Wednesday, July 7, 2010Eight Repeat Entrepreneurs To Watch In SoCalOne complaint we sometimes hear from venture capitalists visiting Southern California for the first time, is the difficulty of finding experienced entrepreneurs and executives. socalTECH.com has mined its proprietary database of high tech companies and entrepreneurs and identified just a few of the repeat entrepreneurs to watch in the region. Here are eight Southern California companies and the experienced, successful entrepreneurs heading up their efforts, who haven't had any problems finding i (More info...)
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HauteLook Hires ThreeLos Angeles-based HauteLook, the heavily backed private fashion sales website headed by Adam Bernhard, said today that it has hired on three new executives on the heels of its recent, $31M Series C funding. The firm said it has added Arthur Lewis as General Merchandising Manager, Tim Davis as Director of Men's Merchandising, and Vicky Kalish as Director of Food and Wine. Davis and Kalish report to Lewis, and Lewis reports to Bernhard. Lewis was most recently a Senior Vice President at Gap's Old (More info...)
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BrightCloud Acquired By WebrootSan Diego-based BrightCloud, a developer of Web content classification and security services, has been acquired by Internet security software firm Webroot. According to Webroot, it will add BrightCloud's engineering team in San Diego to its Cloud Engineering team. Financial details of the buy were not disclosed. Webroot also said it will integrate BrightCloud's technology into its own malware and security tools. BrightCloud was led by Quinn Curtis.
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PriceGrabber Rolls Android AppLos Angeles-based PriceGrabber, the online shopping comparison site now owned by Experian, said this week that it has released a free Android application. According to PriceGrabber, the new app allows users to scan barcodes, read product reviews, and make purchases from the mobile device. The device supports scanning of product UPC codes, and then pulls up pricing comparisons from retailers, allowing users to purchase that product from online merchants directly from the app.
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Uptake Medical Raises $17.5MSeattle- and Irvine-based Uptake Medical, a developer of medical technologies for the treatment of lung disease, said today that it has completed a Series B financing round worth $17.5M. Uptake said the round was led by Maverick Capital, and also included prior investors GBS Venture Partners, Onset Ventures, WRF Capital, Arboretum Ventures and Affinity Capital. Uptake said it will use the financing round to obtain a CE mark on its product, and introduce its products outside of the U.S. The firm (More info...)
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Panasonic Avionics Signs Cathay PacificLake Forest-based Panasonic Avionics Corporation announced today that it is in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with airline Cathay Pacific. According to Panasonic, it will provide full broadband connectivity on all Cathay Pacific and Dragonair passenger aircraft. Financial terms of the win were not disclosed. The firms said that the systems will be launched in early 2012, subject to regulatory approval, including GSM phone service, BlackBerry device support, Internet access, and more.
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Contour Energy Systems Doubles Headquarters SpaceAzusa-based Contour Energy Systems, the Caltech spinoff commercializing advanced battery systems, reported today that it has doubled the size of its company headquarters. The firm said it has added an additional 15,000 square feet of manufacturing space, as it prepares for ramp of production of its batteries. Contour is venture backed by CMEA Capital, Harris and Harris, Schlumberger and US Venture Partners. The company is developing fluorine-based battery technology, initially being targeted at (More info...)
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NTS Gets Boeing ContractCalabasas-based National Technical Systems, a provider of engineering services, reported today that its Test Systems Engineering Division has been selected by Boeing. NTS said that the division will provide Automated Test Equipment (ATE) support for Boeing's 777 program. Financial impact of the win was not disclosed. NTS said the fixed price contract goes until January of 2011. NTS provides engineering services to the defense, aerospace, telecom, automotive, and high tech markets.
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DTS Promotes Towne to COOCalabasas-based DTS, which develops surround sound and other sound processing technology for the entertainment industry, said today that it has promoted Brian Towne to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Towne was most recently EVP and General Manager at the firm. He has been at the firm since 2003, and previously served at Kenwood USA, Pioneer Electronics, and the United States Marine Corps.
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Illumina Expands BoardSan Diego-based Illumina, a developer of life sciences tools and sequencers, said this morning that it has named Gerald Moller, Ph.D., to its board. Moller is an advisor at investment firm HBM Bio Ventures AG. Moller has previously served at Boehringer Mannheim in Germany, Japan and the US, as well as Hoffman LaRoche.
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