socaltech.com TechNews - Wednesday, May 3, 2017 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 Key info (http://www.keyinfo.com) infrastructure ~ connectivity ~ co-location ~ cloud La Visual (http://Lavisual.com) A Branding, Product Strategy & Rapid Prototyping Accelerator ------------------------------------------------------------------------ --How Digsy Is Using Data, And Deals, To Drive Real Estate Sales --Fifth Wall Ventures Launches New $212M Real Estate Tech Investment Fund --Infinite Electronics Acquires Businesses From Smiths Interconnect --Alteryx Adds To Board --Visionary Venture Fund Raises Funding For Opthalmic Investment Fund --March Capital Backs Video Game Developer Wavedash Games --CreatorIQ Raises Series A --Signal Sciences Bolsters Sales Team With Two VPs --engage:BDR Aims At Instagram Advertising MARKETPLACE --Share Your Opinions On Drone Technology / CSU Channel Islands Study --Oracle --Safire Partners Executive Search --SoCal IP Law Group LLP - Serving the IP Needs of Technology Innovators --Stradling --Early Stage Commercial Insurance - Pacific Unified Insurance Agency RECENT JOB POSTINGS RECENT FUNDING EVENTS ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- Media 2.0 w/Peter Csathy & Preccelerator Program Demo Day - May 18 Clear your calendar - It's going down! The Preccelerator Program Demo Day kicks off on May 18th @ 5:30pm, and you're invited to take part in the festivities. SAM Preccelerator Program is our meeting spot to showcase the Preccelerator's current class of all-star companies to investors and the start-up community. Followed by keynote speaker Peter Csathy, founder of Creatv Media and author of Media 2.0(17): An Insider's Guide to Today's World of Digital Media & Where It's Going. Register today! https://demodaypetercsathy.splashthat.com/?gz=a5c30705f72de01e21c60aeed63d2d15&pp=1 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- How Digsy Is Using Data, And Deals, To Drive Real Estate Sales ---- Andrew Bermudez, co-founder and CEO of Irvine-based Digsy (www.getdigsy.com) wasn't looking to build software to help commercial real estate brokers close more deals. He was just trying to collect more data for his startup on what was happening on real estate deals that the company had been referring to brokers. However, he quickly discovered the deal data the company was collecting was not just data--but a guide to the best practices on helping brokers close more deals, quickly. We spoke with Andrew about how the company pivoted from its original model after finding a huge amount of traction for its sales software and data, and its ability to guide brokers on the best practices for them to close more deals, which it is now offering as software-as-a-service. What is Digsy? Andrew Bermudez: Originally, Digsy was an Uber for commercial brokers. My background is in commercial real estate. I spent 12 years as a vice president in commercial real estate, and saw an opportunity. Brokers (More...) http://www.socaltech.com/how_digsy_is_using_data_and_deals_to_drive_real_estate_sales/s-0070236.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fifth Wall Ventures Launches New $212M Real Estate Tech Investment Fund ---- Venice, California-based Fifth Wall Ventures, a brand new venture capital firm focused on investing in real estate technology, announced this week that it has raised a new, $212M venture capital fund. The limited partners in the new fund include CBRE, Equity Residential, Hines, Host Hotels & Resorts, Lennar, Macerich, and Prologis, along with Lowe's Home Improvement and Rudin Management Company. The new fund said it will look to invest in "innovative start-ups developing technologies that will transform, optimize and democratize" physical space. Fifth Wall Ventures said it has already made $60M in investments, in such companies as b8ta, ClassPass, Clutter, Notarize, Opendoor, States Title and VTS. The new venture firm's managing partners are Brad Greiwe and Brendan Wallace. http://www.socaltech.com/fifth_wall_ventures_launches_new____m_real_estate_tech_investment_fund/s-0070239.html Infinite Electronics Acquires Businesses From Smiths Interconnect ---- Irvine-based Infinite Electronics, a supplier of RF components, assemblies, and wired and wireless connectivity products, said this morning that it has acquired Kaelus, PolyPhaser, Transtector Systems, and RadioWaves, from Smiths Group plc. The four brands were part of Smiths Interconnect's Microwave Telecoms business (SMT). Financial details of the acquisition were not announced. Infinite Electronics said it was advised by KPMG in the deal; the company is led by CEO Terry G. Jarnigan. Alteryx Adds To Board ---- Irvine-based data analytics software developer Alteryx said on Tuesday afternoon that it has added Eileen Schloss to its board of directors. Schloss