Friday, May 7, 2010Report: Demand Media Snags Another Yahoo VetA report Friday afternoon from the WSJ's Kara Swisher says that Santa Monica-based Demand Media has snagged yet another Yahoo executive, this time, Yahoo VP of Brand Packaging Erika Nardini. The move comes shortly after Demand hired former Yahoo Head of U.S. Advertising Sales Joanne Bradford. Swisher also says that Yahoo program manager Sarah Northern also tendered her resignation and is joining Demand. Demand Media, which is headed by former MySpace Chairman Richard Rosenblatt, is widely rumore (More info...)
posted on Friday, May 7, 2010(Full story)
Five Area Firms Get DOE Funds for Concentrating Solar Power ResearchFive, Southern California firms are among companies who are splitting up $62M in government funding for the research, development, and demonstration of concentrating solar power systems, according to an announcement by the U.S. Department of Energy. According to DOE Secretary Steven Chu, it has selected thirteen award winners in Concentrating Solar Power Systems Studies, and Concentrating Solar Power Component Feasibility Studies. Southern California is a major beneficiary of the DOE grants, wit (More info...)
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Southern California Firms Drive Surge In Electric Car InvestmentsA new analysis of Q1, 2010 venture capital investments finds that two Southern California companies drove a 490 percent increase in Clean Technology Industrial Products & Services for the quarter. According to Ernst & Young, which analyzed the Q1 2010 venture capital numbers from Dow Jones VentureSource, the $100M funding round of Santa Monica-based Coda Automotive and the $93M financing of Irvine's Fisker Automotive drove a huge increase in investments in the segment in Q1, up to $261.7M -- rep (More info...)
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The Search Agency, Covario Make Top Search Marketing Agency ListTwo Southern California firms have made Advertising Age's annual list of the largest search marketing agencies, released last week. Santa Monica-based The Search Agency, which is headed by David Hughes, was listed at number 12, and San Diego-based Covario, which is run by Russ Mann, was listed at number 25. Advertising Age reported that The Search Agency's 2009 revenues were $20.4M, and Covario's 2009 revenues were $8.8M. The Search Agency is backed by private equity firm JMI Equity; Covario is (More info...)
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Luis Villalobos Award Given To StartupThe first, national Luis Villalobos Award, named after deceased Tech Coast Angels founder Luis Villalobos, was given yesterday by the Angel Capital Association, to a startup based in Seattle. According to the ACA, it awarded Modumetal, a developer of nano-laminated materials used as a replacement for stainless steel, the Luis Villalobos Award as the "Most Innovative Idea" financed by one of its member angel investment groups. The award was established earlier this year to honor Villalobos, who w (More info...)
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Interview with Marc Friedmann, SciVee
For this morning's interview, we spoke with Marc Friedmann, the experience executive who is now CEO of Solana Beach-based SciVee (www.scivee.tv). Marc was previously CEO of Syntricity, and was founding CEO at Prisa Networks (acquired by EMC).
SciVee recently inked a major deal with Thomson Reuters, and Marc tells us a bit about that deal as well as the company's business.
For people who haven't visited SciVee, what's the site about?
Marc Friedmann: SciVee serves the STM - Science, Tec (More info...)
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FLO TV Adds UFC EventsSan Diego-based FLO TV, the mobile television venture of Qualcomm, said today that it will begin carrying the UFC's Pay-Per-View events. FLO TV said it will carry UFC matches both live and through event replays, through its personal television and auto devices. Business details of the deal were not disclosed, however, FLO TV said the addition of the pay-per-view events is the first in a series of new applications being planned by the firm, which also includes plans for integrating web-based cont (More info...)
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Image Metrics Names VPSanta Monica-based Image Metrics, a developer of facial animation technology and services, said this weekt that it has hired Michael Crigler as its Vice President of North American Sales. Crigler has previously served at Havok, a subsidiary of Intel, as well as Criterion/Electronic Arts, and Database Marketing Group. Image Metrics is a developer of markerless facial animation software and related services for the film and videogame industry.
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Cogent Revives Registered Traveler Program For AirportsPasadena-based Cogent, a maker of biometrics devices and fingerprint readers, is behind a launch of a new, Registered Traveler (RT) program at the Indianapolis International Airport (IND), being launched by new company iQueue. iQueue, which is a joint venture of Cogent, ARINC, FLO Corporation, and International RAM, said it has been selected to provide expedited access to airport screening checkpoints. The Registered Traveler program is the first since Verified Identity Pass (CLEAR) shut down it (More info...)
posted on Friday, May 7, 2010(Full story)