Thursday, November 4, 2010


Universal Electronics Buys Remote Control Firm For $110M
Cypress, California-based Universal Electronics, a manufacturer of infrared wireless control systems for the home entertainment market, said today that it has acquired Enson Assets Limited, a Chinese firm owned by CG International Holdings Limited. The deal was worth $110M. Enson is a manufacturer of remote controls for OEMs. Ensons's customers include Sony, Panasonic, and Toshiba. Universal Electronics said the acquisition will add at least $140M to its sales and $20M in operating income in it (More info...)
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Kinetic Traction Systems, With VC Backing, Takes On Mass Transit Energy Storage
Chatsworth-based Kinetic Traction Systems, a new startup headed by former Pentadyne Power COO Richard Newark, said today that it has launched the firm, and is looking to apply flywheel energy storage to the mass transit and rail market. The company--which is backed by Rustic Canyon Partners, Loudwater Trust, and DTE Energy Ventures--is aiming to make mass transit and rail systems more energy efficient. The firm is applying flywheel energy storage system technology to absorb energy and generate p (More info...)
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Insights and Opinions: Due diligence: better to identify problems early on
For today's Insights and Opinions section, we have an article from Megan Jones, of Hadley Partners. Megan talks about the due diligence process: I was a panelist at the recent Digital Hollywood conference. The topic was Venture Funding, Investment and Mergers. One question made me really think. In the context of a busted deal, we were asked how to head off surprise issues which can crater a potential company sale. The answer is to do your (generally extensive) due diligence both thoroughl (More info...)
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SpaceShipOne Designer Rutan Plans Retirement
Burt Rutan, the designer of the first, commercial spacecraft to reach space, SpaceShipOne, said Wednesday that he plans to retire in April next year. Rutan, who founded Scaled Composites, the firm which designed SpaceShipOne, is currently Chief Technical Officer of Scaled Composites, which is based in Mojave. Scaled Composites said Rutan will keep the title of founder and Chairman Emeritus of the company. Rutan's team won the $10M Ansari X Prize run by the X Prize Foundation, and is part of the (More info...)
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Specific Media Adopts Advertising Option Icon
Irvine-based Specific Media, which operates an Internet advertising network, said today that it is one of the first memebers of the IAB to adopt a new "Advertising Options Icon", a new tool to provide web surfers with information about what data is being collected about them by advertisers. Sepcific Media said the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) tool shows on top of each online ad, and will provide a link to Specific Media's privacy information page and opt-out options. The launch of the ne (More info...)
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Morphlabs Launches Enterprise Cloud Management Platform
Manhattan Beach-based Morphlabs, which develops software for managing public and private cloud computing infrastructure, said this week that it has launched a new product called mCloud On-Demand. The firm said the new product allows users to use Amazon's EC2 cloud service to deliver enterprise applications over the public cloud. Morphlabs said its product helps developers deploy, manage and monitor enterprise class applications deployed in Amazon's cloud computing product, giving developers more (More info...)
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Zogenix Sets Pricing Range, Offering Size In IPO
San Diego-based Zogenix has updated its S-1, saying this morning the firm intends to offer 6 million shares of its common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market as ZGNX. The firm also said it currently estimates the firm's initial offering price at between $12.00 and $14.00 per share. Zogenix had filed for an IPO in September. The firm, which develops needle-free, delivery systems for the treatment of acute migraines and cluster headaches, is venture backed by Domain Associates, Clarus Lifesciences, (More info...)
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Hulu Opens Up Hulu Plus Distribution
Los Angeles-based Hulu, the online television streaming site, said today that it has opened up access to its Hulu Plus services . The firm--which had previously been restricting the service to a preview subscriber base--said anyone can now join the service. The service had previously required an invitation to join. Hulu also said that all PS3 owners with a PlayStation Network account will also be able to access the service, and that Hulu Plus will be available on Sony BRAVIA 2010 TVs. Hulu Plus (More info...)
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International Technidyne Acquired By Warburg Pincus, Merges With Nexus Dx
San Diego-based International Technidyne Corporation (ITC), a provider of blood testing devices, has been acquired by private equity firm Warburg Pincus, and also merged with venture backed San Diego firm Nexus Dx. According to ITC, a subsidiary of Warburg Pincus has acquired the firm in a deal worth $55M in cash. As part of the acquisition, the firm also merged with Nexus Dx, a clinical diagnostics firm. Financial details of the merger portion with Nexus Dx was not disclosed. Nexus Dx was ventu (More info...)
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Amgen Gives $4.5M To LA Education Effort
Thousand Oaks-based biotech giant Amgen said today that its nonprofit arm, the Amgen Foundation, is giving $4.5M in a grant to invest in South Los Angeles schools. Amgen said the grant goes to MLA Partner Schools, an effort which looks to prepare children from South Los Angeles for college and life. The effort is being run within the area of West Adaps Prep and Manual Arts. Amgen has been providing grants to the schools since 2007.
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DivX Signs Chinese TV Manufacturer
San Diego-based DivX has licensed its codec to another Chinese manufacturer of televisions, the firm announced today. DivX said it has added Konka Group, a manufacturer of digital televisions, as a customer. The company said the agreement covers all levels of DivX certificatoin, including its new DivX Plus HD format. Financial impact of the win was not disclosed.
posted on Thursday, November 4, 2010(Full story)

Telogis Adds Driver Assistance Data
Aliso Viejo-based Telogis, a provider of GPS fleet tracking, dispatch management, and navigation systems, said today that it has added new Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) data from NAVTEQ into its platform. According to the firm, the addition of the data will allow application developers using its software to improve driver safety, fuel efficiency, and performance. Telogis explained that the new topographical data can help developers determine better travel routes, based on distance, h (More info...)
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uSamp Names CFO, Promotes VPs
Encino-based uSamp, the online panel and survey firm headed by Matt Dusig and Gregg Lavin, said today that it has named a new CFO and promoted two new execs. The firm--citing "record" growth during the year--said it has named John Woolard as Chief Financial Officer, and promoted Dave Gaston to Regional Vice President of Survey Solutions, and Melanie Courtright to Senior Vice President of Client Services. The company said Woolard has served for 20 years in CFO, VP of Finance and Controllership (More info...)
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Digital Map Products Hits Azure Marketplace
Irvine-based Digital Map Products, which provides web mapping products to real estate and local government customers, said Wednesday that the firm's ParcelStream web service now is available through Microsoft Windows Azure Marketplace. The availability makes the firm's parcel boundaries available through Microsoft's APIs. Digital Map Products' products are used by real estate sites, utilities, financial services, insurance, and others to see legal parcel divisions.
posted on Thursday, November 4, 2010(Full story)