was most recently Executive Vice President of Human Resources and Real Estate for Medidata Solutions, and also has served in human resources for Apple Computer and Charles Schwab. ALteryx, which is led by Dean Stoeker, develops software used by analysts for mining data from data warehouses. The board appointment follows the recent IPO of the company in March. Visionary Venture Fund Raises Funding For Opthalmic Investment Fund ---- Aliso Viejo-based Visionary Venture Fund, a new venture capital firm specifically focused on only investing in opthalmology companies, has closed its first round of funding for a targeted $30M venture fund, the company announced on Tuesday. The company said it expects to invest up to $30M in approximately a dozen companies over the next 18 months, investing between $500K to $5M in each company. The company said it has already invested in IanTech (cataract treatment); Mynosys (capsulotomy); SighLife Surgical (eye bank and corneal tissue); and RxSight (intraocular lens product). Visionary Venture Fund is partnered with technology and life sciences accelerator OCTANe. Jeffry Weinhuff is Managing Partner of the new fund. http://www.socaltech.com/visionary_venture_fund_raises_funding_for_opthalmic_investment_fund/s-0070237.html March Capital Backs Video Game Developer Wavedash Games ---- Los Angeles-based venture investor March Capital Partners is the lead investor in video game developer Wavedash Games, which announced a $6M Series A funding round on Tuesday morning. The funding round also included Lowercase Capital, Advancit Capital, CourtsideVC, Machine Shop Ventures, Luma Labs, and Cherrytree VC. According to Wavedash, the new funding will go to grow its team and complete the development of its game, Platform Fighter. Wavedash is based in Oakland. The company's founders previously were at EA, TinyCo, and Riot Games. http://www.socaltech.com/march_capital_backs_video_game_developer_wavedash_games/s-0070230.html CreatorIQ Raises Series A ---- Culver City-based CreatorIQ, a developer of influencer marketing software, has raised a Series A funding from Affinity Group, the company disclosed this week. Size of the funding round was not announced by the company, which until recently, was known as SocialEdge. Affinity Group is a marketing and strategic communications firm backed by TPG Growth and Evolution Media. http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showco&id=53408 Signal Sciences Bolsters Sales Team With Two VPs ---- Venice, California-based Signal Sciences, a venture-backed firm developing Web application security software, announced this morning that it has named two sales veterans to its team. The company said it has named Stephen Gomann as Vice President of Sales, and Randy Paulk as Vice President of Sales Engineering. Gomann was most recently VP of Sales for North America at MobileIron, and also served at Vontu, Symantec, and Corio (acquired by IBM). Paulk was previously at such firms as MobileIron, Symantec, Vontu, and BroadVision. Signal Sciences is backed by Index Ventures. engage:BDR Aims At Instagram Advertising ---- Los Angeles-based advertising technology developer engage:BDR, which is led by MySpace alum Ted Dhanik, has launched a new product aimed at influencer advertising on Instagram. According to engage:BDR, its new product, IconicReach, helps brands manage their advertising campaigns on Instagram, letting them discover and manage influencers on the Instagram platform. engage:BDR says it already has been working with such brands as American Apparel, Nasty Gal and ProActiv in creative video and display advertising campaigns. Pricing on the new product was not announced. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- MARKETPLACE Reach 10000+ readers for 5 days for $250 Post your marketplace ad at: http://www.socaltech.com/postad.html ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- Share Your Opinions On Drone Technology / CSU Channel Islands Study Dr. Sean Anderson and his students at California State University Channel Islands are conducting this survey on behalf of their ESRM 370 undergraduate class and their Aerial and Aquatic Robotic Research (“AARR”) Laboratory group. We are studying the current use of and attitudes towards Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. These devices are variously also known as UAV, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), Remotely Piloted Systems (RPS), or simply “drones.” While the military use of these systems may often be what people think of when they hear about this technology, we are exploring the rapidly-expanding, non-military use of systems created by hobbyists, researchers, and private industry. We expect to conclude this survey by late April of 2017 and subsequently post our results by early May to both our blog (https://aarr.piratelab.org) and our suite of social media outlets. Please check these sites in early May for our polling results or feel free to contact us with any questions. Our contact ([email protected]) and links to our web sites will be provided again at the end of this survey. Drone 2017 Survey-English https://csuci.