Wednesday, October 11, 2006Interview with W. Lewis Johnson, Founder of AleloWe recently ran across Alelo (www.alelo.com), a startup and University of Southern California spinout developing interactive games used by the military. The company's very engaging, interactive 3D role playing games teach languages like Arabic and Pashto to troops being deployed to the Middle East. Using speech recognition and other technology, the titles teach foreign languages to players as they go through the game in simulated environments like Iraq. We spoke with Dr. W. Lewis Johnson, CEO of (More info...)
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CoDa Therapeutics Receives $10MSan Diego-based CoDa Therapeutics has received $10M in Series A financing, the firm reported this morning. Funding came from Domain Associates. CoDa Therapeutics is developing wound care treatments. CoDa said that it also anticipates the closing of an additional $5 to $10M in financing during the next 90 days. CoDa is headed by Bradford J. Duft, who was most recently an executive at Amylin Pharmaceuticals. The firm said that the funding would go towards IND enabling formulation and studies to pe (More info...)
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Report: LightPointe Raises Funding, RevivesThe online publication Unstrung is reporting that San Diego-based LightPointe has raised new venture capital funding, and has emerged with a new management team. According to Unstrung, the firm was revived after looking for a buyer and filing for Chapter 11 when the firm's general manager, Cathal OScolai and a team of old and new employees put together a play for financial recovery. Reportedly the firm received new investment from West Coast Venture Capital and Exa Ventures. Calls to OScolai to (More info...)
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Spire Equity Launches Private Equity FirmCamarillo-based Spire Equity has launched a new private equity firm, focused on software, online network, new media, communications and entertainment. The new firm, which was founded Michael Edell, Frederick Ackourey, and Ron Means, will focus on strategic planning and execution for seed and early stage ventures. Edell is the former President and CEO of eLabor; Ackourey was vice president of product development at Zhone Technologies; and Means was CEO for Market Scan
Information Systems.
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LightPointe Revamps, RestartsSan Diego-based LightPointe Communications has hired back its core team, raised funding, and is in the process of reorganizing the company and revamping its business model, according to Cathal OScolai, the firm's general manager. OScolai confirmed the firm's funding by Exa Ventures and West Coast Venture Capital, and said that the company has sized the company appropriately for the market. The firm is now targeting developing countries which are using free space optics to leapfrog wired infrastr (More info...)
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ITC Judge Rules That Qualcomm Infringes On Broadcom PatentIrvine-based Broadcom said in a statement Tuesday that a judge has ruled that Qualcomm has infringed on a Broadcom patent, as the two firms continue their long running patent battle. Broadcom said that an U.S. International Trade Commission judge has ruled that Qualcomm infringes on a Broadcom patent. Broadcom had asserted infringement of three Broadcom patents by Qualcomm, but the judge only found one to be infringed. Broadcom said that it expected the commission to issue a permanent exclusion (More info...)
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Qualcomm Open Sources EudoraSan Diego-based Qualcomm announced today that it has teamed up with the Mozilla Foundation to develop an open source version of its popular Eudora email program. Qualcomm said that future versions of Eudora will be based on the same technology platform as Mozilla's open source Thunderbird email program. New versions of the software will be free and available via open source. Qualcomm said that the final commercial versions of its products have been released, and that it will cease to sell Eudora (More info...)
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Belkin Ships Universal Docking HardwareCompton, California-based Belkin has shipped a new universal docking product which allows laptop users to connect their computers via an ExpressCard port. The new Notebook Expansion Dock product, which ships in North America in late November, allows users to connect their laptops to external monitors and devices without using USB 2.0 bandwidth. The new expansion dock is the first consumer ExpressCard dock available on the market.
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Docufide Partners With NavianceLos Angeles-based Docufide has partnered with Naviance, a provider of online planning and advising systems. Docufide, which provides electronioc transcript processing for college bound students, said that Naviance will help the firm's counseling customers automate the delivery and tracking of transcripts send to colleges. Docufide is backed by the Tech Coast Angels, Pasadena Angels, and others. Naviance is a provider of web-based planning and advising systems for secondary schools.
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