socaltech.com TechNews - Tuesday, March 3, 2015 Edited by Benjamin F. Kuo ISSN: 1524-6736 http://www.socaltech.com/News ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sponsored by:
TVC Capital LLC (www.tvccapital.com) Investments and acquisitions of growing software companies. Silicon Valley Bank (http://www.svb.com). Helping entrepreneurs succeed. Safire Partners (http://www.safirepartners.com). Los Angeles-based executive search for emerging growth companies Key info (http://www.keyinfo.com) infrastructure ~ connectivity ~ co-location ~ cloud Shimokaji IP (http://www.shimokaji.com) Bettering Life Through Creative Ideas ------------------------------------------------------------------------ --How Momstamp Is Creating A Referral Network For Moms --Western Digital Buys Amplidata --Vantage Media Becomes Katch --Crisi Acquired By Becton Dickinson --Oculus Hires High Profile Google Executive --ReachLocal Names Two Executives --Tinder Looks For Revenue, Launches Tinder Plus --NextVR Includes Light Field Technology In 3D VR Technology MARKETPLACE --SoCal IP Law Group LLP - Serving the IP Needs of Business --La Visual - A Branding, Product Strategy & Rapid Prototyping Accelerator --Binary Pulse Technology Marketing. We Create Demand. --Fetch Recruiting, Inc. --Pixelgate.net - Internet Access, Web Hosting, Network Services RECENT JOB POSTINGS --Software Development Engineer, Santa Monica, Vision Technology Solutions --Director, Network and IT Operations, marina del rey, TeleSign --Senior DevOps Engineer, Marina del Rey, TeleSign --Director of Healthcare Analytics , Santa Monica , MD Insider --Senior Software Engineer, Santa Monica, MD Insider --Lead Data Engineer, Santa Monica, MD Insider RECENT FUNDING EVENTS ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- New Q4/Full Year Money Tree Results! Get the latest Q4/Full Year 2014 PwC SoCal MoneyTree Report Are you interested in understanding the latest trends in venture capital investments in Southern California? Want to know how the region did in terms of venture capital? PwC has just posted the results of the Q4 2014 Southern California venture deals, in its Shaking The MoneyTree presentation and update from HJ Paik, Director, Emerging Company Services Download it today for free! http://www.socaltech.com/pwc/PwC%20Shaking%20the%20MoneyTree%20Q4-Full%20Year%202014.pdf http://www.socaltech.com/pwc --------------------------------------------------------------------------- How Momstamp Is Creating A Referral Network For Moms ---- If you are a mother, and you need some help with something--say, finding a tutor, or a referral to a service provider--the age-old way to do that is to ask your friends for referrals. However, that process really hasn't taken advantage of today's mobile, always-connected, socially networked world. Los Angeles-based startup Momstamp (www.momstamp.com) is hoping to change that with its service, which connects mothers with friends, friends-of-friends, and beyond, to personal referrals and recommendations. Staci Miller, one of the three co-founders of Momstamp, sat down with us to talk about the idea behind the startup, how it managed to get some high profile funding from investors such as Brian Lee of The Honest Company/ Bam Ventures, Adam Miller, CEO of Cornerstone OnDemand, and artists Shepard and Amanda Fairey; and how it hopes to help mothers everywhere take advantage of technology to improve how they manage their lives and the lives of their children. What's the idea behind Momstamp? Staci Miller: The idea we like to compare it to, is Angie's List and Yelp meets Facebook. It's a way for moms (More...) http://www.socaltech.com/how_momstamp_is_creating_a_referral_network_for_moms/s-0059186.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Western Digital Buys Amplidata ---- Irvine-based Western Digital said this mornign that its subsidiary, HGST, has agreed to acquire object storage software developer Amplidata. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. WD said the move will help the company expand into higher value data storage platforms. Amplidata was venture backed by Big Bang Ventures, Endeavor Vision, Hummingbird Ventures, Intel Capital, Quantum Corp., and Swisscom, and had raised at least $25.0M in funding. Amplidata develops the Himalaya object storage software. Vantage Media Becomes Katch ---- Los Angeles-based advertising technology developer Vantage Media said this morning that it has rebranded the company, and has changed its name to Katch, as a new focus on its software platform. The company--led by Patrick Quigley--has significantly shifted its model in the past few years beyond its roots in vertical marketplaces, and into software to power real-time bidding marketplaces. Quigley has previously talked about that change, which the company recently said has driven it past $100M in annnual revenues. Vantage Media said that its vertical marketplaces have been separately renamed as HealthPlans.com, AutoInsurance.net, University.com, and CreditandLoan.com, and will use the company's platform as internal licensees. Katch also licenses that platform to others. http://www.socaltech.com/vantage_media_becomes_katch/s-0059187.html Crisi Acquired By Becton Dickinson ---- San Diego-based CRISI Medical Systems, a developer of drug delivery systems for IV injectable medications, has been acquired by BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company). Financial details of the acquisition were not announced. BD and CRISI have been in a partnership since June of 2013 in developing a system for real-time drug identification, dose measurement, and allergy detection for IV injections. Oculus Hires High Profile Google Executive ---- Irvine-based >Oculus, the