*socaltech.com <http://socaltech.com> TechNews - Monday, February 5, 2018* Edited by Benjamin F. Kuo ISSN: 1524-6736 http://www.socaltech.com/News <https://www.socaltech.com/News> ------------------------------
*Sponsored By * TVC Capital LLC (www.tvccapital.com) Investments and acquisitions of growing software companies. Stubbs Alderton Markiles, LLP (http://www.stubbsalderton.com). Business. Technology. Law. Vision. PricewaterhouseCoopers (http://www.socaltech.com/pwc). Key info (http://www.keyinfo.com) infrastructure ~ connectivity ~ co-location ~ cloud Shimokaji IP (http://www.shimokaji.com) Bettering Life Through Creative Ideas ------------------------------ *Headlines * - Fair Acquires Skurt <#m_-6885562772683518420_0073619> - SmartAction Finds Funding From Staley, TVC Capital <#m_-6885562772683518420_0073617> - Report: Amazon's Centers In San Bernardino Means More Jobs, But Not Much Benefit <#m_-6885562772683518420_0073618> - Broadcom Bumps Offer For Qualcomm <#m_-6885562772683518420_0073616> - Leaf Group Seeks To Raise $22M For Acquisition, Other Efforts <#m_-6885562772683518420_0073615> - LA's Blockchain Moguls Flock To Puerto Rico <#m_-6885562772683518420_0073614> - Anzu Partners, With Offices In San Diego, Raises $128.4M Venture Fund <#m_-6885562772683518420_0073612> - LA Massage Startup Soothe Buys LA's Melt <#m_-6885562772683518420_0073610> - TS2 Holdings Acquires Three Companies, Including Neohire South, Hero.jobs <#m_-6885562772683518420_0073604> - Bitvore Brings Latest Funding Round To $14.2M <#m_-6885562772683518420_0073603> - HyreCar Raises $1.46M In Debt Funding <#m_-6885562772683518420_0073602> - Factual Launches New Data Tools <#m_-6885562772683518420_0073601> - FriendO Claims 2.4 Million Players, Rapid Growth <#m_-6885562772683518420_0073599> *Marketplace* - Simplify Cloud Management - Multi-Cloud Command & Control from Key Info <#m_-6885562772683518420_ad729> - Neohire South <#m_-6885562772683518420_ad720> - Square 1 Bank <#m_-6885562772683518420_ad695> - Stubbs Alderton & Markiles Preccelerator <#m_-6885562772683518420_ad694> - Oracle <#m_-6885562772683518420_ad683> - SoCal IP Law Group LLP - Serving the IP Needs of Technology Innovators <#m_-6885562772683518420_ad611> *Monday, February 5, 2018* *Recurring Revenue Conference 2018 - April 12 - LA <https://www.eventbrite.com/e/recurring-revenue-conference-2018-tickets-39268937449?mc_cid=baa792f715&mc_eid=2cd2c15b76>* Sutton Capital Partners is proud to present the fourth annual RECURRING REVENUE CONFERENCE. We invite entrepreneurs, executives and investors who want to learn about the latest innovations, business models and customer retention to achieve explosive growth. Whether you are a SaaS or subscription business, or if customer retention is critical for your success, this is the premier Southern California event to learn from the tech pioneers. Today’s analytical insights, coupled with disciplined tactics are enabling companies to deepen their customer relationships in unparalleled ways. Come hear from experts who are successfully growing their industry-leading companies, as well as from the investors backing them. Register today! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/recurring-revenue-conference- 2018-tickets-39268937449?mc_cid=baa792f715&mc_eid=2cd2c15b76 *Fair Acquires Skurt* <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073619.html> Los Angeles-based car leasing startup Fair, led by technology veteran Scott Painter, has acquired Los Angeles-based on-demand car rental service Skurt, according to reports this morning. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced. Skurt was venture backed by Upfront Ventures, BMW, Cross Culture Ventures, Expansion VC, Greycroft Partners, and Magic Johnson. (More... <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073619.html>) *SmartAction Finds Funding From Staley, TVC Capital* <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073617.html> El Seguno-based SmartAction, which is developing artificial intelligence-driven, call center automation software, said today that it has raised funding in a management recapitalization by private equity investors Staley Capital and TVC Capital. Financial details of the recapitalization were not announced. Staley Capital is based in Boston, and TVC Capital is based in San Diego. (Funding Details <https://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/index.php?action=showco&id=35198>)( More... <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073617.html>) *Report: Amazon's Centers In San Bernardino Means More Jobs, But Not Much Benefit* <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073618.html> A report, published this weekend by The Atlantic, says that despite offering lots of jobs to workers in San Bernardino, the net result has been less pay and a lot less stability--and even an increase in the poverty rate in the city. (More... <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073618.html>) *Broadcom