Wednesday, August 11, 2010Geni Rolls Out RevisionsLos Angeles-based Geni, which operates an online site for graphing out family trees and tracking family history, announced Wednesday afternoon that it has released a new revisions feature for Geni Pro users. Taking a hint from revision tracking tools typically used by software developers, the firm said that Geni Pro users can now track changes to family trees, and allow users to undo changes to the tree, compare diffrent versions of profiles, and see when changes have been merged or or profiles (More info...)
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Growthink Ups Funding To $3.1MLos Angeles-based Growthink, a provider of business plan consulting, corporate branding, venture capital research, investment banking, and other services, has upped its funding to $3.1M, according to a regulatory filing by the firm this week. According to the filing, the funding is part of an ongoing $5.0M fundraising effort by the firm. The funding is up from the $2.19M raised in the same round by the firm as of August 2009, according to regulatory filings. No details on the funding or investor (More info...)
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MySpace Previews Home Page DesignLos Angeles-based social networking site MySpace said today that it has started previewing a new user homepage for its users. According to MySpace, it is previewing a two-column format, which allow users to see content and status updates on the left, and recommendations on the right. The site said it hopes the new design will make sharing and discovering new content "easier than ever."
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ISBX Takes On Cross-Platform Mobile DevelopmentLos Angeles-based ISBX, a new startup software developer, said this week that it has launched a new, cross-platform mobile development product. The firm said its software, Avenue Mobile, allows brands and businesses to create applications for iPhone, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Android and Symbian. The company said its customers already include NBC Universal, Warner Brothers, CW Networks, and Sony Pictures, and that it is backed by private investors in the U.S. and Asia. Names of those investors (More info...)
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AeroVironment Hits Global Observer Testing MilestoneMonrovia-based AeroVironment said today that the firm's Global Observer, unmanned aircraft systems, has completed wing load testing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. The firm said the successful completion is a "key milestone" in development and testing of its unmanned aircraft system. Global Observer is being funded by six U.S. government agencies, which have funded the program with more than $120M. Aerovironment said the system provides persistent communications and surveillance over an (More info...)
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ISE Files For Chapter 11San Diego-based ISE Limited, a developer of energy storage systems and hybrid-electric drive systems, said Tuesday evening that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The firm said it made the filing in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of California. The filing came after the firm failed to raise additional capital for the firm. ISE had been backed by Siemens Venture Capital, Macquarie Clean Technology Fund, DTE Energy Ventures, RockPort Capital Partners and NGP Ene (More info...)
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YouMail Releases New Android AppIrvine-based YouMail, the enhanced voicemail service headed by Alex Quilici, said this morning that it has launched a new, Android application. According to the firm, the updated app adds new features such as smart greetings, compression of voicemails, and easy switching between status greetings. YouMail also said it is now handling over one million calls a day, and has processed over 100 million calls in the past three months, with over 450 million calls handled in total. The company has been (More info...)
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ecoATM Gets Funding From CoinstarSan Diego-based ecoATM, a developer of automated kiosks for recycling cell phones and other electronics, has scored a strategic investment from kiosk maker COinstar. Financial details of the deal were not announced. Coinstar announced the investment Wednesday, saying that ecoATM's technology is "innovative and compelling" and that it believes ecoATM "could be a viable business". ecoATM was the winner of a contest run by Coinstar in 2009 focused on finding innovative ideas for kiosks. The firm al (More info...)
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RotoHog Unveils Four New GamesLos Angeles-based RotoHog, the developer of online fantasy sports and entertainment games, said last night that it has launched four new partner games. According to Rotohog, the games include a celebrity fantasy game with Us Weekly, a military-focused fantasy football game for Military.com, a casual fantasy football game for the Los Angeles Times, and a Premier League fantasy soccer offering with hi5.com. All of the games are based on RotoHog's SCP platform. RotoHog is headed by Kelly Perdew, an (More info...)
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CareFusion Cuts 700 EmployeesSan Diego-based CareFusion, a manufacturer of medical devices including pumps, patient identification systems, ventilators, surgical instruments, and more, said last night that it is cutting 700 jobs in a company-wide restructuring. The firm said the move is an attempt to "right size" the company, and is expected to save the firm more than $100M in annual savings. CareFusion said the move will eliminate layers of management and reduce the size of its supporting infrastructure. The cuts came des (More info...)
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TrueCar.com, Zag Sponsor Pebble Beach Concours d'EleganceSanta Monica-based firms TrueCar.com and Zag announced last night that the two companies are becoming official sponsors of the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Financial details of the sponsorship deal were not disclosed. According to TrueCar and Zag, the three-year agreement includes a deal for Motor Trend Radio to broadcast and record its coverage from the TrueCar.com suite. TrueCar operates an online site which provides pricing data on cars, based on the actual sales prices from local d (More info...)
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Aurora Capital Group Buys Lexington Precision CorporationLos Angeles-based private equity firm Aurora Capital Group said today that it has reorganized and acquired a majority ownership stake in Lexington Precision Corporation. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Aurora said that Lexington is a manufacturer of tight-tolerance rubber components used for medical, automotive, and industrial applications. Lexington had emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 30th.
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Guidance Names EVPMarina Del rey-based Guidance, a developer of e-commerce websites for online retailers, said Tuesday that it has appointed Mike Hill as Executive Vice President. Hill replaces Anna Kennedy, who the firm said will be transitioning to a new role at the firm. Hill was most recently at ATG, where he was Regional Manager. He also has worked at Breakaway Solutions and TechnoInteractive, Inc. Guidance said Hill will oversee the firm's sales strategy, manage its business development team, and develop an (More info...)
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BeyondTrust Appoints CFOCarlsbad-based BeyondTrust, a developer of software used to manage access control to virtualized data centers, said yesterday that it has named Ken Saunders as its Chief Financial Officer. Saunders joins the firm from Bazaarvoice, where he was CFO. Saunders also has served as CFO of Peregrine Systems, HNC Software, and Fair Isaac. Saunders also has worked at Open Solutions. BeyondTrust said that Saunders continues to serve as a board advisor for Bazaarvoice.
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