virtual reality google maker now owned by Facebook, has hired away high profile Google executive Mary Lou Jepsen, according to a report. Jepsen ran the Display Division of Google X, and also had been co-founder and CTO of the One Laptop Per Child. http://www.socaltech.com/oculus_hires_high_profile_google_executive/s-0059191.html ReachLocal Names Two Executives ---- Woodland Hills-based ReachLocal said Monday that it has named two new executives, hiring Paras Maniar as the company's new Chief Strategy Officer, and Megan Opp as the company's new Chief People Officer. Maniar was most recently a venture capitalist at WPSChallenger, managing that fund's venture investments in North America; he also had been at EQAL (before the startup's acquisition by Everyday Health), and served at McKinsey and Company. Opp was previously Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Conversant. The new hires come as ReachLocal has been building up a new executive team, headed by new CEO Sharon Rowlands. Tinder Looks For Revenue, Launches Tinder Plus ---- Los Angeles-based online dating app developer Tinder is looking to start generating some revenue with a new service it launched Monday, called Tinder Plus, which allows users to undo their rejections and also access other premium functions. The new premium service starts at $9.99 a month. Tinder said that users under 30 will pay $9.99 a month to be able to undo a swipe left, and will not be limited to the number of "likes" on the system. Users older than 30 will pay $19.99 for the new service. Tinder also launched "Passport" which lets users set their location to any country or area -- rather than just their current location -- so that they might find matches in other cities they are traveling to. NextVR Includes Light Field Technology In 3D VR Technology ---- Laguna Beach-based NextVR, which is developing technology to capture 3D, broadcast-quality virtual reality, said yesterday that it will be adding "light field" capture technology to its platform. Light field technology--allows for capture of more than just the usual visual information in a scene and allows for refocusing on elements in a scene after the fact. That technology was first brought to market by camera maker Lytro. NextVR said it will use its own patented light field technology in its 3D virtual reality capture, saying its use of the technology will allow viewers to "peer around" objects within a live VR scene. NextVR said the technology might allow, for example, looking behind a referee in a sports game to see the players behind that referee. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- MARKETPLACE Reach 10000+ readers for 5 days for $250 Post your marketplace ad at: http://www.socaltech.com/postad.html ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- SoCal IP Law Group LLP - Serving the IP Needs of Business IP Litigation . IP Transactions . Patent & Trademark Prosecution . IP Strategy . Westlake Village . Santa Barbara . Irvine. [email protected] 805-230-1350 www.socalip.com ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- La Visual - A Branding, Product Strategy & Rapid Prototyping Accelerator Local branding agency launches a new design-centric accelerator program. We help you streamline the launch of your startup by offering world-class branding, product strategy, user-experience design, rapid-prototyping technology, mentorship, and access to early stage investment all under one roof! Contact us to setup a meet and greet today. Contact: Braven Greenelsh CEO [email protected] [email protected] Direct: 323-924-8847 | Studio: 818-824-6430 | Fax: 888-763-7412 Website: Lavisual.com Linkedin Profile: www.linkedin.com/in/braven ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- Binary Pulse Technology Marketing. We Create Demand. Binary Pulse Technology Marketing We Create Demand for California's Technology Companies For more than ten years, dozens of Southern California's industry-leading tech firms have turned to Binary Pulse for their demand-generating strategies and programs. Our services include: -- Demand Generation Planning and Execution -- Channel Program Development -- Lead Capture and Management -- Web Site Development & Search Engine Marketing -- Corporate and Product Branding -- Online Integration Strategies -- Reseller Recruitment -- Multimedia Presentations -- Social Media Marketing Please visit us at http://www.binarypulse.com to learn more or give us a call at 949-336-7400. ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- Fetch Recruiting, Inc. Fetch Recruiting, Inc. (http://www.fetchrecruiting.com) Technical Recruiting for LA based Startups and High-Growth Companies ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- Pixelgate.net - Internet Access, Web Hosting, Network Services We put the "Service" back into Internet Service Provider. http://www.pixelgate.net ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RECENT JOB POSTINGS More jobs at http://www.socaltech.com/Jobs Members post jobs for free Software Development Engineer, Santa Monica, Vision Technology Solutions, LLC http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5620 Director, Network and IT Operations, marina del rey, TeleSign http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5619 Senior DevOps Engineer, Marina del Rey, TeleSign http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5618 Director of Healthcare Analytics , Santa Monica , MD Insider http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5617 Senior Software Engineer, Santa Monica, MD Insider http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5616 Lead Data Engineer, Santa Monica, MD Insider http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5615 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RECENT FUNDING SUMMARY 03/02/15 Rocket Labs $0.