Wednesday, March 28, 2012Skype Co-founder Backs FreedomPopA new, Los Angeles startup, FreedomPop, has recently emerged, looking to provide free, high speed 4G wireless access to iPhone users--and has the backing of one of the co-founders of Skype, Niklas Zennstrom. FreedomPop said it is planning to launch later thi syear, to offer user sof At&T and Verizon iPhone users with free, broadband internet access. FreedomPop is planning on using the 4G, mobile broadband network being operated by Clearwire to power the service. The firm did not detail how it pl (More info...)
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Sientra Gains $65MSanta Barbara-based Sientra, a developer of FDA-approved, silicone breast implants, said Wednesday that it has raised $65M in a Series C funding round. The funding was led by Abingworth, and also included Clarus Ventures, OrbiMed Advisors, and all of its other current investors. The round will go towards commercialization of its products. Sientra said the new round brings its total raised to $151M. The firm was founded by CEO Hani Zeini.
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SharesPost To Halt Secondary Facebook TradingSharesPost, the secondary stock marketplace which allows investors to purchase shares in pre-IPO, privately held firms, told its users today that it will cease facilitating transactions in Facebook, ahead of Facebook's IPO. According to SharesPost, as of Friday, end of day, it will cease transactions in Facebook, on request of Facebook, to enable Facebook's "orderly transition into the public markets". Facebook has been among the most heavily traded companies on SharesPost and other secondary tr (More info...)
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Nami Media Grows OperationsLos Angeles-based Nami Media, which provides online marketing technology aimed at the pay-per-click (PPC) market, said today that it has doubled its staff, and has moved to a new, larger facility in order to accommodate expected growth this year. The firm said it is planning "significant" expansion this year, although it did not say how many more employees it plans to hire during 2012. The company, which is headed by former Overture/Yahoo EVP Alex Cory, also said it has hired Scott Higgason as S (More info...)
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My Damn Channel Going Live Today With YouTube ShowLos Angeles-based My Damn Channel, the online comedy video site backed by Intuitive Venture Partners, Okapi Venture Capital, and Sunshine Wireless Company, is debuting its live YouTube comedy show today at 1pm PST, the firm told its users this morning, as it kicks off a complete redesign effort for the company. The show--headed by host Beth Hoyt--had been announced by the company last week in conjunction with YouTube. My Damn Channel LIVE will feature celebrity guests, in a talk-show like format (More info...)
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DFJ Frontier Gets Exit At ClearAccessLos Angeles- and Santa Barbara-based DFJ Frontier, the venture capital firm founded by David Cremin and Scott Lenet, has scored an exit at one of its portfolio firms, ClearAccess. According to networking giant Cisco, it has acquired ClearAccess to bolster its network management capabilities for the service provider market. Financial details of the buy were not disclosed. ClearAccess was based in Vancouver, Washington, and was managed by DFJ Frontier's Jim Schraith. Other investors in ClearAccess (More info...)
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MediaPass Gets $1.75M MoreLos Angeles-based MediaPass, the developer of subscription and content monetization software aimed at online publishers, has raised $1.75M more in a Series B funding. The funding came from angels, including Jeff Stibel of Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. and Jeff Tinsley of MyLife. MediaPass is headed by Matthew Mitchell, and offers up software which allows online publishers to start charging for their content for users. The startup's software uses JavaScript and other code to intercept traffi (More info...)
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Seismic Games Debuts First Title, CelebrityMeLos Angeles-based Seismic Games, the social games developer run by former Pandemic Games co-founder Greg Borrud and backed by DFJ Frontier, has launched its first title this morning. Celebrity Me. The new social game is centered on a Hollywood-themed, "celebrity lifestyle" fantasy world, which allows users to play a virtual celebrity, making their way to stardom by picking out fashionable clothes, attending parties with the rich and famous, and other tasks. The game allows players to pick a stag (More info...)
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Punchcard Links With Pasadena Chamber of CommercePasadena-based Punchcard, the startup headed by Andy Steuer which is developing mobile applications to enable local businesses to run punchcard-based loyalty programs, said today that it has linked with the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce to enable local Pasadena businesses to use its service. The startup--which is backed by Idealab--said the effort will help Pasadena area merchants increase revenues and help communicate and reward customers of their businesses. Punchcard's apps, which run on iOS a (More info...)
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FindTheBest Partners With SeatGeekLooking to connect its users with concerts, sports, and entertainment events, Santa Barbara-based FindTheBest, the comparisons startup headed by Kevin O'Connor, the former founder of DoubleCLick, said Tuesday that it has partnered with seat search engine SeatGeek. According to FindTheBest, it has relaunched its Ticket comparison service, allowing users to find, filter, and compare events by event name, venue, location, and other information. The two did not disclose financial details of the part (More info...)
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Strand Diagnostics Raises $30 Million From NantWorksLos Angeles-based NantWorks, the business investment and development firm run by billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, has invested $30M in Strand Diagnostics, a developer of a diagnostic and DNA testing service for diagnosing cancer. According to the two, the funding will be invested over the next 3 years, and will go towards Strand Diagnostics' growth, to scale its operations infrastructure, and expand sales and marketing. Strand Diagnostics is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Strand Diagnostics is (More info...)
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Independa Powers Remote Care Service For LivHOMESan Diego-based Independa, the developer of remote monitoring products for seniors, is powering a new tablet computer-based remote care service from LivHOME, the two said this morning. LivHOME launched LivIndependa, a remote care and monitoring service for older adults this morning, saying that it is tapping technology from startup Independa to power the offering. The service allows older adults to email and conduct video chats with others, get medication reminders, browse the Internet, share ph (More info...)
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VIZIO Licenses Patents To Westinghouse DigitalIrvine-based HDTV manufacturer VIZIO said this morning that it has licensed its digital TV patent portfolio to Westinghouse Digital LLC, a manufacturer of HDTVs, settling a patent dispute between the companies. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, however, VIZIO said that Westinghouse has agreed to make royalty payments to VIZIO for sales of licensed products.
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