Bumps Offer For Qualcomm* <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073616.html> San Diego-based Qualcomm said this morning that it has received a revised proposal from Irvine-based Broadcom, where Broadcom has offered to pay $60.00 per share in cash and $22 per share in Broadcom stock for all outstanding shares of Qualcomm. The offer is an increase over an earier offer, made in November, where Broadcom offered to pay $60.00 in cash and $10.00 in Broadcom stock--an offer that was rejected by Qualcomm's board. The new offer values Qualcomm at $121 billion. (More... <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073616.html>) *Leaf Group Seeks To Raise $22M For Acquisition, Other Efforts* <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073615.html> Santa Monica-based Leaf Group, the publicly traded consumer Internet company best known for running such sites as Saatchi Art, Society6, EHow, and Livestrong, said it is looking to offer and sell approximately $22M in shares of its common stock. The company--which trades on the NYSE as LFGR--said the funds would go to working capital and general corporate purposes, plus to acquire or invest in complementary businesses, products and technologies. (More... <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073615.html>) *LA's Blockchain Moguls Flock To Puerto Rico* <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073614.html> There's a huge amount of newly minted Bitcoin and Blockchain wealth in Southern California--and in particular, Los Angeles--which is now setting down a new base of operations in Puerto Rico, according to a new report from the New York Times, published Friday. The report details how such LA Blockchain moguls as Brock Pierce--director of the Bitcoin foundation--have been looking to remake Puerto Rico into a Bitcoin paradise. (More... <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073614.html>) *Anzu Partners, With Offices In San Diego, Raises $128.4M Venture Fund* <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073612.html> Anzu Partners, a venture capital and private equity investors focused on industrial technology with offices in the San Diego area, has quietly raised $128.4M in its first venture capital fund. The company--which has offices in La Jolla, plus Massachusetts, Florida, and Washington, DC.--revealed its fund in December, saying it invests in breakthrough industrial technologies, with a focus on manufacturing, materials, monitoring and measurement, and modeling. (More... <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073612.html>) *LA Massage Startup Soothe Buys LA's Melt* <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073610.html> Los Angeles-based on-demand, massage service Soothe says it has acquired fellow LA massage service Melt, the two said this week, to grow Soothe's Los Angeles network. Soothe--which says it is available in over 55 cities across the US, Canada, UK, and Austrlia--did not disclose financial details of the buy. Soothe's CEO and founder is Merlin Kauffman. Soothe offers up on-demand massage service in homes and hotels, and says it uses vetted, certified massage therapists for its service. (More... <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073610.html>) *TS2 Holdings Acquires Three Companies, Including Neohire South, Hero.jobs* <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073604.html> Los Angeles-based TS2 Holdings, a strategic business development firm focused on the technology industry, said on Friday morning that it has acquired three companies, including Neohire South, RockIT Recruiting, and Hero.jobs. Neohire South is a recruiting company with offices in Santa Monica and Tarzana, RockIT Recruiting is a tech recruiting company based in San Francisco, and Hero.jobs is a recuiting software company based in Santa Monica. (More... <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073604.html>) *Bitvore Brings Latest Funding Round To $14.2M* <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073603.html> Irvine-based Bitvore, the big data, artificial intelligence, and data analytics startup, has upped its latest funding round to $14.2M, as part of what appears to be an ongoing $17.75M funding effort. According to a regulatory filing by Bitvore, the funding comes as part of an round which kicked off in December of 2016, and so far includes 36 investors. (Funding Details <https://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showco&id=39568>)( More... <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073603.html>) *HyreCar Raises $1.46M In Debt Funding* <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073602.html> Los Angeles-based online car rental service HyreCar has just raised $1.465M in debt funding, as part of an ongoing $2.3M funding round, according to a regulatory filing from the firm on Thursday. Details on the funding--which appears to be a convertible note or bridge