Friday, May 27, 2011OpenX Raises $20M MorePasadena-based online advertising software firm OpenX has just raised a big, $20M funding round, according to a regulatory filing from the firm late Friday. The funding has not yet been announced by the company. Source of the new funding was not disclosed, however, the firm is venture backed by Accel Partners, DAG Ventures, First Round Capital, Index Ventures, Mangrove Capital Partners, and O'Reilly AlphaTech Ventures. The new round would bring the company's total raised up to around $50M, over (More info...)
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Gorilla Nation's Youthology Acquires TeenSpot.comYouthology, the digital marketing arm of Gorilla Nation which is focused on youth, said Friday that it has acquired TeenSpot.com, an online website focused on teenagers. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. TeenSpot's entertainment and community website is a moderated, social networking and chat site, focused exclusively on teenagers. The site includes message boards about movies, fashion, celebrities, music, and more. Gorilla Nation said its Youthology arm will provide markete (More info...)
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NewEgg Pulls IPOCity of Industry-based online electronics retailer NewEgg has pulled its IPO, the firm said in a filing with the SEC late Friday. In the filing, the firm said that it "determined not to proceed with the initial public offering" but did not give any explanation. NewEgg had filed for an IPO in September of 2009. At least two other Southern California companies have decided to pull their IPos this month, including Vista-based AutoGenomics and San Diego-based Fallbrook Technologies; two firms, Los A (More info...)
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Insights and Opinions: Learning from Sony's Mega-MistakesHeading out into the weekend, we though we'd publish one more, Insights and Opinions article. Anyone paying attention to the computer security world in the last month is no doubt aware of the catastrophic hacking attack on Sony Online Entertainment and other Sony properties, which has taken the service offline for more than a month. Sony reported this week that the hack cost the firm more than even the Japanese tsunami and earthquake. Phillip Lieberman, the president and founder of Lieberman Sof (More info...)
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Interview with Jonathan Cooper, ATMCASHEver since the huge success of Monrovia-based Green Dot in its IPO last year, netting a huge return for local angels, investors here have taken a second look at financial startups . Among the local startups is Los Angeles-based ATMCASH (www.atmcash.com), a company which is looking to use the ATM machine network to change how a very old business--money remittance--works. We spoke with founderJonathan Cooper about what the company is all about.
What is ATMCASH?
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JibJab Powers MLB Baseball CampaignLos Angeles-based JibJab Media, the online, humorous content producer and personalized electronic greeting cards, has inked a deal with MLB Advanced Media, the companies said Thursday. The two said they have partnered on a "Starring You" campaign around baseball, where fans of baseball teams can send humorous, animated videos of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" with fans' own photos included. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The videos will be featured on the MLB website, as well as (More info...)
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Rustic Canyon, Steamboat Get Exit At MerchantCircleTwo Southern California venture capital firms have benefited from an acquisition yesterday of Mountain View-based MerchantCircle, an online local business advertising and networking site, by fellow online advertising firm Reply! Inc.. Both Rustic Canyon Partners and Steamboat Ventures were venture backers of MerchantCircle, which Reply said it would acquire yesterday for $60M in cash and stock. MerchantCircle's other backers are Scale Venture Partners and IAC. The firm had announced a total fund (More info...)
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THQ Signs Turtle Rock StudiosAgoura Hills-based videogame publisher THQ said Thursday that it has signed Turtle Rock Studios, a game development studio, for an upcoming, un-named title. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Turtle Rock Studios develops the multiplayer game Left 4 Dead and Counter-Strike: Condition Zero. The two firms said the new, upcoming first person shooter game's release date will be announced later.
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