Irvine-based Kurion, the venture-backed startup which has been instrumental in cleanups of the beleaguered Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, reported this morning that it has acquired a company focused on stablizing radioactive materials. Kurion said it has acquired all of the assets of the GeoMelt business of Impact Services, Inc., along with associated licenses of GeoSafe Corporation, a subsidiary of Battelle....Continue →

In our Insights and Opinions section, we feature opinions, advice, and more from notable people in the local technology industry. Today, we have a piece from Frank Addante, serial entrepreneur and the CEO and founder of Rubicon Project, the Los Angeles advertising technology developer.




In today's digital age, it's hard to focus. But the Not-Right-Now list can help you get things done


Most people operate with To-Do lists....Continue →

Ace Metrix, a provider of technology for television advertising analytics, said today that it has raised $8M in a funding round from WPP, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, Leapfrog Ventures, and Palomar Ventures. The firm, which is headquartered in Mountain View, also has operations in El Segundo, and was founded in Los Angeles. The company said the new funding round will go towards accelerating growth, product development, and expansion into new markets. Ace Metrix is headed by Peter Daboll....Continue →

Thousand Oaks-based Teledyne Technologies announced this morning that it is acquiring New York-based instrumentation and measurement firm LeCroy, in a deal worth $291M. According to the two, Teledyne will pay $14.30 per share in cash for LeCroy. LeCroy is a maker of oscilloscopes, serial data analyzers, and other scientific equipment. The two said that LeCroy will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Teledyne....Continue →

Camarillo-based Cool Planet Energy Systems, the venture backed developer of technology to convert cellulosic biomass into gasoline, reported today that it has appointed both a new President and CEO as well as a VP. The firm said it has named Howard Janzen as President and CEO, and Michael Bukowki as VP of Fuel Production. Janzen was most recently CEO of One Communications, and also served as head of Sprint Business Solutions. He also served at Williams Communications Group....Continue →

San Diego-based Skinit, the developer of the wrap-around, customized "skins" and protective products for electronics devices, announced today that it has expanded into hard consumer electronics cases, covers, and screen protectors. The new devices features the same ability to apply personalized graphics and designs to the cases. The company said its new cases will support devices like the Apple iPhone, iPad, iPod, Macbook Air, Nokia Lumia, Kindle Fire, and Samsung Galaxy....Continue →

Camarillo-based Vitesse Semiconductor is reporting a design win this morning, with Edge-Core, a developer of networking equipment. Vitesse said that Edge-Core is using its SimplyPHY 1 GE PHYs and SparX-III Gigabit Ethernet switches to power its new SMC Smart L2 switch products. Financial impact of the win, and shipment volumes, were not nanounced by Vitesse. Vitesse is a developer of high speed networking semiconductors....Continue →

In a resounding success for Southern California spaceflight firm SpaceX, the firm's Dragon capsule successfully docked and was bolted to the International Space Station at 12:02 p.m. EDT this morning, according to NASA. SpaceX, the brainchild of technology mogul Elon Musk, was able to launch its module into space using its Falcon 9 rocket, delivering food and clothing to the International Space Station in a historic mission....Continue →

Aliso Viejo-based Quest Software is in discussions with Dell about an acquisition, according to reports today. No details on the discussions have been released, however, BusinessWeek said that Dell is mulling an acquisition of Quest, which is already in the midst of a $2 billion, going-private deal with Insight venture Partners. That deal was announced in March. Quest is a provider of enterprise IT management software....Continue →

Hawthorne-based SpaceX, the commercial spacecraft firm headed by Elon Musk, is set to make more history today as the firm was successfully grappled by an arm on the International Space Station, in preparation for docking with the ISS. SpaceX's Dragon capsule was captured by the ISS Friday morning, in the process of docking the Dragon with the ISS. SpaceX is the first commercial spaceflight company to reach the ISS. Astronauts on the ISS are in the process of connecting the Dragon with the ISS....Continue →

Santa Barbara-based Sonos, the user-friendly developer of whole-home music and sound systems, has apparently snagged a new, high profile sales chief--the former Executive Vice President of Global Sales of Research In Motion, the maker of the Blackberry smartphone. According to multiple reports, Patrick Spence, who recently resigned from RIM, is taking the Chief Commercial Officer post at Sonos. The move was first reported by Reuters, which cited multiple sources with "knowledge of his plans"....Continue →