Monday, June 7, 2010


Emulex Buys ServerEngines
Costa Mesa-based storage area networking equipment firm Emulex announced Monday afternoon that it has agreed to acquired ServerEngines Corporation, a Silicon Valley firm which develops iSCSI and Ethernet semiconductors. Emulex said it would pay $78M in cash and eight million shares of its common stock for ServerEngines, or a total of approximately $159M based on Emulex's closing price Friday. Emulex said that the buy will expands its total addressable market by around $350M. ServerEngines develo (More info...)
posted on Monday, June 7, 2010(Full story)

Guitar Hero Hits iPhone
Santa Monica-based Activision said Monday afternoon that it has just launched music videogame franchise Guitar Hero on the iPhone and iPod Touch. Activision said that the game is now available through Apple's App store, and allows iPhone and iPod Touch users to play tracks from Queen, Rise Against, The Rolling Stones, Vampire Weekend, Weezer and The White Stripes. Activision also said the app includes such features as Facebook integration, in-game news feeds, and ability to download new tracks f (More info...)
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Report: SpaceX Still Needs $1 Billion To Reach Goals, Despite Successful Launch
A report from the WSJ Monday morning says that Hawthorne-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), the commercial space flight venture of Elon Musk, still needs more than $1 billion in funding over the next year or two, to reach its goal of transporting astronauts to the International Space Station. The firm--which saw a successful launch of its Falcon 9 spacecraft into orbit Friday--apparently has nearly run out of cash a number of times between mid-2007 and mid-2009, the WSJ said, c (More info...)
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DONE Ventures Sues NBC Universal Over Failed Domain Name Sale
DONE! Ventures, the Internet marketing firm headed by BetterPPC's Ben Padnos, has sued NBC Universal over a failed agreement to buy domains Women.com and Women.net from NBC Universal via domain name firm Sedo. According to a complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court last Thursday, NBC Universal had agreed to sell Women.com and Women.net for one million dollars to DONE!, but then was overruled by NBC Universal President & CEO Jeff Zucker. In the complaint, DONE! said it is seeking a tempor (More info...)
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Veoh's Shapiro Named CTO Of MySpace Music
Los Angeles-based MySpace Music announced this morning that it has hired Dmitry Shapiro, who founded Veoh, as its new Chief Technology Officer. Shapiro will be based in Beverly Hills, and report to MySpace Music President Courtney Holt. Shapiro was founder and CEo of Veoh Networks until its bankruptcy filing in February. Shapiro also served as founder of Akonix Systems. Shapiro had raised over $70M in funding for Veoh, until legal battles and the economy sunk the online video sharing site. MySp (More info...)
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USC Stevens Taps VCs To Spur Spinouts
USC Stevens Institute, the effort at the University of Southern California to spur innovation within the school, has tapped a number of venture capitalists to help guide a new mentorship and funding program, the institute said this morning. According to USC Stevens, it has tapped James Blair of Domain Associates, David Lane of ONSET Ventures, Andy Rappaport of August Capital and the Rappaport Family Foundation, Mark Stevens of Sequoia Capital, and Ken Klein, President of Wind River, as charter m (More info...)
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Firm With Ties To UCI Gets Backing Of Iacocca Family
A Seattle-area firm, Kineta, with ties to two University of California, Irvine professors has scored funding support from the Iacocca Family Foundation, created by Lee A. Iacocca, the company said today. Kineta said that the Iacocca Family Foundation is in an investment partnership with the firm to speed development of compounds to treat Type 1 diabetes. Those compounds are being developed by UC Irvine professors K. George Chandy, M.D., Ph.D. and Jonathan Lakey, Ph.D. Financial terms of the inve (More info...)
posted on Monday, June 7, 2010(Full story)

Platform G Closes On $22M Funding Round
Beverly Hills-based Platform G, the stealth mode startup headed by former MySpace CEO Chris DeWolfe, has closed a $22.0M, Series A funding round, according to a regulatory filing by the firm today. The round had earlier been reported but the exact amount had not been confirmed by the company. The round came from Austin Ventures. Platform G acquired San Francisco gaming firm MindJolt in March.
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Qualcomm Invests In Optical Module Firm
San Diego-based Qualcomm has made a strategic investment in European optical module firm Anteryon, Anteryon announced this morning. Financial details of the investment were not announced, but Anteryon said Qualcomm lead the firm's latest funding round, which also included BNP Paribas Private Equity, Biggell Finance, Quest for Growth, and others. Anteryon makes miniature, optical modules used for mobile phones. The modules are used for miniature camera and laser projection. Anteryon is the former (More info...)
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uSamp Expands With New Offices
Encino-based uSamp, the venture backed online surveying and panel firm, said today that it has opened two new offices in an expansion. The firm said it has opened up a new office in Connecticut, and also started up operations in India to supplement its existing California operations. uSamp said it has opened up an office in Trumball Connecticut, where it now employs five; and it has also started up operations in India, headed by COO Suresh Subbiah, where it has another 46 employees. uSamp has 3 (More info...)
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Teledyne Acquires Optomechanical Assembly Firm
Thousand Oaks-based Teledyne Technologies announced this morning that it has acquired Optimum Optical Systems, a Camarillo-based manufacturer of custom optics and optomechanical assemblies. Financial terms of the deal were not announced. Teledyne said the acquisition would further expand its capabilities in the area of tactical infrared imaging systems. Optimum Optical's products are used as a part of small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) products. Teledyne said it would rename Optimum Optical as (More info...)
posted on Monday, June 7, 2010(Full story)