Thursday, May 15, 2008Urbaniacs.com Ties Into L.A. Derby DollsEncino-based Urbaniacs, an online virtual world focused on comic book heros, said today that it has inked an agreement with the L.A. Derby Dolls, a Los Angeles-based roller derby league for women. According to the firm, Urbaniacs will provide avatars based on the Derby Dolls to its online web site. In addition, Urbaniacs said it would co-sponsor the L.A. Derby Dolls summer camp for teenage girls. Urbaniacs provides an online web site focused entirely on comic-strip style avatars, and is focused (More info...)
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Twistbox Entertainment Adds Self Help ContentLos Angeles-based Twistbox Entertainment, a venture funded developer of mobile applications, has inked a partnership with a provider of self-help content. According to Twistbox, it will work with The Learning Annex, which produces self-help edutainment seminars, lectures, classes, and workshops, to bring the company's celebrities and content to mobile phones. Financial impact of the deal was not disclosed. Twistbox said it will provide self-help programming from The Learning Annex, ranging from (More info...)
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Sometrics Raises Funding RoundLos Angeles-based Sometrics, a firm developing applications for gathering analytics about social networking applications, has raised a round of funding from The Mail Room Fund and Greycroft Partners. The firm's CEO, Ian Swanson, said the firm is looking to use the new funding round to hire and scale out its services. Swanson told socalTECH that he is looking to scale out the firm's back end infrastructure. The firm's product currently works with Facebook, MySpace, and all other open social netwo (More info...)
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Lexico Publishing Acquired By Ask.comLexico Publishing Group, a Long Beach-based firm that operates the Dictionary.com, Thesaurus.com, and Reference.com web sites, has been acquired by search provider Ask.com, in an all-cash deal. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Ask.com said that Lexico helps expand the firm's monthly unique visitors by 15.6M. Ask said that Lexico is profitbale, and has been seeing high double digit growth for the past two years. Lexico was founded in 1995 by Brian Kariger and Daniel Fierro. (More info...)
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Broadcom Suspends Samueli, Dull On Stock Options LawsuitIrvine-based semiconductor firm Broadcom Corporation said late Wednesday, that Dr. Henry Samueli, one of the firm's founders and current Chief Technology Officer and Chairman; and David A. Dull, the firm's Senior Vice President and General Counsel, have both taken a leave of absence due to a civil complaint filed against the firm by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC filed suit against Broadcom yesterday over its stock option grant practices, saying that four of the firm's officers (More info...)
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j2 Global Buys Voicemail ProviderLos Angeles-based j2 Global Communications, a provider of Internet fax, voice mail, and other services, said this morning that it has acquired Phone People Holdings Corporation, a San Diego-based provider of enhanced voice services. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. j2 Global said the financial impact of the acquisition is not expected to be material to the firm. Phone People offers toll free numbers and outsourced voice mail services via a monthly subscription. Phone People's serv (More info...)
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