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_eaFKp1uyd4nHSsd Drone 2017 Survey-Spanish https://csuci.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_2bI8wkbVn5rfAFL ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- Oracle Oracle offers a comprehensive and fully integrated stack of cloud applications and platform services for small and mid-sized businesses. For more information about Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), visit www.oracle.com. In Los Angeles, contact Ryan Mondillo ([email protected]). ------------------------------ADVERTISEMENT------------------------------- Safire Partners Executive Search Safire Partners is a 15-person Los Angeles-based executive search firm built for SoCal's emerging companies working on ~100 searches per year. Clients cross over mobile, adtech, media, gaming, software, ecommerce, services, and consumer products. We always want to meet great companies, investors and executives, please reach out via http://www.safirepartners.com. ------------------------------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 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------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RECENT JOB POSTINGS More jobs at http://www.socaltech.com/Jobs Members post jobs for free Associate Recruiter, Los Angeles, Safire Partners http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5684 Senior Product Development Manager, Irvine, Belkin http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5680 Director of Communication Systems Engineering, Hawthorne, SpaceX http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5679 Marketing Manager, Los Angeles, Belkin http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5678 Software Engineer, Los Angeles, Factual http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5677 Interim Controller/CFO Consultants and other Accounting/Finance Consultants, Los Angeles, Agility Financial Partners, LLC http://www.socaltech.com/showjob.php?id=5676 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RECENT FUNDING SUMMARY 05/02/17 CreatorIQ $0.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=82985 05/02/17 Axonics Modulation Technologies $14.5M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=82981 05/01/17 3D Robotics $53.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=82930 04/28/17 Work Today $1.1M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=82928 04/28/17 Epic Sciences $40.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=82927 04/27/17 OverOps $30.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=82925 04/26/17 Sense360 $7.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=82923 04/26/17 Dave $3.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=82922 04/26/17 AltheaDx, Inc. $27.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=82921 04/25/17 Forge Therapeutics $15.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=82918 04/25/17 Sienna Biopharma $40.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=82915 04/25/17 Science 37 $29.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=82910 04/19/17 Bonti, Inc. $11.7M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=79556 04/11/17 MFour Mobile Research Inc. $5.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=82600 04/10/17 Neural Analytics, Inc. $10.0M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=82595 04/06/17 Sommetrics, Inc. $12.3M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=82592 04/06/17 SOCi $8.5M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=82589 04/04/17 Virtualitics $4.5M http://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=82461 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 3, Van Nuys -- ACG What's Up in A&D? SpaceX's Elon Musk and Amazon's Jeff Bezos are battling for leadership in Space Tourism. Trillions of new dollars are coming to the Federal defense budget. UAVs (don't call them drones!) are providing more intel than ever. Private aviation has never had it so good as a record number of millionaires take to the private skies. So what's in it for us here on the ground at the center of all things A&D in Southern California? Learn the latest from the A&D experts gathering at ACG101's Aerospace & Defense panel, Wednesday, May 3, 2017.NEW . See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25689 May 3, San Diego -- Del Mar Electronics & Manufacturing Show. