socaltech.com TechNews - Monday, November 9, 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). Make next happen now. 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. La Visual (http://Lavisual.com) A Branding, Product Strategy & Rapid Prototyping Accelerator ------------------------------------------------------------------------ --How Imperson Is Using Artificial Intelligence To Bring Miss Piggy To Life --Click2Jet Launches Marketplace For Private Jet Charters --Avalon Ventures Spins Out New Company, Iron Horse Therapeutics --Faraday Future Uncloaks Mysterious Electric Car Effort In Gardena --Western Digital In Chinese Joint Venture --BlackLine Signs Priceline, Shopify, Yodlee, Others --Zaniac Launches After School, Minecraft Programs In Santa Monica --ParkMe Extends Real Time Street Parking Info To Westwood MARKETPLACE --Introducing KeyCloud --Fetch Recruiting, Inc. --SoCal IP Law Group LLP - Serving the IP Needs of Technology Innovators --Stradling RECENT JOB POSTINGS RECENT FUNDING EVENTS ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- Startup Superhero Series - November 12th - James Citron Startup Superhero Series with James Citron of Pledgeling and Networking Under the Stars. Please join CohnReznick LLP and Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP for a special invitation-only speaker session followed by an opportunity to network under the stars. What is a startup superhero? Join us as James Citron, CEO of Pledgeling, is interviewed by Matt Swider, US Mobile Editor for TechRadar, on the highs and lows of entrepreneurship and what it feels like to create a brand used by thousands of people. Email [email protected] for an invite. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- How Imperson Is Using Artificial Intelligence To Bring Miss Piggy To Life ---- In what was one of the neatest pieces of technology shown at last month's Disney Accelerator in Burbank, an artificial intelligence startup, Imperson (www.imperson.com), showed how it is working on an effort to bring Miss Piggy to life on social media – making it possible for you and I to have a real, life, back and forth conversation with Miss Piggy---and other characters. We spoke with Eyal Pfeifel, Co-founder and CTO of Imperson, about the startup and its technology—which hints at some of the impact technology development might have on Hollywood. Imperson is based in Israel, but is backed by Disney and has been aiming use of its technology in Hollywood. Tell me what Imperson is all about? Eyal Pfeifel : Imperson develops AI technology for creating conversational characters, that engage with users over messaging, just like chatting with a friend. (More...) http://www.socaltech.com/how_imperson_bring_miss_piggy_to_life/s-0062735.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Click2Jet Launches Marketplace For Private Jet Charters ---- A new, Carpinteria-based startup, Click2Jet announced late Friday that it has launched a brand new, online marketplace to help users book private jet charters. According to Click2Jet, it is offering up an online service which helps uses with real time search and booking for jet charters, starting with Los Angeles and San Francisco. The new startup is led by John Andruilli, Jr., and says it has relationships with charter jet operators Clay Lacy Aviation, Dreamline Aviation, Sun Air Jets, Global Exec Aviation, Paragon Airways, and MACAIR. http://www.socaltech.com/click_jet_launches_marketplace_for_private_jet_charters/s-0062739.html Avalon Ventures Spins Out New Company, Iron Horse Therapeutics ---- San Diego-based venture investor Avalon Ventures, along with biopharmaceuticals firm GSK said this morning that the two companies are spinning out a new company, Iron Horse Therapeutics, backed by $10M in funding. According to the two, the new company will focus on treatments for amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The companies said that Iron Horse will also receive R&D support from Avalon and GSK (GlaxoSmithKline), as well as R&D and mentoring support from COI Pharmaceuticals. Avalon Ventures said that Iron Horse is the seventh company launched out of its collaboration with GSK. http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/index.php?action=showdeal&id=68698 Faraday Future Uncloaks Mysterious Electric Car Effort In Gardena ---- Faraday Future, a mysterious, electric car company based in Gardena, uncloaked last week, saying it will spend $1 billion on creating a new, U.S. manufacturing facility to build electric vehicles aimed at rivaling Tesla Motors. The startup says it is looking at California, Georgia, Louisiana and Nevada for the location of its factory. The mysterious company apparently is backed by a Chinese billionaire, already has more than 400 employees, and has not revealed any details on its vehicles. The company is based in a former Nissan research and design building in Gardena--and is hoping to ship its car in 2017. http://www.socaltech.com/faraday_future_uncloaks_mysterious_electric_car_effort_in_gardena/s-0062740.html Western Digital In Chinese Joint Venture ---- Irvine-based disk drive and storage maker Western Digital Corp. said this morning that it has create a new, Chinese joint venture, to market and sell its data center storage systems in China. Western Digital and Unisplendour Corporation said that the new joint venture will be 51% owned by Unisplendour and its subsidiary, Unissoft (Wuxi) Group Co., Ltd, and 49% by Western Digital. Financial details of the new joint venture were not announced by the companies. The two said the JV will become operational in the second quarter of 2016. BlackLine Signs Priceline, Shopify, Yodlee, Others ---- Los Angeles-based accounting software developer BlackLine Systems, announced a long lineup