Tuesday, January 19, 2010


United Sample Becomes uSamp
Encino-based United Sample, the online polling and sampling firm headed by former goZing founders Matt Dusig and Gregg Lavin, has renamed itself uSamp, the firm said Tuesday. Dusig and Lavin started United Sample in 2008, a few years after selling goZing to Greenfield Online in 2005. The firm is backed by Greycroft Partners and DFJ Frontier.
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Leads360 In Win With Google
Los Angele-based Leads360, a developer of web-based, lead management software, is powering a new feature in Google's Adwords program, the firm said Tuesday. According to Leads360, it is working with Google to help power the new AdWords Comparison Ads feature, which allows users of Google's search engine to find and compare mortgage quotes from lenders. Financial details of the win were not disclosed, however, Leads360 said its software is being used by mortgage originators to manage inquiries ge (More info...)
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Hydra Restructures Firm In Buyout
Beverly Hills-based Hydra Network, an online performance-based ad network, has been restructured in a deal where an investor group, Hydra Group led by Hydra founder and CEO, Zac Brandenberg, is purchasing the assets of Hydra LLC, the original owner of the ad network. According to Hydra Group, it was formed by a group of online marketing focused investors, including Brandenberg. The investment group also includes Rick Podgorski, of venture firm Windomar Partners. Financial details of the acquisit (More info...)
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AccessDNA In Partnership
Los Angeles-based AccessDNA, the online information and referral website for genetic testing services run by Lee Essner, announced Tuesday that it has inked a partnership with Informed Medical Decisions, a nationwide network of independent genetic counselors. The firm said the move will provide telephone-based, genetic counseling services to its online users. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. AccessDNA said that the telephone counseling features allows AccessDNA's users to contac (More info...)
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OpenCandy Adds Google Ventures' Kraus To Board
San Diego-based OpenCandy, which develops software and services to monetize downloads of open source software, said today that it has added Joe Kraus of Google Ventures to the firm's board of directors. Kraus is the co-founder of Excite and Jotspot. OpenCandy said that Kraus was an early investor in the firm. Kraus joins James Cham of Bessemer Ventures, along with co-founder and CEO Darrius Thompson on the board. OpenCandy develops services which help to promote and monetize the downloading of o (More info...)
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Platinum Equity Buys OAO Technology Solutions
Los Angeles-based Platinum Equity has acquired OAO Technology Solutions, a provider of managed IT services and solutions based in Maryland, the firm announced this morning. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. Platinum Equity said it acquired OAO Technology Solutions from an affiliate of J.F. Lehman & Company and other stockholders. OAOT provides managed IT services to government agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and global outsourcing firms. Platinum Equity was advised by Kirkl (More info...)
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AudioMicro.com Expands Track Library
Los Angeles-based AudioMicro, the online marketplace for stock music and sound effects headed by Ryan Born, is announcing today that it has added another 20,000 tracks to its marketplace. The firm--which is allows users to access music clips and sound effects for incorporation into web videos, short films, applications, and other projects--said the production music tracks were prviously only available to broadcast television and feature film producers. AudioMicro's marketplace is similar to the (More info...)
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Fonality Names New CEO
Culver City-based Fonality, a developer of business PBX phone systems based on the open source Asterisk PBX software, said today that it has named Dean Mansfield as the firm's new CEO. Mansfield replaces Chris Lyman, the firm's CEO and founder, who remains Chairman of the company's board. Manfield has previously served at such firms as NetSuite, Brocade Communications, Plumtree Software, and Mcafee. Lyman said the addition of Mansfield will help propel the firm to "the next level."
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OptionEase Claims Growth
San Juan Capistrano-based OptionEase, the stock options tracking and accounting software firm headed by Kimberly Kovacs, reports today that it had what it calls "significant growth" in 2009. The firm said it had 60 percent growth in revenues and new clients in the year. Actual financials were not disclosed by the company. According to OptionEase, the growth came because of "strong market demand" for its software for streamlining equity administration and compliance. OptoinEase is venture backed (More info...)
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Boingo Bundles With ASUS
Los Angeles-based Boingo Wireless, which operates a global network of Wi-Fi access points, announced today that the firm's software is being pre-loaded on ASUS Eee PC netbooks. Boingo said the bundling deal also calls for ASUS customers to be offered a 50% discount on its Wi-Fi access services. The firm said its software will initially be bundled on the ASUS Eee PC models 1005PE, 1008P, and 1201IN, with support for additional ASUS machines to be added in the future. Boingo operates a global netw (More info...)
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Molina Healthcare Buys Unisys Unit
Long Beach-based Molina Healthcare, a provider of health plans and managed care services, said today that it is buying the Health Information Management (HIM) business of Unisys Corporation, in a deal worth approximately $135M. The UniSys unit provides design, development, implementation, and business process outsourcing to state governments for Medicaid management. The firm said the buy would complement its Medicaid health plan business. Molina reports that the UniSys HIM business has annual re (More info...)
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Conexant Raises Cash Through Property Sale
Newport Beach-based Conexant Systems, a developer of a wide range of semiconductors, announced today that it has sold 25 acres of property adjacent to its headquarters, netting the firm $26.1M. The firm said it sold the property to City Ventures LLC, a residential and mixed-use developer of urban projects. The company said the proceeds from the land sale will go to generate corporate purposes, including debt reduction. The semiconductor firm explained the sale is part of a strategy to monetize " (More info...)
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RoyaltyShare Links With London Firm
San Diego-based RoyaltyShare, a web-based provider of royalty tracking for the music industry, has inked a deal with UK-based Consolidated Independent Ltd., the firms said this morning. According to the two companies, Consolidated Independent--a provider of digital media software for independent labels and distributors--will integrate its products with RoyaltyShare's systems. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. The companies said the effort will "seamlessly" link the two firms (More info...)
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Epics3 Takes On Photo Sharing
Carlsbad-based Epics3, a new startup focused on photo sharing through Twitter, Facebook, and other web sites, said today that it has launched its services. The new company, headed by Joe Moreno, said it will allow users to post photos to the web, and that it will share advertising revenue with users when people view their photos. Epics3 also allows users to serve up photos using their own domain names, and can link photos stored in the service with Amazon S3. Moreno is the founder of URL shorten (More info...)
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