socaltech.com TechNews - Thursday, March 26, 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. Fetch Recruiting, Inc. (http://www.fetchrecruiting.com) Technical Recruiting for LA based Startups and High-Growth Companies Shimokaji IP (http://www.shimokaji.com) Bettering Life Through Creative Ideas Silicon Valley Bank (http://www.svb.com). Helping entrepreneurs succeed. Binary Pulse Technology Marketing (http://www.binarypulse.com). We Create Demand for California's Technology Companies. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ --Honk Gets $12M For On-Demand, Roadside Service --Soraa Launches PAR20 Lamp --MicroPower Technologies Launches New Surveillance Video Product --TouchCommerce Expands Win In EMEA With Equinix --CapLinked Inks African Distribution Deal --ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Names New Board Member --Surf Air Contemplates Waitlisting New Members --Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist Stevens Gives $50M To USC MARKETPLACE --KeyInfo, Wilcon:Fiber Ring Connectivity For LA and Ventura County --La Visual - A Branding, Product Strategy & Rapid Prototyping Accelerator --Stradling --Safire Partners Executive Search RECENT JOB POSTINGS --Software Development Engineer, Santa Monica, Vision Technology Solutions, LLC --Director, Network and IT Operations, marina del rey, TeleSign --Senior DevOps Engineer, Marina del Rey, TeleSign --Solution Architect , Santa Monica, MD Insider --Business Development Associate: Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing, Los Angeles, British Consulate-General, Los Angeles --Salesforce App Engineer, Los Angeles, Colony Logic RECENT FUNDING EVENTS --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Honk Gets $12M For On-Demand, Roadside Service ---- Santa Monica-based HONK, the on-demand, roadside assistance app startup led by Corey Brundage, said this morning that it has raised $12M in a Series A funding round. The funding was led by Altpoint Ventures, and also included Structure Capital, Karlin Ventures, Expansion VC, and Venture51. Honk said the new funding brings its total raised to $13.8M. Honk offer ups an online app, for either iOS or Android, where motorists in need of a jump start, tire change, lock out services, or fuel can request a tow truck. Honk offers up guaranteed upfront pricing on those services, and does not require a membership. The company said the new funding will go to enhance its service and further expand distribution. http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/index.php?action=showdeal&id=63354 Soraa Launches PAR20 Lamp ---- Soraa, the LED lighting company which is using technology developed by UCSB inventor Shuji Nakamura, has rolled out a new LED lamp product in the common PAR20 format. Soraa--which has operations in Goleta, but does its manufacturing in Fremont--said its new LED lamp is 85% more energy efficient than standard, halogen lamps. Soraa's products are based on Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology. Soraa's new product only consume 10.8 watts, versus 75W and 90W halogen lamps. The company also says its technology produces much better lighting quality than both halogen and other competing LEDs. Soraa is venture backed by Khosla Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, and NGEN Partners. MicroPower Technologies Launches New Surveillance Video Product ---- San Diego-based MicroPower Technologies, which develops wireless video surveillance hardware, has rolled out a new product. The startup--which came out of the EvoNexus incubator and also is backed by Karmel Capital, Motorola, and the Tech Coast Angels--said its new SOLVEIL Surveillance System is a wireless, solar-powered system for high resolution video monitoring in outdoor environments. The new product offers up 720p resolution and frame rates of up to 15 fps, and is aimed at offering up high resolution security video coverage in perimeter and outdoor areas. Pricing on the new product was not announced. MicroPower says its new product can send live video up to a half mile away. TouchCommerce Expands Win In EMEA With Equinix ---- Agoura Hills-based TouchCommerce, the developer of online live chat products aimed at helping e-commerce and other brands, said it has expanded an effort in the EMEA with Equinix. TouchCommerce said that Equinix, which offers up colocation and data center efforts, has rolled out TouchCommerce's chat tools on its Germany, France, Switzerland, and United Arab Emirates sites. TouchCommerce explained that Equinix is using its TouchChat program to engage with prospects and qualify leads. Financial impact of the expansion were not announced. Equinix was already using TouchCommerce's product in the UK and Netherlands. TouchCommerce is led by Bernard Louvat. CapLinked Inks African Distribution Deal ---- Los Angeles-based CapLinked, which develops deal management and virtual data room software, said this morning that it has partnered with a company in South Africa. CapLinked said it has partnered with Johannesburg-based communications agency Ince, in order to make its technology available throughout Africa. Ince will make CapLinked's software-as-a-service available in Africa under the brand name InceLink. Financial details of the deal were not announced. CapLinked's software is used to manage things such as financings, rights sales, asset-backed securities, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A). CapLinked is venture backed by FF Angel, Peter Thiel, Siemer Ventures, 500 Startups, 7th Rig, and Subtraction Capital. ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Names New Board Member ---- San Diego-based ACADIA Pharmaceuticals, which is developing biopharmaceuticals for treating central nervous system disorders, aid today that it has named Daniel Soland to its board of directors. Soland was perviously Senior Vice President and COO of ViroPharma, and alsos previously was at Chiron Corporation, Epigensis Pharmaceuticals, and GlaxoSmithKline. Soland currently sits on the boards of Tarsa Therapeutics and DBV Technologies SA. Surf Air Contemplates Waitlisting New Members ---- Santa Monica-based Surf Air says it might put a new waitlist into effect on April 1st--due to overpopularity of some of its routes--according to emails being sent to possible customers of the firm. According to those emails, prospective members of the membership-based airlines in Carlsbad, Santa Barbara, and other destinations may be put on a wait list. It's unclear if the firm is actually considering a wait list, or if the waitlist email is just an effort to spur on-the-fence customers to commit to the service. Surf Air allows members to take all-you-can fly trips between Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, Santa Barbara, San Diego, and many other California destinations. Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist Stevens Gives $50M To USC For Brain Research ---- Mark Stevens--who made his name as a venture capitalist at Sequoia Capital--along with his wife Mary, have given $50M in a gift to the University of Southern California, to go towards an institute focused on brain research. According to USC this morning, the $50M gift will go to endow the USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, which is focused on prevention and cures for brain injury and disease, including Alzheimer's, schizophrenia and traumatic brain injury. Stevens had previously funded the USC Stevens Center for Innovation. Stevens had been involved in investments in NVIDIA, QuickLogic, Documentum, and other companies. He now runs S-Cubed Capital, his own private family office. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- MARKETPLACE Reach 10000+ readers for 5 days for $250 Post your marketplace ad at: http://www.socaltech.com/postad.html ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- KeyInfo, Wilcon:Fiber Ring Connectivity For LA and Ventura County Key Information Systems, Inc. (KeyInfo), a leading cloud and infrastructure provider offering integrated solutions to enterprises, has announced the launch of its dedicated fiber ring built in partnership with Wilcon, the premier West Coast provider of private fiber optic networks. The KeyInfo fiber ring brings high-speed, private connectivity to businesses in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Because of its characteristic high security, fiber is an ideal choice for industries with highly regulated or sensitive data requirements. Organizations in the healthcare, financial, retail and government verticals can depend on Wilcon’s absolute physical layer security to protect the data in transit. For more information about the KeyInfo fiber ring, please visit our website at: http://keyinfo.com/solutions-we-build/Connectivity/fiber/ ------------------------------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------------------------------- Stradling Stradling, Attorneys At Law (http://www.sycr.com) Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth (“Stradling”) is a premier business law firm with over 120 attorneys in seven locations on the west coast. The Firm’s corporate, litigation and public law practices are well known for their expertise and depth. Stradling's clients include emerging and high growth public and private companies as well as private equity funds, venture capital groups and their respective portfolio companies. Widely recognized for its expertise, responsiveness and outstanding client service, the Firm's size, structure, and culture allow it to provide the highest quality representation while maintaining the responsiveness and relationships commonly associated with smaller firms. ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- Safire Partners Executive Search Safire Partners has completed 500+ retained executive searches since 2006 working with emerging businesses in 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]. ------------------------------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 Solution Architect , Santa Monica, MD Insider http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5614 Business Development Associate: Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing, Los Angeles, British Consulate-General, Los Angeles http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5612 Salesforce App Engineer, Los Angeles, Colony Logic http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5611 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RECENT FUNDING SUMMARY 03/26/15 Honk $12.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=63354 03/25/15 Harvest.ai $2.3M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=63321 03/20/15 b Spot $17.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=63141 03/17/15 Glooko $16.5M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=62999 03/11/15 Prevoty $8.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=62985 03/11/15 Cinq Music $0.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=62984 03/10/15 Independa $6.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=62880 03/04/15 YouMail $5.5M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=62652 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 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 26, Irvine -- The world of being an entrepreneur is challenging enough. Doing it alone is even tougher. Join your fellow entrepreneurs and colleagues at TCVN's March Mentoring Madness, Thursday, March 26th and learn from successful SoCal entrepreneurs, investors and experts while growing your entrepreneurial support network. For more information see "http://www.eventbrite.com/e/march-mentoring-madness-tickets-16032567842";.. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24595 March 26, San Diego -- This full-day definitive seminar provides an overview of the angel investing process including the details of finding, evaluating, and structuring deals. It will also go into depth on how to develop angel-entrepreneur relationships that lead to success. This highly interactive program provides attendees with practical information on best practices in angel investing through a balance of expert presentations, panel discussions and small group case studies. For more information, see "http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=5d7a1870-62ef-4fec-abef-1246ef90f084&c=d6ed66d0-33fa-11e3-a77c-d4ae52843dc7&ch=dc12ff80-33fa-11e3-a780-d4ae52843dc7";. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24567 March 26, Long Beach -- The innovate!socal 2015 conference is a symposium that brings together disruptive thinkers in economic development and the startup community to work together to find solutions to building the entrepreneur ecosystem for Southern California. The day features panels and renowned speakers sharing their perspectives on tools and models that help establish a powerful, self-sustaining, nurturing environment for high growth start-ups. Pacific Ballroom, Long Beach Convention Center, 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM (courtesy of Green LAVA). For more information see "http://www.eventbrite.com/e/innovatesocal-2015-registration-13081730809?aff=es2&rank=46";.. