socaltech.com TechNews - Friday, May 20, 2016 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. Stubbs Alderton Markiles, LLP (http://www.stubbsalderton.com). Business. Technology. Law. Vision. PricewaterhouseCoopers (http://www.socaltech.com/pwc). Safire Partners (http://www.safirepartners.com). Los Angeles-based executive search for emerging growth companies ------------------------------------------------------------------------ --Digitzs: Taking On The Pain Of Payment Processing --Avalon Ventures: Startups Get Milestone Payments, New Company Launched With GSK --Green Dot Defends CEO As Proxy Fight Heats Up --iRise Rolls Out New User Requirements Software --TCL Plans Massive, Billion Dollar LCD Panel Factory --March Capital Partners Backs Dojo Madness --bLife Acquired By Canary Health MARKETPLACE --Introducing KeyCloud --Project X – New Design Focused Accelerator in Los Angeles --Stradling --Early Stage Commercial Insurance - Pacific Unified Insurance Agency --TriNet - HR Services RECENT JOB POSTINGS RECENT FUNDING EVENTS ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- Binary Pulse Technology Marketing We produce and manage content-centric campaigns that enable our clients to connect with their prospects. For nearly twenty years, 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 -- Content Strategies & Editorial Calendar Management -- Marketing Automation Systems and Administration -- Channel Program Development -- Web Site Design & Development -- Corporate and Product Branding -- Video Production and Marketing -- Whitepaper Authoring and Syndication -- Social Media Marketing Please visit us at http://www.binarypulse.com to learn more or give us a call at 949-336-7400. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digitzs: Taking On The Pain Of Payment Processing ---- One of the major issues for businesses, is handling and processing payments from credit and debit cards. In particular, there are many platforms who enable taking ticket payments for sporting events, donation payments for non profits and rent payments for property managers, who don't fit into the current legacy way payments are handled. Enter Santa Monica's Digitzs (www.digitzs.com), , which has an all star set of advisors and investors, including Kevin Harrington (the original "Shark" on Shark Tank), and which is developing technology to help those platforms take payments. We spoke with CEO Laura Wagner about the startup. What is Digitzs? Laura Wagner: Digitz is a payment company. The easiest way to describe it, is if you drew three circles, from (More...) http://www.socaltech.com/digitzs_taking_on_the_pain_of_payment_processing/s-0065432.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Avalon Ventures: Startups Get Milestone Payments, New Company Launched With GSK ---- San Diego-based Avalon Ventures, and COI Pharmaceuticals, the company established by Avalon to help form new biotech companies, said today that the first two companies that it has formed with GlaxoSmithKline have met their first milestones, and that it has spun up a new company with GSK as part of their collaboration. Financial details of the milestone payments were not announced. Sitari Pharmaceuticals, which is developing treatments for celiac disease, and Silarus Therapeutics is developing treatments for iron overload disorders. As part of the announcement, Avalon and COI Pharmaceuticals said they have formed another company with GSK, called PDI Therapeutics, which will develop novel immune-oncology therapies. That company is apparently the eigth company formed by Avalon and GSK. http://www.socaltech.com/avalon_ventures_startups_gsk/s-0065435.html Green Dot Defends CEO As Proxy Fight Heats Up ---- Pasadena-based Green Dot has issued a highly unusual defense of CEO Steve Streit, as a proxy fight over the company's management heats up. In a statement to the company's stockholders, the company said it was a "pivotal moment for Green Dot" and urged support for its slate of directors. The company also said that it is "confident that it has the right leadership in place" and "specifically the right CEO, Steve Streit". Green Dot has been facing an aggressive proxy fight from activist investor Harvest Capital. iRise Rolls Out New User Requirements Software ---- El Segundo-based iRise, which develops application prototyping software used for developing enterprise applications, says it has rolled out a new, user requirements management feature for its product. The company said its new Requirements Management capability allows its customers to review and validate user stories, business requirements, and interactive prototypes. The new features are part of all of its subscription plans, according to the ompany. iRise is backed by Morgan Stanley Venture Partners and Deutsche Bank. TCL Plans Massive, Billion Dollar LCD Panel Factory ---- TCL, a Chinese television manufacturer which has its U.S. headquarters in Corona, says it is planning to build a massive, LCD panel fabrication plant in Shenzhen, China. TCL said that the new plant will be built by its subsidiary, China Star Optoeletronics Technology Co., Ltd., and will cost and estimated $7.8 billion. The new plant will produce high resolutions, flat panel displays for use in 65-inch and larger LCD TVs. TCL said the expansion comes to help it keep up with demand from fast growth in the United States. TCL purchased the naming rights to the iconic Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood in 2013. March Capital Partners Backs Dojo Madness ---- Los Angeles-based March Capital Partners is the lead investor in Berlin-based Dojo Madness, a developer of e-sports content and coaching tools, as part of a $4.5M funding round, Dojo Madness revealed today. The funding round also included Investment Bank of Berlin, DN Capital, and London Venture Partners. The company's founders include Jens Hilgers, founder and chairman of Turtle Entertainment/ESL. http://www.socaltech.com/march_capital_partners_backs_dojo_madness/s-0065426.html bLife Acquired By Canary Health ---- Los Angeles-based bLife, the mobile, stress management application software developer which was founded by Paul A. Campbell and Hamet Watt, has been acquired by Canary Health, the two said Thursday morning. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. Los Angeles-based Canary Health said that the acquisition will help it augment its existing suite of programs for managing such chronic conditions as diabetes, heart disease, depression and arthritis. bLife was venture backed by True Ventures, Tango Group, and the Omidyar Network, and was co-founded by Hamet Watt, who is now a venture partner at UpFront Ventures. As part of the acquisition, Canary Health says it has added Campbell as its Chief Product Officer, with Watt joining the company's board of directors. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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------------------------------- Project X – New Design Focused Accelerator in Los Angeles Launch your next MVP. Be Victorious. Conquer the perils of poorly branded products, semi-good stories, and underwhelming UX/UI front-end design and dev. Project X is a business unit of the Los Angeles based digital agency La Visual. UX/UI strategy, rapid-prototyping and design, world-class branding, product strategy & design, testing, rollout strategies, mentorship, and access to exclusive funding. Don't be shy. Hit us up and we will talk about your next startup. Drop us a line // See how we can help you: [email protected] Check it out here // http://lavisual.com/projectx ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- Stradling Stradling, Attorneys At Law (http://www.sycr.com) Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth (“Stradling”) is a premier business law firm with over 125 attorneys and 10 offices in the western US. The offices are: Newport Beach, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, San Diego, San Francisco - SOMA, San Francisco - Financial District, Sacramento, Reno, Denver, Seattle. 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------------------------------- Early Stage Commercial Insurance - Pacific Unified Insurance Agency We are a commercial insurance broker working with startup and early stage technology and E-Commerce companies to implement cost effective strategies for their insurance and risk management programs. We provide guidance and strategic planning during various phases and also advise regarding employee benefit structures to assist in employee recruiting and retention. Coverage placements include D&O, Property, Liability, Workers Comp, E&O, Cyber/Network Security and Employee Benefit Programs. Contact: John Huttinger, CIC, CRM Vice President Ph#310-370-5000 Ext 3025 w Fx 310-370-5454 [email protected] ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- TriNet - HR Services TriNet is a leading provider of HR services that takes the stress out of daily HR distractions. Our HR bundled product includes payroll, human capital consulting, compliance laws, benefits, workers compensation and more. Our services are delivered by our expert team of HR professionals enabled by our cloud-based technology platform. We focus on our clients and their employees to streamline their HR transactions anytime and anywhere. Focus on your clients, while TriNet focuses on your HR. For more information, please visit http://www.trinet.com. ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RECENT JOB POSTINGS More jobs at http://www.socaltech.com/Jobs Members post jobs for free Manager of Business Development, Los Angeles, Supporting Strategies Los Angeles http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5675 Senior iOS / Mobile Developer, Santa Monica, Mobolize http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5674 Software Engineering Intern, Los Angeles, Factual http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5673 Summer Intern - Data Engineer, Los Angeles, Factual http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5672 Business Development Associate: Energy, Environment, & Infrastructure, Los Angeles, The British Embassy http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5671 Director of Talent, Marina Del Rey, Vision Fleet http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5670 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RECENT FUNDING SUMMARY 05/18/16 SPACES $3.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=73817 05/17/16 Cogitai $0.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=73816 05/17/16 PatientPop, Inc. $10.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=73815 05/17/16 Lucid Sight $3.5M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=73814 05/10/16 Hyperloop One FKA Hyperloop Technologies $80.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=73504 05/10/16 Tradesy $30.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=73464 05/06/16 360fly $40.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=73376 05/04/16 Winc FKA Club W $17.5M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=73370 05/03/16 Sixgill $6.