of name brand companies who have signed up for its software this quarter, including POPSUGAR, Priceline Group Services, Shopify, Spirit Airlines and Yodlee. BlackLine develops software used to automate the financial close process for enterprise companies. The companies are just a few of a number of new customers who signed up with the company during the third quarter, according to the company. BlackLine offers up its software via the cloud, all aimed at helping to accelerate the financial close and other accounting and finance operations. Zaniac Launches After School, Minecraft Programs In Santa Monica ---- Can playing Minecraft help your kids learn STEM techniques? Zaniac, the operator of an after-school, education program which uses Minecraft and robotics to teach Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) to kids, said this week that it has opened up a location in Santa Monica--the first in a major expansion into Los Angeles. The franchised company, which has locations in Utah, Texas, Florida, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, said it plans to open up an additional 10 more locations in the Los Angeles area in the next few years. The company's learning centers are geared towards the K-8 crowd, and feature computer programming, Minecraft, Lego Robotics, and other tech-heavy activities for children. http://www.socaltech.com/zaniac_launches_after_school_minecraft_programs_in_santa_monica/s-0062733.html ParkMe Extends Real Time Street Parking Info To Westwood ---- Los Angeles-based parking app and information provider ParkMe announced this week that it has expanded its real-time, on-street parking information in Los Angeles to Westwood. The company said the expanded parking coverage in Westwood comes via a collaboration with Xerox and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation's LA Express Park. ParkMe has already been providing similar, real-time street parking information for downtown, Venice, and Hollywood through the same program. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- MARKETPLACE Reach 10000+ readers for 5 days for $250 Post your marketplace ad at: http://www.socaltech.com/postad.html ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- Introducing KeyCloud There’s no reason for business operations to suffer due to legacy technology. Throw it all to the cloud and transform your IT infrastructure to cloud-based, enterprise level software with KeyCloud. KeyCloud offers local enterprise cloud with best-of-breed infrastructure. KeyCloud delivers compute, storage, and network through Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS). KeyCloud offers highly secure virtual and dedicated machines in an environment that enables you to run your apps on our carrier grade datacenter for 99.999 percent uptime. Engineered on a pool of highly redundant servers and storage, KeyCloud is available in custom configurations to rapidly respond to your IT needs. These Cloud services will quickly and dynamically scale as your business needs grow without ever having to worry about hardware infrastructure again. To learn more about KeyCloud, visit http://www.keycloud.com or call (818) 737-2186. ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- Fetch Recruiting, Inc. Fetch Recruiting, Inc. (http://www.fetchrecruiting.com) Technical Recruiting for LA based Startups and High-Growth Companies ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- SoCal IP Law Group LLP - Serving the IP Needs of Technology Innovators IP Litigation . IP Transactions . Patent & Trademark Prosecution . IP Strategy . Westlake Village . Santa Barbara . Irvine. [email protected] 805-230-1350 www.socalip.com ------------------------------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------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RECENT JOB POSTINGS More jobs at http://www.socaltech.com/Jobs Members post jobs for free Director of Talent, Marina Del Rey, Vision Fleet http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5670 Driver Acquisition Manager, Venice, Vision Fleet http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5668 Customer Operations Manager, Venice, Vision Fleet http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5669 Rideshare Operations Manager, Venice, Vision Fleet http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5667 Data Engineer , Venice, Vision Fleet http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5666 Project Manager , Marina Del Rey, Vision Fleet http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5665 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RECENT FUNDING SUMMARY 11/09/15 Iron Horse Therapeutics $10.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=68698 11/06/15 17Media $10.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=68699 11/05/15 TicketManager FKA SpotlightTMS $20.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=68604 11/05/15 Biological Dynamics Inc $26.8M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=68601 11/03/15 iboss $35.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=68595 11/02/15 TrackR, Inc. $8.7M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=68500 11/02/15 Crinetics $40.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=68401 10/29/15 Aira.io $0.8M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=68384 10/28/15 Alteryx $85.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=68383 10/28/15 Two Bit Circus $6.5M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=68381 10/28/15 Blockade Medical $0.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=68380 10/28/15 Connectifier $6.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=68379 10/27/15 Open Listings $1.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=68375 10/27/15 Petnet $4.