Wednesday, May 4, 2011RingRevenue Inks Partnership With PepperjamSanta Barbara-based RingRevenue, the pay-per-call technology provider to the affiliate marketing industry, has inked a partnership with Pepperjam Network, an online performance marketing firm owned by GSI Commerce. According to Pepperjam, it has licensed RingRevenue's call performance platform, to help provide their retail, lead generation and search management clients with call-based campaigns. Financial details of the deal were not announced. RingRevenue develops pay-per-call technology, which (More info...)
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Virgin Galactic Claims Test MilestoneVirgin Galactic, the commercial spaceflight and tourism company backed by Richard Branson, said Wednesday that it has met a major test milestone. The firm said its latest test flight for its SpaceShipTwo demonstrated its reentry configuration early Wednesday, as part of the third test flight for the vehicle in less than two weeks. The firm said the tests--at 51,500 feet--demonstrated its ability to slow the spacecraft during re-entry. The tests were conducted in Mojave, north of Los Angeles. The (More info...)
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Boingo Drops In Post IPO TradingSouthern California's latest technology IPO did not fare well in the markets Wednesday, as Boingo Wireless closed at $12.10, down 10.37 percent in trading for its first day. The firm, which debuted at $13.50, had priced at the higher end of its estimated trading range Tuesday. Boingo operates a international network of wireless (WiFi) hotspots, which subscribers can access using a single billing plan and login software.
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SpaceX: Over $3 Billion In Revenues On ManifestHawthorne-based SpaceX, the commercial rocket firm run by technology mogul Elon Musk, disclosed today in an email to supporters that the firm has racked up over $3 billion in revenues in its launch manifest, and has been profitable since 2007. The email, from Musk, said that SpaceX has so far invested less than $800M for the development of its Falcon 1, Falcon 9, and Dragon spacecraft, since being founded in 2002 until 2010. Musk sent out the details under an email titled "Why the US Can Beat Ch (More info...)
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Boingo Slips In IPOSanta Monica-based wireless network operator Boingo Wireless slipped in its initial public offering on Wednesday, as the overall markets dropped on economic worries. Boingo was trading at around $11.60 per share in afternoon trading, down about 12 percent, below its $13.50 IPO price. The firm had sold 5.8 million shares of its stock in its IPO. Boingo's IPO was underwritten by Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank Securities, Pacific Crest Securities, and William Blair & Company. The firm's venture back (More info...)
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SodaHead Signs SlurpeeSherman Oaks-based SodaHead, the online polling and questions and answer site, said today that it has launched an integrated campaign with the Slurpee brand. SodaHead did not disclose details of the win, but said the campaign includes a poll question, skinned homepage, email newsletter and banner ads. SodaHead is venture backed by Mission Ventures, Mohr Davidow Ventures, and the Tech Coast Angels, and was founded by former MySpace exec Jason Feffer and friend Michael Glazer.
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Nirvanix Ties Into Symantec Enterprise VaultSan Diego-based cloud storage provider Nirvanix said today that it has tied its cloud storage services into Symantec Enterprise Vault, the enterprise archiving software. Nirvanix said the support will come in Enterprise Vault 10, schedule to be available this summer. As part of the support, Nirvanix said its services will be able to used to automatically archive Facebook, Twitter, blog, instant messaging, and other content as part of the Symantec product. Nirvanix said it already is connecting i (More info...)
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NeuroVigil Gets FundingLa Jolla-based NeuroVigil, a firm developing non-invasive wireless brain recording technology and advanced computational analysis techniques, has raised a first round of funding, the firm said this week. Amount of the funding, and source, was not disclosed. NeuroVigil said the funding came from an "anonymous American industrialist and technology visionary". NeuroVigil's technology is based on research from the Salk Instutute for Biological Studies. The firm was founded by Dr. Philip Low. Accordi (More info...)
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Warner Bros. Buys FlixsterBurbank-based Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group said this morning that it is acquiring Flixster, the movie site which also runs Rotten Tomatoes. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. According to Warner, both sites will continue to operate independently. Flixster has offices in San Francisco, and Rotten Tomatoes has their operations in Los Angeles. Flixster operates an online social network and community for fans; Rotten Tomatoes provides film reviews, information, and news. Flixst (More info...)
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Continuous Computing Acquired By RadisysSan Diego-based Continuous Computing, a developer of embedded communications software, has been acquired by RadiSys. RadiSys said it would pay $73M in cash plus $31.9M in stock for Continuous Computing, for a total consideration of approximately $104M. The deal also includes earnout based on revenues from Continuous Computing's Trillium products over the next three years. RadiSys is based in Hillsboro, Oregon. Continuous Computing was venture backed by CDIB Ventures, Harbinger Venture Management (More info...)
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Interview with Brian Norgard, NamesakeOne of the stealthiest Los Angeles startups to emerge in the last few months has been Namesake (www.namesake.com), headed by Brian Norgard and co-founded by Dan Gould. Norgard has been keeping Namesake close to the vest, but we were able to visit him at the firm's headquarters in West Hollywood, where he gave us an overview of what the firm is doing. Norgard is a serial entrepreneur, having co-founded NewRoo (acquired by Fox Interactive Media/MySpace) and co-founding Twitter advertising startup (More info...)
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LegalZoom Adds Kleiner, IVP As InvestorsGlendale-based LegalZoom said last week that it has added Institutional Venture Partners and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers as investors in the firm. No details on the investment were disclosed. KPCB and IVP join Polaris Venture Partners as backers of the company, which has been rumored to be prepping for an IPO since at least August of last year, according to multiple sources in the Los Angeles technology community. LegalZoom said it now has more than 500 employees and has served more than 1 (More info...)
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USC, Caltech License Technology To SFC EnergyThe University of Southern California, the California Insitute of Technology, and fuel cell development firm SFC Energy said late Tuesday that the three have executed on a license to a portfolio of U.S. patents for direct methanol fuel cell technology. Financial details of the licensing deal were not disclosed. SFC Energy said it will gain a nonexclusive license to the universities' various methanol fuel cell patents. SFC said the technology is being targeted at use in portable consumer electron (More info...)
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Contour Energy Names Advisory BoardAzusa-based Contour Energy, the advanced battery company backed by CMEA Capital, Harris and Harris, Schlumberger and US Venture Partners, said today that it has formed a new Scientific Advisory Board. The firm said it has added Dr. Robert Grubbs, of the California Institute of Technology; Dr. Andre Hamwi, co-founder of Contour Energy Systems and professor at the University of Blaise Pascal; Dr. James Akridge, president of JRA Advisors; Dr. Marc Dubois, University of Blaise Pascal; Dr. Yang Shao- (More info...)
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THQ Names Communications ExecAgoura Hills-based videogame maker THQ said Tuesday that it has named Angela Emery as the firm's Vice President of Corporate Communications. Emery joins the firm from Disney Interactive Studios. Emery also has served at such firms as Fox Interactive, Sega Interactive, and Edelman PR. Emery replaces Julie MacMedan, who the firm said has left to pursue a new opportunity. MacMedan also was VP of Investor Relations, which THQ said it is planning to hire.
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