Wednesday, August 5, 2009


NanoH2O Gains $5M
Los Angeles-based NanoH2O, a UCLA spinout commercializing water filtering and desalination technology, has raised $5M in a equity funding, according to a regulatory filing from the firm Wednesday. Details on the funding have not yet been released by the company. The filing continues to list Samir Kaul of Khosla Ventures and Brian Hinman of Oak Investment Partners on the board; both Khosla and Oak are prior investors in the firm. The filing also indicates that Gilad Amogy, and executive from Appl (More info...)
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eSolar Unveils Lancaster Plant
Pasadena-based solar thermal technology developer eSolar has unveiled a Lancaster solar power plant this morning, saying that the firm's 24,000 mirror, 5-megawatt plant will provide electricity for more than 4,000 homes in the Antelope Valley. eSolar announced a solar power deal with Southern California Edison in June of 2008, where it would deploy 245MW of solar in the Antelope Valley by SCE. The firm said that the Sierra SunTower plant is the first of several developments it is planning in the (More info...)
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SoCal Mostly Passed On Battery Stimulus
Southern California was for the most part passed up on the Department of Energy's $2.4 billion in awards, announced today, for stimulating the electric battery industry in the U.S., with only a single project--a $45.4M project from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD)--receiving funds from the program. The Recovery Act Awards for Electric Drive Vehicle Battery and Component Manufacturing Initiative granted 48 projects funding, with the bulk of the funding going to companies i (More info...)
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Yahoo, Microsoft Deal Includes Up To 550 Employees
Further details on the deal between Yahoo and Microsoft have come out in a filing by Yahoo with the SEC, with Yahoo saying that Microsoft will hire at least 400 Yahoo employees, and potentially another 150 employees to help with the transition, as Microsoft takes over the search engine features of Yahoo's sites. Yahoo and Microsoft said last Wednesday that Yahoo will abandon its search engine development efforts, and instead use Microsoft's technology--including Microsoft adCenter. It's unclear (More info...)
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TechForward Raises $4.3M
Los Angeles-based Techforward, which operates a guaranteed buyback service for the consumer electronics industry, has raised $4.3M in a new round of equity funding, according to a regulatory filing form the firm this week. Techforward, which is headed by Jade Van Doren, has previously raised funding from New Enterprise Associates and First Round Capital. No details on the funding have been released by the firm, which allows consumers to lock in a trade-in price on their electronics at the time o (More info...)
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GameStop Looks To LA For Digital Media Head
Video game and entertainment software retailer GameStop has snagged Chris Petrovic, former VP of Digital Media at Playboy Enterprises, as its new digital media head, setting up Petrovic and a team in a corporate office here in Southern California. According to Gamestop, Petrovic will head up digital media and digital sales efforts for the retailer. Petrovic has also served at AG Interactive, the interactive division of American Greetings, theglobe.com, and venture capital firm Prime Ventures, wh (More info...)
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KidZui Launches Video Site
San Diego-based KidZui, which develops kid-friendly browser software, has launched into the online video market today with a new web site, ZuiTube.com. The firm said its new site offers kid-friendly video content through a YouTube-like user interface; and, in fact, the site is powered by YouTube through a developer's license. KidZui said the launch of the new site is a result of increased demand for the YouTube experience from young kids, and complements the firm's existing browser, which offers (More info...)
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Goodbye dMarc: Google Sells Radio Automation Assets
Google's foray into the radio automation market has finally ended this morning, as San Francisco-based WideOrbit said it has acquired Google Radio Automation and related products. No financial details of the asset sale were disclosed. The sale ends Google's ill-fated foray into radio ads, which it began in January of 2006 with the acquisition of Newport Beach-based dMarc Broadcasting. At that time, Google paid $102M in cash--with up to an astounding $1.1 billion in contingent payments--for dMarc (More info...)
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