Thursday, January 22, 2009Zag Raises FundingSanta Monica-based Zag, which has developed an automobile configuration and buying service for affinity organizations like credit unions and automobile organizations, has a funding round of undisclosed size. TechCrunch has reported the round at $32.4M, however, we have not been able to confirm the amount or investors involved. Zag has previously received funding from Anthem Ventures, Arcturus Capital, Capital One, Capricorn Management, GRP Partners, and the Tech Coast Angels, but it is unclear i (More info...)
posted on Thursday, January 22, 2009 (More)(Full story)
Access 360, Endemol Partner On SeriesLos Angeles-based Access 360 and production company Endemol USA said Thursday that the two firms have partnered on a new series, which will run on Access 360's media network. Access 360, develops content for in-store, retail media displays for retailers such as f.y.e., said will run a new series called Waiting for a Ride, which will focus on friends looking for the "West Coast's best waves." The new series will run on Access 360's retail screens, and will be supported by sponsors. The two firms (More info...)
posted on Thursday, January 22, 2009(Full story)
Qualcomm Snags Exec From HandangoSan Diego-based Qualcomm announced Thursday afternoon that it has hired on Bill Stone as Senior Vice President and President of the firm's FLO TV unit. Stone was most recently CEO of mobile content developer Handango, and has also served at GTE Wireless, AirTouch Cellular, Vodafone, Verizon and Amp'd Mobile. Stone replaces Gina Lombardi. Immediately prior to becoming CEO of Handango, Stone was president of Amp'd Mobile, where Qualcomm said he was responsible for strategy, planning and operations (More info...)
posted on Thursday, January 22, 2009(Full story)
Overland Looks Toward Services, Creates Solutions GroupSan Diego-based Overland Storage is looking beyond hardware, and into services, saying Thursday that it has created a new Solution Engineering Group. The firm said that the new group will focus on development and delivery of "complete" data protection offerings, pulled from the firm's tape, disk, NAS, SAN, and third party products. Overland explained that the new organization will be led by Dan Davies, who has been appointed as Vice President of solutions engineering.
posted on Thursday, January 22, 2009(Full story)
Axikin Pharmaceuticals Gets $3MSan Diego-based Axikin Pharmaceuticals, a new startup focused on small molecule therapeutics for respiratory and inflammatory disease, announced Thursday that it has raised $3M in a Series A funding. The company, which is a spinout of Actimis, said the funding was led by Sanderling Ventures, and also included Mitsui & Co. Venture Partners. Axikin's compounds are targeted at treating conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), inflammatory dermatoses, inflammatory bow (More info...)
posted on Thursday, January 22, 2009 (More)(Full story)
KlickSports.com Debuts Sports Prediction SiteLos Angeles-based KlickSports has quietly launched a new, online sports game focused on allowing sports fan to make predictions and interact with others. The Los Angeles-based startup, which is backed by angel investors, is hoping that sports fans will get hooked into the firm's site, which allows football, basketball, baseball, and other sports fans to make predictions on games and plays, and trade banter with other fans. KlickSports--which has scored $1.2M in angel funding--uses technology to (More info...)
posted on Thursday, January 22, 2009(Full story)
Veoh Spins Browser Add-OnSan Diego- and Los Angeles- based video sharing site Veoh Networks is looking to have users continually view and find videos on the site in their web browser, saying today that it has rolled out a new web browser add-on. The firm said the new product, called the Veoh Video Compass, will instantly recommend online videos depending on what page a users is searching or browsing. Veoh said that the addon--which is available for Firefox 3 and Internet Explorer 7--will pull content form Veoh's site, a (More info...)
posted on Thursday, January 22, 2009(Full story)
CalAmp Links With Jasper WirelessOxnard-based CalAmp, a developer of wireless products and services, said Thursday that it has linked with Jasper Wireless, a provider of services for the wireless market. According to CalAmp, the deal will expand the service area of its mobile asset tracking business across Europe and the Americas. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Jasper Wireless provides billing, automated provisioning of wireless devices, and other services to wireless providers.
posted on Thursday, January 22, 2009(Full story)
Jazz Semiconductor Expands In KoreaNewport Beach-based Jazz Semiconductor, which is now a subsidiary of Israeli firm Tower Semiconductor, announced Thursday that the firm is expanding its business presence and activity in Korea. According to the firm, it has appointed a new Korea Country Manager, Michael Song, to manage the firm's operations in the area. Jazz did not detail Song's experience, but said he has "extensive industry experience in Korea." Jazz Semiconductor said that it is providing integrated device manufacturers and (More info...)
posted on Thursday, January 22, 2009(Full story)