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=62511 03/02/15 PSI Services $0.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=62510 02/26/15 3D Robotics $50.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=62507 02/26/15 Twenty20 FKA InstaCanvas $20.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=62503 02/25/15 Mavenlink, Inc. $19.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=62388 02/23/15 Machinima.com $24.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=62382 02/19/15 17Hats $1.3M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=62298 02/18/15 Firefly Games $8.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=62291 02/17/15 Tealium Inc. $30.7M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=62290 02/17/15 Laguna Pharmaceuticals $30.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=62288 02/12/15 LoveLab $0.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=62200 02/12/15 Cidara Therapeutics $42.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=62199 02/11/15 Laurel & Wolf $4.4M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=62198 02/11/15 Hyperloop Technologies $8.5M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=62197 02/10/15 New Matter $6.5M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=62193 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 March 3, Santa Monica -- Mobile LAVA - Startup Stories: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly. In this next installment of Mobile LAVA we are are going to tell war stories about start-up life in the trenches. We’ll hear about triumphs, defeats, and the inevitable slog through the muck that every entrepreneur must face in order to realize their business goals without losing all the money. Of course, those with the best front row seat to these start-up dramas are the lawyers who hold our hands, dispense advice, and do their best to keep entrepreneurs from getting totally screwed (or—more accurately—keep entrepreneurs from screwing themselves). . See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24548 March 4, Woodland Hills -- Data Visualization for the Quality Professional. SCQAA. Michael Scofield, Asst. Professor in Health Informatics at Loma Linda University will speak on why decision-makers often ask for "data", but what they really want is information that will help them understand a problem or a condition around the decisions that need to be made. However, they often do not know what data is available, what it is called, and how the data they need derived can be expressed.. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24534 March 5, Los Angeles -- The USC Alumni Association is proud to present the 7th Annual USC Women's Conference: "Be Bold and Thrive!" We invite you to join more than 1,000 alumnae, parents, students and friends for an inspirational day of workshops, lively discussions and networking, here on our ever-changing University Park Campus. For further details see https://secure.www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/SCA/event/showEventForm.jsp?form_id=183596.. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24449 March 6, Pasadena -- TZ Tech Crawl is back for the new year and teaming up with Digital LA for their Digital Women Symposium!! Come take a tour of some of the hottest LA Tech companies located in Pasadena. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24552 March 6, Los Angeles -- BritWeek Nomination Deadline. The BritWeek and UK Trade & Investment Business Innovation Awards, presented by Virgin Atlantic, celebrate outstanding achievements in innovation among the diverse UK-California business community. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24482 March 6, San Diego -- Startup Weekend EDU San Diego. Have you ever had an idea for improving education? Here’s your opportunity to transform your education ideas into action in 54 hours. Find the right people with the complementary skills & passion to build an education product in one weekend. Design for learning, conduct user tests, receive coaching from experienced education designers & industry professionals and win prizes that will help take your idea to the next level. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24540 March 6, Pasadena -- Digital LA - Digital Women Symposium. Held on the weekend of International Women's Day, our first Digital Women symposium celebrates women in tech including women startup CEO / founders, digital professionals, developers, designers and more. The symposium includes panels, keynotes, and workshops featuring women and men to discus action steps to increase and retain women in tech, and connect and inspire attendees. The symposium will bring together speakers and attendees from LA to OC to Pasadena, at the new Cross Campus Pasadena location. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24551 March 7, San Diego -- Startup Weekend EDU San Diego. Have you ever had an idea for improving education? Here’s your opportunity to transform your education ideas into action in 54 hours. Find the right people with the complementary skills & passion to build an education product in one weekend. Design for learning, conduct user tests, receive coaching from experienced education designers & industry professionals and win prizes that will help take your idea to the next level. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24541 March 8, San Diego -- Startup Weekend EDU San Diego. Have you ever had an idea for improving education? Here’s your opportunity to transform your education ideas into action in 54 hours. Find the right people with the complementary skills & passion to build an education product in one weekend. Design for learning, conduct user tests, receive coaching from experienced education designers & industry professionals and win prizes that will help take your idea to the next level. