Monday, November 27, 2006VeriSign Acquires inCode WirelessMountain View-based VeriSign said today that it is in a definitive agreement to acquire San Diego-based inCode Wireless, a consulting and business firm. The deal is worth $52M. InCode provides wireless business and technology consulting to wireless, wireline, cable, and telecom equipment manufacturers. VeriSign said that the acquisition will not be material to its 2006 financial results. InCode is backed by Sequoia Capital, Focus Ventures, and inOvate.
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Digital Performance Gets $500KLong Beach-based Digital Performance has raised $500,000 in funding, according Momentum Venture Management. Digital Performance provides online tools and software for automotive products information. The funding came from Momentum Venture Management, a firm that provides early stage investment advice and guidance. Andy Wilson of Momentum Venture Management joins Digital Performance as the firm's CEO.
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Interview with Keith Richman, Break.comKeith Richman is the CEO of Break.com (www.break.com), an online web video site focused on the male market. socalTECH's Ben Kuo interviewed Keith to learn a little bit about the site and business.
Can you tell us a little bit about Break.com?
Keith Richman: Break was started in 2004. The goal in many ways is what we are today, which is an entertainment channel for fifteen to thirty-five year old males. We started posting web videos, and in December of 2004 started specifically focusing on (More info...)
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MusicPlusTV.com Gets Investment RoundLos Angeles-based MusicPlusTV.com, an online content site focused on music and media, said today that it has received a first round of private equity funding from Kenai Investment LLC. Size of the funding was not disclosed. MusicPlusTV.com said that the round comes in addition to $3M in seed funding from co-founder and CEO Marc Cubas. MusicPlusTV.com provides an online television network focused on undar-the-radar music and media. The firm said the funding will be used to expand the firm's infra (More info...)
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Report: Online Black Friday Sales Jump 42 PercentOnline traffic reporting and tracking service comScore Networks is reporting that online sales on Black Friday were up 42 percent versus last year, with $434M in spending on U.S. sites. The firm said that there was a high level of online retail spending this year for the holiday season so far, with $8.31 billion in online retail spending so far since November 1st, up 23 percent from last year. However, according to Nielsen Netratings, overall Black Friday traffic grew 12 percent this year. Niels (More info...)
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BandTel Opens VAR ProgramNewport Beach-based BandTel said today that it has opened up a new program aimed at value added resellers. The firm, which provides SIP trunking services for the voice-over-IP market, said that it will provide new usage-based commissions, cash bonuses, as well as marketing materials and training. BandTel's services are used to connect enterprise partners using Voice-over-IP equipment.
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Fandango Appoints COO, CTOLos Angeles-based Fandango has named two new executives, saying last week that the firm has promoted Rick Butler to Chief Operating Officer of the firm, and appointing Shane O'Neill as Chief Technical Officer. Butler was most recently CIO and VP of Operations for the firm, and has also served at Financialprinter.com and Bowne Business Solutions. O'Neill was most recently CTO and VP at Time Warner's Synapse Group. Fandango is a provider of online movie ticketing services.
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Axion Launches Portable Navigation DevicesPomona-based Axion, a provider of portable electronics, said today that it has launched its first personal navigation unit. The firm's new Geo-632 provides a color screen, turn-by-turn navigation device designed for drivers. The new device provides trip planning, points of interest, and other features. Axion is a manufacturer of personal entertainment and other portable devices.
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Telelogic Upgrades SOA ToolIrvine-based Telelogic announced today an upgrade to the firm's software modeling and design application. The firm said that its Tau 3.0 tool is targeted at enterprise IT applications and Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) environments. The upgraded application now supports round-trip code support for Java5, C#, and C++; better IDE integration with Eclipse and .NET; and SOA support.
posted on Monday, November 27, 2006(Full story)