round, with warrants--have not yet been announced. According to those filings, the funding comes on top of $1.65M in equity raised in a round which opened in June of 2017. That earlier equity funding had a target of $2. (Funding Details <https://www.socaltech.com/intelligence/?action=showco&id=56561>)(More... <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073602.html>) *Factual Launches New Data Tools* <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073601.html> Los Angeles-based Factual, the location data startup led by Gil Elbaz, said this week that it has launched a brand new set of tools, called Geopulse Insights and Geopulse Measurement. Accordign to Factual, the new tools help marketers understand customer behavior, and link real-world, customer behavior to their online marketing campaigns. Pricing on the new software was not announced. (More... <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073601.html>) *FriendO Claims 2.4 Million Players, Rapid Growth* <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073599.html> Los Angeles-based mobile gaming developer *FriendO <https://www.friendome.com/>*, which develops a social game which lets friends ask each other questions and gather answers, says it has just reached 2.4 million players, only six months of launch. The startup says it is backed by such investors as Brad Jones (of Redpoint Ventures), Mucker Capital, and Michael Greenberg (President of Skechers). FriendO's app runs both on iOS and Android.(More... <https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0073599.html>) *Simplify Cloud Management - Multi-Cloud Command & Control from Key Info <https://www.keyinfo.com/public-cloud/#streamone>* Simplify Cloud Management - Multi-Cloud Command & Control from Key Information Systems A major downfall of a hybrid or multi-cloud environment is the difficulty in monitoring and maintaining numerous instances across several accounts and platforms. Add that to deployment complexity and capacity issues, and your business will struggle to reap the benefits of cloud. A multi-cloud consolidation platform from KeyInfo solves these issues and more! KeyInfo provides top notch multi-cloud services, management capabilities and tailored support. We enable customers to procure cloud services from a single source, allowing for the access and management of a full range of industry-leading IaaS cloud providers including Amazon Web Services, IBM, Microsoft and more. We work with you to meet your cloud strategy needs and enable you to leverage all of the unique capabilities of the platform. To schedule an appointment, visit https://www.keyinfo.com/public-cloud/#streamone *Neohire South <http://www.neohiresouth.com>* Your source for the most sought-after startup jobs. At Neohire South, we take our relationships seriously. We apply years of industry experience to assess and curate our talent pool - connecting only top-notch tech candidates with the most exciting startups in the industry. Whether you’re building your team or searching for a job you love, we want to understand your unique needs and goals to create an incredible fit for your future. http://www.neohiresouth.com *Square 1 Bank <http://www.square1bank.com>* Square 1 Bank is a division of Pacific Western Bank, a Los Angeles-based commercial bank with over $21 billion in assets. A full service financial services partner to entrepreneurs and their investors, Square 1 provides clients flexible resources and attentive service to help their companies grow. Square 1 offers a broad range of venture debt, treasury and cash management solutions through offices in top innovation centers: Atlanta, Austin, the Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Durham, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, San Diego, Seattle and Washington, DC. Pacific Western Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PacWest Bancorp (NASDAQ:PACW). For more information, visit www.square1bank.com, or send an email to [email protected]. *Stubbs Alderton & Markiles Preccelerator <http://stubbsalderton.com/preccelerator/>* Accelerating Growth for Early Stage Innovation The Preccelerator® Program is a platform offered to select start-up companies out of the Santa Monica office of Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP that provides interim office space, sophisticated legal services, mentorship and access to a strategic perks portfolio with the objective of helping you grow your idea from business concept to funded startup. The Preccelerator® Program provides these benefits to as many as 10 promising young startups in separate growth tracks. http://stubbsalderton.com/preccelerator/ *Oracle <http://www.oracle.com>* 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]). *SoCal IP Law Group LLP - Serving the IP Needs of Technology Innovators <http://www.socalip.com>* IP Litigation . IP Transactions . Patent & Trademark Prosecution . IP Strategy . Westlake Village . Santa Barbara . Irvine. [email protected] 805-230-1350 www.socalip.com ------------------------------ *Recent Funding <#m_-6885562772683518420_funding>* 2/05/18 SmartAction <http:///intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=90024> El Segundo $0.00 M 2/02/18 Bitvore <http:///intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=89970> Irvine $14.20 M 2/01/18 Joymode <http:///intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=89926> Los Angeles $14.00 M 2/01/18 Epics.gg <http:///intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=89971> Los Angeles $2.00 M 1/31/18 Scopely <http:///intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=89903> Culver City $125.00 M 1/30/18 Mammoth Media <http:///intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=89894> Los Angeles $13.00 M 1/30/18 Wag <http:///intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=89831> Los Angeles $300.00 M 1/29/18 Hoopo <http:///intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=89828> Santa Monica $1.50 M 1/26/18 Skydance Media <http:///intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=89815> Marina Del Rey $0.00 M 1/26/18 Songtradr, Inc. <http:///intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=89817> West Hollywood $4.00 M 1/24/18 Appetize <http:///intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=89799> Los Angeles $20.00 M 1/24/18 Bonti, Inc. <http:///intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=82752> Newport Beach $15.50 M 1/23/18 Skylar Body <http:///intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=89816> Venice $3.00 M 1/22/18 Mars Reel <http:///intelligence/?action=showdeal&id=89635> Los Angeles $2.70 M ------------------------------ *Upcoming Events* Submit your events at least two weeks in advance to: http://www.socaltech.com/submitevent.html February 5, Westlake Village -- *Female Entrepreneurship MeetUp* Female Entrepreneurship Meet Up. This is an ongoing series of events throughout 2018 that will highlight inspirational women from our community. We hope to encourage women to build relationships with one another in order to share their experiences building their career or business, find peer support, and to become more active in the communities around them. All are welcome. Be sure to bring a friend to this free event. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25997 February 5, Marina Del Rey -- *2018 Digital Entertainment World -Digital Entertainment World* Digital Entertainment World (DEW2018). Recognized by Hollywood insiders, digital influencers and industry leaders throughout the world as a "must-attend" event, now in its 5th year Digital Entertainment World (DEW) is where you want to be if you are in the business of creating or monetizing digital entertainment content. DEW 2018 focuses on "The FUTURE of..." and will cover topics from OTT to Innovation to eSports to Millennials to Content Marketing to VR/AR to Music Rights to Startups, etc., as this theme guides all talks, discussions, meetings and presentations over the two days. This year's event will be held in the hip and modern Marina del Rey Marriott just steps from the beach and located in the heart of LA's thriving Silicon Beach with easy access to Santa Monica, Venice and Playa Vista. The event includes keynotes, fireside chats, presentations, panel discussions, tech demos, startup competition, innovative exhibitions, daily DJ music and performers and the best networking in the hotel's Sinder Lounge. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25977 February 6, Marina Del Rey -- *2018 Digital Entertainment World -Digital Entertainment World* Digital Entertainment World (DEW2018). Recognized by Hollywood insiders, digital influencers and industry leaders throughout the world as a "must-attend" event, now in its 5th year Digital Entertainment World (DEW) is where you want to be if you are in the business of creating or monetizing digital entertainment content. DEW 2018 focuses on "The FUTURE of..." and will cover topics from OTT to Innovation to eSports to Millennials to Content Marketing to VR/AR to Music Rights to Startups, etc., as this theme guides all talks, discussions, meetings and presentations over the two days. This year's event will be held in the hip and modern Marina del Rey Marriott just steps from the beach and located in the heart of LA's thriving Silicon Beach with easy access to Santa Monica, Venice and Playa Vista. The event includes keynotes, fireside chats, presentations, panel discussions, tech demos, startup competition, innovative exhibitions, daily DJ music and performers and the best networking in the hotel's Sinder Lounge. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25978 February 7, Venice -- *Silicon Beach Networking Mixer at WurstkucheIn Venice (Discounted Beers)* Silicon Beach Networking Mixer at Wurstkuche In Venice (Discounted Beers). Wednesday, February 7th Starting at 6pm! Meet new people and participate in lively discussions with outstanding names in the Silicon Beach community. Make sure to bring your business cards and be ready to make awesome connections with people across all industries. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25998 February 8, Irvine -- *TCVN: Structuring Your Company forSuccess* TCVN. Structuring Your Company for Success. Choosing a structure for your company is typically a confusing and difficult process. Ask three lawyers and get five different answers! Corporation or LLC? Delaware, California or Nevada? C-corp. or S-corp.? Confused? Many factors come into play when choosing an organizational structure. While most choices are not irrevocable, it is in entrepreneur’s best interest to make a well-informed decision early. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25991 February 13, Irvine -- *OCTANe Coffee at The Cove: ABCs of MedDevice Funding with Visionary Venture Fund* OCTANe Coffee at The Cove: ABC’s of Med Device Funding. Join us Tuesday, February 13th for a discussion about the ABC’s of med device funding and an inside look at the Visionary Venture Fund, which was rated top three most active venture funds in healthcare in 2017 by PWC. Coffee & quality bagels will be provided. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25995 February 21, Santa moniac -- *Silicon Beach Networking Mixer at TheRoom In Santa Monica (Limited Free Drinks)* Silicon Beach Networking Mixer at The Room In Santa Monica (Limited Free Drinks). Wednesday, February 21st Starting at 6pm! Meet new people and participate in lively discussions with outstanding names in the Silicon Beach community. Make sure to bring your business cards and be ready to make awesome connections with people across all industries. We always have a great mix of people from Influencers to Startup CEO's and more. Register immediately for an early bird ticket. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25999 February 22, San Diego -- *Fundraising for HealthTech* Fundraising for HealthTech. San Diego Venture Group. On raising early-stage capital in HealthTech and Life Sciences — plus a meet-and-greet with several of San Diego's most interesting HealthTech and Life Science startups. See http://www.socaltech.com/calendar/eventid/25986 ------------------------------ *Recent Job Postings * More jobs at http://www.socaltech.com/Jobs CFO or VP Finance <http:///showjob.php?id=5698> withheld Product Engineer I <http:///showjob.php?id=5697> Aerovironment Head of CRM Marketing <http:///showjob.php?id=5696> Thrive Market Accounts Payable Specialist <http:///showjob.php?id=5695> Snap Inc. Hardware Development Manager <http:///showjob.php?id=5694> SpaceX Cloud Management Architect <http:///showjob.php?id=5693> Withheld Engineering Mgr, Electrical Hardware. Aerospace. Valencia <http:///showjob.php?id=5691> withheld Sr. DevOps Engineer near Hollywood, CA at Awesome Startup <http:///showjob.php?id=5690> ZestFinance Director, Product Management, Video <http:///showjob.php?id=5689> OpenX Vice President, Investor Relations <http:///showjob.php?id=5688> Rubicon Project Senior Accountant, Technical Accounting <http:///showjob.php?id=5687> Snap Inc. Development Test Engineer <http:///showjob.php?id=5686> SpaceX Quality Assurance Engineer <http:///showjob.php?id=5685> Leaf Group Associate Recruiter <http:///showjob.php?id=5684> Safire Partners Senior Product Development Manager <http:///showjob.php?id=5680> Belkin ------------------------------ ------------------------------ *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). Key info (http://www.keyinfo.com) infrastructure ~ connectivity ~ co-location ~ cloud Shimokaji IP (http://www.shimokaji.com) Bettering Life Through Creative Ideas Neohire South (http://www.neohiresouth.com) Scaling startups since 2007. The #1 most connected recruiting firm in LA. Singer Lewak (http://www.singerlewak.com) Accounting and Consulting for Growing and Innovative Businesses Email [email protected] for more information about sponsoring this newsletter. ------------------------------ You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the socalTECH.com TechNews from our web site, or otherwise requested a subscription. If you do not want to receive this newsletter go to: http://listserv.socaltech.com/ mailman/listinfo/socaltech or email us at [email protected] ------------------------------ Legal Notices ---- While SOCALTECH LLC has used its best efforts in collecting and preparing the information published herein, SOCALTECH LLC does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any liability for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions resulted from negligence, accident or other causes. All contents Copyright (c) 2017 SOCALTECH LLC. All rights reserved. socalTECH.com - Dedicated to High Tech in Southern California http://www.socaltech.com/ SOCALTECH LLC 4607 Lakeview Canyon Road, Suite 290, Westlake Village, CA 91361
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