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=68374 10/23/15 CLUTTER INC. $10.3M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=67264 10/20/15 cielo24 $5.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=68168 10/20/15 Science 37 $6.5M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=68167 10/16/15 17Hats $4.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=68164 10/15/15 Service Technologies $3.1M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=68163 10/13/15 FabFitFun, Inc. $2.5M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=68157 10/12/15 Patara Pharma, LLC $26.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=68153 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 November 9, Los Angeles -- Invitation to Innovative Enterprises - The Together Let's Stop Traffick Conference & Expo 2015. Between 9 and 11 of November, 2015, in Los Angeles, California, USA, innovation and technology entrepreneurs and firms will have a unique opportunity to gain access to some of the sharpest minds in the international battle to eradicate human trafficking in all its forms!. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24944 November 9, Los Angeles -- NewCo Los Angeles. Visit inside Google, Twitter, Tastemade and 80+ of LA's most inspirational companies during NewCo Los Angeles. NewCo turns the conference model inside out. Instead of gathering in a stodgy ballroom, we get you inside the headquarters of the city’s most inspiring companies. During 2 days you’ll be treated to behind-the-scene tours of cutting-edge work environments, learn from the city’s best entrepreneurs and get a peek into new product developments and innovations. NewCo returns to Los Angeles for its second annual event. All company sessions have limited capacity and are already filling up. Sign up and choose your favorites now.. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24961 November 10, Santa Monica -- CleverTap's TappedinLA @GA. Join CleverTap & General Assembly for the first event in the TappedinLA event series as a part of TechweekLA. This panel discussion will feature high-growth startups in the rapidly growing on-demand space. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24996 November 11, Santa Monica -- Coding for Beginners: A Free Class. General Asbly. HTML and CSS are the fundamental building blocks of the web. Whether you're a beginner who wants to get started in web development, a designer looking to hand-code their concepts, or a marketer who wants a little more control over their CMS, you'll need to know HTML and CSS to get the job done. This lunchtime session, designed for the beginner programmer, will assume no previous coding knowledge. We'll go over key coding terminology and principles, introduce languages like HTML and CSS—what their functions are, and how they work together. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24987 November 11, Los Angeles -- Defending against Cyber-Crime & Scams. Clean Technology Council. A Must for CEO's and everyone using social media and on-line transactions. Detective Timothy Lohman examines case studies taken from his 21 years in law enforcement, forgery and fraud. Learn how to protect yourself from data breaches and what actions to take if critical information is stolen. Learn about breakthroughs in Cyber-Security. Includes refreshments, wine tasting mixer and parking. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24973 November 12, Santa Monica -- Startup Superhero Series with James Citron of Pledgeling and Networking Under the Stars. Please join CohnReznick LLP and Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP for a special invitation-only speaker session followed by an opportunity to network under the stars. What is a startup superhero? Join us as James Citron, CEO of Pledgeling, is interviewed by Matt Swider, US Mobile Editor for TechRadar, on the highs and lows of entrepreneurship and what it feels like to create a brand used by thousands of people. Email [email protected]. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24994 November 12, Westlake Village -- ACG 101 Deals of the Year Banquet. The winners: Deal of the Year: Drum Workshop, Inc. Public Company of the Year: CalAmp Corp.; Growth Award Deal of the Year: Blackline; Most Innovative Company of the Year: TouchCommerce; Real Estate Deal of the Year: Caruso Affiliated; DealMaker of the Year: Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP; Social Responsibility Award: Be Green Packaging. Master of Ceremonies, Jane Wells, CNBC Reporter. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24985 November 12, Beverly Hills -- 2015 Eddy Awards. Join us to honor Evan Spiegel CEO of Snapchat, Cal State Northridge and CBRE at the 2015 Eddy Awards The Eddy Awards annual dinner gala recognizes leadership in economic development in throughout Los Angeles County and supports the non-profit mission of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation as we work to enable job creation and economic prosperity for the residents of L.A. County. One of the best networking events in L.A., for a great cause. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24902 November 12, Los Angeles -- The Business of Being A Creative. General Assembly. About This Event Being a creative is no walk in the park. Join General Assembly & BUNCH Magazine to discuss the challenges & opportunities that come along with starting and maintaining a successful creative business. Discuss tackling accounting and planning (which creatives are notoriously bad at) and hear founder stories about tackling the investor scene. Learn best practices for connecting with fellow creatives, and deep dive into the business of creativity and how to charge for your services and monetize in unconventional ways. