Tuesday, March 13, 2012


MomentFeed Powers Cinnabon
Santa Monica-based MomentFeed, the location-based analytics firm headed by Rob Reed, has scored a win with retailer Cinnabon, the firm revealed today. The firm--which helps companies analyze the engagement of consumers at retail locations based on their interaction on sites such as Facebook, Foursquare, and Twitter--said that Cinnabon saw a 671 percent increase in customer engagement across its u.S. locations from using MomentFeed's platform. MomentFeed said Cinnabon has been using the firm for (More info...)
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HypeMarks Launches Into Beta
Los Angeles-based HypeMarks, a new startup aimed at social discovery, launched into beta this week, looking to help users and their friends discover the web through each other. The startup--one of the firms which is part of the StartEngine accelerator in Westwood--offers up a collection of websites and web links, all tied into a user's Facebook profile. The startup lets users create a collection of sites they love, which they can show to their friends, discuss, and recommend to others. HypeMarks (More info...)
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Fandango Launches Facebook Timeline App
Los Angeles-based Fandango, the online movie tickets site, said today at SXSW that it has launched a new Facebook Timeline app called "Movies with Friends". The firm said the new app allows fans to share movie recommendations and activities with friends, see their friends' movie picks, and more. Fandango's new app allows users to share information on movies they've rated and reviewed on the site, movies that they want to see, movie trailers they have watched, among other activities. Fandango sai (More info...)
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StylePin Takes On Fashion Inspiration
Are you really into fashion, clothing, and style? A new Los Angeles startup, StylePin, is hoping that its highly visual user interface will inspire you to organize and share your fashion inspirations and personal style with others. The new startup, headed by John Diep, is hoping to capitalize on the fascination users have for visual sharing sites like Pinterest, the Silicon Valley site which allows users to share photos, "pin" them to a profile, vote up, and more with others. Diep, who runs the (More info...)
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CODA Automotive's First Vehicle Rolls Off Production Line
Santa Monica-based CODA Automotive, the electric vehicle startup, reported last night that its first, fully assembled CODA has rolled off the final assembly line at its Northern California factory. CODA said its first of its five passenger sedans will be sold in California to current reservation holders for its cars. CODA has a factory in Benecia, California, about 30 miles from San Franciso, where all of the final assembly of its autos happens. CODA said it now has dealerships throughout Califo (More info...)
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Autobytel Sees Growth, Profits In 2012
Online automotive information and purchasing site Autobytel looks to have finally turned a corner, saying today that it is expecting to achieve "meaningful growth" in both its revenue and profitability in 2012. The firm, reported a profit in 2011, its first profitable year since 2004. The firm had seen massive revenue drops, made huge cuts in its staff, dodged NASDAQ delisting, failed in an attempt to sell the company, shuffled its executive staff, sold off business units, and appeared to have b (More info...)
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Kurion: Systems Have Removed 70 Percent of Radioactivity at Fukushima
Irvine-based Kurion, the venture-backed developer of nuclear cleanup technology, reported progress of its cleanup efforts at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant today. The firm said that since it began processing the highly contaminated water at the plant, it has processed more then 36 million gallons of waste water, and removed approximately 3.5 x 1017 Becquerel (9.4 million curies) of cesium. The firm said that the figure is approximately 70 percent of the radioactivity removed from the doomed (More info...)
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Stellar Microelectronics Acquired By Flextronics
Valencia-based Stellar Microelectronics, an electronics manufacturing services provider focused on the aerospace, defense, and medical manufacturing markets, has been acquired by Flextronics. Financial terms of the buy were not announced. According to Flextronics, the buy will help expand its service offerings in the aerospace, defense, and medical markets. Stellar Microelectronics has an annual run rate of just under $100 million, according to Flextronics.
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