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25682 May 4, Santa Monica -- LA CEOs presents: Drones – Today, Tomorrow, The Future. This CEO & CFO only breakfast will focus on Drones and led by Dan Burton Founder and CEO of DroneBase, the world's leading drone services company with 15,000+ commercial drone flights in over 40 countries. Dan was an early user of military and commercial drone systems, serving as a Marine Infantry Officer in Iraq and Afghanistan and building / piloting commercial drones starting in 2012. Dan also worked at Goldman Sachs and the US Senate, and went to HBS for an MBA. This event restricted to CEOs & CFOs only, a confirmed RSVP required. No service providers admitted.. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25676 May 4, San Diego -- Del Mar Electronics & Manufacturing Show. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25683 May 6, Santa Monica -- ZipRecruiter Hackathon 2017. Can you help someone find their dream, future, or next job? Got a concept HR would love? Have an awesome idea you can’t wait to share? ZipRecruiter is hosting its first-ever Hackathon, and we want to see what great minds can build when they come together to compete for some amazing prizes. Calling all programmers, designers, project managers, and more...sign up t today. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25677 May 9, Thousand Oaks -- HPTLC for the Identification of Botanical Materials. Ventura BioCenter. This workshop will introduce current concepts of HPTLC with emphasis on the analysis of botanical materials, including: identification of raw materials and finished products, detection of adulteration (related species, chemicals), quantitative determination of markers, and investigations of shelf lifeNEW . See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25690 May 10, Santa Monica -- Designing UX with Willy Lai, recent Apple UX Design Director. Lai’s hands-on workshop teaches designers, product managers, marketing managers, and engineers how to design successful user experiences for software products and services across devices. Email [email protected]. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25646 May 10, Thousand Oaks -- HPTLC for the Identification of Botanical Materials. Ventura BioCenter. This workshop will introduce current concepts of HPTLC with emphasis on the analysis of botanical materials, including: identification of raw materials and finished products, detection of adulteration (related species, chemicals), quantitative determination of markers, and investigations of shelf lifeNEW . See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25691 May 11, Irvine -- TVCN: The Simple, Dirty Truth...How To Build An Impactful Brand. All companies “brand,” whether they take action or not… It is a dynamic process for startup teams and Fortune 100 companies alike. But what is building a brand really about? With much confusion in the market place regarding “branding” can anyone actually describe what a brand is, or even teach how to build one? Is the process a labyrinth in need of someone’s proprietary flow chart and decision tree, or can it be a simple set of principals? Come learn why the top brands you know, consistently maximize their value. And more importantly, come learn the simple steps needed to build your corporate, product or personal brand foundation. What makes brands unique, impactful and sustainable! This is a session to remember with key takeaways. You’ll find this simple; a principle driven session showing you how you can build your brand to epic proportionsNEW . See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25694 May 18, Santa Monica -- Media 2.0 w/Peter Csathy & Preccelerator Program Demo Day. Clear your calendar - It's going down! The Preccelerator Program Demo Day kicks off on May 18th @ 5:30pm, and you're invited to take part in the festivities. SAM Preccelerator Program is our meeting spot to showcase the Preccelerator's current class of all-star companies to investors and the start-up community. Followed by keynote speaker Peter Csathy, founder of Creatv Media and author of Media 2.0(17): An Insider's Guide to Today's World of Digital Media & Where It's Going. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25679 June 1, Los Angeles -- Women Founder's Network 2017 Fast Pitch Competition Deadline. Women Founders Network (WFN) is a virtual accelerator that connects women building high-growth businesses with the tools and resources they need to achieve business success. Applications for the 2017 competition will be accepted May 1 - June 1. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25686 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 La Visual (http://Lavisual.com) A Branding, Product Strategy & Rapid Prototyping Accelerator 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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