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24542 March 10, Santa Monica -- Startup Grind Los Angeles Hosts Cody Simms (Managing Director, Techstars). Cody has been operating at the intersection of technology and media since the late 1990s when his first employer Snap.com merged into NBC Internet. He is particularly interested in the ever-changing ways that our increasingly networked and connected society, creates, distributes and consumes information.. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24539 March 10, Santa Monica -- Women in LAVA: "SO YOU THINK YOU CAN RAISE?" You have your concept, your team, marketing strategy, maybe even some sales, and now it’s time to raise capital to start or expand your company. Are you ready? Do you have all your financial ducks in a row? Is the timing right for your company for an Angel round? For a Series A round? Do you know how much you need to launch and to make it through your first year or two? What are investors looking for in a company? What triggers the funding? Is Crowdfunding the right path for your company? These are the questions our experienced panel will help you wade through, to help you have a clear picture of what you need to have ready for your raise.. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24549 March 11, Los Angeles -- LaunchFEST: Doing Deals with Silicon Valley--Attracting Funding, Angels, and Tech Trends. We only do this event ONCE a year bringing down our best Silicon Valley and San Francisco investors looking to fund startups in LA. Space limited to70 for program, 200 for party. Enjoy dynamic conversations, idea-sharing, panel, and fun networking with new partners or investors over delicous food and drinks party Hear directly from Silicon Valley leaders on the hottest trends; attracting funding from angels; and get private fastpitch. Pitch to investors in group setting; or private 2 minutes fast pitch during VIP Investors Dinner.. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24562 March 11, Los Angeles -- Live Talks Business Forum. C.L. Max Nikias, President, University of Southern California "Innovation in Higher Education" in conversation with Peter Marx Chief Innovation Technology Officer and Deputy Mayor, City of Los Angeles. USC President Nikias comes to Live Talks Business Forum to talk about how the nation’s top research universities can spur innovation and economic growth; bioscience as the next growth industry for Southern California; the cost/value of higher education; diversity; and the role of universities in the community.. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24554 March 12, Santa monica -- LAVA Annual Venture Awards Dinner. LAVA 12th Annual Venture Awards Dinner Celebrating 30 years of service to the Los Angeles Entrepreneurial Community. Featuring Frank Mottek, KNX1070 Business Hour Host as Master of Ceremonies. 2015 Hall of Fame Honoree - CHUCK DAVIS OF TCV AND SWAGBUCKS. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24550 March 18, Santa Ana -- PDMA SoCal is pleased to welcome Jeff Blanton back for another informative and thought-provoking speaking engagement. Jeff’s wealth of experience includes strategic planning and product development for Fortune 500 companies as well as early-stage startups. For further details see "http://www.pdma.org/p/ca/vi/sid=537";.. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24487 March 19, La Jolla -- CONNECT's Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. Join CONNECT in honoring Dr. Andrew Viterbi, Co-Founder of Qualcomm, at the prestigious Entrepreneur Hall of Fame Awards luncheon. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24480 March 19, Los Angeles -- Classic Rock Business MixerNEW . See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24564 March 28, Los Angeles -- SoGal Startup Summit Presented by GirlsUp. Simple equation: SoGal = SoCal + Gals. Girl power is ON! SoGal Startup Summit 2015 presented by GirlsUp kicks off on Saturday, March 28th, and you're invited to take part in the largest female entrepreneurship summit in LA! This is going to be EPIC! Hosted by GirlsUp, SoGal Startup Summit is the largest entrepreneurship conference for young women in Southern California. The day-long event brings 300+ female students, mentors, startups and investors together to address key issues women are facing in today’s entrepreneurship world. We create a collaborative and interactive experience between established leaders and next-gen female entrepreneurs to leave attendees feeling empowered, inspired and connected. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24561 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsored by: TVC Capital LLC (www.tvccapital.com) Investments in and Acquisitions of Growing Software Companies 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). SoCal-based executive search for emerging growth companies Binary Pulse Technology Marketing (http://www.binarypulse.com). We Create Demand for California's Technology Companies. Fetch Recruiting, Inc. (www.fetchrecruiting.com) Technical Recruiting for LA based Startups and High-Growth Companies Key info (http://www.keyinfo.com) infrastructure ~ connectivity ~ co-location ~ cloud PricewaterhouseCoopers (http://www.socaltech.com/pwc). Shimokaji IP (http://www.shimokaji.com) Bettering Life Through Creative Ideas 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) 2014 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
