Monday, June 8, 2009


Microsemi Buys Semiconductor Design Firm
Irvine-based Microsemi has made another acquisition, saying Monday that it has acquired Nexsem, another Orange County-based semiconductor manufacturing firm. Microsemi did not disclose terms of the deal. Nexsem makes high voltace, DC-to-DC conversion devices used for set top boxes, LCD TVs, notebooks, and other electronics products. Microsemi said the buy would complement the firm's existing power management offerings. The acquisition is the third for Microsemi in recent months; the firm bought (More info...)
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EdgeCast Inks Patent Licensing Deal, Adds Customers
Los Angeles-based EdgeCast Networks, a provider of content delivery networking services, is announcing today that it has inked an intellectual property licensing agreement with Web.com. According to EdgeCast, the IP deal grants the firm a license for more than thirty issued and pending patents, covering display and delivery of rich media; automated hosting and server management; load balancing; dynamic DNS, and other technology. The firm said the patents date from as early as 1994. In exchange f (More info...)
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RotoHog Wins Sporting News
Los Angeles-based RotoHog, which develops fantasy sports games, announced Monday that the firm has signed on Sporting news, to create fantasy games for the brand. According to RotoHog, it will build free and paid online fantasy games for football, basketball, hockey, golf and motor sports for Sporting News, to be featured on the publication's web site. Financial terms of the multi-year agreement were not disclosed. RotoHog said it will begin providing the games, starting with football, in late s (More info...)
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Topanga Technologies Ups Funding To $3.45M
Canoga Park-based Topanga Technologies, a stealth-mode, developer of energy efficient lighting systems, has now raised $3.45M in funding for the firm, according to a regulatory filing by the company today. Details of the funding have not been announced, however, the firm is backed by Khosla Ventures. Khosla's Ford Tamer sits on the company's board. The $3.45M includes funding since December of 2007.
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Mindspeed Ups Guidance
In a sign that the economic pressure on the semiconductor market may be easing, Newport Beach-based Mindspeed Technologies said Monday that the firm is increasing its third quarter revenue outlook, to $32.0M to $33.0M, up from the $30.0M to $32.0M it had originally forecast. The firm said it is seeing "strength" in all three of its businesses, including voice-over-IP, high performance analog, and wide area networking components. The firm attributed the strength to "better than expected" demand i (More info...)
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Interview Eric Sikola, ExpenseBay
Eric Sikola is CEO of ExpenseBay (www.expensebay.com), a Los Angeles-based, online, software-as-a-service startup which has created an online application which uses Web 2.0 technology to make submitting expense reports extremely easy. The firm has taken the ease-of-use, interconnectivity, and other features we take granted from modern Web 2.0 finance software such as Wesabe and Mint, and applied it to the corporate expense area. What's your company doing? Eric Sikola: We found that the wo (More info...)
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Rubicon Project Hires International VP
Los Angeles-based Rubicon Project announced today that the firm has expanded into the UK, and hired on Jay Stevens as Vice President and General Manager, International. Rubicon, which provides online advertising optimization for web publishers, said that Stevens joins form MySpace, where he was SVP of Audience and also VP of MySpace's European operations. As part of the hire, Rubicon said it has opened up a new office in London. Stevens has also previously served at Silverpop. Rubicon is venture (More info...)
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FatTail Launches Search Traffic Service
Woodland Hills-based FatTail, a developer of software tools for publishers to manage their advertising sales efforts, said over the weekend that the firm has launched a new product, PageGage RAFT, which will allow publishers automatically buy search traffic. According to the firm, the new tool combines ad contract data and website content information to help publishers boost traffic to fulfill their advertising contracts. The firm's product creates keywords and links into search engines to drive (More info...)
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VIZIO Sues LG Electronics
Irvine-based VIZIO, a maker of HDTVs and other consumer electronics, said late Friday that the firm has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Korean electronics firm LG Electronics. Vizio said that its lawsuit alleges that LG infringes on "numerous" VIZIO patents in manufacturing, importation, and distribution of "certain" products, including high definition televisions. Details on the suit were not released, however, VIZIO said it is looking for an injunction that prohibits LG from import (More info...)
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CyberDefender Hires Away Marketing VP From Leadpoint
Los Angeles-based CyberDefender, a developer of PC security, antispyware, and antivirus software, disclosed this morning that it has hired Steven R. Okun as the firm's new Senior Vice President of Marketing. Okun joins the firm from LeadPoint, where he was Vice President of Sales and Business Development. Okun has also previously served at a similar position at Commission Junction, and has also served at Success Learning Systems. CyberDefender said Okun reports to CEO Gary Guseinov and the firm' (More info...)
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VoxOx Adds Callback Feature
San Diego-based VoxOx, a consumer-focused, voice mailbox and unified communications service, announced this morning that the firm has lauunched a new feature which allows users to make low-cost, international phone calls. The firm said it is targeting summer travelers with a new SMS callback feature, which connects users with a cheap, international phone call through a SMS message. The new feature allows users to send an SMS message which will trigger the service to call and connect a person wit (More info...)
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Security First Acquires Coprocessor Firm
Rancho Santa Margarita-based Security First Corp., a provider of information assurance and data security products, disclosed this morning that the firm has acquired Silicon Valley-based DRC Computer Corporation (DRC), a developer of acceleration coprocessors. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. According to Security First, DRC will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Security First. Security First said that it has been using DRC's products as part of a perimeter security a (More info...)
posted on Monday, June 8, 2009(Full story)