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24586 March 28, Santa Monica -- LAVA is extremely pleased to announce its next First Time Entrepreneur training program. The program is open to entrepreneurs that are starting companies in areas that are likely to draw venture capital investment. The program is not open to service providers.You are encouraged to apply today for one of the 25 slots open in our workshop. LAVA members will receive first preference, but membership is not necessary to be accepted. For more information see "http://www.lava.org/events/event_details.asp?id=603579&group=".NEW . See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24597 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 April 1, La Jolla -- StartR is a free, six month-long acceleration program held twice a year on the Rady School's campus. At the conclusion of the program, StartR teams are given an opportunity to pitch to investors and industry experts. Please join us for the pivotal moment when the StartR teams each present their pitches! RSVP BY MARCH 25TH, For more information see "http://rady.ucsd.edu/ciid/startr/events/".NEW . See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24599 April 2, Century City -- Thanks to the Internet, start-ups are no longer restricted to a local geography but building a venture on a global scale requires a clear understanding of funding options available. Please join us for a fascinating eve of networking with global-minded entrepreneurs and investors and learn from a fantastic mix of outstanding speakers to empower yourself with an invaluable knowledge and tools. For more information see "http://www.lava.org/events/event_details.asp?id=582995&group=".NEW . See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24598 April 3, Los Angeles -- Join us for lunch and meet the women in charge of water infrastructure for the city of Los Angeles! Event Producer & Host: Darya Allen-Attar, Founder, Broads Circle Location: Council for Watershed Health, 700 N. Alameda St., LA 90012. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24557 April 15, La Jolla -- PACE announces TWO Early Bird Specials for its vendor-neutral Data Mining Boot Camps. Every class is taught by SDSC’s data scientists with more than a decade of experience in delivering practical, hands-on training in an intimate classroom setting limited to 25 participants. Register for Series 1 using code "PACE200" and register for Series 2 using "PACE300." For more information see "https://www.etouches.com/ehome/117073".NEW . See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24600 April 16, San Diego -- Research Expo features research posters by more than 200 engineering graduate students from UC San Diego, lightning talks from faculty highlighting four new research centers at the Jacobs School of Engineering, and a networking reception with faculty, students, industry partners and alumni. For more information, see "http://www.jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/RE/";.. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24568 April 16, -- Meet the author - members invited to bring potential new members Hosted by: Olivia Goodkin, Partner, Greenberg Glusker Event Producers: Randi Caplan, VP Marketing & Business Development, Farient Advisors Anne Plechner, CFO, ACI Media Group. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24558 April 16, Los Angeles -- Laszlo Bock Senior Vice President, People Operations, Google - Live Talks Business Forums. Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead. Laszlo Bock leads Google’s people function, responsible for attracting, developing, retaining, and delighting “Googlers.” Bock’s earlier experience spans executive roles at the General Electric Company, management consulting at McKinsey & Company, start-ups, non-profits, and acting. During Bock’s tenure, Google has been named the Best Company to Work For more than 30 times around the world and received over 100 awards as an employer of choice. In 2010, he was named “Human Resources Executive of the Year” by Human Resources Executive magazine. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24553 April 16, La Jolla -- PACE announces TWO Early Bird Specials for its vendor-neutral Data Mining Boot Camps. Every class is taught by SDSC’s data scientists with more than a decade of experience in delivering practical, hands-on training in an intimate classroom setting limited to 25 participants. Register for Series 1 using code "PACE200" and register for Series 2 using "PACE300." For more information see "https://www.etouches.com/ehome/pacebc1.201504/262563/".NEW . See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24601 April 18, Irvine -- During Family Day attendees of all ages will experience & interact with the Beall Center’s media art exhibit “Play: In Three Acts”, and enjoy hands-on art, science and technology activities, presentations, workshops, and more. Play: In the three Acts highlights the work of three artists - Joe McKay, David Rokeby, and Nina Waisman. Each artist explores various modes of interaction within their work: Waisman and Rokeby incorporate sound and embodied interaction; McKay incorporates playful interaction around competition and cooperation.. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24430 April 21, Riverside -- TriTech SBDC 6th Annual Funding Forum. Come pitch your deal to the Tech Coast Angels at TriTech's annual funding forum. 100 entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to pitch their deals to angel investors. Also, select companies will have the opportunity to sit one on one with the angels in the private speed dating program of the event. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24403 April 23, San Diego -- The V2 Pitch Competition is a campus-wide entrepreneurship competition where the venture and the entrepreneur, rather than the business plan, are vetted by potential investors. On V2’s big evening, USD students pitch to a panel of actual angel investors for an opportunity to win $50,000 for their projects in a "Shark Tank” meets academia setting. For more information see "http://www.eventbrite.com/e/usd-v2-pitch-competition-tickets-14904545898."NEW . See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24604 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. 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