Wednesday, June 24, 2009


Break.com Lampoons Twitter
Los Angeles-based Break.com has launched a new lampoon of the micro-messaging service Twitter, saying Wednesday afternoon that it has launched Tweet Boxx, a weekly online web series hosted by "Man in the Box" star Mike Polk. In the premier episode, Polk makes fun of tweets from Kim Kardashian, Soulja Boy, and Shaquille O'Neal, among others. Polk joined Break Media when it acquired HBOLabs last year. Break is headed by Keith Richman.
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Jurvetson Leading SpaceX Funding, Says Report
Venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson, of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, is the lead on a $60M venture capital round in Hawthorne-based SpaceX, the space rocket firm headed by Elon Musk, according to PE Week. SpaceX--which disclosed earlier this year via regulatory filing (and reported in socalTECH) that it had raised $15M out of $60M in a funding round--has Jurvetson listed as a member of its board. Jurvetson is a well known enthusiast for rockets.
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THQ Reorganizes Business Units
Agoura Hills-based THQ reported Wednesday that the firm is reorganizing the firm's management team and business units. According to THQ, it has created three new business units--one focused on "Core Games", another on kids/family and casual games, and another on online properties. The Core Games unit will be headed by Danny Bilson; the Kids/family unit by Doug Clemmer; and Online by Steve Dauterman. The reorg at THQ follows a series of layoffs and cuts of a number of studios at the firm in the l (More info...)
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Big Stage Targets Content Creators
Los Angeles-based Big Stage Entertainment, which develops avatar creation technology for turning photos into animated, 3-D likenesses, said Wednesday that the firm has launched a new effort targeted training content creators on the firm's products. BigStage said its new online effort--Big Stage Studio--is aimed at production studios, advertising, marketing agencies, and others. The firm said it will teach content partners how to use 3D graphics and animation tools to learn steps to mask and moti (More info...)
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AudioMicro Updates Service, Links With SlideRocket
Los Angeles-based AudioMicro, an online stock music and sounds effects startup headed by Ryan Born, is announcing today that it is launching an updated site with a new interface, plus linked its offerings into SlideRocket, which offers an online site for creating presentations. AudioMicro said that it has enhanced browsing and searching capabilities on its site, made it easy for websites and social networking users to embed music tracks into external sites, ability to create "favorite" lists of (More info...)
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Sea Launch Files Chapter 11
Long Beach-based Sea Launch, which was a provider of ocean-based launch services to the commercial satellite industry, said this week that it has filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy. According to the firm, it had assets of between $100M and $500M, and liabilities of between $500M and $1 billion. The firm said it would continue all of its normal business operations, using existing cash and possibly tapping Debtor in Possession financing if necessary. Sea Launch is backed by Boeing, as well (More info...)
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Clean Green Guy Finds Funding, Targets Green Deals
Los Angeles-based Clean Green Guy has closed on a Series A funding, the firm said recently, towards development an online deal marketplace focused on green entrepreneurs. According to the firm, the round came from Artilient Capital Partners. Amount of the funding was not disclosed. Clean Green Guy is headed by Nikhil Jain, who is also the sole managing partner of Artilient Capital Partners.
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QLogic Snags VP From DataDirect
Aliso Viejo-based networking equipment maker QLogic, reported Tuesday that it has hired Martin Darling as vice president of Asia Pacific and Japan Sales. QLogic said Darling will be based in Singapore and will report to Scott Genereux, the company's senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing. Prior to joining QLogic, Darling worked as vice president and general manager of Asia Pacific for Chatsworth-based DataDirect Networks. Before that, QLogic said, he handled Asia Pacific sales fo (More info...)
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eGuardian Partners With Education Firm
Irvine-based eGuardian, a provider of service aimed at protecting children on the web, has partnered with safety education firm i-SAFE, according to investor the Tech Coast Angels. eGuardian develops technology for verifying the age, gender, and location of children on web sites. i-SAFE is a nonprofit which educates consumers about Internet safety. As part of the deal, i-SAFE will offer eGuardian's products as part of its educational program for schools from kindergarten to 12th grade. The TCA i (More info...)
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Local.com Gets Win In Dallas
Irvine-based Local.com reports this morning that the firm has scored a win with the Dallas Morning News, the newspaper owned by A.H. Belo Corporation. According to Local.com, it will power the local search function on the Dallas Morning News' site. The new search function includes a directory of local services in the Dallas/Fort Worth MSA, plus the ability for companies to place their own sponsored search results. Financial impact of the deal was not disclosed.
posted on Wednesday, June 24, 2009(Full story)

Move Sells Welcome Wagon
Westlake Village-based Move, which operates the online real estate site Move.com, Realtor.com, and other related properties, said today that it has sold the assets and certain liabilities of its Welcome Wagon property to South Florida Media Group. Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed. Move has been trying to sell the property since August of 2008, when the firm said it wanted to divest the unit to focus on online real estate. Welcome Wagon provides an online site plus other offline mar (More info...)
posted on Wednesday, June 24, 2009(Full story)