital LA - Holiday Party 2012. Join us for the holidays at the Station at the W Hollywood!Wear your holiday reds (our fave color) and Santa caps. Take pics at the Photboxi booth or by the lobby tree. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/23025 December 13, Santa Monica -- Startup Holiday Mixer. Hosted by Schmoozd and General Assembly LA. Say Cheese(y)! Join us to celebrate the holiday season and the growth of the LA startup community. Put on your cheesiest holiday outfits and join 30+ LA startups for food, cocktails, music, and mingling. Holiday portraits of teams and groups will be taken, displayed, and voted on by partygoers, with prizes going to the cheesiest portraits. Startups, entrepreneurs, friends, and enthusiasts are all welcome. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/22974 December 13, Irvine -- Selling Your Story. A TCVN Workshop. Getting funded sometimes seems like a career itself (and indeed it is a big part of the CEO’s responsibilities). In order to succeed, need to understand both the rules of the game and the equipment – without these you may squander some of your most valuable resources - time and relationships. Two keys communication tools are the Executive Summary and the PowerPoint Presentation (Pitch Deck). This forum will help you understand how these tools are used to generate a face-to-face meeting, make a persuasive and memorable presentation, and then follow through with the details needed for investors to begin their due diligence process. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/22983 December 13, Los Angeles -- MediaBistro Social Gaming Summit. This is a conference focused on the intersection of mobile gaming, immersive worlds, real-life brands and social networking. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/23023 December 13, Aliso Viejo -- Developing Communications Program for Your Technology Startup: A Workshop. OCTANe. A strong communications program is an essential component for your business plan and is commonly overlooked amid focus on products and financials. A team from Fleishman-Hillard will provide an overview of the components for a proper communications plan and then hold a workshop with one-on-one sessions that will help set the direction for how you can incorporate a solid outreach program into your plan. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/22785 December 14, Santa Monica -- Cross Campus and FastPay are hosting a charity holiday party for Silicon Beach. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/23026 December 14, Diamond Bar -- EV Sphere 2012. EV Sphere 2012 is a great networking opportunity for stakeholders and the general public to discuss the challenges and opportunities in electric vehicle industry. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/23012 December 14, Los Angeles -- MediaBistro Social Gaming Summit. This is a conference focused on the intersection of mobile gaming, immersive worlds, real-life brands and social networking. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/23024 December 15, Los Angeles -- Initiated by US-China Association of High-level Professionals (UCAHP), "Win in the 21st Century Startup Contest" is the first startup contest that targets entrepreneurs in U.S. and helps them to expand business in U.S. and China. By soliciting startup projects, expert judging, mentor programs and eventual funding, the contest hopes to inspire entrepreneurial spirit, lead technology innovation, invest in promising projects and further develop the global market. The third startup contest partners with Tsinghua Entrepreneur & Executive Club (TEEC), Hua Yuan Science and Technology Association (HYSTA), People.com, Sina.com and PlusYoou. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/23015 December 18, Santa Monica -- Putting the "User" back in User Experience. Coloft. Who is this mysterious "user" that everyone's talking about? In this class, we'll review several techniques for defining who your users are and understanding how and why they use your product. . See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/22990 December 31, Los Angeles -- LA Ruby / Ruby on Rails Monthly Meetup. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/22992 December 31, Santa Monica -- SM New Tech Meetup November 2012 #SMNT5. 6 new tech startup companies will present their products and technology (5 min demo+5 min Q&A). See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/22934 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsored by: Clearstone Ventures (www.clearstone.com). Venture capital for innovators. Silicon Valley Bank (http://www.svb.com). Helping entrepreneurs succeed. Stubbs Alderton Markiles, LLP (http://www.stubbsalderton.com). Business. Technology. Law. Vision. Safire Partners (http://www.safirepartners.com). Los Angeles-based executive search for emerging growth companies Binary Pulse Technology Marketing (http://www.binarypulse.com). We Create Demand for California's Technology Companies. Deloitte LLP (http://www.deloitte.com/us/technology). Fetch Recruiting, Inc. (www.fetchrecruiting.com) Technical Recruiting for LA based Startups and High-Growth Companies Email [email protected] for more information about sponsoring this newsletter. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the socalTECH.com TechNews from our web site, or otherwise requested a subscription. If you do not want to receive this newsletter go to: http://www.socaltech.com/unsubscribe.php or email us at [email protected] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Legal Notices ---- While SOCALTECH LLC has used its best efforts in collecting and preparing the information published herein, SOCALTECH LLC does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any liability for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions resulted from negligence, accident or other causes. All contents Copyright (c) 2012 SOCALTECH LLC. All rights reserved. socalTECH.com - Dedicated to High Tech in Southern California http://www.socaltech.com/ SOCALTECH LLC 4607 Lakeview Canyon Road, Suite 290, Westlake Village, CA 91361 _______________________________________________ Socaltech mailing list [email protected] http://listserv.socaltech.com/mailman/listinfo/socaltech