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=73282 04/29/16 Levyx $5.4M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=73280 04/29/16 Stance, Inc. $30.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=71683 04/29/16 SLANTRANGE Inc $5.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=69963 04/25/16 Nimble Software Systems Inc. $4.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=73068 04/21/16 Acorns Grow Inc $30.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=73033 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 May 24, Torrance -- Vistage South Bay Executive Event. Meet local business leaders and tackle your toughest challenges. Vistage is excited to invite you to an interactive event for select CEOs, business owners and senior executives in the South Bay area. During this half-day event, you’ll hear from speaker Dan Quiggle on the leadership lessons taught to him personally by Ronald Reagan, which will reframe the way you view your role as a leader. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25240 May 25, Venice -- CrossCut Summer Office Hours. CrossCut Ventures would like to invite the LA tech community to our office in Venice, CA for CrossCut Summer Office Hours. Sign up for 15 minute time slots and meet with a partner 1:1 to get feedback, ask for advice, pitch your startup.. or just come by to mix and mingle with others in the LA tech ecosystem. You can sign up for one 15 minute time slot with a member of our investment team at the door (spots are offered on a first come, first serve basis). The event will take place in our outdoor space at 373 Rose Ave.. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25265 May 26, Los Angeles -- Los Angeles VC and Angel Investor Roundtable. Interested in meeting early-stage accredited investors in Los Angeles? Then register for the FundingPost Investor RoundTable on May 26th, 2016 at 2:00pm. FundingPost has hosted 300+ sold-out venture events in 23 cities over the past 14 years. At our LA Angel Investor Roundtable, the panel of investors will focus on pitching to early-stage investors, and what it really takes to get them to write you a check! We will be discussing the things that are most important to them when they are considering an Investment, the best and worst things an entrepreneur can do to get their attention during a pitch, and, of course, the best ways to reach these and other Investors. There will be plenty of time for networking with the Investor panelists! The first 25 entrepreneur attendees to sign up will also get the option to pitch their business idea in 1 min or less in front of the investor panel and receive feedback as a group from the panel.. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25228 May 26, San Pedro -- ISPE LA GMP Expo & Exhibit Show. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25259 June 4, San Diego -- Above The Fold: 2016 A4D Performance Summit. This Performance Summit is presented by A4D Inc., and delivers the latest industry trends and best practices while showcasing top performance marketing thought leaders and internet visionaries.NEW . See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25288 June 7, Santa Monica -- 2016 CTO Awards. The Los Angeles Business Journal is proud to announce the 2016 CTO Awards. The CTO Awards will honor Chief Technology Officers, or more broadly, those in the top information technology positions within their organizations (VP, Director, etc). These important individuals and teams play vital roles in making Los Angeles businesses, institutions and nonprofit groups successful. Together with their CEOs, their decisions impact all aspects of the businesses including their company’s growth, profitability, functionality and competitiveness in the marketplace.. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25275 June 12, San Diego -- The 15th Annual Conference of the North American Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics: Human Language Technologies. This is a week-long annual conference of the Association for Computational Linguistics, the premier international scientific and professional society for people working on computational problems involving human language. More than 800 computer science researchers in the Artificial Intelligence area will gather together to discuss and present their recent discoveries in machine learning algorithms and various applications, such as deep learning, machine translation, social media analysis, knowledge bases, dialog and interactive systems, to name just a few. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25280 June 13, Santa Monica -- WHERE BUSINESS, TECH AND INNOVATION COLLIDE IN LA. Are you an early adopter of tech products? Looking for a job at a startup? Covering the Los Angeles tech scene for a publication? Looking to invest in the next Facebook? Or just a plain old tech enthusiast? Then YOU and thousands like you attend TECHSPO LA! The Best Part? It’s FREE!. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25056 June 13, Santa Monica -- Startup Summit 2016. Startup Summit 2016 is a premier worldwide event bringing together hundreds of entrepreneurs, founders, business owners, students, educators, investors and thought leaders from around the world. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25055 June 13, San Diego -- The 15th Annual Conference of the North American Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics: Human Language Technologies. This is a week-long annual conference of the Association for Computational Linguistics, the premier international scientific and professional society for people working on computational problems involving human language. More than 800 computer science researchers in the Artificial Intelligence area will gather together to discuss and present their recent discoveries in machine learning algorithms and various applications, such as deep learning, machine translation, social media analysis, knowledge bases, dialog and interactive systems, to name just a few. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25281 June 14, San Diego -- The 15th Annual Conference of the North American Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics: Human Language Technologies. This is a week-long annual conference of the Association for Computational Linguistics, the premier international scientific and professional society for people working on computational problems involving human language. More than 800 computer science researchers in the Artificial Intelligence area will gather together to discuss and present their recent discoveries in machine learning algorithms and various applications, such as deep learning, machine translation, social media analysis, knowledge bases, dialog and interactive systems, to name just a few. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25282 June 15, Santa Monica -- DIGIMARCON WEST 2016 - Digital Marketing Conference. If you want to be successful in digital marketing, you can’t miss DIGIMARCON WEST 2016! DIGIMARCON WEST 2016 Conference showcases the most audacious and thought provoking speakers in the digital marketing industry, providing attendees with emerging strategies, the latest innovative technologies, and more. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25053 June 15, San Diego -- The 15th Annual Conference of the North American Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics: Human Language Technologies. This is a week-long annual conference of the Association for Computational Linguistics, the premier international scientific and professional society for people working on computational problems involving human language. More than 800 computer science researchers in the Artificial Intelligence area will gather together to discuss and present their recent discoveries in machine learning algorithms and various applications, such as deep learning, machine translation, social media analysis, knowledge bases, dialog and interactive systems, to name just a few. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25283 June 16, Santa Monica -- If you want to be successful in digital marketing, you can’t miss DIGIMARCON WEST 2016! DIGIMARCON WEST 2016 Digital Marketing Conference will be held from June 15th to 16th, 2016 at the luxurious Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, Santa Monica, CA. DIGIMARCON WEST 2016 Conference showcases the most audacious and thought provoking speakers in the digital marketing industry, providing attendees with emerging strategies, the latest innovative technologies,. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25054 June 16, San Diego -- The 15th Annual Conference of the North American Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics: Human Language Technologies. This is a week-long annual conference of the Association for Computational Linguistics, the premier international scientific and professional society for people working on computational problems involving human language. More than 800 computer science researchers in the Artificial Intelligence area will gather together to discuss and present their recent discoveries in machine learning algorithms and various applications, such as deep learning, machine translation, social media analysis, knowledge bases, dialog and interactive systems, to name just a few. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25284 June 17, San Diego -- The 15th Annual Conference of the North American Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics: Human Language Technologies. This is a week-long annual conference of the Association for Computational Linguistics, the premier international scientific and professional society for people working on computational problems involving human language. More than 800 computer science researchers in the Artificial Intelligence area will gather together to discuss and present their recent discoveries in machine learning algorithms and various applications, such as deep learning, machine translation, social media analysis, knowledge bases, dialog and interactive systems, to name just a few. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25285 June 18, Santa Monica -- First Time Entrepreneur Workshop. Matt Crowley from Crowley Corporate Legal Strategy is teaching another great First Time Entrepreneur Workshop with the LA Venture Association (LAVA) on Saturday June 18th at the Santa Monica Place Mall - EXPERT DOJO. He will be teaching about valuation, dilution, intellectual property rights, working with co-founders, and a variety of other topics that are critical for startup founders to master. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25278 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. 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 Technical Connections, Inc. (http://www.technicalconnections.com) Successfully connecting Tech Talent with Premier Clients in SoCal for over 30 years. 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