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24975 November 12, Santa Monica -- Coding for Beginners: A Free Class. General Asbly. HTML and CSS are the fundamental building blocks of the web. Whether you're a beginner who wants to get started in web development, a designer looking to hand-code their concepts, or a marketer who wants a little more control over their CMS, you'll need to know HTML and CSS to get the job done. This lunchtime session, designed for the beginner programmer, will assume no previous coding knowledge. We'll go over key coding terminology and principles, introduce languages like HTML and CSS—what their functions are, and how they work together. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24998 November 17, Santa Monica -- LA Tech Summit is aimed at bringing together LA technology companies, investors, incubators and startups. Since 2013, the summit has been SoCal’s premier tech event with more than 800 attendees annually from the LA tech community. Join us to meet the hottest companies in Los Angeles and learn what makes "LA Tech" the most innovative technology ecosystem in the nation. Featuring an After Party at the Bungalow. Special $20 Discount by using this code: 20off Speakers include: • Jared Leto, Angel Investor • J.B. Pritzker, Managing Partner, Pritzker Group • Tony Pritzker, Managing Partner, Pritzker Group • Tucker Kain, CFO, Dodgers • Jason Kilar, CEO, Vessel • Juan Dulanto, COO, Washio • Paul Spiller, President & COO, Acorns • Alice Taylor, CEO, Makie Lab • Richard Rosenblatt, CEO, Whipclip. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24995 November 17, Santa Monica -- Start Your Own Side Business: When to Take the Leap. General Assembly. Join financial expert Nicole Lapin and LocalLevo for an evening of fun and money, honey! Based on entrepreneurial topics from her instant New York Times bestseller, Rich Bitch, get the scoop on creative ways to make money on the side, how to know if your side hobby could be legitimate business, and the nine things you need to know before starting your own gig. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24981 November 20, Santa Monica -- ProtoHack Pre-Hack Happy Hour. About This Event Ticket holders can learn about ProtoHack, ask any last-minute questions, learn about prototyping, and even form a team. This is a great way to ensure success and higher chances of making a winning prototype, not to mention, have the optimal experience at the Hackathon the next day! About Our Partners ProtoHack ProtoHack exists to show non-coders that they can create something amazing from nothing. We empower and enable the non-technical community with the tools, knowledge and connections that will help bring their idea to life and visually communicate it through prototyping. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24958 November 30, Santa Monica -- Intro to Data Analytics: A Free Class. General Assembly. About This Event Whether you're in digital marketing, sales management, business operations, or another field, being able to understand and draw insights from data is a must-have skill set. Join us in this one hour free class to learn more about what exactly data analytics is, who would benefit from knowing analytics and why, how analytics is used in real-world contexts to drive decisions, tools and tips for analysing and communicating data, and how to learn data analytics skills. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24972 December 1, San Diego -- CONNECT continues its annual tradition of honoring San Diego’s celebrities of innovation along with the groundbreaking new products launched within the last year. CONNECT's Most Innovative New Product Awards is San Diego’s most exciting night in innovation. Honoring the best products in technology and life science released in the last year, the Most Innovative New Product Awards are a San Diego Tradition since 1988. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24926 December 2, Los Angeles -- Managing Advisory and Corporate Boards. MentorNights. For founders/CEO of Seed/A round companies. Contact [email protected]. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24907 December 2, Santa Monica -- Meet + Hire UX Designers. Looking for new teammates to help create or improve your digital product experience? Meet some of LA's most talented UX Designers who are skilled in meeting business goals by creating product experiences that delight users. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24922 December 7, Los Angeles -- Coding for Beginners: A Free Class. General Assembly. HTML and CSS are the fundamental building blocks of the web. Whether you're a beginner who wants to get started in web development, a designer looking to hand-code their concepts, or a marketer who wants a little more control over their CMS, you'll need to know HTML and CSS to get the job done. This session, designed for the beginner programmer, will assume no previous coding knowledge. We'll go over key coding terminology and principles, introduce languages like HTML and CSS—what their functions are, and how they work together. Takeaways - Basics of the internet and how webpages work - Syntax of HTML and CSS - How to modify the code of existing websites - Techniques to use at-home when stuck on code. - Learn about opportunities at GA to dive deeper into coding. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/24988 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsored by: TVC Capital LLC (www.tvccapital.com) Investments in and Acquisitions of Growing Software Companies Silicon Valley Bank (http://www.svb.com). Make next happen now. 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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